Archie Loses Eddie
Rob
Archie will suddenly think again of Eddie, inwardly berate himself for forgetting, and call home. Is it like mid afternoon at this point? Assuming he gets Melanie: "Hi, sweetheart. How's your day going? Listen, I'm afraid I may be late getting home tonight. Got a few fires to put out before the weekend."
"I just called Carolyn Preston and she says it's fine for me to pick Charley up a little late. They're going to make popcorn and listen to records."
"Say, are the kids around?"
Michael
"Oh hi hon! Jane's in, doing college boards prep. Eddie biked over to Jim Trocano's house this morning, said he'd be home in time for dinner!" Jimmy is a friend of Eddie's from school, one of the few solid buds he's made at school since the family moved to SF in '68.
Rob
"Okay … that's nice. Did … Did Eddie say what he and Jim were getting up to?" (knowing even as he asks that's a faint hope, since when does a teenage boy in 1973 say what he's going to be up to at a friend's house?) "What I mean is, do you know if he was planning to head back to that sci fi thing at the St. Francis?"
Michael
"He didn't say anything about it. I had assumed you and he and Charley were going to head back on Saturday! He was very excited to spend that allowance you gave him."
Rob
"Sure thing, I'd be happy to take him back there on the weekend, assuming I can get everything taken care of here at work. I was just thinking, I'd rather take him then have him kicking around down there on his own. The sci fi meeting was — well, it was fine, don't get me wrong, it just wasn't the most wholesome environment. Some funny characters seemed to be hovering around the edges, you know?"
"Ah, well. I'm probably just being an old stick in the mud. You have a good afternoon, sweetie. I'll see you as soon as I can."
Michael
"Oh, well … yeeees," Melanie says in response to the "un-wholesome" thing in that tone of voice she uses when she's being slightly judgmental or disapproving of some particularly distasteful Gentile behavior or another. "Yes, I suppose parental guidance might be helpful in that case. He's been positively batty over maybe going to see those ape movies this weekend as well, but the neighborhood that cinema is in … Hmph." She says. "But I'm sure Eddie's fine, dear, Jim's parents are very sweet and if he decides to stay over for dinner Jane and I can have a girls' night here. Call when you're leaving to pick up Charley and to head home, though, all right?"
Rob
"Sure thing, boss. Love you." Archie hangs up, drops his feigned smile, stares at the Ransom Gang cases stacked in the corner of his office, feels whatever 25 new Corruption points feels like.