"Martin, you look awful what's wrong?" Lucy asked worriedly.
"Oh nothing, I just found out that I turned my life completely upside down for no reason at all," he whispered under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing…hey, uh Luce have you seen Ruthie?" He asked quickly.
"Ah no, not for awhile, I think she left to go pack for Scotland," Lucy explained.
"Scotland…," he repeated with alarm.
"You haven't heard?" "She is going there for a year to study," Lucy said happily before he could answer her.
"When is she leaving?" Martin demanded to know.
"Tomorrow morning, why?"
"I have to go," he said before running toward the parking to his car.
Martin had no idea what he was going to say to Ruthie, but he knew he had to make her stay. He had lost her once and hated himself for it at the time. At that moment he hated Sandy for it and himself even more for buying into her stupid crusade. He had lost his best friend and more specifically the woman he cared about most, maybe even loved most in the world because of it. 'I am not going to loose her again,' he promised himself.
"Ruthie, can we talk?" He asked after knocking lightly on the door of her room.
"Sure if you'll help me pack." "I am leaving for Scotland in the morning," she added excitedly.
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Martin, you can try to talk me out it if you want, but you're really just wasting your breath, I am definitely going to Scotland tomorrow," she declared.
"Ruthie, I think you need to sit down for this," he said completely ignoring her declaration.
"What is it Martin?" she asked finally giving in.
"Ruthie, 3 years when I moved into this house you were like a little sister to me and then one day you grew up."
"What exactly are you getting out Martin?" Ruthie asked feeling a bit confused.
"Just let me finished." "I've dated other girls Ruthie, but I've never been able to talk to any of them the way I can talk to you Ruthie." "I want to be with you Ruthie, not only are we good friends, but I am also attracted to you…I mean physically…I am really physically attracted to you Ruthie and it feels incredibly awkward saying that, but it's the truth, I want to date you Ruthie."
"What about Sandy?" Ruthie asked almost automatically.
"It's funny you mentioned Sandy, I just had a conversation with her that led me to have this conversation."
"No, Martin it's not funny that I mentioned her." "You fathered her child…you should be with her not me…of course I am going to bring her up." She said as though any idiot would realize it. "But that's just it, I didn't father her child," Martin screamed angrily.