Ben There

Chapter 1
Prologue: Beginings

Chapter Description: Ben's parents think some changes are due. -- If this seems a slow start, bear with me, and there is some set up and presaging in all that dialogue.

Prologue: Beginings.

"But, Mom!!!! Com’ on!!!" Ben said as calmly as he could under the circumstances.

His little sister had to pipe in. "Do you have a valentine, Ben? Awww."

"Shut up, Vicky!"

"He doesn’t need one yet," his littler sister said, "Valentine’s Day isn’t till next Wednesday."

"Yeah, but the dance is tonight, and I don’t get to go because of you, Kathy."

Their mother said, "Benjamin, you’re too old to act like that, and you just keep out of it, Victoria."

His father was pouring coffee into his travel mug and said, "You don’t have a date for this dance, do you? We thought you knew you were going to have to watch Kathy tonight, buddy. We need you to help us out here. When business people say they’re going out to dinner, sometimes it means they’re going to a meeting with food and spouses."

"I told some people I’d be there. They’re expecting me."

Ben wasn’t actually sure if anyone was expecting him or not. He had transferred to a new school in January and hadn’t had time to find any real friends yet, but he had said he would be at the dance in front of Amber, who is a sophomore like him, and Danielle, who is a junior, a year ahead of him, but is in his physics class. At least those two girls hadn’t said anything sarcastic about him going; he thought that was a good sign.

His mother was brushing Kathy’s hair into pigtails while the little girl scooped HoneyNut Cheerios into her mouth and said, "Ben, we really need you tonight. Just tell your friends you can’t make it. There are dances at least once a month at that school. You will have other chances."

"No, there’s not! This is the first since I started there, Mom. And it’s Valentine’s Day. Why can’t Vicky watch Kath for once? I mean you’re always talking about how mature she is."

Vicky smirked around a mouth full of corn flakes even though she knew her brother was being facetious. Kathy was also eating in silence because she felt bad about making Ben miss his party; she hated being the littlest in the family.

His father said, "You know darn well why. And just stop whining, Ben."

His mom said, "Yes, Victoria is very mature for a twelve year old, but you are almost sixteen, and there is a law in this town that says twelve is too young to be a babysitter for an eight year old. Also, she asked to go to her slumber party a week ago, and you didn’t tell us you had any plans."

"I didn’t know about the dance then! So, next month I can go out and Vicky will have to watch the brat?"

"Yes," his mother said, "Maybe. In just three and a half weeks she will be officially old enough to watch children. But, still Ben, it’d be nice if you could think ahead and let us know your plans the way Vicky does."

"And, sport, I’m going to pay you. I’ll make it a Jackson and a Hamilton for tonight. But babysitting doesn’t mean you hide in you’re room on your computer. You need to be responsible. You need to play with her and make sure she eats and goes to bed on time. You understand?"

Ben sighed, or maybe he softly growled. He didn’t need the instructions; this wasn’t his first time babysitting, and he didn’t mind spending time with his litter sister really. The thirty dollars didn’t make a difference (though he had lots of ways to use it); it was the principle of the thing. But at least Victoria would be out of the house this time; he wouldn’t have to deal with her sarcasm and teasing. He just felt everything always turned into his job!

He didn’t make any answer to his father though, and that was a mistake.

"You’re almost sixteen years old; stop pouting like a three year old, Ben. You want to take Drivers Ed this summer? Do you think I’m going to let you take the car out just because you have a license? You need to start showing some responsibility; to grow up. Seven weeks at a new school and, already, two detentions! Reports about late homework. Your mother and I have to miss work for a school conference on Monday. I’d think you would want to get on our good side just now, but you gripe about everything we ask you to do. Do you wish you were three again? Is that it?"

"That fights wasn’t my fault! I make good grades on all my tests! And you know it too.

"You make passing marks, not good ones, and your missing assignments mean your grades will be lower."

"You know, I didn’t ask to change schools in the middle of the year."

"Yeah, well, I took this new job for your mother and your sisters - and for you too. But all your problems are all my fault. -- I’m going to be late. Bye, honey. Good bye, Kitten and Princess. I won’t see you tonight, so have fun. And Ben, I want you to help me get all those boxes out of the garage tomorrow. We’ve been here long enough I should be able to get my car in there."

"But I was going to go to the mall. I need to get a book."

"You can loiter there some other time and just get your manga online or something." Ben’s father gave Vicky a hug and his wife and Kathy a kiss then walked out the door.

Kathy decided it was OK to talk now and said, "Are you mad at me, Ben?"

"No, Kath, I’m not mad at you. We’ll have lots of fun tonight, I guess, OK? I just wanted to go to the school dance, that’s all."

"I’m sorry," Kathy said, though she didn’t know how to make herself old enough not to need a babysitter before dinner time.

Ben’s mother said, "We know that, Ben. Your father too. We’re both trying to settle into new jobs and get the house set up and everything, and that’s hard. We need your help. We need you to do your part."

She took the hair brush she had been using on Kathy’s hair and made two strokes on Ben’s head.

He yelled, "Hey!! Stop it!!"

Soooorrreeeey," his Mother said, but she was grinning, "Your hair could use a brush though, do that before you leave. Would you like some more orange juice?"

"I’ll just get me some in a minute."

"It’s as hard to give you help as it is to get any from you, isn’t it? And Ben, you need to use that razor we got you more often. You’re getting very fuzzy again. -- - Girls, it’s very cold, so I’ll give a ride to school if you hurry and eat."

While his mother was in the front hall, Ben looked at his reflection on the toaster. He stroked his lip and thought it did feel fuzzy, and it hadn’t even been two weeks since his last shave! He felt around for those three long hairs that sometimes showed up on his chin.

Vicky said, "She was just being nice to you, dorkus. You haven’t got a mustache. I bet you don’t got any hairs on your pubes even."

He only had time to glare at his bigger little sister before his mother came back into the kitchen with an arm load of coats.

Ben said, "Could I get ride too?"

"No. Your school is the opposite direction, and you’re big enough to ride the bus. Run and get your backpacks, girls. But, Ben, I will be near a bookstore at lunch and could pick up that book you want, if you want me to."

"Nah. I can wait."

"I was trying to be nice, mister macho? And it’s still February, and cold, honey. Here’s your heavy coat -- Can you rinse the breakfast dishes before you leave? You have twelve minutes to get to the bus stop."

"I know that, Mom! I’m not a little kid any more."

"Benji, I can remember when you let me do things for you, and when you really liked finding ways to help others too. You were such a sweet little guy back then. Now you’re always sullen and mad. I don’t know what we’re going to do. Please make sure the animals have plenty of water before you leave, OK?" Then she called to his sisters as she went out the back door towards the car.

Ben sat at the table, moping and finishing his Wheaties, until he was almost late for the bus, then he grabbed his black hoodie and ran down the street.

*******************

Ben’s weekend was everything that he didn’t want it to be.

Taking care of Kathy Friday night turned into the highlight. Watching a Disney movie and playing some board games wasn’t so bad, though he would rather have been in his room battling orcs, goblins and other pixelated demons.

Of course, his parents weren’t satisfied with the job he’d done, and he was dragged from bed at the crack of ten a.m. on a Saturday morning and told to clean up the mess that Kathy had made with all her games and toys. After that he had helped his father clean the garage. Well, for twenty minutes he had helped, but then his father left to pick up Vicky, and he had to bundle the empty boxes and carry the full ones to the attic alone. And it was only when he had to restack them after dinner that he got mad.

Sunday was wasted installing Vicky’s new external hard drive; she needed it because one of her new friends had one. Then he was forced to endure a restaurant meal with his family.

Monday was just like every other school day: Seven hours of daydreaming. But Danielle smiled at him in the hallway, and Amber asked him about the calculus assignment, and she laughed when he didn’t know what it was either.

After supper Vicky and Kathy were ordered to the den, and Ben was told to come into the living room with his parents.

Ben hadn’t forgotten that his parent’s had met with one of the school counselors that morning, but hadn’t been too worried about it. Unworried for Ben, that is: he’d thought about it a lot (almost constantly), but he had lots of things that he liked to worry about more than what old people were going to say about him, or do to him.

His father took the big chair. His mother sat right next to Ben on the couch. Ben looked for that perfect balance between having no concerns at all and being attentive enough to not make grownups angry.

At least his father didn’t start off yelling. He began his speech quietly: "Ben, there are going to be some changes around here, a lot of changes. And there will be some made at your school too.

"Son, I think we, your mother and I, had forgotten how hard being in high school can be for kids, how hard being an adolescent can be. And moving into a new school is tough too. We know that. We’re sorry; it was something we should have thought about earlier. We don’t think you ever got to be a kid enough, so we want to let you have a second chance now."

Ben’s jaw dropped, and he started to say, "Nah, it’s al’rite," but his father didn’t pause.

"We all need to remember that you aren’t ready to be grownup yet, and you still need help sometimes. You need to remember it too, buddy.

"So we will start giving you help and start asking for a little less. But -- and listen to this: You are going to have to start accepting that help too. Your teachers are very annoyed that you don’t do your assignments. We are going to help you by checking up on them. And there will be no argument about that. Period.

"Also, you will turn off your light and computer at eleven o’clock from now on, eleven thirty on weekends unless you have special permission...."

That was such an insult that Ben did manage to break in with a very loud, "Whaaaaat."

His mother patted his shoulder and said, "Benji, you fell asleep in class twice last week."

"No!"

"Yes, honey, you did. Your Spanish teacher had to shake you to wake you up at the end of class."

His father said, "Listen to us, son, many of the changes you will like. The school is taking you out of History, because your old school covered different material than your new class. That will become a study hall, and give you a break in your day. There will be some other changes too, Ben, but we want to wait and see how you are doing then."

Ben was now royally pissed!! How could they do this without even talking to him first! "I don’t get any say at all? You just all meet up, and decide everything?"

"What do you object to, son? To our wanting to help? You haven’t been doing well in History, and now we know why. This is good news for you, Benny. "

Ben had to think hard to come up with an objection because his father was right. "If I don’t take a History every semester, it’ll be hard to get into a good University."

His father shook his head. "If what we have planned works, you will have plenty of time to get ready for college, buddy. Lots of time. Ms. Vanderjung promised that would not be a problem. But that is long in the future, and if you keep doing so badly in school because you are so unhappy, than getting into a good college will be impossible, sport."

Ben, sighed, leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

His mother said, "Honey, all we’re saying is we’re going to let up on you a bit and so is the school. This isn’t a punishment, it’s the opposite. We want to give you a chance to be a kid again. Is that so bad?"

Ben said, "You mean more rules, like a bedtime. And you’re going to be checking up on me all the time, right? You’re going to treat me like a little kid!"

"Honey, what it means, is more free time, and yes, we are going to watch you and care about you too, just like you were a child. We always have, Benji. You can be the happy kid you once were again."

"It isn’t forever either, Pudin’head," his father said. "We still expect you to grow up, go off to collage, get a great job, and support us in our old ages someday."

"For how long is this going to last?"

His father said, "Just until the end of the school year, about mid-may or June. Then we will start phase two, and give you more and more responsibilities, but slowly. We aren’t going to pile everything on you at once."

"I’ll still get to drive this summer, right?"

"You weren’t going to get to drive all over town all the time anyway, son. We will see how you adjust before we decide how much you do get to drive this summer, buddy."

His mother said, "Sweetie, do you know we love and care about you? Do you mind so much taking our help when you need it, even if it seems like new rules? Would you mind not having so many responsibilities for a while? If you say no to any of those, we will call the whole thing off."

Ben started to nod to all of that; how else could he respond? But his mother grabbed his chin and held his head still.

"Don’t answer now. Because if you agree, baby, sometimes things might happen that you won’t like at first. Think about it until the morning. Your school wants some medical tests and some new shots, so you have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and can skip school. Your new schedule will start Wednesday; Valentine’s Day because it is about our love. But I will ask you for an answer tomorrow morning."

His father said, "And one other question: Wouldn’t you like the chance to be a kid more often? And, big guy, take tonight off from schoolwork too, since you don’t have to go there tomorrow. Play your computer games while you think over those questions. But, you know what? I don’t think it would be terrible for a fifteen year old to give his old man a hug once in a while, and he could even give his mother a kiss.

Ben did do both of those things, and then he slumped up the staircase completely bewildered. This was even weirder than his parent’s usual new programs; was it going to be a good thing? Getting out of History and chores was good though, that was for sure.

’Big Guy’? ’Pudin’head’? Had his father called him those? He hadn’t heard them for years. Had his mother really called him ’Baby’?