the sharing

[instar]

Trouble is not back at school on Monday. At lunch, Bella sits with Andi who sits with Robin who sits with Ethan.

Comments

[palmofyourhand]

"Vaguely culty?" inquires Ethan. "My parents joined up a while back, but I can't say I paid much attention."

[pandion]

"Yours too? Huh. They aren't after you to join it though?"

[palmofyourhand]

"They're not the getting-after type."

[pandion]

"Dad wasn't, but..." Andi shrugs.

[instar]

"I may or may not have gotten through to him last night. I don't know."

[hold_infinity]

"What'd you say?"

[instar]

"I don't remember my exact words, I just made it extremely clear that pushing us about joining his - I don't think I said cult, Andi, did I say cult directly to Charlie?"

[pandion]

"You were thinking about it but you didn't."

[instar]

"Anyway, I made it clear that it was counterproductive."

[hold_infinity]

"If only that worked on all parents," says Robin.

[instar]

"It probably helps that he's not the primary custodial parent. We can avoid him if we want. We'd be in a much less pleasant spot if Renée were doing it. Fortunately, she thinks the Sharing is uninteresting because it fails to be about any specific thing - she'd rather learn crafts and thirty words of sign language and volunteer at the animal shelter."

[hold_infinity]

"Good for her, I s'pose," shrugs Robin.

[palmofyourhand]

"Cults are boring. Well-known fact."

[instar]

"I feel vaguely like I ought to be trying to be glad that Charlie has more to do with himself than he used to, but I don't like how it's changed his behavior."

[palmofyourhand]

"How has it? Maybe it's just him," says Ethan. "Or maybe my parents just know better."

[instar]

"It's subtle. Sometimes it's like nothing happened at all, and then if he has the least breath of an inkling that either of us might listen if he suggests that we join the Sharing..." She shakes her head.

[palmofyourhand]

"Dear old Mum and Dad would have to be hallucinating to think I'd join a club on their say-so. Maybe that is it," he muses.

[instar]

"Maybe. How long have yours been in?"

[palmofyourhand]

"Some number of months?" he hazards. "I did mention I wasn't paying attention."

[instar]

"Maybe Charlie'll get the picture. As of last night, as of some other argument."

[pandion]

"We can skip summer. Any time we want. We can go roadtripping with Mom instead."

[palmofyourhand]

"It doesn't sound like that would solve the problem," says Ethan.

[pandion]

"Well, it'd keep us farther away from the problem."

[instar]

"Yeah, it's one thing when he's on the phone, it'd be another if he were like this while we live with him."

[palmofyourhand]

"Particularly if it is a cult and he decides you really, really need to join."