Well, we're coming to close to end of this story. Only three more chapters after this one and they will run continuously every week until May 1. I think it will end with a bang. Anyways, on to the new chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 19: Acceptance

Ruthie closed the door and walked over to the refrigerator while adjusting the strap of her messenger bag on her shoulder. Opening the refrigerator door, she started digging in it for a snack. Pulling out an apple, she closed the door only to be startled by her mom standing on the other side of the door smiling.

"Gosh! Mom! Give me a warning next time." Ruthie held her hand up to her heart. "Or Dad won't be the only one with heart problems."

"Sorry. But I'm a little excited. Look what came in the mail today." Annie held up an envelope.

Ruthie raised an eyebrow. "Mail."

Annie sighed. "No. Look at it."

"Office of Admissions. Crawford University." Ruthie read taking the envelope from Annie's hand.

"Open it." Annie urged.

Ruthie rolled her eyes and set her apple on the counter before tearing open the envelope. "I've been accepted. Full scholarship." She said reading the letter.

"Oh! Praise the Lord." Annie gave Ruthie a tight hug.

Ruthie gently pushed her mom off.

Annie hardly even noticed. "How much is the deposit check. I'll make it out right away."

Ruthie shook her head confused. "Wait, mom. I still haven't heard from Sequoia."

"So?" Annie pulled out her checkbook from her purse on the counter.

Ruthie couldn't believe what she heard. "So you know I want to go to Sequoia. I'm only going to Crawford unless I don't get into Sequoia."

Annie dropped the checkbook on the counter. "Honey, I still don't think going to Sequoia is the best idea."

"Why? Because Martin goes there?" Ruthie's voice rose in angry.

Annie leaned her arms against the counter angrily. "Yes. I don't want you to go to Sequoia because I don't think you should to a college because that's where you so-called boyfriend goes."



Ruthie blinked. "My so called boyfriend? He's not my so called boyfriend. He's Martin and I love him!" She grabbed her apple and stormed up the stairs.

"Your mother told me what happened earlier." Eric appeared at the doorway to Ruthie's room.

Ruthie twisted around in her desk chair to face her father. "I'm sorry I yelled at her. But when is she going to accept that I'm in love with Martin."

Eric walked further into the room. "I don't know. I've tried to talk to her but she won't give me any reasons why she's so against your relationship. I think that you really need to just confront her instead of arguing with her."

Ruthie lowered her shoulders frustrated. "But whenever I try to talk to her it just turns into an argument. And why do I have to go to her. She's the one that's being a problem."

"Fine. It was just a suggestion. I'll leave you to your homework." Eric headed out the door.

Ruthie turning back to her books crashedher head into her hands.

Eric walked into the hallway from the attic stairs. He looked down the hall before heading into his bedroom. He check the bathroom to make sure Annie wasn't there and then closed the bedroom door. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed a number. Waiting a few rings, he finally heard a voice on the other end. "Martin. Hey. How are you? Listen I have a plan and I need your help."

Ruthie walked up the front porch. Opening the mailbox, she discovered, just as she had expected, the mail sitting there. She knew her Mom wouldn't want to check the mail and find a letter from Sequoia in the mix. Shuffling through the junk mail, her pulse quickened when she found a thick envelop from Sequoia at the bottom. She dropped the other mail and her bag on the porch floor so she could tear the envelope open. She squealed when she read that she had been accepted also on a full scholarship.

"Good news?"

Ruthie turned to see Martin standing at the foot of the stairs. "Hey. What are you doing here? I thought I was suppose to see go up and see your game tomorrow."

Martin grinned sheepishly. "I missed you. I thought we could ride together. So what's the good news?"

Ruthie's smiled widened. "I got into Sequoia!" She flew into Martin's open arms. He picked her up and swung her around before placed her back on the walkway. "I knew you'd get in."

Annie came out of the front. "What's all the noise about?" she demanded.



"I got into Sequoia." Ruthie couldn't help but smile as Martin put his arm around her proudly.

"Isn't that great, Mrs. Camden?" He asked.

Annie gritted through her teeth. "Yeah. That's great. I got to get back to making dinner." And with that she stomped back into the house.

Ruthie's smiled disappeared. "She just won't be happy for me."

"I'm sure she'll come around." Martin kissed her on the forehead. "Now, how about we have a nice romantic dinner tonight to celebrate?"

Ruthie's face brightened. "Okay. Where?"

Martin touched Ruthie's nose with his finger. "That's a secret until I pick you up at seven."

"Ruthie, do have any glue?" David walked into her room.

Ruthie stood in front of her mirror applying lip gloss. "I have Elmer's glue." She replied before rubbing her two lips together.

"That's no good. We need some powerful glue and mom won't give us any." David said jumping on top of the bed opposite to Ruthie's.

Ruthie turned around. "Why do you need powerful glue?" She raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

David shrugged innocently. "Me and Sam are working on a project."

"Sam and I." Ruthie corrected.

"That's what I said." David retorted hopping off the bed. "Thanks for nothing." He smirked before exiting.

Ruthie shook her. He learned from the best.

"Ruthie! Your date's here!" Eric called from downstairs.

Ruthie smiled excitedly checking herself in the mirror one more time.

Ruthie practically jumped down the stairs. "Hey. All ready." She pecked Martin on the cheek since Eric was standing right there.

"You look great!" Martin admired Ruthie's turquoise cotton dress.

"Thanks." Ruthie blushed. "Let's go." She grabbed Martin hand dragging him to the door.



"Have fun you two." Eric winked at Martin before he was completely pulled out the door by Ruthie.

"So where are we going." Ruthie pulled on Martin's arm as they walked toward the driveway.

"You'll see." Martin grinned could even be seen in the dark. "C'mon." He laced his fingers into Ruthie's.

"Wait. The car's over there." She looked back at the car as she realized she was being dragged toward the backyard.

"Just be quiet…for once." Martin teased.

Ruthie rolled her eyes. "Fine."

She was pulled through the backyard to the garage and up to the garage apartment.

"Wow. When you do all this?" Ruthie stood in the apartment stunned to see the table decked out with a meal and candles.

Martin grinned. "This afternoon while you were doing your homework. Your Dad helped."

Ruthie walked toward the table and turned around. "And the food?"

Martin walked toward her. "I made it with some help from my dad."

Ruthie just shook her head in amazement. "You're the best boyfriend ever." She leaned slyly towards him lifting herself up to give him a kiss.

Martin returned the kiss before pulling away. "Now take a seat." She pulled out a chair for her politely.

Ruthie sat down as Martin surveyed the table. "Dang. I forgot the sparkling grape juice. Mind if I go get it. It won't take a minute."

"Sure. No problem." Ruthie didn't even hesitate.

(Five minutes later)

Ruthie sat at the table constantly straightening the silverware trying to be patient. Then she heard someone walking up the stairs. It can't be Martin already? Ruthie thought. Her eyes widened when she saw Annie standing in front of her.

"Ruthie? What are you doing here?" Annie was as surprised as Ruthie.

Ruthie stood up. "Martin and I are having dinner. What are you doing?"

Annie raised an eyebrow. "You're having dinner? Alone? In an apartment? With the bed right there?"

"Mom!" Ruthie blushed. "Martin and I aren't going to have sex especially in the garage apartment."



Annie was about to say some else when the both turned to see the ladder disappear and a piece of wood being nailed to block off the opening.

"What the…" Annie and Ruthie rushed over to the hole. "Eric!" Annie yelled. There was no reply. "Eric, I know you down there. What do you think you're doing?" There was still no reply.

"Dad!" Ruthie stomped her heels on the floor. "You're ruining my date!"

Annie threw her hands up. "What date? This looks like this was a conniving plan to get us alone to talk." She fell onto one of the chairs at the table.

"Wait until I get my hands on Martin." Ruthie sighed out frustrated.

There was silence.

"So how'd Dad get you up here?" Ruthie broke the silence.

Annie straightened in her chair. "He asked me to get the DVD that he left in here." Eric had been using the garage apartment as his hangout. "We were going to have movie date."

Ruthie started to laugh. "I can't help it. I think this is hilarious. They concocted this whole plan just to get us to talk. I'm more proud of Martin than mad at him."

Annie started to laugh too. "And they left us all this good food."

Ruthie nodded. "Let's eat."

They ate and talked a little about random things avoiding the ultimate topic. When the finished eating, they just sat there. "So when do you think there'll let us out?" Annie asked.

"Probably, when we actually do talk." Ruthie started to reach out to her mother.

Annie just nodded.

Ruthie sighed. "Mom, I want to talk about it. I want to know why you don't want me dating Martin. Even if I haven't acted like it in the past months, I really want your approval."

Annie looked down at her hands. "I guess part of me doesn't trust Martin. He's hurt you. He's hurt Sandy. He's hurt Jane. What's to say he won't again? And the other part me, see how much you love him and sees that Martin could really be the one for you and I'm not ready to say goodbye to my little girl."

Ruthie got and kneeled down in front of her mother. "Mom, you're not going to lose me. I have to grow up and I'm sorry that hurts you but I'm always going to love you and be there for you. And sometimes, I wonder if Martin's gonna hurt me again too but I love him and I know he loves me. I've got to just trust him. And so do you."

Annie looked into Ruthie's pleading eyes. "I know honey. And from now on, I'm going to try and accept your choice and really try to get to know this new Martin." She cupped Ruthie's chin in her hand



Ruthie jumped up kissing her mom on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom. That's all I ask."

That's when they heard more hammering and the plywood disappeared from the hole.

"Of course, they were listening." Annie got up and hugged her daughter. As they shared their sweet moment, there was a sudden explosion sound from outside.

"What was that?" They could hear Eric exclaimed from below.

Annie and Ruthie rushed down the stairs that had been put back up.

They arrived in the backyard behind Eric and Martin.

They found Sam and David standing there in front of some sort of contraption lying on ground smoking.

"What were you doing?" Eric demanded.

"We built a rocket." Sam exclaimed.

"If we had had that glue it wouldn't have caught on fire." David shifted blame.

Eric, Annie, and Ruthie started laughing. Martin stood there confused. "What's so funny?"

Ruthie just shook her head and took his hand. "Come on. I'll tell you while my parents give the twins a lecture." She dragged him toward the back door.

"You're family's insane." Martin said as they walked into the house.