My first 7th Heaven fic! I've always loved Simon the best, so I decided to write something on him. It's been maybe a year or two since he graduated from college. Not sure how long this story will be, but in it, Simon finds out something very startling about himself involving Eric and Annie. Other dramas for the others ensue also.
Disclaimer that none of the characters that 7th Heaven fans recognize are mine at all, much as I wish dear Simon was. So here we go…Enjoy!
Lies We Tell Ourselves and Each Other
By: CNJ
PG-13
1
Simon:
I hear the soft sound of someone's iPod telling all of us how dry this summer has been and to conserve water on a late August afternoon as I walk down the street to my apartment near the college I graduated from.
As I walk home from work at the local radio station, I push my wire-rimmed glasses up my snub nose and check my cell phone for messages. There are three…one from Matt, one from Lucy and one from Mom or Dad back in Glenoak.
"Hi, Simon…it's Sarah and me…just wanted to see how your job hunt is going…been busy here in New York, especially with Jacob and Miriam…they're almost two now and Sarah and I had to childproof the whole place. You should see all the gadgets they have these days…" Matt laughs. "Good thing we're done with our internships, so we have more flexible hours to be with our kids. Hey, Sime, I'll keep my fingers crossed that you land that great opportunity in film design…talk later…" Matt clicks off.
"Simon, are you there? I wish you'd pick up once in a while…you're done with school and just have work...well, I wanted to ask if you have some of your old art supplies from school…if you do, can you send them over to me? It's for a project I'm doing with Savannah…"
Lucy seems to be paying half of her attention to someone else in the place. "Mom…Mom, Savannah doesn't need another cookie…I just gave her some…Mom!"
Mom's voice says something I can't quite understand in the background. "Mom, she'll get a sugar rush and I'll never get her settled back down to her schoolwork again…and since Kevin left me and we moved back home, she's already been restless as it is…then just get Ruthie to act like a mother for a change and shut her own baby up; that baby's been crying all afternoon and Ruthie just ignores her!"
Lucy comes back to my phone with a gusty sigh. "Well, send over the supplies…unless you ever decide to come home again, then bring them…when are you coming for dinner or church or something? Sam and David hardly remember who you are except some sad ghost who moped around. I gotta go and put Rick down for his nap…he's trying not to yawn…" Right before Lucy clicks off, I hear Mom snap something and Lucy start to shriek back at her. I get the feeling that another argument is brewing between them.
"Hi, Simon, it's Dad. I'm about to leave the church and head home for dinner, but I just wanted to see how you were doing with the job hunt. Are you sure there is really nothing I can help you with? I really know a lot of people here in Glenoak and if you want to go into movies, there are studios in towns near Glenoak and I can get you something good here and jumpstart your career…ever since Ruthie had Kaylee last year, I was thinking of how you almost married Rose after we thought you'd gotten her pregnant"
Dad kind of sputters a minute and heaves a gusty sigh. "I could kill that Mac for running off on Ruthie and leaving her with his illegitimate offspring that now I have to support…at least Martin stands apart from Mac in that respect…he and Sandy have another son now and it's good that Martin righted his mistake and got married…it's a shame Ruthie didn't snag him first and marry him without being foolish enough to get pregnant." Dad sighs and pauses a minute and I get the feeling he's thinking about my active sex life in college.
"I'm just glad you didn't end up with Martin's mistake and having to marry Rose…you haven't had any…since? Because your mother has her hands full not only taking care of Sam and David, but of Lucy's two kids and Ruthie's daughter as well, not to mention that I'm still homeschooling the twins and your mother and Lucy are homeschooling Savannah. You know Savannah's old enough for school this year. Well, call me back and see if we can make plans for me to set up some interviews for you…set up some connections…it's a tough world out there, son and I want to give you the advantage…"
I go through the messages again and make a mental note to call Matt tonight and maybe send Lucy some poster boards I have in my linen closet.
I get home, relieved to be in my own place, this time paying the entire rent. It's an efficiency, but I mostly have books and papers and some small furniture, so I don't need a big place yet.
I sift through my mail, but it's mostly the phone bill and junk mail. Much as I love my parents, I am glad that they can no longer just pop in whenever they feel like. I still feel a tiny stab of guilt, yet also defiance in remembering how they'd tried to micromanage all of our lives…especially our love and sex lives.
Matt and I are the only ones who had sex outside of marriage…only Matt was more adept at keeping it hidden from Mom and Dad. He'd at least one that he told me about before he met Sarah and married her. I wasn't so savvy; Mom and Dad sniffed it out when I had sex first with Cecilia, then with Georgia and came on me like two vultures.
Maybe I should explain a little about Mom and Dad and the…culture or religion my family comes from. Dad is a minister in a small, conservative Protestant church in south central California in this small town of Glenoak. Most people of my parents' religious sect believe that all non-marital sex is bad, a sin somehow.
They also believe that people shouldn't live with their boy or girlfriends and that being gay is somehow "bad." They believe people should get married as young as possible to avoid "premarital" sex and that no one should have a child while unmarried. Perhaps there are many of you who grew up with similar beliefs, but I know there are a lot of you here who find my parents' beliefs odd or narrow. I always knew that I was growing up in an unusual home and have tried to break free of that conditioning.
I feel a tad guilty because I love my parents and family…but I don't condone some of what many of them do in the name of "religion" or "values" or beliefs. It's a bit hard to explain. But a it's also a large part of why Lucy is back living with them again and why Ruthie is still living with them and now has a baby at barely nineteen.
Mom and Dad tried to bulldoze Mac into marrying her, but neither one of them wanted an early marriage and Mac just took off, which is a shame because without Mom and Dad's interference, Mac had a chance of being a decent dad to little Kaylee…or both he and Ruthie could have had an intelligent discussion away from Mom and Dad and decided since they weren't ready to be parents, to put Kaylee for adoption and give innocent Kaylee, who didn't ask to be born, a chance to grow up with real parents who really want her. Now Ruthie is really not interested in being a mom too much and both she and Lucy rely too much on Mom and Dad to basically raise their kids for them. It's sad.
After I change into casual sweats from my work shirt and pants, I start making something for dinner. As I put a potpie in the microwave, I call Matt and Sarah. Sarah answers.
"Simon, hi!" she greets warmly.
"Hi, Sarah…how are the kids?"
"They're doing all right…say hi to Uncle Simon…"
"Hello…" I greet the little warbling chirps that come from my niece and nephew. I've met them a couple of times and they are so cute. When Sarah was pregnant with them three years ago, we'd thought they were both boys, but it turned out to be one of each, a boy and a girl, which is nice. Sarah and Matt are swell parents…unlike most of the others in our family, they waited until they were well established and stable before marrying and having their kids. I envy them a little, being so far in New York City.
"Matt's not home right now…I got home from work about an hour ago and Matt's working late on a surgery…it's really hot here…humid also…is there still a draught in your area?"
"Yeah…I hope we get rain soon because we need it…usually the long dry spells are down around LA and closer to Glenoak," I tell her as the microwave nings.
"Do you ever hear from Mary?" Sarah asks.
"I haven't since last spring," I say. "Sometime around late March, she did call me and wished me a happy birthday and told me that she was settled in LA and is working for the post office…something about mail processing…"
"So she and Carlos officially divorced?"
"Yeah…she sees their kids, but not too often…Carlos is still in Puerto Rico and once in a great while, Mary flies down there to see them…I hope Charlie, Teresa, and Sara stay close to her." I remember how shocked we all were when Mary abruptly left Carlos the first time when little Charlie was just a baby. Gave us no reason, didn't even call us for months, just left Carlos with the dirty work of telling us. Not even Matt or Sarah had the whole story. She returned for a year or so, then left again.
"So, how've you been doing…no more asthma trouble this summer…is your career getting going…any offers?" Sarah asks. Last year, I developed asthma. That wasn't easy for me to deal with, but I'm getting used to taking medication and just dealing with chronic illness.
"No, haven't had any more attacks…and as for jobs, not yet…so I'm paying my bills by my temp jobs with cell phone programming…Dad of course, is offering to orchestrate the ultimate job for me…but I want to find something on my own…just once, do something on my own…"
"I know how that is…I'm glad you're breaking out of that shell and becoming more independent…you were always the quietest one in your family, but somehow, even when I met you as a teenager, you had this…determined independence inside of you that I suspected would break free of your family's status quo."
I laugh a bit. "I always thought Matt was the most independent one of our family…he always was able to stand up to Mom and Dad, even when Mom gave that look and Dad gave that head-forward glare…even today, I still cringe…whenever they gave me their looks, I'd just quiver and melt inside."
"Both you and Matt have done extremely well…don't sell yourself short…you had lots of problems and all, but you still graduated with honors and your career looks promising…something will come your way."
"I hope so…Sarah…one of the places I've sent my resume to is New York City…I might move there if I get an offer…how would you and Matt feel about that?"
"Hey, it'd be great! The other day, Matt and I were talking and Matt was hoping you could come from Christmas or Thanksgiving…if you came, you could be here…"
"I wish I could come there more often…I really miss you and Matt…I'm so sorry I haven't been there for so long…since last Thanksgiving…and Mom tried to guilt me into coming back to Glenoak for days…"
Sarah laughs a little, remembering. "And she also called Matt and yelled at him for inviting you up there instead of all of us flying down there." Mom and Dad forget that Sarah and other people have other family members in other parts of the world that we'd like to see.
We talk for a while longer, then Sarah tells me that her twins are trying to eat the remaining cookies all at once and bickering over then. "I'd better see that they don't tear apart the box and cabinet or all three of us are going to have a huge mess to clean up…I'll tell Matt you called…bye now."
"Bye, Sarah…give the kids a kiss for me," I disconnect, then eat my somewhat dried-out potpie while reading an issue of Money magazine.
My cell vibrates again, but I ignore it and just eat. But curiosity gets the better of me and I check the message. Sandy. I start a bit, then listen.
"Hi, Simon…it's me…I never did thank you for all the support you gave me while I was pregnant and Martin was avoiding me…Martin's still kind of avoiding me even today…I wish I had somebody to talk to, but it's just me and the boys…Martin's working long hours in the mailroom and comes home and just plops in front of the TV…and his dad just pops in whenever he wants and they sit and talk and act like I'm not even there much of the time…it's the pits…I hope you get this message…but if you call me, call me in the day from around nine to five…that's when I'm alone…and also, Martin still spends too much time with Eric and Annie…Ruthie's still there…I tell myself that anything they had is long over and Ruthie's tied up with her own kid…what a mess…she has this out-of-wedlock baby…Mac's such a jerk…at least Martin came around, even though he's still a jerk also, but I'm in a better place than Ruthie…anyway…Simon…I miss you and loved some of the talks we had…by for now." Sandy clicks off.
I feel bad for both Sandy and Martin…they both had one sexual encounter without protection, then Martin just dumped Sandy and even when Sandy tried to tell him she was pregnant, he still avoided her until Sandy basically blackmailed him into staying with her. And the funny thing is, was that Martin was always criticizing others who had non-marital sex, including me. Ironic how it all turned out.
Mom and Dad got wind of it all and basically railroaded and guilted them into marrying. Martin's dad, another conservative one, also joined Mom and Dad's chorus. But the one I feel worst for is little Aaron, who is in the situation by no fault of his own…and his little brother who's almost a year old now.
Somehow, as I polish off the potpie and watch the sun spill magenta and orange throughout the sky as it sets, I have the feeling that the coming fall will bring more changes and not just in my career, but in all of our lives. This isn't going to be the end of our family dramas, I fear.
So, that's chapter one…hope you all enjoy and review!
