Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.
Chapter 8: Truths Revealed Once Again
Rob flipped through his calculus book. It was already the beginning of April, and he needed to catch up on his math because the A.P. test was next month. His grades had slipped some because he seemed to be paying less attention to studying. Whenever Drake or Christine tried to ask what was wrong, he replied, "nothing."
This answer was becoming bothersome to Drake. He really didn't want to break whatever bond he had with Rob and was trying his best to see what was wrong.
Drake knocked on Rob's door, careful since Homecoming earlier that year.
"Yeah?" Rob asked.
"I wondered if we could talk," Drake said.
"About what?"
"Something's bothering you, isn't it?"
"Why do you think that?"
"Because your grades haven't been as high as normal, and you didn't run track this spring. Rob, something must be wrong."
"I just...I don't know."
"Does this have anything to do with that letter?"
Rob sighed. That was exactly what it was. He knew what he wanted to do, but he had no idea how to tell Drake and Christine.
"I just, I'm kind of lost," Rob responded.
"Rob, whatever you decide I'm sure will work out for you."
"I guess."
Drake decided to change the subject. This obviously brought down Rob's mood.
"So, have you decided to go to prom with anyone yet?" Drake asked.
"No," said Rob. "I don't know who to ask."
"Why don't you ask Caitlyn?"
"Yeah...I don't think so."
"You can go to prom as friends."
"You were dating Christine when you went to prom."
"We had promised each other when we weren't dating that we'd go to prom together...it would have happened either way."
"There you go, acting like I'm supposed to be like you again."
"Rob. That's not what I said."
"Then what do you mean?"
"I mean, if you're not going to ask a girl you like, then why not go with your best friend and have a good time?" Drake sounded annoyed. Rob's attitude lately had spread throughout the entire house.
"She already has a date, and maybe I don't even want to go," said Rob.
"Well, that's just fine," said Drake. "I'm not going to force you." With that, Drake left the room. He headed into his bedroom and picked up his guitar. He played for a while until he cooled down. All of the conversations he'd had with Rob lately were ending that way. When Rob was younger, Drake felt he could almost be a father to him, but lately, it seemed Rob was growing far too distant to allow anyone to be his family.
Rob had taken quite a long time to come home from school a week later. It was nearly eleven o'clock. Drake sat near the door. When Rob walked inside, Drake didn't say a word. He only sighed.
"What was that for?" Rob asked.
"You've been coming home later and later everyday lately. You don't call. You don't tell us where you're going to be. What's going on?"
"Nothing," said Rob.
Drake sighed again.
"Listen," he said. "Until you graduate, you tell us where you are. You call when you're late."
"Then I graduate, and I'm not your problem anymore, right?" Rob responded as he headed upstairs.
Drake buried his head in his hands. Why was this all of a sudden a problem? Was he having trouble trying to decide about visiting his mother?
Drake got up and sat down in the living room. He didn't know what to do. Things had always been complicated, and this was only making it all worse. He'd thought he'd done well so far, but now he felt he hadn't. What was going on? How could he fix this?
"Drake?" he heard Christine call from the stairs. "Aren't you coming to bed?"
"I don't think I could sleep," he responded. Christine sat next to him. "Don't," he said. "You have to go to work early."
"So do you," Christine replied. "Did you find out why Rob came home late?"
"No, he won't talk to me. All he's done lately is accuse me of wanting him to be me. I've never asked that of him. Why does he see it now?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's partly because he's had a rough year. His mother suddenly wrote to him, asking to see him, and the one girl he's had a crush on for a long time really hurt him."
"But I've never said I expected him to be like me, have I? I never pushed him to do anything he was against, did I? We haven't told him we expected more than his best, have we?"
"No," said Christine. "We've done well. You've done well. Maybe he wants his freedom, I don't know. He hasn't said anything about New York?"
"No," Drake replied. "I'd really like to know, though. It's hard to tell right now. And any question I ask turns into a fight. During school, does he talk to you?"
"Not really. He'll barely ask questions from the homework anymore, and he's stopped mentioning when he's going to sports events or just to say a quick, 'See you at home.' I think we need to have a serious talk with him, and you're not going to have it with him by yourself. I can see this stresses you, and when I went into this marriage, I knew that you'd need all the help you could with Rob. And I wouldn't have married you if I didn't want that either."
"I know, it's just hard. I guess we should try to talk to him. Now? Yes, now. But then if arguments happen, I don't want Angela to hear it. Then maybe we should see if my parents can watch her on Sunday. No, because that would stress us both out for work the next day. Of course, we both have work tomorrow anyway. Yes, now."
"Drake, are you sure?"
"Yes."
"What exactly are we going to say?"
"This is all because of that letter. We have to find out if he wants to leave or not."
"Right," Christine said. Her glance slid to the floor. Drake saw this and knew something was wrong.
"What is it?" he asked.
"What if he wants to go?"
"Well, I guess we...what's the harm in letting him go?"
"Nothing, it's just...she hasn't spoken in so long, and now..."
"I know," said Drake.
"Caitlyn's been worried. She said she's worried about who he thinks his family is. I know...I can't...I...we've spent all these years taking care of him, and now we're not...he wants his mother to be someone he hasn't seen in so long..." Tears slid down her face, and Drake had no idea what to do. He had been worried that with the sudden 'I'm not you' statements coming from Rob, this had been the case.
"I know. I feel the same way. I'm scared of that too. You're right, we are the ones who took care of him with no help from her. And it kills me that he might see her as his real family. But we have to do this." Drake didn't know how much this helped. Rob probably had seen more of Christine than Drake himself. If it hadn't been for Christine, Drake never would have gotten through med school while taking care of Rob. He might have taken a job somewhere else and given up, possibly one he didn't even want to do.
"I know. We might as well go get him."
The two went upstairs to Rob's room and knocked on the door.
"What is it?" he asked.
"We need to talk," said Drake.
"It's nearly midnight."
"Downstairs, now," Drake said. His tone was demanding. He hardly ever spoke to anyone that way. This meant that something was clearly wrong and needed to be taken care of immediately. Rob thought about defying Drake for a moment, but he decided not to because of the look on Drake's face. He slowly followed Drake and Christine down the stairs. He knew what was coming, and he knew anyway that he'd have to tell them sooner or later.
Rob sat on a chair while Drake and Christine sat on the sofa.
"Well?" said Rob.
"You've been acting strange for a long time. Ever since October, you've been acting differently," Drake began. He sighed. He was tired and was beginning to regret taking care of this now, but it had to be done. Christine noticed and picked up where Drake left off.
"You haven't called or let us know when you'll be home," she said. "You don't tell us where you are. I know you're eighteen, but we're going to wonder, and we're going to want to know. Not only that, but your homework has been slipping. I've noticed. And it's not just calculus, some of your other teachers have noticed a decline in your work."
"So, it's just senioritis," said Rob. He was looking for a quick way past his slipping grades. It was true, they had slipped.
"What about track?" asked Drake. "Was that senioritis? Did you forget to try out?"
"I had a lot going on," said Rob. He knew the answer wasn't good enough. He hadn't tried out for the track team because he'd have to see Lucy everyday. Besides, why did he run track anyway? Wasn't there more to him than running?
"Rob," said Drake. "Have you been acting this way because of the letter from your mother?" Christine shifted uneasily. Drake knew why she'd been crying in the kitchen back in September now. He wished he could do or say something to make it easier, but Rob might not even go.
Rob stared hard at the floor. He didn't look up. He sighed.
"I decided what I want to do about that."
"And...?" Drake asked.
"I'm going to go."
"What?" Drake asked. "After all these years...?"
"You went after all those years, and Dad didn't even write to you. At least I'm going invited."
"Rob...I just don't."
"If he wants to go to his real mother, there's nothing we can do," said Christine. "After all, he's eighteen." She stood and headed up the stairs. Drake glanced at Rob who had a questioning look on his face.
"You heard her," Drake said. "Go if you want. But, now that we know what's up, you better start pulling your grades back up, and you better start acting right. There's another child in this house who doesn't need that influence." With that, Drake headed up the stairs after his wife. He knew what this was about, and he didn't blame her. She'd spent the last ten years raising Rob. Now he suddenly wanted to go to the woman who as good as abandoned him when he was younger. Drake reached their bedroom and slowly pushed the door open. "Honey?" he said.
She was lying on the bed on her side. She wasn't crying, but Drake knew she wasn't happy.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"I'll be fine," she replied.
Drake had no idea what to say. He simply lie down and hugged her. It was all he could do when he felt the same way.
Rob had gone back to his room and attempted to fall asleep. However, his mind was wracked with the thoughts of what had just happened. He was just doing what Drake had done, what Josh would have done. Wouldn't Drake prefer that he was doing something like that? He was only doing what Drake had and following Josh's advice. Well, he technically hadn't given him advice, but he supposed it was as good as advice.
Another thing that bothered him was Drake's use of the word "child." "There's another child in this house..." Was he implying that Rob, himself, was still a child? That was ridiculous. Rob was eighteen. He was no longer a child, and he was sick of being treated like one. Yes, it was time to go.