Ruthie looked up and saw Simon and Sandy standing over them, bags in hand, a foreshadow of the doomsday weekend ahead. Ruthie looked back at Martin, hoping that their 'interruptions' would disappear. But, averting her eyes away from Martin's handsome face and back to her brother, no one had disappeared.
"Hi Ruthie!" Sandy greeted warmly. "Martin."
Ruthie smiled slightly, old doubts rising inside her once again. She glanced at Martin, who was looking the other way. He hadn't said a word, nor had he looked in Sandy's or Simon's directions.
"Look," Sandy started. "I know that this will take us all a little while to get used to, so I won't push. I just wanted to say hi and congratulations, Martin." Sandy turned to leave and then turned back. "Ruthie? I was hoping that maybe you and I could talk later?"
Ruthie, eyes wide with surprise, was stunned into silence. "She has nothing to say to you," Martin spoke up, finally, still unable to look at Sandy.
Sandy walked into the house quietly, obvious defeat written in her body language. Simon watched her walk away, his heart going out to her. He turned back to Martin and said, "She's trying. You don't have to be so mean."
Martin looked Simon in the eye, getting to his feet. "You know nothing about what that girl put me through, is still putting me through. Your whole family looks at me in a completely different light because of her and her lies! If she thinks she's going to walk in here and all will be forgiven, then she's wrong."
Ruthie looked at Simon, urging him to leave before things got even more heated. Simon shrugged and walked back into the house. "Sorry," was all Martin could manage, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
Ruthie gave him a hug and soothed, "It's okay. I'm sorry that my family would even think having Sandy here for your big weekend was okay. They just don't get it sometimes."
"I think this decision wasn't theirs. I'm pretty sure that Simon chose to bring Sandy up here all on his own. It'll be okay. I just don't want her upsetting you," Martin confessed, holding Ruthie closer to his side. "Whatever she has to say, you don't need to hear it."
Ruthie rested her head on Martin's strong chest. She tried to forget about Sandy and the fact that she and Martin had slept together, but the image was burned forever into her mind. Ruthie suddenly wondered what it had been like. Had Martin been happy being with Sandy? Had he kissed her the way he kissed Ruthie? Had all the wonderful feelings Martin's touches invoked in Ruthie done the same for Sandy? Ruthie sighed heavily.
Martin pulled Ruthie away and stared into her eyes. "I know that sigh. You're worried about something?"
Ruthie smiled, covering up her inner turmoil, and brought herself back close to Martin's chest, squeezing him tightly to her.
"Simon is here, with Sandy," Annie whispered.
Eric looked up from his work into the worried eyes of his wife. He took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I've been dreading this since Simon told us he was bringing her down for Martin's graduation. Speaking of Martin, have he and Sandy seen each other?"
Annie nodded, shutting the door to her husband's makeshift office behind her. She tiptoed closer to his desk and said, "Martin wasn't too pleased with her being here and Sandy looked pretty defeated when she came through the door. I don't know that this weekend is going to go well at all."
Eric tried to smile at his wife before she left his office, but he was unable to make his muscles 'fake it'. He was worried about too much this weekend. Mary and Carlos. Simon and Sandy. Martin and Ruthie. Sandy and Martin. Ruthie and Sandy. Thank God for Lucy, Matt, Sam and David! At least they wouldn't be an added worry.
Slowly, Eric rose from his leather chair, stretching his limbs, drawing out the inevitable. He and Annie had always considered themselves blessed by God with their seven children. Eric raised his eyes heavenward. "God, you work in mysterious ways," he said.
"Isn't it a little early to be questioning God?" Simon asked, coming through the doorway.
Simon embraced his father with a quick hug and slap on the back. It was their usual greeting, especially as of late, with the problems Simon had had over the last year.
"Not questioning, just wondering," Eric answered goodheartedly. "Good trip?"
Simon nodded, smiling at his father. "Good. You do know that Sandy came with me, right?"
Eric nodded his head, reminding himself to be gracious and hospitable to his son. "So how are things on that front?"
"Well other than the fact that Rose refuses to accept that our engagement is off and our relationship is over, pretty good. Thanks again for that counselor you set up. Sandy's really getting a lot out of it and enjoying her group. So, what's new around here?" Simon asked, taking a seat in front of his father's oak desk.
Eric got the feeling like Simon was fishing for information, but he wasn't sure on what. The biggest piece of news around here lately had been Simon and Sandy.
"Not much," Eric said. "Lucy and Kevin are good. Ruthie's good. Sam and David are…"
"Good?" Simon interrupted with a laugh. "I hope you're not this poetic in your sermons on Sunday."
Eric shared a chuckle with his son, glad that Simon, for once, was so lighthearted. Simon had been on an emotional roller coaster for the last while. Maybe this was why Eric and Annie worried so much about his dating Sandy.
"So I see that Martin and Ruthie are still dating," Simon observed.
Eric tried to read Simon's tone. Simon had come to him months ago, just after Martin and Ruthie had begun dating, and expressed his concern.
"I don't like the idea of them dating," Simon said.
"Well, you don't have to like the idea. I'm not all that thrilled either, but there's no reason to keep them apart," Eric responded.
A look passed over Simon's eyes, almost like he was having an inner debate over what should or shouldn't come from his mouth. Eric stared at Simon, trying to determine what this look meant. Did Simon know something?
Simon shook his head. "I just think that Ruthie is too young to be this 'involved' with a guy, especially one like Martin."
"We can't judge Martin based on one mistake. Would you want to be judged that way?"
Simon sighed heavily. "I was judged that way for a long time. I hated it then, but I realize now that I had to prove myself again."
Eric wanted to laugh out loud. Simon hated the idea of his little sister dating someone who was experienced, sexually. How ironic that Simon himself had already been sexually active with more than one partner, and was continuing to do so with Rose.
"I know what you're thinking," Simon accused. "You're thinking that I'm a hypocrite to be judging Martin on something that I'm just as guilty of, aren't you?" Eric raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. "Well," Simon continued, "I know that I've made mistakes just like Martin. I just think that Ruthie may be in way over her head here. Have you thought about the pressures she'll feel dating someone who's experienced?"
Eric cringed. Every day, he thought to himself. I worry about my baby girl every single day. But he chose not to speak this way to Simon, not wanting to encourage a rift between his son and Martin. "I think that we should trust Ruthie and forgive Martin for his mistakes. The rest is out of our hands."
Even as Eric spoke the words, he still felt that there was something Simon wasn't telling him.
"You're still bothered by Ruthie's dating Martin, aren't you?" Eric asked nonchalantly.
Simon shrugged. He'd had a few months to mull over the situation and had decided to take his father's advice. "I trust Ruthie to make the right decisions. I forgive Martin for the way he treated Sandy. I leave the rest up to God."
Simon offered his father a final smile before departing. Had his words been meant so harshly; repeating Eric's exact words back to him in a sarcastic tone? Simon wasn't buying Eric's 'advice' any more than Eric was buying Simon's.
Mary approached her front door with trepidation over what was to come. No one in the family had been pleased with her decision to divorce Carlos and leave Charlie in her ex-husband's care.
Carlos placed a supportive hand on his ex-wife's back. "It will be okay, Mary. Our issues are our business."
Mary smiled up at the man she still loved, knowing that her marriage and its dissolution had, ultimately, been of her own doing. She reached out and took Charlie from Carlos' arms. The little boy, happy to be reunited with his mother, clung to Mary, burying his small, tired face into her coat.
Reaching out, Mary turned the doorknob, taking one last breath of fresh air, before entering the house that had always managed to tie her into knots…