TWO DAYS LATER - TUESDAY
4 PM
Ruthie walks in the front door of the house and looks around at the empty rooms. She wipes tears from
her eyes and quietly heads upstairs.
Lucy and Simon walk in through the kitchen door to greet Annie with the twins.
"Hi, where's Ruthie?" Annie asks.
"She went to the front door," Simon tells her. "Did I get any mail?"
"No, but how was your guys' day?" she asks them.
"Okay," Simon shrugs, grabs a peach, and heads upstairs.
"And you?" Annie asks Lucy.
"Fine," Lucy replies and heads upstairs after Simon as Eric walks in the door.
"How was your day?" Annie asks with a slight smile.
"Boring," Eric replies. "I didn't do a whole lot other than work on my sermon." He sits down with her. "How
was your day?"
"Well thank you for asking," Annie replies with a smile. "It was....boring," she lowers her head in humor
over the situation then looks back up at him. "I feel like soaking in the tub."
"I feel like playing my guitar," he tells her. "Maybe I can serenade you as you soak."
"Don't press your luck," Annie warns him. They both stand and grab a twin and head upstairs. As they
reach the top of the stairs they see Lucy come down from her room.
"Hey, do you guys mind if I go meet some friends at the pool hall?" she asks. "We were going to do a
group study thing for a test tomorrow and it's a really hard test so we wanted to start studying early."
"Um, that's fine," Annie replies. "Is Ruthie upstairs?"
"Ya, she's doing homework," Lucy tells her and goes on downstairs, passing Robbie on the way up.
"Hey, do you work or have class tonight?" Eric asks him and he shakes his head no. "Good, would you mind
watching the boys for awhile?" They hand Sam and Dave off to Robbie.
"Robbie!" Sam cries out and he smiles slightly as he takes them down to his room. Eric and Annie both
head to their room.
LITTLE LATER
Eric is sitting on his bed playing his guitar and singing when Ruthie walks in. He looks up at her and smiles
as he's singing. She walks around and sits on the bed next to him, leaning against the headboard. Her
eyes drift from him down to the bed as Eric continues to sing and play.
"Something wrong?" he asks her as he stops playing but she doesn't answer. "Ruthie?" again no answer.
Eric takes his guitar off and sets it down on the floor beside him. As soon as he turns back around, Ruthie
leans over and hugs him, resting her head on his chest. Eric smiles as he returns the hug. "I love you too,"
he tells her. After a few seconds pass he says, "Ruthie?" No reply. He puts his hands on her arms and
pushes her away from him to look at her face and sees her face stained with tears. "Ruthie, what's the
matter?" She leans back in again, hugging him as she rests her head on his chest. Confused, Eric simply
continues to hold her, rubbing her back. "It's okay," he gently whispers to her in a soothing voice.
Annie comes out of their bathroom wearing her robe and sees the two of them. She gives him a
questioning look and Eric gives her an 'I don't know' look. Annie sits on the bed next to them and rubs
Ruthie's upper arm.
"Ruthie, honey," Annie says, "are you alright?" Ruthie looks across the room for a couple more seconds
then jumps up and runs out of the room.
"What was that all about?" Annie asks.
"I don't know," Eric replies, "but I intend to find out." Just then the phone rings and Annie picks up.
"Eric, it's for you," she hands him the phone and gets up to get changed.
Robbie walks into the living room to see Ruthie sitting on the couch staring at the turned off tv.
"You know, the tv is usually more interesting when it's on," he informs her but she doesn't reply. He nods
quietly and walks over and sits beside her. "Bad day?" he asks. Ruthie nods her head to say she is. "Me
too. Been a bad week in general?" Ruthie nods again. "Me too. Feeling kind of down and depressed?" Ruthie
nods again. "Me too. You want to go get ice cream so we can drown our sorrows in sugar together?"
Ruthie nods and they stand up and head for the front door. He thinks, and walks over to the desk and
writes a quick note saying, "Taking Ruthie out, be back soon. - Robbie" The two walk out of the house
together.
TO BE CONTINUED.......................................................
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4 PM
Ruthie walks in the front door of the house and looks around at the empty rooms. She wipes tears from
her eyes and quietly heads upstairs.
Lucy and Simon walk in through the kitchen door to greet Annie with the twins.
"Hi, where's Ruthie?" Annie asks.
"She went to the front door," Simon tells her. "Did I get any mail?"
"No, but how was your guys' day?" she asks them.
"Okay," Simon shrugs, grabs a peach, and heads upstairs.
"And you?" Annie asks Lucy.
"Fine," Lucy replies and heads upstairs after Simon as Eric walks in the door.
"How was your day?" Annie asks with a slight smile.
"Boring," Eric replies. "I didn't do a whole lot other than work on my sermon." He sits down with her. "How
was your day?"
"Well thank you for asking," Annie replies with a smile. "It was....boring," she lowers her head in humor
over the situation then looks back up at him. "I feel like soaking in the tub."
"I feel like playing my guitar," he tells her. "Maybe I can serenade you as you soak."
"Don't press your luck," Annie warns him. They both stand and grab a twin and head upstairs. As they
reach the top of the stairs they see Lucy come down from her room.
"Hey, do you guys mind if I go meet some friends at the pool hall?" she asks. "We were going to do a
group study thing for a test tomorrow and it's a really hard test so we wanted to start studying early."
"Um, that's fine," Annie replies. "Is Ruthie upstairs?"
"Ya, she's doing homework," Lucy tells her and goes on downstairs, passing Robbie on the way up.
"Hey, do you work or have class tonight?" Eric asks him and he shakes his head no. "Good, would you mind
watching the boys for awhile?" They hand Sam and Dave off to Robbie.
"Robbie!" Sam cries out and he smiles slightly as he takes them down to his room. Eric and Annie both
head to their room.
LITTLE LATER
Eric is sitting on his bed playing his guitar and singing when Ruthie walks in. He looks up at her and smiles
as he's singing. She walks around and sits on the bed next to him, leaning against the headboard. Her
eyes drift from him down to the bed as Eric continues to sing and play.
"Something wrong?" he asks her as he stops playing but she doesn't answer. "Ruthie?" again no answer.
Eric takes his guitar off and sets it down on the floor beside him. As soon as he turns back around, Ruthie
leans over and hugs him, resting her head on his chest. Eric smiles as he returns the hug. "I love you too,"
he tells her. After a few seconds pass he says, "Ruthie?" No reply. He puts his hands on her arms and
pushes her away from him to look at her face and sees her face stained with tears. "Ruthie, what's the
matter?" She leans back in again, hugging him as she rests her head on his chest. Confused, Eric simply
continues to hold her, rubbing her back. "It's okay," he gently whispers to her in a soothing voice.
Annie comes out of their bathroom wearing her robe and sees the two of them. She gives him a
questioning look and Eric gives her an 'I don't know' look. Annie sits on the bed next to them and rubs
Ruthie's upper arm.
"Ruthie, honey," Annie says, "are you alright?" Ruthie looks across the room for a couple more seconds
then jumps up and runs out of the room.
"What was that all about?" Annie asks.
"I don't know," Eric replies, "but I intend to find out." Just then the phone rings and Annie picks up.
"Eric, it's for you," she hands him the phone and gets up to get changed.
Robbie walks into the living room to see Ruthie sitting on the couch staring at the turned off tv.
"You know, the tv is usually more interesting when it's on," he informs her but she doesn't reply. He nods
quietly and walks over and sits beside her. "Bad day?" he asks. Ruthie nods her head to say she is. "Me
too. Been a bad week in general?" Ruthie nods again. "Me too. Feeling kind of down and depressed?" Ruthie
nods again. "Me too. You want to go get ice cream so we can drown our sorrows in sugar together?"
Ruthie nods and they stand up and head for the front door. He thinks, and walks over to the desk and
writes a quick note saying, "Taking Ruthie out, be back soon. - Robbie" The two walk out of the house
together.
TO BE CONTINUED.......................................................
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