emotion locomotion

Eric couldn't just show his emotions. Now could he? He had to collect himself before he could take Ellie's phone call.

"So how was it," Eric meant the interview.

"It went great, they're so nice there. I so want to work there, but I don't know yet," the excitement in her voice just left him sad. He didn't want to be this way.

"Well," Ellie wanted to know. "How did it go with the babysitting?"

"You don't know? They didn't call you?" He felt for sure they would have.

"No."

"It was fine." Eric didn't say anything else.

"That's all you can say?"

"Yeah, it was just babysitting," He hadn't meant to put her off, but he could tell by the silence he had.

"Just babysitting?"

"They were great. Everything was great, is that what you want to hear?" He couldn't cheer up. It was so not easy ever putting on an act with Ellie.

"What is wrong with you?" She now sounded a bit pissed with him.

"Its nothing." He just said.

"Eric." There was no real melody when she said his name. It sounded more like a warning or worse.

"My dad is coming." He could barely find the words to say it. "My half brother, too."

"You have a half brother?"

"I don't know him."

"Why do you always do this?" She bugged him always about being pessimistic.

"Do what?"

"You keep on expecting the worst. And you know, it wouldn't be half that bad if you gave stuff a chance."

"Thank you for telling me how I'm supposed to feel. I don't want them here. All right. I don't need them. I'm fine without having either of them around, you know." Now he was pacing.

"Well, we all have family. All right. And true, you don't always get what you want from them. But still, you have to try. You have to. Or you'll wish you had. You will. Stop being a scrooge."

"Its not even Christmas." He told her.

"Yeah, some Christmas this is going to be with you." Her words hit him then.

"Look, I'm sorry," Eric just knew she'd be breaking up with him in the next sentence.

"Oh, Eric, lighten up, will you? I know the kids liked you. You were amazing, evidently. I never get Jasmine to do her homework. I can never get Nico to be still. And Kayla has never drawn a picture that I know of. Their mom wants you back next week." Ellie then told him.

"Really? You lied." He sighed, but she told him she had called them.

"Wow," He then smiled. "Maybe Nico is going show me some of those moves of his. Better watch it, I might be doing some dirty dancing with you, sometime in the future."

"Oh, I don't know if I'm ready for that. He's got some pelvic moves that are definitely obscene, but uh, coming from you, amazing, I'm sure." She laughed then.