"Hey, I haven't finished my apple pie yet… So, why am I coming out with you guys?" Sheldon, who was forcibly dragged into the yard by Missy, protested.
"Aren't you worried about Georgie?" Missy glared at Sheldon, expressing her dissatisfaction with his lack of concern for his family.
"I think Georgie is right; staying in school is a waste of his time…" Sheldon, unable to break free from the tug, evaluated Georgie, then asked again, "Can you let me go back? I haven't finished my apple pie."
Clearly, Sheldon was more concerned about his delicious apple pie than Georgie's troubles.
It's worth noting that with Sheldon's picky palate, there weren't many delicacies that suited his taste.
"Forget your apple pie!" Missy pulled Sheldon towards the RV and said, "Georgie is having a serious fallout and really needs our help…"
"Alright, alright." Sheldon, unable to break free, could only resign himself to his fate.
Indeed, there's always something that can tame another.
Sheldon, who ranked as the most important in his mother's eyes, had no persuasive power with Missy.
Outside, in the RV, Georgie had opened the rear resting stand and was lying on it, bored.
Connie was sitting opposite him.
Due to their age gap, they didn't seem to have much to talk about.
Seeing Mike bringing the three little ones over, Connie smiled and said, "Mike, you talk to Georgie. You young people should have common topics. Grandma won't be in the way here; I'll get you some food…"
Georgie had left in a hurry earlier, only eating half of his big meal, so he clearly couldn't have been full.
The most important thing was that Georgie now looked emotionally stable, so Connie could leave with peace of mind.
Mike, upon climbing into the RV, saw Georgie's confused eyes and guessed he hadn't thought through his next plan; most of what he said earlier was out of anger.
Considering his current predicament, Mike had reason to suspect he was giving up.
Then, Mike noticed Georgie's RV; the interior space was quite large, but judging by the wear and tear of the interior, it was indeed on the verge of being scrapped.
And the pristine appearance of this vehicle's exterior was likely due to a simple secondary paint job.
Commonly known as: a fancy pillow with a bag of chaff.
That's right, with just over three thousand dollars, what kind of decent RV could one expect to buy?
Overall, Georgie's purchase of this RV was not a profit, but not too much of a loss either.
It still depended on the future use value of this vehicle.
"Georgie, Missy asked me to ask you if you need any help?"
While Mike was observing the RV, Sheldon had already gone to Georgie's front.
"No, don't bother me." Facing such a blunt question, Georgie was too lazy to even answer.
Moreover, he didn't think Sheldon could help him with anything.
"Alright!"
Sheldon, as if he had completed a task, retreated to Missy's side and gave her a look.
His arrogant expression seemed to say: I have already offered help, but he didn't appreciate it.
"Where are you planning to go? Have you planned a road trip route?" Ignoring Sheldon's poor performance, Mike sat opposite Georgie.
"No, but I plan to see outside of Texas…" When discussing specific issues, Georgie seemed to ponder.
After a while, he sat up and inquired, "Perhaps you can give me some advice."
Compared to others, Mike was the only one present who had driven out of Texas himself.
Georgie, who had decided to drop out of school, really wanted to hear his opinion.
"If you just want to go out and broaden your horizons, I think you can drive north and visit some nearby central states…" Mike proposed a feasible plan.
Texas, located in the southern states, is not far from several small central states, and there is no desert in between.
Georgie has an RV, so he doesn't have to worry about accommodation. He can totally spend a few days visiting the central states.
As long as he doesn't go too far, he can return in a short time if he changes his mind.
Next, Georgie also discussed the specific travel route with Mike.
"It seems you two are getting along well…" Connie, returning with food, saw the scene inside the RV and greeted with a smile, "Come give me a hand—"
Two fresh steaks, with a rich vegetable and fruit salad, were piled up like a small mountain on the tray.
Upon seeing this, Georgie quickly got up, unfolded the small table inside the RV, and then took the food and placed it on top.
"Ta-da—! Look what else I brought?" Connie, with free hands, pulled out two bottles of beer from her body as if performing magic.
After handing the beer to Georgie, Connie said earnestly, "Georgie, I want to tell you that no matter what decision you make this time, Grandma supports you. I'll cover for you with Mary, so you don't have to worry…"
After expressing her family-like concern, Connie turned to the three children in the RV and said, "Alright, kids. I know none of you ate enough earlier, so let's go back and continue our big meal."
It seemed she was intentionally creating a conversational atmosphere for Georgie and Mike.
And from her actions, it wasn't hard to guess that Mary's mood in the house should have calmed down.
"Am I useless?"
After Connie and the others left, Georgie looked at Mike opposite him, his expression very serious.
His current mood seemed to be in a delicate state.
"Georgie, I know what you're thinking." Mike roughly understood that the other party desperately needed affirmation from others at the moment. After organizing his words, he said, "Everyone excels in different areas. Perhaps you don't have a talent for studying, but I know you're very good at communicating with people. For example, you were very successful selling crystal balls door-to-door last Christmas."
"Moreover, haven't you noticed that your hands-on ability is also quite good? Herschel at the auto repair shop has praised you many times before…"
"So, you really don't need to feel guilty for not being as good as others in school."
"Thanks." After the guidance, Georgie felt much better and said with a smile, "Although I know you're intentionally comforting me, you also made me realize that I have strengths too."
Once a person becomes depressed, they can easily fall into endless self-denial, stubbornly believing they are useless.
This is a form of mental exhaustion.
At such times, a little external affirmation is needed to enlighten the person, thereby helping them escape from these negative emotions.
"Alright, Georgie. Let's talk about the most crucial question: are you sure you want to drop out?" Mike brought the conversation back, saying sincerely, "You know, at your age, it won't be easier to establish yourself in society than to study in school."
"You don't need to persuade me… I've seriously considered it. I'm not cut out for studying. This kind of thing should be left to geniuses like you and Sheldon—" Georgie said with a relieved expression, "As for me, instead of wasting time, it's better to enter society earlier and also reduce some burden on the family."
Well, Georgie didn't seem as carefree as he appeared; he might have considered more issues than others imagined.
It could be said that he was developing in the direction of becoming a man.
Just then, a portly figure climbed into the RV.
Georgie had been "eavesdropping" outside for a while. After getting into the car, he looked at his eldest son and said with emotion, "It's very good that you have your own ideas. So, what day do you plan to leave?"
Anyone seeing their child grow up would likely feel gratified.
Georgie was also happy to see his eldest son become more outstanding.
"I… in a couple of days, I still need to prepare a bit more." After all, it was his first time traveling alone, so Georgie was somewhat anxious.
"More preparation is good…" Georgie said, pulling out a large wad of cash from his pocket and handing it to his eldest son: "This is about five hundred dollars, all my private money, and now it's yours. Remember to spend it sparingly… If it really doesn't work out, just come back. You know your mother's temper; what she said earlier was all out of anger."
"Also, if you're not leaving these next few days, you can stay at home first. I'll talk to Mary."
"No need, I'll just stay in the RV." Georgie, having received his father's pocket money, seemed to have gained some confidence.
Moreover, even for the sake of his pride, he couldn't give in to his mother so quickly now.
"As you wish, but if you really don't want to stay in the house, you can actually stay in the basement." After glancing at the environment inside the RV, Georgie, while considering his eldest son's pride, offered a better suggestion.
The Cooper family's basement was actually a converted garage, filled not only with Sheldon's toy trains but also many household sundries.
Among those sundries, naturally, were the cotton batting and bedding that the Cooper family had replaced.
It was perfectly fine to stay there for a few days temporarily.
Afterward, George left the basement key and returned to the house.
Facts proved that sometimes, father and son heart-to-hearts don't necessarily involve many words.