Scene XXIII: Sunday morning at the breakfast table

Drake sits at the table playing with his bowl of cereal. He's rehashing the events of his date the night before. Why did everything go wrong? I act like I'm "supposed to" and I still get rejected. Maybe Josh was wrong. Maybe my behavior is what the girls want. He makes vow to himself never be anyone else but himself from now on. His life was just fine before all this shit happened.

Jen enters the kitchen and stops when she sees Drake at the table. Drake looks up with tired, angry eyes.

Jen (pensively): Good morning… How was your date last night?

Drake: Went as planned. Movies, stuff like that.

Jen: Good. I'm glad things seem to be going back to normal. Is there any cereal left?

Drake: Yeah. I'm gonna go back to bed. I'm up way too early for a Sunday morning.

Drake takes his dejective self back upstairs to his room. Jen gets a bowl and spoon and sits down to eat. But before she pours the cereal, she hears the Sunday paper being dropped in the front porch. Since she's home now, she thought she should get her life back in order. Nothing cures disorder like returning to normalcy.

Walter makes his way downstairs and meets Jen in the foyer with the paper.

Walter: Morning. How'd you sleep last night?

Jen: Ok. It felt good to be back in a familiar place… Well, as familiar as this place can be to me right now. The bed was much more comfortable.

Walter: I'm glad you're home. Oh, I see you got the paper.

Jen and Walter head back into the kitchen. Jen takes the paper out of the plastic bag and promptly removes the classifieds. She hands him the rest of the paper.

Walter: What are you doing?

Jen: I'm resuming my task from two weeks ago. Looking for an apartment and a job, remember?

Walter sighs: We need to talk about your "situation".

Jen: What's there to talk about? I'm out of the hospital and I need to move on. I can't stay here forever. My goal when moving to San Diego was that I was to be independent, remember?

Walter: I know, and I respect that. But you know better than we do that you need to take some time for yourself. To… regroup. I think that's the word I'm looking for.

Jen: Yes, I do know that. But I might as well make myself busy doing this while I'm "regrouping". I'm not going to sit around all day doing nothing productive. I was taught that in the hospital. To find something constructive to do and do it.

Walter: Pouncing on an apartment and new job is constructive? Don't you mean like a hobby? I know how much you loved to paint. Why don't you try that again?

Jen: Because I didn't bring my paints with me. Really, Uncle Walter, thanks for the concern, but I think I'll be ok doing this.

Walter: Ok, fine. You can do this, but if I see you under any stress, I'm going to intervene. Understood?

Jen gives him a complacent nod as if to yes him to death. He takes his paper, and pours himself a cup of coffee before heading back upstairs to a sleeping Audrey. Jen goes back to the classifieds and reaches for her sharpie. I know what I'm doing, the thinks to herself. There's nothing wrong with just looking.