Who: Eric & Jackie What: Eric is in a bad mood Where: Their house When: Saturday night, after the kids are asleep
Eric's bad mood had been brewing all day. He'd woken up late, causing him to have to rush around gathering the things he needed for his appearance in the local mall as part of a radio promotion. Then he'd come home in the middle of the day, tripping on his way into the house because Aaron had left his bicycle lying right on the front walk. The fall resulted in a skinned knee and a hole in the leg of his pants which probably couldn't be mended. And then, in the evening, Mia had been downright miserable, fussing and refusing to eat and just generally making everyone feel frustrated and lousy.
By 9:30, when both children were tucked into bed, and he slumped down on the couch in front of the television, Eric was ready to snap, and sure enough, when Jackie walked into the room, blocking his view of the television for not even 10 seconds, he did just that. "Do you have to stand right there?" he called out, his tone filled with annoyance. "Goddamn it, I just want to watch the TV, is that too much to ask?!"