Eric quotes from 7th Heaven

Eric

[about Mary] You know, she quit her job at the pool hall, she quit her job at Pete's Pizza. She doesn't have any friends. Well, not any good ones. She needs a job.

Annie

Yes, Mary needs a job, and money, and friends, good ones. But she has bills to pay. She also needs to take a job to pay those bills. And the job she takes probably won't be a job she loves or even likes. And then she'll see how important it is to have a job you love. And jobs people love usually involve training and/or education. That will force her to set goals and move forward

Eric

Are you just going to will her into this realization?

Annie

She's not on our schedule. We need to give her time. She'll realize it when she realizes it.

Eric

In the meantime, no job plus no money equals no car, right? I mean, if she can't pay for the car, she'll lose it.

Annie

So let her lose the car.

Eric

This isn't about losing Mary's car. This is about losing Mary!

Annie

You think I don't know that? You know, just because I'm not a minister or a therapist doesn't mean I don't know when she's in trouble. I'm her mother! And I think she needs to be the one to ask for help, and she's not ready yet!

Eric

Well, I'm her father, and I say she needs help now, whether she asks for it or not!

Annie

What you mean to say is that you're the expert, and what you say goes!

Annie

You stole $500 from your own brothers?! From babies?!

Ruthie

I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Punish me any way you like.

Eric

What do you think is going on? Your 10-year-old sister is lying about stealing money so the rest of you can cover for Mary.

Annie

Is that it? Is that the truth!?

Ruthie

No! You're wrong! I took it. I'm very bad. I'm a very bad girl.

Matt

No, Ruthie. I'm a very bad big brother for letting this happen.

Eric

Have you ever tried smoking marijuana?

Mary

Well, even if I did, what is so wrong with experimenting? I mean, what's the harm in just trying it? Everybody's gonna try it sometime.

Eric

Well, first of all, not everyone. Not me, for example. And secondly, let me see if I can answer the "what's the harm" question. I suppose for some people, nothing ever comes from the fact that they tried smoking pot, but for other people, plenty comes from the fact that they tried smoking pot. Lifelong, illegal habits. The need to try other, harder drugs. Addiction to those drugs. Arrest. Conviction. Jail time. Those kinds of things. The question really is, to which people do you belong? There's no way of knowing. But "experimenting" to find out? That's quite a risk, don't you think? I think it is, especially for someone who's on probation.

Annie

You stole money from your own brothers?! From babies?! This is pathetic. Really pathetic. We had no idea that you were this far down the road.

Mary

I am not in trouble.

Eric

Life gets so complicated when you don't tell the truth.

Mary

So what's best for everyone is to ship me off to Siberia to live with old people?!

Annie

Yep, that's basically it. You will live with your grandparents, you will take a job working at a homeless shelter, with your first few checks going to Sam and David. And in January, you and Grandma will take a course.

Mary

What if I am not going to do this?

Annie

In my heart of hearts, I know this is the right thing. This is the right thing to do! I love you! Remember what you said, it's better to have an angry kid then a dead kid!

Mary

[screams out angrily to Eric and Annie] I'll meet you in the car! [slams the door]

Annie

Mary wouldn't leave without saying good-bye to her brothers and sisters, would she?

Eric

Don't be surprised if she gets on the plane without even saying good-bye to us.

Annie

I hate this.

[gossiping in Church as Eric gives his sermon] I heard they sent Mary off to rehab.

I heard she's pregnant.

She had to get married.

No, she's in prison!

She just went crazy. They put her in an institution.

An institution? How could they have a daughter like that? The Camdens are such good people.

I heard Mary ran away, and they don't know where she is.

She's pregnant and she robbed Pete's Pizza.

No way!

It's all over town!

She stole money out of the register at the pool hall.

I heard she dropped a baby on its head.

Her baby, right?

I don't think so.

I heard she has a drinking problem. That's how she got pregnant. The drinking!

She was drinking and driving.

In the nude!

It's just another case of a good girl gone bad.

Eric

[unaware of the gossip going around] Amen.

Eric

We talked to Mrs. McCool.

Annie

Why would you make up stories about the family like that?

Ruthie

I thought that if I got people to feel sorry for us, they'd stop talking about Mary. I thought that if Mary knew everyone was talking about her, she wouldn't want to come home. I'm still mad at her for messing up, but I want her to come home.

Annie

If you weren't available to baby-sit Sam and David, who do you think I could get to baby-sit?

Eric

Well Ruthie's not old enough, so Robbie?

Annie

NEVER!

Eric

Robbie, never?

Annie

And you know why? Robbie is just the border. You do not leave our children with the border. Not the children we created and I gave birth to. Responsible family members and qualified babysitters only. Robbie is neither. He is just a border

Annie

You need to find him a job so he can find a place to live.

Eric

I'm working on it. Even Robbie's working on it.

Annie

Well, work faster. Why do you like him so much?

Eric

Why do you like him so little?

Annie

If Mary finds out he's living here, there's going to be hell to pay. That's right, I said it. HELL! So get him out.

Eric

I still can't believe I forgot my birthday!

Ruthie

You're old. Old people forget stuff.

Eric

You were doing so well.

Mary

I still am doing well.

Eric

You know. I'm really happy to see you, but you're in a lot of trouble.

Mary

Trouble?

Eric

Running away from the Colonel and Ruth's to sneak off and see Robbie? Yeah, I think I'd qualify that as trouble.

Mary

What? Dad, I didn't come here to see Robbie. I came here to see you. It was supposed to be a surprise. I mean, Mom thought we could get Robbie here and back to pick me up without you ever noticing.

Eric

Wait a minute. Your MOTHER knew about this??

Mary

Everyone knew.

Lucy

I got all this fun senior stuff coming up: Valentine's, Senior Prom, Graduation. I want a guy for all that.

Eric

What are you going to do while you wait for the guy?

Lucy

Well, I got classes, friends, family, Habitat for Humanity...

Eric

Right. Luce, you got a life with or without a guy. When you do get a guy, he'll be the luckiest guy in the world because he's got you.

Lucy

Thanks.

Annie

I wonder who Robbie could be going out with.

Ruthie

Whoever it is, it's not Mary.

Eric

But this is a good thing, right?

Simon

I think it was a good thing until we started liking him, now I'm not so sure.

Lucy

So what are we going to do?

Eric

There's nothing I think we can do.

Annie

There's plenty we can do. We're Camdens.

Eric

Is this your wallet?

Simon

Yeah it's my wallet.

Eric

And just where did you get a condom?

Simon

I rather not say.

Robbie

Me. I gave it to him.

Eric

Simon, haven't we always talked about sex?

Simon

In the abstract.

Eric

Well that's why we talk about it in the abstract so that one day where it becomes personal, you'll feel free talking about it.

Simon

I know what you'd say. I knew you say I was too young.

Eric

Well, you are too young.

Simon

But Dad, being too young has nothing to do with this?

Eric

How's that?

Simon

The opportunity was there. Too young or not, it made me feel like a man just to have the opportunity. That's what men do. They have sex.

Eric

Well men say no to sex when they have the opportunity, but it's not the right thing to do.

Simon

Dad, I know. I said no.

Eric

Thank you for being responsible.

You are not Robbie's father!

Eric

Neither are you.

Sticks and stones. Ouch.

Eric

I'm sorry.

Robbie

Sorry for what? For caring about me? For giving me the first real home I ever had? For being the dad I never had and always wanted? For forgiving me my past mistakes and being so supportive and kind? You have nothing to be sorry for.