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Mini scenario generator: Eric and Nate as children playing together.
“- And then she hung up the phone and she cried.” The little rock that had been in nine-year-old Eric’s hands was now feeling warm, but he eventually slung his arm back to throw the rock out at the water. It skipped only twice before it dropped into the water, but he wasn’t paying much attention to it anyway.
“How long?” eight-year-old Nate replied, sitting on the sand only a few feet from where Eric was standing. “All night,” the boy replied, looking back over his shoulder. Eric still didn’t really understand what was going on. Everything had happened so quickly once they’d come home from school a few days later and his mom had found the note on the dinner table. Without saying a word, she’d read it, gone to her bedroom and quietly closed the door. The children didn’t see their mother for three days, being ushered to school by Ms. Marie, who kept dodging questions and distracting them with ice cream. And then, the fourth night, Eric had slipped out of bed when he’d heard his mom’s voice getting louder, and the next morning Serena and Eric were shipped off to the Hamptons. A week later, Friday evening, Nate had shown up with his parents. And here they were.
“Well, maybe your dad is just on vacation,” the youngest offered, always kind. Eric, looking down at his toes in the sand simply shrugged. That’s what he wanted to believe as well, but somehow, he felt that wasn’t true. “Ms. Marie says that whatever happens, we’ll have her. But I don’t like her anyway. I’d rather have dad.” It was a childish response, but then again, he was nine.
Looking back to where Serena and Nate’s mom were tanning on a beach blanket, Eric wondered briefly if Mrs. Archibald knew more. And if she could take him back home when she and Nate left tonight. He usually liked it when they came to the Hamptons, but this was different.
“Whatever,” Eric said after some time. He didn’t want to cry. “Do you want to play spy? I found a really cool hiding place over by those plants. Oh, and I got a new kit last week from Ms. Marie - but.. I don’t know if she packed it.”
“That’s okay,” Nate replied as both boys stood up, trying to dust the sand off their clothes. “I’ll ask mom if we can borrow her phones, we can use them as walkie-talkies.” Visibly brightened by that statement, Eric nodded and picked up his slippers as he walked away from Nate. “Cool. I’ll ask Serena if she wants to play with us!”
