It Can’t Be
Chapter 4
Honey, I’m Home
**
I walked over to where she stood at the large arched window and bent to whisper, “What do you think?”
She jumped even though my feet echoed against the hardwood in the empty space. “I think I want to rearrange the kitchen.”
I chuckled, “Not exactly a comfortable work triangle, is it… Don’t worry. We’ll get to it. Do you want to leave the brick walls or have drywa…”
“No. In my final. It’s all wrong. Everything’s all wrong.” She’d begun applying that sentence to nearly every idea she’d had. I couldn’t wait for finals to be over.
When I put my arms around her she tensed. If it wasn’t for how scared I was that she’d have a reaction to it, I might have faked my own anxiety so that I could sneak ‘my’ medication to her in coffee. “Sookie… I brought you to Shreveport hoping you’d relax a little. Try to not think about your projects. This is our new apartment. This is our new town… No White trash neighbors or family looking for handouts like at Christmas. No more bartending and bouncing. No more burned toast and runny eggs at the student union. In ten days, we’ll officially be grownups. We’re going to have an actual table to eat at instead of taking turns on the barstool.”
She sniffled. Crying again. “Marble is cliché. Tile isn’t the right scale for an 8000 square foot hacienda style…”
“Sookie, stop.”
“Why? Why do I have to stop? Why does everyone else get to do whatever the hell they want and Sookie has to ‘stop’? It’s not fair.”
“Fine. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.” More of her suddenly pessimistic mantra. She used to be so sure of herself.
“Do you want to graduate?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to move to Shreveport and work for Edgington?”
“Yes.”
“Then… Am I the part of the package that has you acting like you’re scared to move on?”
“No… of course not.”
“You’re sure? You want to be with me, here, side by side drafting tables, sleeping on a new mattress and boxspring, keeping groceries in the pantry because there’s no student union to pilfer.”
Tears fell from her cheeks and onto my arm. “More than anything.”
“You’re killing me, Sookie. Can I do anything to help? I hate seeing you like this.”
“It’ll be over soon.”
“You think you’ll be fine after graduation?”
“I didn’t say that. I just said it’ll be over soon.”
“Now you’re scaring me.”
“The apartment is perfect, you know? I love it.”
“Sookie. Seriously, what does that mean? ‘It’ll be over soon.’ That shit sounds like I should be calling a suicide hotline.”
“Not like that.”
“Then what?”
“Just that things should straighten themselves out. You shouldn’t have to put up with too much more.”
“I’m not ‘putting up’ with anything, Sookie. Whatever you’re going through isn’t like recycling jeans because we didn’t have time to go to the Laundromat or Professor Quinn’s halitosis. This is you. I miss your smile.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Tell me how to make it happen.”
“If anybody can, it’d be you. I wish I knew what would work.”
**
“Take this left.”
Another wrecked memory…
I still couldn’t think of why she’d have left. The hard part was over. If she’d gotten pregnant a year earlier, life would’ve been much harder. Balancing senior year and a new baby would’ve been nearly impossible. We’d known a few people who had too much fun as Freshmen and didn’t return as Sophomores. But the timing wasn’t horrible. She’d have been able to work through the pregnancy, work from home a lot (I would’ve too) and we could’ve easily afforded a nanny once we went back to work. In fact, that’s probably exactly what she’d ended up doing without including the baby’s father as part of the setting.
It accelerated our plans… we wanted to get married after 2 years and start a family within 5… She couldn’t think I’d have been upset, disappointed, angry that we were going to be parents earlier than planned. I’d already told her that I wanted kids, maybe not as many as the trend in my family, but still.
At the time, I’d thought the stress of nearly everything changing so suddenly was pushing her towards a nervous breakdown. It’s why I called her freshman roommate, Arlene… I was hoping to get some clues about how she’d handled moving to a city from Podunk, living in an actual building instead of a soup can, not waiting tables at Pancakes ‘N’ Things for her mother’s cigarettes and having some say so in her life for the first time. Her mother had disowned her for leaving for college because it meant that she’d have to get off her fat ass and get a job to buy what her food stamps wouldn’t. The estrangement only lasted as long as Sookie declaring a major. As soon as Sandra heard through the grapevine that Sookie was going to be an architect, she treated her daughter like a winning lottery ticket instead of ‘the reason her dad left’.
Talking to Arlene was frustrating. Not only was she a Philosophy major on her way to Chakra cleansing and holistic meditation, but as it turned out, Sookie couldn’t have been happier. From the day Sookie moved into her dorm, her ‘aura was alive with wonder and excitement’.
I had nothing. The changes from high school to college were more drastic than what we were going through at the time. Sure, we were moving to a new town to enter the work force, but we’d still have projects and deadlines, bills… and each other. Knowing I’d have Sookie made our transition a non-issue for me.
I wasn’t scared until she said it would ‘all be over soon’. I started watching her like a hawk. Not that she wasn’t already my favorite spectator sport, but I started paying close attention to how long she spent in the bathroom, how much she ate… Her sudden appreciation for peanut butter sandwiches and buckets of chocolate milk should have been a clue since she’d never been a fan of either and I might have smiled when I realized that I got to see at least one piece of the pregnancy. But… she was eating, bathing, keeping up with her course load and we only had three bottles of pills in the apartment and they were mine. I wasn’t worried about my Claritin or No-Doz, but I did throw away the Tylenol PM. I watched the 2 bottles of wine to make sure she wasn’t self-medicating… They were untouched for now-obvious reasons. I did get my hopes up when there was a message waiting on our answering machine from campus medical reminding her about an appointment. Again, I thought she was finally getting some help, but now the purpose for her appointment was staring me in the face… literally.
She left without a trace, knowing that I was worried about her, knowing I loved her, knowing I’d do anything for her…
Eric would have changed things, but Sookie and I had been a couple for two and a half years, inseparable. Eric should’ve changed things, but for US not just her.
**
I stared at the house… back to feeling too much at once. Scream, cry, punch something, run…
I was ‘commercial’… Big, open, efficient spaces with clean lines… softened enough with curves and details so that they weren’t austere or intimidating.
Sookie was the one who wanted to re-invent the southern Victorian-dollhouse. The yard sale Dustbuster we had was well worth the $3 sticker on the handle because the floor under Sookie was constantly littered with the chunks of foam-core board that Exacto’ed their way out of the details she put into her models. Finials, spindles, gingerbread siding…
The house I was looking at… actually seemed to be looking back at me.
At first (as an architect and Frank Lloyd Wright sycophant) I approved. The house seemed like a respectable homage to the Usonian style… stacked, straight angels, cantilevered balconies on the second story and there was little mystery to the first floor since it was practically all windows (the only privacy seemed to be from the trees on the perimeter of the property).
The distinct lack of landscaping caught my eye though. Sookie, an avid fan of rose gardens and window boxes, had no ornamental shrubbery, no climbing vines, no flower beds… the only decorative thing about the yard was the large pond that hosted a few ferns and water lilies and spanned by a staggered slab walkway.
It was mine.
My fucking design. As a matter of fact, the design was a project for a Styles and Appreciation class we’d taken together. We sat across from each other and built our models… and had a popcorn fight… I’d chosen Wright’s Usonian period while his Arts & Crafts period with Sullivan had been in her comfort zone.
Answers.
I needed answers.
The faster the better.
She’d removed them both from my life completely… and somehow built a world where the only thing missing was me. It was stupid. It was insane. And it wasn’t fucking fair.
My son went on my road trips without me.
My son saw my accomplishments without me.
My son lived in my house without me.
My son had grown up surrounded by me without knowing it.
**
“She’s not home.”
I had to shake my head to clear it. “What?”
“It’s only 4. She should be home soon. She’s just out running errands like every Saturday…” He nudged my arm as he started to get out of the car. “I should have time to introduce you to Bob Marley and get a shower. C’mon.” Bob Marley?
There was a sick feeling rising from the pit of my stomach. I was still locked on the façade of the house I’d designed when I wasn’t much older than he was now. I know I still had the plans. I hadn’t lost them or sold them. She’d remembered them. “How long have you lived here?”
He stooped down and laid across the walkway to reach into the water. “Long as I can remember. The door to my room has notches for my height starting when I was 2. One of her old friends mentioned that we used to live in a house across town while Mom had it built though.”
“All along.”
“Yeah. Never anywhere else. When Granny went broke she lived with us for a while, but Mom went out and rented a trailer for her as soon as she smelled smoke in the house.”
“Good for her.”
He snorted. “Good for her? After what Mom did… how… I mean…”
“Eric, there’s more going on than we know. You… I know this is going to sound bizarre, but your mother basically lived her life as though I was on a business trip…”
He stood up suddenly, holding a brown/black fish that was easily over a foot long and held him out for me to take like I was petting a kitten. “Meet Bob.”
“Bob?” It didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that he was out of water other than the way his mouth gaped and closed… he stared at me like he was silently judging me for not noticing the family resemblance when Eric arrived on my step weeks ago.
“Yeah. He’s a koi. They all are… Bob was my first. He’s the oldest…” He took Bob back and gently put him back into the pond and started pointing them out. “The big, fat gray one is King Koopa. Those 2 calicos, well there’s one more… they’re the Fates… they’re usually huddled together and facing each other like they’re up to something. That one over there is so white he kinda glows in the dark. He’s Riddick… the big red one is named Fu because he has one… and the biggest of all of them is Moby… he’s probably been under the catwalk since he heard your car. He’s a wussy.”
“How did you decide on fish as pets?”
He scrunched up his face while he thought about it. “I guess it was 5 years… no, 4 years ago… I started getting computer labs in school. First class was pretty easy. We’d show up for class and there’d be a question on the board. We’d have to research it and type up a paragraph or two as an answer and print it out. Teacher would walk around, make sure we weren’t hunting and pecking, or looking up the Anarchists’ Cookbook… anyway… one day the question was ‘What does your name mean and how did you get it?’ Finding Eric was easy and I just said that my mom liked the name… Gehry was the hard part. Frank Gehry was the only dude I could find with the name and I couldn’t even find how he chose it since it isn’t his birth name… trying to figure it out, I found out that he had a thing for fish. That’s how I talked Mom into letting me get Bob since we already had the pond and when Uncle Jason found out that I managed to keep him alive, he started sending me gift certificates for the pet store so Bob got friends.” I finally knew something about him.
“So… You aren’t farming them for the grill?”
He smiled and bent over again and reached under the bridge. While he scattered pellets over the surface he told the fish that I was only joking about the ‘G-R-I-L-L’. When he stood up again, he had a key in his hand and nudged me in the direction of the door.
**
The interior was another slap in the face. Every stitch of upholstery, every color, every corner and crevice was exactly as I intended it to be when I turned in the project that suffered a B- for lacking imagination. I argued the grade up to an A- when I pointed out to the asshole prof that if he wanted imagination, he shouldn’t be teaching a class about other architects’ styles.
But there it was. The full scale of the design I’d have to exhume from my dusty boxes in storage to be sure, but was almost certain was 100% correct.
“You should wash your hands. Bob’s a nice guy and all, but he’s pretty nasty… I’ll be right back. I’m going to get in the shower.”
“Does Sookie keep any weapons on her? I don’t think I’m in the mood to be…”
He snorted and skipped steps on his way to the second floor. His room was most likely the one on the southeast corner. It was comparable in size to the master, but the closet was smaller and the bathroom was less of a luxury. “Don’t worry. I’ll hurry. Just don’t jump out and surprise her.”
“Is she jumpy?” Still?
He stopped on the landing and looked down at me. “Hasn’t she always been?”
“No. That was new… right before she left.” Something happened.
“Some days are better than others, but considering neither one of us are happy with her, she’ll probably end up on the phone with her therapist… Be right back.” Therapist?
EricIzMine FanFiction 
Yep, it’s about to get messy! I am convinced that Sookie was raped on spring break and thought that Eric G. was a result. I can’t think of another reason she would leave him and then memorialize him. I can’t wait to see if I’m right.
In any case, this story is wonderfully depressing, yet full of hope at the same time. I can’t wait to read more!
If you wrote an article about life we’d all reach enetehilnmgnt.
I love the frequency of the short chunks, but jeebus, I can’t wait to find out what happens! There are so many questions I want answered, plus I want to see Sookie’s nervous breakdown when she sees Eric Sr.in her house. So good, really loving everything so far!
I’m going to need a therapist if you don’t get Sookie in that house right away! It sounds like she was going for an abortion, then couldn’t go through with it, then left . I don’t understand. You’ll have to explain it to me. I’ll sit there, pad in hand, nod my head and ask, “Why do you think you did that?”
Ah… so she was jumped, raped and worried that Eric would blame her. I’m sad that she jumped to that conclusion though and mad that she’d let her mother into the house when she was so happy to get away from her… I sense i’ll be crying at some point. Awesome job as always and uh… Next chapter please 😀
Thank your for the fast update, but please, please bring out Sookie soon! I want to know!
See, my first reaction was to scream out “Damn you!” for leaving it here without is getting the chance to see Sookie’s reaction to Eric Sr. once again. But after breathing deeply and reminding myself that your build-up suspense style is one of the reasons that I enjoy your reading so much, I realized that this is the perfect place to end it. But PLEASE, please give us Sookie in the next chapter!
I loved the bit about the fish, such an interesting look into the mind of a teenage boy. Trust me when I say nothing they think or do makes even the slightest lick of sense.
Thank you so much for the quick updates I have come to the same theory some what I think something did happen when they had spring break I can’t wait to see where this goes.
The fish story was really cute. I love the names. Very interesting that she is seeing a therapist.
More please? Loving this story! I can’t wait until Sookie gets there and stares her past in the face. Please hurry?!
Well, well- we learn more about little Eric and Sookie. This was a good chapter, lots of information on each if the characters. Well done. I’m antsy to see the meeting between the adults and hear Sookie’s side.
Therapist…. lol Sookie Sookie Sookie. WTF happened to you.
Love the flashbacks… Both Eric’s are very much in the right here. Fish/house stuff is great too
As always, I love it. Can’t wait to read more. I’m so excited for Eric and Sookie to see each other again…
Um, chapter 5, please and thank you.
I’m going to venture to guess that embarrassment kept her from saying something initially, and the more time passed, the harder it was to even know where to start. I get it, kind of. I’m not in her shoes, so I’m not judging, God only knows how I would have handled it, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Erics have every right to be angry.
So yeah. Chapter 5? Tonight? Please?
Tell ya what…
If chapter 4 gets 100 LEGIT comments… I’ll post chapter 5 tonight…
Otherwise… Manana 😀
Btw its (8:30 eastern time zone) for me…
-angela
🙂
oh your good! sneaky ninja author!
COME ON PEOPLE COMMENT!!!!
Over halfway there!
Oh goodie…here’s hopin for 100 legit comments!!! So all I have to do is post 100 legit comments tonight to get chapter 5…I’d better get started :)…hehehehe!!!
There’s another Lynn and it wasn’t me trying to bump the legit comments!
You made 100, but it’s already tomorrow…
Still, 100 in less than 18 hours! I hope you can really feel the love! (take it where you can get it! 🙂 )
You have been so ninja with the updates lately! I love the beginning of the bonding with father and son, hopefully Sookie won’t be stupid and run or something, and ruin it.
i am in love with story! I can’t wait for the newt chapter. I agree with chelle’s assesment too.
So something big and bad happened. She thought she’d have an abortion and couldn’t do it. Didn’t want the baby to drag them both under when their lives were finally looking up. She’ll go away, have the baby and give him up for adoption. Only, once he’s born, she realizes he’s Eric’s son, but now she thinks its too late. And she’s been following his career, so she knows how he’s doing.
Or not.
More please.
really loving where this so far. i’m going with the majority opinion on this, pretty sure she was raped and left as she was convinced the baby was a product of that. it would explain the jumpiness, the sudden dip in confidence, the reason she cut and run from the man she loved and why she was thinking about putting the baby up for adoption.
can’t wait for the next chap
Very relieved to hear there is a therapist. Was he really drugging her coffee though? Yikes! Can’t wait for more.
Interesting, the little tidbits that Big Eric is learning about his son…. but it is eerie that Sookie has a life built with Eric in mind even if he is not around… my question is what Sookie is going to do when she walks into her house and Eric is standing there. waiting for the next chapter
…. Uuggghhh! I need more :$ I’m just dying to know what Sookie’s reason is.
Omg I usually hate a/h stories but this has me gripping my seat. Ehh. But you had me at S&S buying your visions fir A/H. I keep trying to figure who raped poor Sookie. Ugh pls update soon.
an unarmed Sookie? nice flip.
Wow! just reading the other comments, I think their right, though its sad it thats what really happened, though it is the most logical, and I totally love the cliffy endings, keeps you on the edge of your seat 🙂
im really likin this story ! keep up with the updates plz!!!
I am very puzzled and anxious to know what the hell is going on!! The fish were very funny.
the fact that she recreated his design seems to say what she feels about Eric, but it all seems a little crazy, but then that must be the reason for the therapist.
Thank you so much for the quick updates! I can’t wait to see why Sookie ran. She had to have had a good (at least in her mind) reason to leave.
More please.
I agree with the rape theory, but it sounds like that Sookie has never healed from it. Hopefully both Erics can be there for her and heal has a family and not just their own hurt feelings.
I’m loving how this is evolving. How Sookie has built an ‘Eric world’ for herself and her son. In a way Eric Sr was still in Eric G.’s life. He just didn’t know it.
OK, you snagged me! I want that update. (Long time reader on FF and then here. First comment here,though 🙂
So it seems I’m the only one, but I think Sookie’s father is involved somehow. A rape would make sense to me and fit most of the criteria, but to have stayed away from Eric for so long – 16 yrs! – implies to me, at least, that there is an ongoing threat. Perhaps to her, but more than likely to others as well. Looking forward to the mystery being revealed whatever it may be!
BTW, thanks for all your stories. I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one! Cheers!!
I also think that Sookie was the victim of sexual assult. She did not know who the father was. When she knew for sure it was Eric it was too late and she was to afraid to come back to him. It is apparent she still loves Eric sr.
hmmm… I’m thinking rape/battery mixed with threats? Am I close?
I cant wait for the next chapter…thanks for the frequent updates!!!
I wonder if something happened to Sookie at that bachelorette party. Was she afraid Eric Jr was not Eric Sr’s?
I am going crazy. I can’t come up with a reasonable explanation for her behavior. Every time I come up with one I think sorry that just aint good enough. Thank you!!!
damn woman! Awesome!!!!!!!!!!
WOW! I can’t wait to see what sookie is like! She is going to freak out!
Dang, I’m thoroughly confused, but looking forward to more. My mind is laced with what ifs; but I’m just going to sit tight. Whatever it was, I hope that they can all overcome it. Eric jr is out of the bag and it’s not going to be possible to put him back in there.
what happened?!?!? i think i might literally be DYING to know why sookie left…
p.s. why is it always the big, scary looking ones that hide the quickest?
Getting interesting. I don’t know if I like this Sookie. She didn’t tell him about the pregnancy. I get it was her body her choice and that crap, but she new he wanted kids. They were almost done with school. I don’t know. You’d have to write her POV for me to like her.
Loving the pace of this story. It’s kinda like playing Clue. I suggest it was Mr Bill, in Myrtle Beach, with the roofie. (Because I don’t think she would willingly cheat on Eric and I like to blame everything on Bill.)
Yes, I agree that the concern is because she is still so jumpy. Obviously something happened, but what? And a therapist to boot? Wonder if Eric Sr. will be able to hold his temper AND his judgment until she unleashes the truth, which I doubt will be soon. I think if she doesn’t watch out, Eric Jr. will want to go with dear old dad for a time. She has really made a mess of this, not even giving Eric the decency to have a say so in her decisions. What a freaking mess.
oh shit!!!! i agree with Eric Sr. on this one….something more is going on. please tell me it has nothing to do with Sookie being attacked & not telling anyone, more importantly Eric about it?!?! i don’t know if i could handle it.
Oh no….something really bad must have happened to the poor thing during spring break….
I cant wait for more. Im excited that it looks like there is a real reason Sookie stayed away. I know its going to be painful and my guess is it has to do with family. I hope though that it bonds Eric and Sookie together again. I hate when they are apart!
Angela!! That’s just mean!! 100 comments? it’s already 10:16 where you’re at! (whines)
I don’t hate Sookie. I can only imagine that her reason for leaving was a very valid one to her. It shows clearly in everything that Eric Sr is seeing that she has never stopped loving him. And he, for all his man slut ways, still loves her too. Oh and Baby Eric is just priceless with his Koi and the no G-R-I-L-L assurance to his fish.
So, bring on the poor woman and let’s see what she has to say.
oh hell….I was so wanting to ‘hate’ Sookie but I agree with so many others on the ‘sexual assault’ possibility…..It makes sense that she may have trust issue’s if she hasn’t dated the entire time she’s been in ‘hiding’….I’m hoping that this doesn’t turn out to be some long, drawn out fight over Eric Jr and that maybe she’ll find closure and let Big Eric back in her life…..In the end its their son who will suffer if they don’t fix this between them….I’m in awe of your talent and abso-love every last story you’ve written so far. 🙂
Awesome chapter! I can’t wait to find out what happens between Eric and Sookie. Please post soon! The suspense is killing me!!!!
I’ve been addicted to your stories for a while now but this is the first time I’m actually commenting (I know, I’m terrible) and it’s with the hope that somehow this chapter really can get 100 legit comments tonight and you’ll go ahead and post Chappie 5… This anticipation is about to kill me! I have to know now!!….and seriously woman, your writing is incredible; you could’ve made a fortune if all of these were published books! : )
Argggh, I love the frequent updates, but the waiting is painful. The chapters say so much and are well written, but they are over so fast! Hope to see you continue this update pace 🙂
I love all your stories! Thank you for getting me through the wait!
I think she’s going to faint when she sees him. This is borderline psycho shit. Her building their life around a man SHE fucking left. This is going to be the excuse to end all excuses I can feel it.
Loving the quick and dirty updates. Thanks.
UGH… you’re worse than a soap opera with the dragging this out!!!
(and I do mean that in the BEST way possible!)
More, pretty please?
I am so loving this new story. I am really hoping it wasn’t something bad, but I have a bad feeling about poor Sookie. I wanted to be mad at her but now I m just so curious to find out what happened. Also, the whole G-R-I-L-L thing was hilarious. Bring on Chapter 5……PLEASE!!!!!
Great chapter!!! I am still convinced that Sookie was raped or that something else seriously traumatized her in Myrtle Beach!! I am wondering, though, assuming she was raped, if Sookie still believes that Eric Jr is a product of that rape or if she believes him to be Eric Sr’s (since he seems to look so much like Eric Sr). Maybe that’s why she never told him he had a child, because she didn’t think it was his? More please!!! I think you should go ahead a post the next chapter, since it is ready to go and all 🙂 hehe!!! I just hope Sookie is in the next one…I am dying to see what happens when she sees Eric in her house and I am really dying to hear her explanation!!
Great chapter! Can’t wait to see what happens…….when Sookie gets home….
If you don’t make it to 100 legit comments, will you accept heartfelt pleas for chapter 5… 🙂 🙂 :)??!!
This Sookie is def not like the assertive ones you’ve written before. She is gonna flip her shit and have a panic attak when she sees Daddy E and Jr in the same room. I hope she gets it together quickly to tell her tale before they start with the accusations.
Loving this story, especially as a former architect major myself I totally relate to so many little details, like the foam core messes that come from making models and the obsession with Gehry (I actually did a project on the Disney Concert Hall and spent several afternoons trudging up Hill and Grand from the metro to walk the grounds I also saw a bunch of his personal project models when the Skin and Bones exhibit was at MOCA) Anyways… can’t wait to see how Sookie reacts when she comes home!
I hope Sookie shows soon. At least we can get an idea of what is going on with her.
Linda
Arrgh, you’re killing us! It just gets curiouser and curiouser.
I blinked and you posted four chapters! How do you do it?! I can’t wait for Sookie to arrive home. How weird to live a life so connected to him when you left the real thing. Thank you!
I think that Eric g is Erics…it breaks my heart that they both built and live in shrines to each other. This story is fascinating. I love that there is a mini-Eric.
The further we go the more I dislike Sookie. Part of me really wants Eric (Jr) to pack his stuff and runaway with his dad – let her sweat about it for a while, and let the two Erics get to know each other.
I’m sure she has her reason – valid or not, and at least Eric (Sr) seems to recognize that there is one, but I’m not sure I’m going to find any reason agreeable enough to actually like her.
I can’t wait to hear the reason though and see the $hit hit the fan… I love the quick updates! Keep them coming 🙂
I have several theories as to what happened to Sookie and I can’t wait to find out if I’m right. The suspense is killing me! As always, fantastic writing!
Okay – it never even occurred to me that Sookie could have been assaulted. Now I’m going to have to go back over the previous chapters to see what clues I might have missed. Darn … lol
I don’t know … I not totally feeling that Sookie is going freak out when she sees Eric. Look, she’s been a single parent who probably knows Eric has been looking for her this whole time. Because I’m betting Jason can’t keep his mouth shut. She knows what children are capable of so her sense of panic has probably been dampened. She had to know this would eventually happen. She’s probably just not expecting it today, or that her son is the instigator. And she is seeing a counselor, so hopefully she’s learned how to face issues as an adult.
My heart broke for Eric Sr. a little bit at a time as he realized she was keeping him around her, literally, even if he wasn’t there physically. I loved the way he described it, that she was living like he was on a business trip. I feel for him that he missed important milestones with his son, but there are more to come that he can be a part of.
I’m dying to find out what happens next. Can’t wait until you post again!
Im thinking its some sort of baby blues turned into depression. maybe she was too ashamed? still?
dying for chapter 5
You’re at home in front of your computer laughing evilly aren’t you? You can admit. You like watching us go crazy with where you cut a chapter off. Does your family realize these sadistic tendencies you have? ; )
I vote that comments should go by basketball rules, double for heartfelt pleas and long one comments are triple. Somebody go call 28 of their closest friends and tell them to post.
The more I read, the more curious I get about why Sookie left. Everyone’s speculations are killing me, along with all of your cliff hangers…
I’m definitely going with the rape idea as well… interesting that some are associating it with spring break, it would make sense… Also would make sense about why she was going to put the baby up for adoption… But I don’t get why she didn’t tell Eric? Did she think he would be mad at her?
Poor Sookie… Poor Eric!
love it!
I reread everything and I agree with the general.consensus. I think cookie was rape during the trip to myrtle beach. Didn’t want an abortion but also didn’t want a child of rape. Assumed it was her attackers which is why she planned adoption. But he came out looking like Eric and he was early. Which means they conceived before the trip.
-giving Sherlock Holmes a run for his money 😛
Everyone please ignore my horrendous spelling errors. Phones like to switch your words on you.
amazing storie so far, i can’t wait to see where it goes.
oh man!! something deff happen to our sooks. cant wait to see how she reacts to eric in her living room looking for answers. will she give them? will they be able to work it out? hmmm
LOVED IT LIKE ALWAYS.
anxiously waiting for ch 5. well shit, any of your story updates i wait for
I went back and re-read all the chapters, again. Now I am going a little stir crazy waiting for the next chapter. Please post soon, I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
I’m adding my comment to hopefully get to 100. It;s almost 3:00 am and I can’t stay awake any longer.So I will go to bed and wake up early and maybe the next chapter will be up.
Cannot wait for the next chapter…s? 🙂 loving the story!
Hmmm, so she started being jumpy, nervous as anything and then just left after a doctor appointment, its gotta be the pregnancy that drove her to leave and I’m guessing she was raped or something and she thought baby was the result. But what I don’t get is why didn’t she ever try to make contact with Eric? Her house is an exact replica of a project of his – that is saying something!! What has happened to her to change her so much? Hope we finally get answers next chapter!!
I love that your getting a new one out every day kinda wish they were longer but if they were they won’t be as daily so…. It’s just tough lol I love this story and can’t wait till we get some sookie x
what a killer. i was looking forward to the fireworks from their meeting. Every little revelation of her living in the house, doing the road trip, naming of the kid etc has had me shaking my head saying WTF (alot)! I’m totally loving this story. Still hanging for meanwhile to be finished though 😉
You´re such a teaser! I think you put more cliffhangers concentrated in this one than any other of your stories,and there are only four chapters! Because not only the cliffies are at the end of every chapter,there are so many questions in the air……Good job,you´ve got us bitting nails and whipping sweat…..
OK, I’m with the majority of the readers and quess that Sookie was sexually assaulted on Spring Break. It would explain the 180 on her character. Maybe she was threatened somehow to not tell Eric (maybe someone convinced her that it would hurt his career?). I also believe all the years away from Eric Sr. are not voluntary (by Sookie). Maybe the evil Gramps has something to do with it? Sookie is kind of creepy though, living in a sort of Eric-shrine… Can’t wait for more.
Thatchapter was Faboo…who says that? me apprently. okay so final threoy…. Spring break, Sookie gets shit faced, wakes up have having had sex in a loo, disorintate and ashamed, she comes home but begins to have flash backs she realises she was roofied and the sex was not of her doing but she’s a victim….to her horror she find’s out she’s preggo, planning to abort, she finds she can’t do it, leaves planning to give up the baby for adoption so not to drag Eric down with her shit. When the baby arrives early but healthy and big she realises the baby is Eric’s what a horriable mistake she has made. Seven months have passed, when she gets back on her feet she goes to contact Eric but see he’s moved on has a new ‘girlfriend’ (read, bed warmer) thinking she’s lost her chance she focuses on building a life for her and Eric Jnr not wanting to face Eric snr has moved on with out her, she can’t bare to the thought of seeing him happy withsome else so keeps the little part of him she has all to her self creating a life that he looks that he’s just stepped out off.
I am i close??? even a little bit??? hope you put me out of my pain soon…. super big thank you for the mega quick updates…
JoXx
Great chapter. Its so obvious she loves him. I think their meeting might be rough.
Can’t wait for the meeting, love how the two eric’s getting on for now. Are we at 100 yet?
Please update soon…maybe today?! I just cannot hate Sookie, at least not at this time until more information is presented…it seems like a lot of people do…i dunno, I’ve never been raped so assuming she was I cannot really judge her for how she chose to react. Sookie is definitely gonna have to face her demons, sooner rather than later, though!! I need chapter 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are awesome…you keep writing one awesome story after another, so thanks :)!!! I don’t usually read AH E/S stories, but yours has me hooked!!
One thing does come through loud and clear, they love each other, did then, and still do. You have been true to the Sookie in canon; react impulsively and run. The hardest part of what she did, discounting the anguish both she and Eric felt at being apart is what their son missed. She kept him from his father, that’s probably going to be the toughest thing to overcome in their relationship going forward. And her son is going to have a difficult time forgiving her now that he knows Eric is a good guy not some abusive asshole that she ran from. Great story, just draws you in more with each chapter.
well this story has me hooked. I sit here wondering what the “you know what”
Sookie was thinking when she left Eric. She still loves him and she is traumatized. I really like this Eric so I hope it doesn’t turn out that he did something. I am going with the rape. Was it a friend? May be that is why he left.
While I can’t figure out why/how he would have been there, and I in fact doubt my guess, I’m thinking that maybe Sookie “ran into” Bill on spring break.
Noooooooooooooo. So short? I was shure we got to se Sookies in this chapter!
Please hurry with the 5th chapter. Pretty Please.
And again; your wrighting is awsome! Love ya!
Tears…I know they are coming…I can feel them, waiting to spill out…another wonderful storyline and I can’t wait for the next update…love the short, quick, chapters…and if you’re Willy Wonka, I’m Augustus Gloop…a glutton for your stories, hanging over the edge waiting to fall in and delight in the wonderful dialogue! thank you!!!
I’ve changed my name entry to Lynn S. to prevent confusion with the other Lynn…we both love your stories!!!! Obviously.
I love the way Eric Sr and Jr can talk just like they have known each other for ever. Eric Jr needs to be more respectful of what he says about his momma even tho he’s pissed and probably more hurt. This story is fantastic like EVERY other story you write, please update soon, this is an amazing story.
Thanks for the update I appreciate it.
I can’t wait for her to come home & face the music!
I understand that she might have been worried about holding Eric back when she got pregnant but she was wrong in what she did.
Can’t wait to read more!
You are killing us. Please post next chapter! I have put on my desk box of tissues, so I am ready for more. 🙂
LOL!! I love it. Such inspiration to leave your thoughts, who could argue with that. 😉
I can’t wait to find out what Sookie’s reaction will be. I really hope Eric Jr. will stay with big E for the remainder of the summer. I think they need that. BTW I love the little bit about the fish. It was too cute.
ARGH!!! The frustration! Way to drag things out! 🙂 Please, please, oh please put them in the same room. This story is awesome, as are they all, and I’m definitely a huge fan.
I’m on tenterhooks for chapter five now!!!
Wow Angela, you really know how to get a girl climbing the fence, waiting to jump off with all the excitement.
What happened to sookie to make her leave the life and love she had?? Wouldn’t surprise me if there was an attack and she was afraid that Eric wouldnt understand.
Then when she kept the baby guilt kept her from contacting Eric but she felt better having everything eric around her.
PLEASE PLEASE HURRY WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER.
I need to find out what made her leave and not tell him for 16 yrs.
hmmmmmm
I actually thought someone was going to shout “Honey, I’m home”. But no, Sookie isn’t at home. Bummer. Girl, you know how to drag out the suspension.
I’m hoping that maybe it will be the first thing Eric will say when Sookie gets back from running her errands!
This is my first time to comment but I love the new story. Everything you write is so addictive and fantastic. I can’t wait for the update!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, I’m totally hooked! I pretty much concur with the spring break assault, thinks preg is a product of assault, wants abortion, can’t do it, go for adoption, can’t do it cuz its a little Eric!
Lovvvvve your stuff and can’t wait for more !!!
I’m sitting on pins and needles! My guess is somebody attacked her, and she got pregnant. Not knowing if it was Erics baby or the attacker, she freaked out and left. Probably way off base, but that’s my thought. Great job on this chapter! Can’t wait for the next one!!
The comment about her building their life as if he was way on a business trip was so sad. They have both spent a lot of time building shrines, now they need to face each other and move forward. Amazing story, yes I am trying to get better at reviewing.
I have a love/hate relationship with this story. Mostly because of the chapter length. I love getting alerts in my email all the time, but I just want to know what’s going to happen next! Thank goodness for your beta ninja husband. I love the mystery of the story.
Chapter 5…please :)!!!!!!!!!!!! I was hoping for a new chapter alert in my inbox today, but sadly it wasn’t so :(. Here’s hoping for tomorrow, though 🙂 :)!!! I’m dying to read more, especially with Eric and Sookie in the same room, face to face!!! I can only hope that since she is seeing a therapist that she may have prepared herself for the inevitability of seeing Eric again and will be able to share with him what happened to her!! Thanks again for the awesome story and frequent updates!!!
OMG….my poor family, I got the alert for the new chapter but could not access wordpress..Can you imagine your fix is at your fingertips and you can’t get to it. Like putting piles of candy behind glass and telling a 2 year old no!!! My family says they now need a bomb shelter. The flashbacks are great as you really get a sense of what Eric went through and why he has searched for her for so long. Love the fish. I don’t want to guess what happened, can’t wait to read it. Thanks again our “Goddess of the keyboard!!”
Okay, starting to get hints… I’m thinking she was raped and was scared the baby wasn’t Eric’s. Of course now I have Bill on the brain and wanna smack him.
How far did I have to scroll down? That will teach me for not reviewing straight away 🙂 I love this story, I love Bob!
I hate that she lives in his house when he made the glass and honeysuckle.
Therapist? WTF? Yeah, she’ll need one!
Seriously woman I am addicted!
Ok, aside from the fact that we all know shit happened, and it’s not a hard guess as to what, I still want to smack her. Maybe more than once. The story is great so far.
“Sookie… I brought you to Shreveport hoping you’d relax a little. Try to not think about your projects. This is our new apartment. This is our new town… No White trash neighbors or family looking for handouts like at Christmas. No more bartending and bouncing. No more burned toast and runny eggs at the student union. In ten days, we’ll officially be grownups. We’re going to have an actual table to eat at instead of taking turns on the barstool.” AH HA! Is that why why she left?