Chapter 3-
Eric left the church at 9:30 that night. He was in shock. Not because he had a dughter (though, that was a big part of it) but because Laura hadn't told him about Bethany. Once he got over the intital shock, about half way home, he started worrying how the family would react. Would the be as accepting as him? Would Annie hate him forever? She already knew about the affair, and she was mad at him for months after that. How would she react to Eric telling her about Bethany? And the kids? Would they hate Bethany? Eric and Annie would have to tell all the kids what Eric had done so many years before. Would they be mad at Eric and take it out on Bethany? Eric pulled into the driveway and saw all the lights still on. He didn't know if he should glad or dissapointed about that. He slowly made his way into the house and saw Martin and Cecilia, two neighbours of the Camdens, on the way. "Hey Rev. Camden." Martin, who lived with the Camdens, said.
"Hi Martin. Cecilia." Eric said looking distraught.
"Are you okay? You look kind of funny." Cecilia asked seeming like she really cared.
"Oh, yeah." Eric did his trademark laugh, "Just a little bit surprised. I'll see you two later." The two teenagers said goodbye and Eric walked into the kitchen. No one was in it, a very odd thing, so he went in search of Annie. He found her in their bedroom reading.
"Oh, how was your meeting?" Annie asked him when he walked in.
Eric sat down on his side of the bed and said, "Interesting."
Annie sat up in the bad and said, "That's all? Just interesting? What did she want?" Annie was reffering to Bethany, of course.
"Funny you should mention that." Eric smiled, "She wanted to tell me something about . . . her mother."
"Why did she tell you? Why couldn't she tell someone she knew?"
"Well, that's the thing. . ." Eric was interrupted by Ruthie, his 14 year old (and youngest) daughter.
Ruthie walked through the opend door and said, "Mom? Can I go to Peter's tomorrow to work on a school project?"
Annie was about to say yes when Eric suddenly said, "No." Annie and Ruthie looked at him oddly and he continued, "We're going to have some company tomorrow and I want everyone to meet her."
Ruthie asked, "Who's coming over?"
"Someone I had a meeting with tonight." Ruthie nodded and turned to leave. Eric called to her, "And you can tell everyone that." Ruthie was known to tell people thingsof importance.
"Why is she coming over tomorrow?" Annie asked, obviously curious.
"Well," Eric sort of chukkled and grimaced at the same time, "I want her to meet the family. And she wants to, also."
"Eric, what do you know that you aren't telling me?"
Eric stood up and looked out the window, realizing how hard it must have been for bethany to tell him she was his daughter. "She, Bethany, wants to meet the family because she's . . . family."
Annie looked surprised and pleased, "Really? How is she family?"
"Well," Eric looked at Annie now, "She's my daughter." Annie was so shocked she didn't move. Her mouth was open and she was staring blankly ahead. Eric sat on the bed and put his heand on her shoulders, "Annie? Don't be mad."
"Don't be mad? You don't want me to be mad? You just told me you have a daughter I didn't know about and you don't want me to be mad?" Annie screeched.
Eric took his hands off Annie's shoulders and said, "I couldn't have told you. I didn't even know about her!."
~*~ Simon's Room~*~
"Simon!" Ruthie called to her brother. Simon had just come back for his summer vacation from college the day before, "You're never going to believe this."
Simon looked at her and said, "You're probably right so why not save us both the time and go tell someone else." Ruthie rolled her eyes. Simon was in a bad mood because Cecilia used to be his girlfriend. But the summer before tore them apart. Simon was in denial and depressed because he hit a guy with his car. It wasn't Simon's fault but he, and the rest of Glenoak, blamed him. Anyway, Cecilia started dating Martin soon after Simon left and he had just found out. "Fine," Ruthie said, "But when you meet dad's other daughter don't be surprised you're the only one that doesn't know about her." Ruthie turned and left to go find Martin and Cecilia. She heard Simon following her and he caught up with her when she was outside in front of Martin and Cecilia.
"Did you just say dad has anoter daughter?" Simon asked her.
Martin and Cecilia looked shocked (they were both wearing the same expression Annie had). Cecilia was the first to speak,"Whoa, what?"
"That's right. Dad has another daughter. And I don't mean me, Mary or Lucy. One mom didn't know about." Ruthie directed her sentence to Martin and Cecilia.
"How do you know?" Simon asked bending down a little. It was how he always stood when he was talking to Ruthie.
"Because when I was walking up to my room I heard mom yell at dad for not telling her he had another daughter."
"Wow." Martin added to the conversation, "That's so wierd. Like some screwed up tv show. Where everyone always has problems."
Ruthie said sarcastically, "Sounds a lot like our family."
Cecilia, the reasonable one, said, "Are you sure you heard your mom right, Ruthie?"
From out of the darkness someone said, "Sure you heard mom say what right?" It turned out to be Ruthie and Simon's sister Lucy.
"Dad has another daughter that no one knew about until tonight!" Ruthie explaining despretly.
When Lucy walked into the light everyone saw she wasn't alone. Her husband Kevin was there. Kevin was a cop for the Glenoak P.D. He interjected, "I think you've had a little too much sugar tonight. Now come on. Lucy and I have something to tell everyone."
Eric left the church at 9:30 that night. He was in shock. Not because he had a dughter (though, that was a big part of it) but because Laura hadn't told him about Bethany. Once he got over the intital shock, about half way home, he started worrying how the family would react. Would the be as accepting as him? Would Annie hate him forever? She already knew about the affair, and she was mad at him for months after that. How would she react to Eric telling her about Bethany? And the kids? Would they hate Bethany? Eric and Annie would have to tell all the kids what Eric had done so many years before. Would they be mad at Eric and take it out on Bethany? Eric pulled into the driveway and saw all the lights still on. He didn't know if he should glad or dissapointed about that. He slowly made his way into the house and saw Martin and Cecilia, two neighbours of the Camdens, on the way. "Hey Rev. Camden." Martin, who lived with the Camdens, said.
"Hi Martin. Cecilia." Eric said looking distraught.
"Are you okay? You look kind of funny." Cecilia asked seeming like she really cared.
"Oh, yeah." Eric did his trademark laugh, "Just a little bit surprised. I'll see you two later." The two teenagers said goodbye and Eric walked into the kitchen. No one was in it, a very odd thing, so he went in search of Annie. He found her in their bedroom reading.
"Oh, how was your meeting?" Annie asked him when he walked in.
Eric sat down on his side of the bed and said, "Interesting."
Annie sat up in the bad and said, "That's all? Just interesting? What did she want?" Annie was reffering to Bethany, of course.
"Funny you should mention that." Eric smiled, "She wanted to tell me something about . . . her mother."
"Why did she tell you? Why couldn't she tell someone she knew?"
"Well, that's the thing. . ." Eric was interrupted by Ruthie, his 14 year old (and youngest) daughter.
Ruthie walked through the opend door and said, "Mom? Can I go to Peter's tomorrow to work on a school project?"
Annie was about to say yes when Eric suddenly said, "No." Annie and Ruthie looked at him oddly and he continued, "We're going to have some company tomorrow and I want everyone to meet her."
Ruthie asked, "Who's coming over?"
"Someone I had a meeting with tonight." Ruthie nodded and turned to leave. Eric called to her, "And you can tell everyone that." Ruthie was known to tell people thingsof importance.
"Why is she coming over tomorrow?" Annie asked, obviously curious.
"Well," Eric sort of chukkled and grimaced at the same time, "I want her to meet the family. And she wants to, also."
"Eric, what do you know that you aren't telling me?"
Eric stood up and looked out the window, realizing how hard it must have been for bethany to tell him she was his daughter. "She, Bethany, wants to meet the family because she's . . . family."
Annie looked surprised and pleased, "Really? How is she family?"
"Well," Eric looked at Annie now, "She's my daughter." Annie was so shocked she didn't move. Her mouth was open and she was staring blankly ahead. Eric sat on the bed and put his heand on her shoulders, "Annie? Don't be mad."
"Don't be mad? You don't want me to be mad? You just told me you have a daughter I didn't know about and you don't want me to be mad?" Annie screeched.
Eric took his hands off Annie's shoulders and said, "I couldn't have told you. I didn't even know about her!."
~*~ Simon's Room~*~
"Simon!" Ruthie called to her brother. Simon had just come back for his summer vacation from college the day before, "You're never going to believe this."
Simon looked at her and said, "You're probably right so why not save us both the time and go tell someone else." Ruthie rolled her eyes. Simon was in a bad mood because Cecilia used to be his girlfriend. But the summer before tore them apart. Simon was in denial and depressed because he hit a guy with his car. It wasn't Simon's fault but he, and the rest of Glenoak, blamed him. Anyway, Cecilia started dating Martin soon after Simon left and he had just found out. "Fine," Ruthie said, "But when you meet dad's other daughter don't be surprised you're the only one that doesn't know about her." Ruthie turned and left to go find Martin and Cecilia. She heard Simon following her and he caught up with her when she was outside in front of Martin and Cecilia.
"Did you just say dad has anoter daughter?" Simon asked her.
Martin and Cecilia looked shocked (they were both wearing the same expression Annie had). Cecilia was the first to speak,"Whoa, what?"
"That's right. Dad has another daughter. And I don't mean me, Mary or Lucy. One mom didn't know about." Ruthie directed her sentence to Martin and Cecilia.
"How do you know?" Simon asked bending down a little. It was how he always stood when he was talking to Ruthie.
"Because when I was walking up to my room I heard mom yell at dad for not telling her he had another daughter."
"Wow." Martin added to the conversation, "That's so wierd. Like some screwed up tv show. Where everyone always has problems."
Ruthie said sarcastically, "Sounds a lot like our family."
Cecilia, the reasonable one, said, "Are you sure you heard your mom right, Ruthie?"
From out of the darkness someone said, "Sure you heard mom say what right?" It turned out to be Ruthie and Simon's sister Lucy.
"Dad has another daughter that no one knew about until tonight!" Ruthie explaining despretly.
When Lucy walked into the light everyone saw she wasn't alone. Her husband Kevin was there. Kevin was a cop for the Glenoak P.D. He interjected, "I think you've had a little too much sugar tonight. Now come on. Lucy and I have something to tell everyone."