The Stepbrother

Something's Missing

It was the following week when Eric received a call from Andie's school.

He was in the middle of an exam with a proctor watching through the lens of his computer, and his phone was off and stored in another room. The call wasn't returned for another two hours and when he listened to the concerning voicemail that stated Andie wasn't participating well in class anymore, he called back immediately.

On the other end, the teacher picked up, and she wasn't as pleasant as he had predicted a school English school teacher should be.

"Yes, Eric..." the woman drawled with an air of disapproval. "I called hours ago."

"I was in an exam, ma'am," Eric explained coolly. "I am in my second year of university, I have classes everyday."

"I see. So, your education is more important than Andie's?"

"No... As I said," Eric sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he wondered what the hell he ever did to deserve such a torturous conversation with such a torturous woman. "I was in an exam. My phone was off."

"Well," the woman sniffed disdainfully. "Did you listen to my voicemail?"

"Yes, ma'am, I did. Can you explain a little more what's going on with Andie?"

"She isn't participating as well as she should be in her classes. Her teachers often find her unusually distracted. She no longer volunteers for projects as she used to, and her work effort isn't as superb as it once was."

"With all due respect ma'am, did you and your teachers forget that Andie's mother died less than six months ago? I think a change in her overall mood and work effort is expected, don't you think?"

"If you think I've called to berate you on Andie's behavior, you're very mistaken, Eric. She isn't in trouble, we're merely concerned for her. Our counselor has been meeting with Andie for several days now and he's worried that Andie isn't receiving enough from her new home life."

Eric's jaw clenched. "No, I imagine she isn't. Having lost two parents, her homelife would inevitably become lacking, wouldn't you say?"

"Eric," the woman sighed. "There is no need to be difficult about this."

"I'm not being difficult. I'm just wondering where the hell you guys have been if you've only just noticed a change in Andie's behavior."

"Beg your pardon, young man, but at the beginning of this school year, Andie's grades were soaring, her work was done with enthusiasm and she took pride in her participation in class. As of two weeks ago, her mind has become less focused, her work is subpar, and her grades are dropping. The reason I am bringing it up to you, is because I can't help but think that you must be the root of the problem."

Eric nearly lurched from his chair. "Excuse me?"

"You didn't accompany Andie to registration or open house at the beginning of this school year. You haven't been in attendance to the last month's Parent/Teacher conference, and all of her field trip approval slips come back unsigned. This tells me that you are not paying attention to the young girl living under your roof, and if you're not, then who is?"

"I...uh..." Eric had never been so baffled in his life. What was the woman rattling on about? Registration? Conferences? Approval slips? "Ma'am, I apologize for my...forgetfulness..."

"I am not the one you should be apologizing to. Our Counselor has requested a meeting. He wants to share his concerns with you. He feels like Andie is still terribly shocked from her parent's death, and may be suffering from depression due to a neglectful homelife."