Simon hears a knock on his door and sees Eric walk in.
"Hey Simon," he says as he sits down on Simon's bed where he's reading a magazine. "How are you?"
"Fine," Simon replies. "Did you want something?"
"Ya, actually," Eric replies. "Do you know what's bugging Ruthie?"
"No, but she did seem unusually quiet in the car," Simon tells him. "I guess I didn't think too much about
it. I can go talk to her if you like."
"No, Robbie took her out," Eric explains. "I just wanted to see if you knew what her problem might be."
"I guess I don't talk to her as much as I use to," Simon replies. "Actually, I don't talk much with anyone in
this family anymore."
"Why is that?" Eric asks.
"I don't know," Simon replies. "Too busy I guess." (long pause) "I love you dad," Simon finally says and sits
up to give Eric a hug.
"Love you too son," Eric replies giving him a hug. Matt walks in.
"Hey, you two wanna go shoot some pool?" Matt asks and Eric and Simon look up at him and agree.
******
"Lucy, what are your dad and brothers doing here?" Lisa asks from a table they're sitting at. Lucy turns
around to see them walk in the door.
"I don't know," Lucy replies turning back around. "I don't usually worry to much what my family members
do."
"That's kinda cold," Amy tells her.
"No," Lucy replies, "it's not that I don't care about them. But I don't concern myself with their every
movement. So if they want to show up at the pool hall together, so what? Come on, we need to study."
"Hi Simon," a red haired girl says as she walks past Simon.
"Hi Abby," Simon replies with a smile.
"Looks like the pool tables are all being used," Matt says. "We could find a table and wait." They all agree
and sit down at a table. A waitress walks over and takes orders for drinks from all of them and leaves to
go get them.
"So Matt," Eric says. "How are your classes?"
"Killers mostly," Matt informs him. "A lot of hard material." The red haired girl walks past again and smiles
at Simon. Simon smiles back.
"Cute girl," Eric elbows Simon and Simon gives him a 'whatever' roll of the eyes. "So how's school going?"
"Oh, same old, same old," Simon replies. "Not much happens there. But that's the story of my life, boring. I
can't wait till I can get old enough to move away from Glen Oak and experience some adventure in my
life."
"Life can be an adventure anywhere you are," Eric tells him and Simon shakes his head as the waitress
returns with their drinks.
5:30 PM
Eric, Matt, Simon, and Lucy return home together.
"That's a real bummer that we never got a table," Simon tells everyone. "But nice that we had some time
together." Eric smiles and agrees as the kids all head upstairs. Eric spies Robbie sitting in the living room
watching tv and walks in.
"Where'd you guys go?" Eric asks standing next to where Robbie is sitting, but Robbie doesn't hear him.
"Robbie? Hello, Robbie!" Eric reaches down and turns off the tv and still gets no response. He sits down
beside him and shakes his shoulder. Robbie jumps as he finally notices Eric sitting beside him.
"Huh?" Robbie asks. "What did you say?"
"I asked where you and Ruthie went," Eric replies. "But maybe you'd like to tell me what's on your mind?"
"We went to get ice cream," Robbie informs him. "Sorry I didn't specify in my note."
"That's okay," Eric tells him. "I trust you. Did Ruthie talk to you?"
"Not a whole lot," Robbie replies. "She kept to herself mostly."
"You didn't try to pry it out of her?" Eric questions.
"No, why, should I have?" Robbie asks. "I guess I really didn't feel that whatever she didn't want to talk
about was any of my business."
"So what's wrong with you?" Eric asks.
"Who says anything's wrong with me?" Robbie asks.
"I did, now are you going to tell me or not?"
"I'm fine Mr. Camden, really."
"No, you're not, and I've noticed that over the past couple of days," Eric tells him. "You're distant like in
some dream world, you isolate yourself, you just don't seem happy. I want to help, but I can't until you
tell me what's been bothering you."
"I think you should be more concerned about Ruthie," Robbie says looking down. "Your family should be
your first priority."
"Hey, you are a part of my family," Eric tells him and Robbie just shrugs. "We'll talk again later." Eric stands
up and walks out. He greets Annie in the entry area as she comes down the stairs. "Have you talked to
Ruthie?" he asks her.
"Yes, but no luck," Annie tells him. "She just won't talk. Maybe she'll talk to you since you were the one
she seemed to initially reach out to."
"I give it a shot," Eric replies and heads upstairs. "Maybe you can talk to Robbie."
"What's wrong with Robbie?" Annie asks.
"I have no idea," he replies. He walks upstairs as Annie heads towards the living room.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
"Hey Simon," he says as he sits down on Simon's bed where he's reading a magazine. "How are you?"
"Fine," Simon replies. "Did you want something?"
"Ya, actually," Eric replies. "Do you know what's bugging Ruthie?"
"No, but she did seem unusually quiet in the car," Simon tells him. "I guess I didn't think too much about
it. I can go talk to her if you like."
"No, Robbie took her out," Eric explains. "I just wanted to see if you knew what her problem might be."
"I guess I don't talk to her as much as I use to," Simon replies. "Actually, I don't talk much with anyone in
this family anymore."
"Why is that?" Eric asks.
"I don't know," Simon replies. "Too busy I guess." (long pause) "I love you dad," Simon finally says and sits
up to give Eric a hug.
"Love you too son," Eric replies giving him a hug. Matt walks in.
"Hey, you two wanna go shoot some pool?" Matt asks and Eric and Simon look up at him and agree.
******
"Lucy, what are your dad and brothers doing here?" Lisa asks from a table they're sitting at. Lucy turns
around to see them walk in the door.
"I don't know," Lucy replies turning back around. "I don't usually worry to much what my family members
do."
"That's kinda cold," Amy tells her.
"No," Lucy replies, "it's not that I don't care about them. But I don't concern myself with their every
movement. So if they want to show up at the pool hall together, so what? Come on, we need to study."
"Hi Simon," a red haired girl says as she walks past Simon.
"Hi Abby," Simon replies with a smile.
"Looks like the pool tables are all being used," Matt says. "We could find a table and wait." They all agree
and sit down at a table. A waitress walks over and takes orders for drinks from all of them and leaves to
go get them.
"So Matt," Eric says. "How are your classes?"
"Killers mostly," Matt informs him. "A lot of hard material." The red haired girl walks past again and smiles
at Simon. Simon smiles back.
"Cute girl," Eric elbows Simon and Simon gives him a 'whatever' roll of the eyes. "So how's school going?"
"Oh, same old, same old," Simon replies. "Not much happens there. But that's the story of my life, boring. I
can't wait till I can get old enough to move away from Glen Oak and experience some adventure in my
life."
"Life can be an adventure anywhere you are," Eric tells him and Simon shakes his head as the waitress
returns with their drinks.
5:30 PM
Eric, Matt, Simon, and Lucy return home together.
"That's a real bummer that we never got a table," Simon tells everyone. "But nice that we had some time
together." Eric smiles and agrees as the kids all head upstairs. Eric spies Robbie sitting in the living room
watching tv and walks in.
"Where'd you guys go?" Eric asks standing next to where Robbie is sitting, but Robbie doesn't hear him.
"Robbie? Hello, Robbie!" Eric reaches down and turns off the tv and still gets no response. He sits down
beside him and shakes his shoulder. Robbie jumps as he finally notices Eric sitting beside him.
"Huh?" Robbie asks. "What did you say?"
"I asked where you and Ruthie went," Eric replies. "But maybe you'd like to tell me what's on your mind?"
"We went to get ice cream," Robbie informs him. "Sorry I didn't specify in my note."
"That's okay," Eric tells him. "I trust you. Did Ruthie talk to you?"
"Not a whole lot," Robbie replies. "She kept to herself mostly."
"You didn't try to pry it out of her?" Eric questions.
"No, why, should I have?" Robbie asks. "I guess I really didn't feel that whatever she didn't want to talk
about was any of my business."
"So what's wrong with you?" Eric asks.
"Who says anything's wrong with me?" Robbie asks.
"I did, now are you going to tell me or not?"
"I'm fine Mr. Camden, really."
"No, you're not, and I've noticed that over the past couple of days," Eric tells him. "You're distant like in
some dream world, you isolate yourself, you just don't seem happy. I want to help, but I can't until you
tell me what's been bothering you."
"I think you should be more concerned about Ruthie," Robbie says looking down. "Your family should be
your first priority."
"Hey, you are a part of my family," Eric tells him and Robbie just shrugs. "We'll talk again later." Eric stands
up and walks out. He greets Annie in the entry area as she comes down the stairs. "Have you talked to
Ruthie?" he asks her.
"Yes, but no luck," Annie tells him. "She just won't talk. Maybe she'll talk to you since you were the one
she seemed to initially reach out to."
"I give it a shot," Eric replies and heads upstairs. "Maybe you can talk to Robbie."
"What's wrong with Robbie?" Annie asks.
"I have no idea," he replies. He walks upstairs as Annie heads towards the living room.
TO BE CONTINUED.....