#rrl01d50

Gen One, Day Fifty

“So, how’ve you been, Dad?” Johnny asked, caught somewhere between wanting to just remain polite and truly wanted to reconnect with his Dad now that he was a man free from Nancy Landgraab. There wasn’t anything between them anymore and while Johnny had been more than willing to jump at that opportunity, Geoffrey had been the one to decide he just needed time to figure himself out. 

Turns out, he had. And it was one of the reasons he’d called them to come out with him. “Doing well. Really well, actually.” Geoffrey hesitated. “There’s, uh, there’s someone I want you to meet, Johnny.” 

Curious, Johnny followed his father over towards the bar, where a young, pretty blonde woman was making drinks for all the festival goers. Geoffrey cleared his throat and she looked up at them, a bright smile spreading across her face. “Honey!” she greeted and Johnny’s brow shot upward in confusion as she leaned over to kiss Geoffrey. 

“Hey, cupcake,” Geoffrey greeted her, and then turned a little sheepishly towards Johnny. “Um, Johnny, this is Candace. My girlfriend.” 

“Johnny? The Johnny?!” Candace gasped, moving from around the bar to embrace Johnny, who was caught up in the moment and stood rigidly before giving her a pat on the back in response. “Geoffy Weffy’s told me so much about you. I was hoping we’d get a chance to meet!” 

Gen One, Day Fifty

It had been a while since last they spoke to Geoffrey. Out of the blue, he’d called to invite them to the Spice Festival. While Johnny seemed less than inclined to go and Robyn was ready to support him in whatever way she could, it had been Eris who’d told them she wanted to. She wasn’t privy to the same details they were regarding her grandfather and it came as a surprise to both of them that Eris had been keeping up with him through text messages and emails. 

They’d decided to give it a chance. Things after the divorce were probably weird for Geoffrey and if he was doing his part to keep up with Eris, who were they to say she couldn’t have a relationship with her grandfather? They’d even support it, if Geoffrey committed to being there for his grandkids. 

Though there was a clear chill in the air, the Spice Festival was vibrant with the colors and smells of cultural celebration. Geoffrey showed up in much less formal clothes than what they were used to seeing him in, but all in all he looked like he was doing well. 

Gen One, Day Fifty

Towards the end of the night, a sudden commotion drew Johnny’s attention to the bar where Candace was still working. Geoffrey had gone off to spend some time with his grandchildren, Eris having convinced him to try his hand at basketball and Charlie not wanting to be left out of the fun. Robyn had run into some co-workers and was off discussing work with them, which left Johnny to deal with the situation he came upon on his own. 

Nancy was there, his mother. And she was accosting Candace. Somewhere along the line, he heard his mother spit out the word, homewrecker, and Johnny was about to intervene and tell his mother off, until Nancy turned to the side and he got a look at her very pregnant belly. 

It stunned him for a moment before he finally got his wits about him and called out to her, “Mom?” 

Nancy turned to face him, and it seemed to draw her ire away from Candace and towards him. If possible, the scowl on her face deepened and she pointed a finger in Johnny’s direction. “And you!” she shouted, though he wasn’t quite sure what either he or Candace had done to deserve her ire, he’d rather she yelled at him than at Candace, who seemed on the verge of tears. 

“Hey,” he said, acting oblivious to her aggression. “Mom, it’s really cold out, why don’t we get you inside.” He looked at her belly. “And, we should talk about that?” he tempted fate. 

Nancy scoffed, brushing off his concern and the hand he tried to place on her elbow. “That has nothing to do with you,” she spat and it served as enough of a reminder of just how out of her life Nancy wanted Johnny to be. He struggled for a moment, torn between wanting to just back off and the idea that he had a new sibling on the way. His own relationship with Malcom, his brother, was almost non-existent. Could this be different? 

In the end, self-preservation won out. “You’re right,” he told her and Nancy’s lip curled in animosity before she turned to Candace, gave one final glare and stormed off. Johnny watched her go. That eternal longing for things to be different settled in him, but it was a battle that he couldn’t win. If Nancy wanted things to be different, she’d make them that way. And if that little baby wanted to ever connect in the future, Johnny would give them a chance, but all he could do now was just wish them luck. 

Candace sniffled slightly, drawing Johnny’s gaze. “They were already divorced when we got together. I swear.” Johnny gave a small chuckle, nodding his head. 

“I know, don’t worry about her,” he assured her. Sweet girl, undeserving of Nancy’s ire. Yeah, maybe she would be good for his Dad. 

Gen One, Day Fifty

“So, did she seem nice?” Robyn asked as she found Johnny furiously eating a plateful of curry fried rice. He’d told her what had happened, that he met his Dad’s new girlfriend and while Robyn couldn’t tell exactly how Johnny felt about it, the fact that he was stuffing his face with spicy foods when he didn’t really care for it was enough to tell her it bothered him. 

“Overly,” Johnny said through a mouth full. “And she called him Geoffy Weffy.” 

Robyn snorted in amusement, but cleared her throat when Johnny gave her a look. Even though she was trying to be serious and knew that this must be hard on him, she couldn’t help but chuckle, reaching to pat his knee in assurance. 

“Maybe she’ll be good for him,” she insisted. 

Johnny groaned, stabbing his fork into his rice. “She’s younger than I am, for god’s sakes.” 

Another chuckle and this time, Robyn set her own utensils down, turning on the picnic bench to fully engage him. Johnny seemed to realize his own frustration when she took his hands and gave him a direct look, loving but compassionate. “He wanted you to meet her, didn’t he? Whatever he feels about her, it says more to me that he wanted your approval. He’s probably so used to your Mom telling him what he wanted, he’s not sure how to just...want what he wants, you know?” 

Johnny sighed and she could tell it was doing a lot to ease his mind on the whole matter. She knew Johnny well enough to know that even if it bothered him at first, no matter how his relationship with his Dad was going, he’d still just want the best for him and it seemed to help ease that tension in his shoulders. Though he couldn’t help but add on, “But, Geoffy Weffy?” 

Gen One, Day Fifty

After her lunch with Luna, nostalgia hit Robyn hard. She didn’t go home right away, instead spent some time on the pier, observing the view of the bay she’d so come to love. It gave her time to think and reflect. Think about all the things that got her to where she was today. Was she happy? Did she want more out of life? Did the future still look like a grand adventure the same way it had all those years ago when she first moved out to Brindleton Bay? 

She smiled contently to herself when the answer was yes. While her view of the future had definitely changed from what she thought it looked like back then, it wasn’t a bad thing. She still had dreams and goals, still wanted to further her career a bit more in the education field, but the world hadn’t gone stale around her for all the side adventures she’d found herself on. A husband, two kids, everything that life threw her way. It was all worthwhile.