Disclaimer: I don't own any of the 7th Heaven Characters, I only write
about them.
The next few weeks were filled with videotaping everything the twins did. To Ruthie, it seemed like the whole house revolved around Sam and David, and everything they were learning to do.
One day, Eric walked into the kitchen and found her placing various items from the fridge around the kitchen. Leftovers from last night's supper were scattered on the kitchen counters, and five glasses of milk were poured and lined up on the island in the middle of the kitchen. At the moment, Ruthie was placing the individually wrapped slices of cheese on the kitchen table in a "zig-zag" pattern.
"Ruthie, what are you doing?" Eric asked.
Startled, Ruthie turned around and said "Uh, redecorating?"
"Why?" Eric asked in exasperation.
"What, I can't have any fun in this house?"
"Ruthie," Eric started, trying to stay calm. "Of course you can have fun, just not this kind."
"Nobody in this house loves me anymore!" With that said, Ruthie stormed up the stairs to her room and locked her self in there.
Eric headed up the stairs a few seconds after Ruthie did and called out "Annie!" He found her in the nursery feeding Sam his bottle. "Annie, we have a problem with Ruthie."
"What happened?" she asked.
He told her about how he had found her "redecorating" and then recounted the conversation that ensued.
"Let me try talking to her," Annie said as she laid Sam down for his nap. She walked down the hall to the room that Simon and Ruthie shared. "Ruthie, can I come in?" she asked as she knocked on the door.
"No."
"Please?"
"NO!"
"Ruthie, we need to talk." "I can hear you."
"I think we need to talk face to face."
"Am I going to be in trouble?"
"Not if you open the door right now."
The door slowly opened and the first thing that Annie saw was what seemed like every piece of clothing Ruthie owned strewn around the room.
"What's going on with you lately?" Annie asked, already having an idea what it might be.
"Nothing."
"I don't think its nothing. Now tell me what's wrong."
Seeing that what she was doing was getting her nowhere, Ruthie confessed. "Nobody in this house loves me anymore. The whole stinking family is obsessed with the stinking twins."
Annie realized that her hunch was right. Jealousy, the green-eyed monster had poked its ugly head into Ruthie's attitude. "Ok, I think we need to go out for dinner. Just the two of us."
"No twins?"
"No twins."
Ruthie thought about it for a minute and said, "OK!"
"Now, before we can go, you have to put everything back into the fridge that you took out, and put all of your clothes away."
"Do I have to?" Ruthie asked.
"Yes, you have to. Go do it now."
"Alright, alright." Ruthie said as she headed towards the kitchen.
*************************An Hour Later***************************
Annie and Ruthie sat across from each other in a booth at McDonalds. Ruthie had a cheeseburger Happy Meal, with a Barbie toy inside, and Annie had a grilled chicken Value Meal with a Coke. "So, what's up, kiddo?" Annie asked as Ruthie took a bite of her cheeseburger.
"After swallowing, Ruthie replied, "Sam and David get all the attention. No one loves me anymore."
"Sweetie, of course we all still love you, but the twins need to be taken care of because they are so young. Do you want me to tell you a secret?" Annie added.
"Yeah!" Ruthie perked up. She loved secrets.
"Matt was jealous when Mary was born. Mary felt the same way when Lucy was born, and Lucy felt that way when Simon was born. And Simon felt like that when you were born."
"Really?"
"Really," Annie said with a slight laugh. "And do you know why?"
"No."
"Because each of you were being the youngest and getting attention, so when the next one was born, you all felt the need to compete to get the attention you were used to having."
"But I've got it worse than Matt, Mary, Lucy and Simon, because I have to compete with 2 babies!"
"You don't have to compete. We will always love you and pay attention to you."
"Ok," Ruthie replied half-heartedly.
"Now finish your fries and we can go see a movie"
"Which one?" She asked excitedly.
" How about the new '101 Dalmatians'?"
"OOH! I want to see that one!"
"I know, so hurry up and eat so that we won't be late."
The next few weeks were filled with videotaping everything the twins did. To Ruthie, it seemed like the whole house revolved around Sam and David, and everything they were learning to do.
One day, Eric walked into the kitchen and found her placing various items from the fridge around the kitchen. Leftovers from last night's supper were scattered on the kitchen counters, and five glasses of milk were poured and lined up on the island in the middle of the kitchen. At the moment, Ruthie was placing the individually wrapped slices of cheese on the kitchen table in a "zig-zag" pattern.
"Ruthie, what are you doing?" Eric asked.
Startled, Ruthie turned around and said "Uh, redecorating?"
"Why?" Eric asked in exasperation.
"What, I can't have any fun in this house?"
"Ruthie," Eric started, trying to stay calm. "Of course you can have fun, just not this kind."
"Nobody in this house loves me anymore!" With that said, Ruthie stormed up the stairs to her room and locked her self in there.
Eric headed up the stairs a few seconds after Ruthie did and called out "Annie!" He found her in the nursery feeding Sam his bottle. "Annie, we have a problem with Ruthie."
"What happened?" she asked.
He told her about how he had found her "redecorating" and then recounted the conversation that ensued.
"Let me try talking to her," Annie said as she laid Sam down for his nap. She walked down the hall to the room that Simon and Ruthie shared. "Ruthie, can I come in?" she asked as she knocked on the door.
"No."
"Please?"
"NO!"
"Ruthie, we need to talk." "I can hear you."
"I think we need to talk face to face."
"Am I going to be in trouble?"
"Not if you open the door right now."
The door slowly opened and the first thing that Annie saw was what seemed like every piece of clothing Ruthie owned strewn around the room.
"What's going on with you lately?" Annie asked, already having an idea what it might be.
"Nothing."
"I don't think its nothing. Now tell me what's wrong."
Seeing that what she was doing was getting her nowhere, Ruthie confessed. "Nobody in this house loves me anymore. The whole stinking family is obsessed with the stinking twins."
Annie realized that her hunch was right. Jealousy, the green-eyed monster had poked its ugly head into Ruthie's attitude. "Ok, I think we need to go out for dinner. Just the two of us."
"No twins?"
"No twins."
Ruthie thought about it for a minute and said, "OK!"
"Now, before we can go, you have to put everything back into the fridge that you took out, and put all of your clothes away."
"Do I have to?" Ruthie asked.
"Yes, you have to. Go do it now."
"Alright, alright." Ruthie said as she headed towards the kitchen.
*************************An Hour Later***************************
Annie and Ruthie sat across from each other in a booth at McDonalds. Ruthie had a cheeseburger Happy Meal, with a Barbie toy inside, and Annie had a grilled chicken Value Meal with a Coke. "So, what's up, kiddo?" Annie asked as Ruthie took a bite of her cheeseburger.
"After swallowing, Ruthie replied, "Sam and David get all the attention. No one loves me anymore."
"Sweetie, of course we all still love you, but the twins need to be taken care of because they are so young. Do you want me to tell you a secret?" Annie added.
"Yeah!" Ruthie perked up. She loved secrets.
"Matt was jealous when Mary was born. Mary felt the same way when Lucy was born, and Lucy felt that way when Simon was born. And Simon felt like that when you were born."
"Really?"
"Really," Annie said with a slight laugh. "And do you know why?"
"No."
"Because each of you were being the youngest and getting attention, so when the next one was born, you all felt the need to compete to get the attention you were used to having."
"But I've got it worse than Matt, Mary, Lucy and Simon, because I have to compete with 2 babies!"
"You don't have to compete. We will always love you and pay attention to you."
"Ok," Ruthie replied half-heartedly.
"Now finish your fries and we can go see a movie"
"Which one?" She asked excitedly.
" How about the new '101 Dalmatians'?"
"OOH! I want to see that one!"
"I know, so hurry up and eat so that we won't be late."