Eric knocks on the girls door and walks in.
"Lucy, do you mind if I talk with Ruthie alone?" Eric asks. Lucy agrees and walks out as Eric walks over
and sits on Lucy's bed and looks over at Ruthie who's laying on hers. "Are you going to tell me what's
bothering you?" Ruthie stays quiet. "We'll sit here together for as long as it takes until you talk to me."
"You wouldn't understand," Ruthie, informs him.
"Why is that?" Eric asks.
"Because you're not a girl and never have been," Ruthie replies and turns on her side, facing away from
Eric.
"You're right," Eric tells her. "I'm not a girl. But I've counseled with all sorts of girls with all sorts of
problems big and small. But if you like, I can go get your mother and you can talk to her."
"I don't want to talk to anyone!" Ruthie shouts. "Leave me alone."
"I can't, I'm your dad, it's my job. Come on sweetheart, tell me what's bugging you." Ruthie stands up on
the side of the bed furthest from Eric and faces him.
"Fine, you want to know what's bothering me?!" Ruthie shouts. "Then here it is! Someone told me at
school that I'm ugly and fat and one of my friends told me that her dad comes into her room at night and
touches her where he's not suppose to! There, welcome to my world! I bet you'd have never guessed
that!!" Ruthie turns to storm out, but Eric quickly jumps up to catch her. He looks at her on her eye level.
"Ruthie, you're not ugly, you're actually very beautiful," Eric tells her. "You're not fat, you're really very
thin."
"You're just saying that because you're my dad," Ruthie tells him.
"Ruthie, God says not to lie and I wouldn't lie to anyone, Eric informs her. "You have a lot more going for
you than you realize. And if some kid at school said all that, it's because she's jealous of you."
"You think?" Ruthie asks.
"I know," Eric replies. "But she'll never admit to it. In fact, if you said that to her she'd blatantly deny it.
But you know it's true."
"Thanks dad," Ruthie tells him. "I love you."
"I love you to," he replies as they hug each other. "Now tell me about this friend of yours."
**************************
Annie walks into the living room and sits down beside Robbie with some milk and cookies.
"You know I'm not six years old," Robbie tells her.
"Good think," Annie says setting them on a table, "you'd make a very funny looking six year old. What's
bothering you Robbie? You just haven't been yourself lately."
"Look, Mrs. Camden," Robbie says standing up. "I don't want to talk about it. Please, just leave me alone."
He starts to walk towards the door into the entryway but Annie stands up and grabs his arm and turns
him around to face her.
"I don't care if you don't want to talk about it," Annie tells him. "And I'm not going to just leave you alone
because you are just as much a part of this family as everyone else who lives in this house. Eric and I
have come to think of you as our son and we treat you as such. And when one of our children is hurting
emotionally, we don't give up on them, no matter what. You're obviously hurting very, very deeply and it's
affecting the rest of this family. We all love you, we all care for you, and we care enough not to let you
go through whatever you're going through all on your own. We love you, Robbie, and nothing you can do
can change how we think of you." Robbie, with tears welding up in his eyes, gives Annie a hug.
TO BE CONTINUED.......................................................
Â
"Lucy, do you mind if I talk with Ruthie alone?" Eric asks. Lucy agrees and walks out as Eric walks over
and sits on Lucy's bed and looks over at Ruthie who's laying on hers. "Are you going to tell me what's
bothering you?" Ruthie stays quiet. "We'll sit here together for as long as it takes until you talk to me."
"You wouldn't understand," Ruthie, informs him.
"Why is that?" Eric asks.
"Because you're not a girl and never have been," Ruthie replies and turns on her side, facing away from
Eric.
"You're right," Eric tells her. "I'm not a girl. But I've counseled with all sorts of girls with all sorts of
problems big and small. But if you like, I can go get your mother and you can talk to her."
"I don't want to talk to anyone!" Ruthie shouts. "Leave me alone."
"I can't, I'm your dad, it's my job. Come on sweetheart, tell me what's bugging you." Ruthie stands up on
the side of the bed furthest from Eric and faces him.
"Fine, you want to know what's bothering me?!" Ruthie shouts. "Then here it is! Someone told me at
school that I'm ugly and fat and one of my friends told me that her dad comes into her room at night and
touches her where he's not suppose to! There, welcome to my world! I bet you'd have never guessed
that!!" Ruthie turns to storm out, but Eric quickly jumps up to catch her. He looks at her on her eye level.
"Ruthie, you're not ugly, you're actually very beautiful," Eric tells her. "You're not fat, you're really very
thin."
"You're just saying that because you're my dad," Ruthie tells him.
"Ruthie, God says not to lie and I wouldn't lie to anyone, Eric informs her. "You have a lot more going for
you than you realize. And if some kid at school said all that, it's because she's jealous of you."
"You think?" Ruthie asks.
"I know," Eric replies. "But she'll never admit to it. In fact, if you said that to her she'd blatantly deny it.
But you know it's true."
"Thanks dad," Ruthie tells him. "I love you."
"I love you to," he replies as they hug each other. "Now tell me about this friend of yours."
**************************
Annie walks into the living room and sits down beside Robbie with some milk and cookies.
"You know I'm not six years old," Robbie tells her.
"Good think," Annie says setting them on a table, "you'd make a very funny looking six year old. What's
bothering you Robbie? You just haven't been yourself lately."
"Look, Mrs. Camden," Robbie says standing up. "I don't want to talk about it. Please, just leave me alone."
He starts to walk towards the door into the entryway but Annie stands up and grabs his arm and turns
him around to face her.
"I don't care if you don't want to talk about it," Annie tells him. "And I'm not going to just leave you alone
because you are just as much a part of this family as everyone else who lives in this house. Eric and I
have come to think of you as our son and we treat you as such. And when one of our children is hurting
emotionally, we don't give up on them, no matter what. You're obviously hurting very, very deeply and it's
affecting the rest of this family. We all love you, we all care for you, and we care enough not to let you
go through whatever you're going through all on your own. We love you, Robbie, and nothing you can do
can change how we think of you." Robbie, with tears welding up in his eyes, gives Annie a hug.
TO BE CONTINUED.......................................................
Â