First Class Stamp

by Aj Harmon

  “He said he was serious, mom. And Grandpa says he’s a good guy and I really want to go to a game. Please?”

  Ben took a deep breath and was about to tell Alex that perhaps it wasn’t such a great idea, when Alex looked up at him with those big brown eyes and the image that popped into his head was Puss in Boots from Shrek. It worked…like a charm and Ben knew that he couldn’t disappoint the boy. The art of negotiation was what he was good at, so he figured he could make this work.

  “You don’t know me,” he began, looking at Sophia, “and I get that as a parent that would scare the sh…heck out of you. But I promise, I’m not a bad guy,” he grinned. “Tell you what. Let me take you to dinner and you can ask me every question under the sun and then maybe you’ll feel better about Alex coming to a game with me. What’d’ya say?”

  “You’re asking me out on a date?” Sophia was almost speechless.

  “Oh God, no!” Then he saw her face and realized that perhaps it had been the wrong reaction to her question. “I mean…no…this wouldn’t be a date. Just an opportunity for you to get to know me better.”

  The hardness around her eyes softened and she said, “I can’t leave my mom and…”

  “Oh phooey!” Aldo chimed in. “Your mother is getting stronger every day and her sister can come if she needs someone to take care of her. Take a break! Go have dinner with the man.”

  “Fine!” she scowled.

  Aldo knew from where Alex got his sunny disposition.

  They settled on lunch…the next day…Sunday. Alex was anxious for them to get their acquaintance made so any obstacles in his path to Yankee Stadium were annihilated. Ben couldn’t fault him, in fact, he kinda liked the boy. But he felt somewhat guilty about not being at work and tackling the piles still on his desk. And it was obvious from the moment Sophia entered the restaurant that she didn’t want to be there either.

  Dressed in black capris, a black and white striped cotton shirt and black slip-on sandals, she nodded in Ben’s direction as the hostess greeted her and made her way through the other diners to his table. Being a gentleman, Ben stood and greeted her with a smile and then pulled her chair out for her to sit across from him. She thanked him and sat, folding her arms across her body, all but screaming her desire to be anywhere but with him.

  Ben took her body language as a challenge and inwardly grinned as he formulated his plan. He had no desire to win over Sophia, even though he found her physically attractive. He liked tall women to match his six foot two frame and she appeared to be close to five-ten, an unusual but welcomed change in the women he dated. Ben immediately checked his thoughts. He was definitely not dating Sophia and had no wish to do so but that didn’t mean he couldn’t admire the woman in front of him. Her eyes were open and bright, expressing emotions readily. Her nose was perfectly proportioned to her face and her lips were full and dark pink…and currently pouting. Yes…he could enjoy looking at her.

  “I know this is the last place you want to be right now,” he began, “but I need to apologize for opening my mouth and offering to take Alex to a ball game without thinking. It was probably not the smartest thing for me to do.”

  “You think?” Sarcasm dripped off her tongue.

  “Well, I’m sorry, for what it’s worth.”

  “Yeah, well…” She didn’t have anything more to add, leaving an awkward silence that persisted ‘til the waitress arrived with menus.

  Ben graciously accepted the linen paper menu and made a point of studying it for several minutes before glancing up at Sophia. “I eat here quite a lot and I can vouch for pretty much everything on here. It’s all really good.”

  With an almost audible sigh, Sophia laid the menu across the charger in front of her and took a long drink of water. “Okay,” she conceded. “My dad tells me you appear to be an upstanding guy, and if you really do have a box suite then you have plenty of money and can afford to take Alex to a game.”

  Ben couldn’t believe it was that easy! He hadn’t even begun to mount his argument in defense of himself. He’d made a copy of his driver’s license and had a business card stapled to the paper, all so she could run background checks if she so desired. And that was just stage one!

  “The thing,” she continued, “is that Alex’s father, we’re divorced, promises things all the time and never follows through, leaving Alex disappointed and…and feeling like he doesn’t count. And I’m sure as hell not going to offer him up on a platter to another asshole who’s gonna do the same damn thing.”

  “Look, I don’t know the first thing about being a parent, and I’m not going to sit here and pretend I do, but, all Alex wants to do is go to a Yankees game. I have a box, well, my brother has a box, and I offered to take him. Here,” he said as he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. “This is a list of the next few home games. You and Alex pick out a couple that he’d like to see and I’ll find one that fits in my schedule. I occasionally travel for work but there should be one in that list that will work for both of us. That’s all I’m offering and I give you my word that I’ll take him and he’ll be safe and have a good time. That’s it.”

  Taking the paper from his hand, Sophia chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds and then nodded. “Okay. That sounds fair enough.”

  Ben reached in his pocket again and pulled a business card from his wallet, leaving the photocopy of his license folded and hidden. “Here’s my card with my contact information on it. Have Alex give me a call with his list.”

  Once again, Sophia took the card he offered and laid it on the table in front of her. “Okay. Thank you.”

  Ben thought the words sounded genuine and was relieved that she’d agreed to his idea. The thought of taking Alex to a game was actually exciting to him. He had many fond memories of going to games with his brothers and his dad when he was a boy. He was feeling happy that he would have the opportunity to give someone else a cherished memory.

  “Great! Now that the business is all settled, let’s eat,” he grinned.

  *****

  Two days later, as Ben sat at his desk staring at a counter offer they’d received on a building purchase in Atlantic City, his secretary buzzed to say he had a visitor – an unscheduled visitor.

  “What do they want?” he asked.

  “Well, apparently it’s about the Yankees. I didn’t quite get all of it. He speaks a mile a minute.”

  “Who the hell is it?”

  “Alex?”

  Ben roared with laughter. “Send him in.”

  Two seconds later, there stood Alex in his doorway. “Hi.”

  “Hey there. Does your mom know you’re here?”

  He shook his head. “But Grandpa does. Mom gave me your card and said to call you with our list, but I told Grandpa is would be easier to just come by.”

  “Oh it is, is it?” Ben stifled his laugh.

  “Yeah,” he nodded as he walked to the chairs in front of Ben’s desk.

  “Have a seat,” Ben offered.

  “You have a really nice office. Are you like, the boss?”

  “Something like that,” Ben said.

  “Cool!”

  “Yep,” grinned Ben. “So you have a list for me?”

  “Oh, yeah I do. I can actually go to all of them. Even after school starts cuz they’re either at night or on the weekends or at night on the weekends, so…”

  His eyes were huge and all Ben could see was Puss in Boots standing before him. He opened up his calendar on his laptop. “Alright. Well, I’m free for the game against the Red Sox on Friday and…”

  “Awesome!” Alex shrieked. “That will be an awesome game. This is gonna be so awesome! I can’t wait!”

  “Awesome,” Ben grinned. “So Friday it is?”

  “Three days! Just three days and I’m gonna go to a Yankees game. AWESOME!!”

  “I’ll come get you at your Grandpa’s store at three o’clock. Can you be ready?”

  “Sure I can and I hope I have enough money to buy a jersey!�
��

  “Tell you what. You keep saving all your money and I’ll buy you a jersey.”

  “AWESOME!!!”

  “Yep,” Ben chuckled. “It’s gonna be awesome.”

  5.

  It was the Lathem boys’ day at the Yankees game. Matt had brought his three year old son Christopher and his stepsons Adam and Tyler. Mark and Derek were there along with Ben’s other brothers: Andrew, David, Tim and Paul. Rory, Andrew’s husband stayed home – he wasn’t into sporting events. He didn’t like using public restrooms. Even Peter, the Lathem patriarch, was in attendance.

  Ben introduced Alex to his family and Alex proudly showed off his new jersey Ben had purchased for him on the way up to the suites. He also got a ball cap and a sweatshirt. Ben had just enjoyed seeing excitement on the boy’s face. It had made him feel so good, he figured he’d probably end up dropping another couple of hundred bucks on the way out, too.

  Before they’d left Aldo’s Market, Sophia had reminded Alex about every social requirement Ben had heard of; say please and thank you; stay close to Ben; remember to hold the door for ladies; no running inside; stay close to Ben at all times; don’t eat too much; don’t burp in public; wash your hands often; use your foot to push the toilet flushing lever; don’t talk to strangers; stay close to Ben; stay close to Ben; stay close to Ben. To Ben she’d said, “Please don’t let him out of your sight.” Ben understood. He wasn’t supposed to lose Alex.

  Christopher wasn’t at all interested in the game. He was busy playing cars on the floor so Alex sat with him until the game started. Christopher instantly adored him.

  “So…” said David. “What’s up with Alex?”

  Ben quickly told the abbreviated version of the invitation to which he got frowns and scrunched up faces.

  “Oh man!” cried Mark. “You’re lucky you made it out of that conversation alive.”

  “Well, if looks could kill, I’d be dead,” he replied.

  “I think it’s commendable,” offered Peter. “A wonderful gesture. Every kid who loves baseball should get to see a game. Good for you.”

  “Thanks,” Ben smiled. “I thought I was being nice. I didn’t realize I’d have to deal with the lioness.”

  “Yeah, well,” said Matt. “There’s nothing a mother won’t do to protect her child. I’m amazed she let him come.”

  “Well let’s make sure he gets him home in one piece,” grinned David.

  The game started and Alex ran to the front seat and hung over the railing, totally enthralled from the first pitch of the first inning to the very last at the bottom of the ninth. When it was time to leave the stadium, Ben had to all but pry the boy’s hands away from the chair. On their way out, Ben walked him into the apparel store and offered him anything he wanted.

  “No thank you,” Alex smiled. “This is more than I could have ever hoped for. I don’t need anything else.”

  So Ben took him home, back to the waiting arms of his mother.

  *****

  Crystal Towers was now only about two-thirds leased. Maria knew it wasn’t any reflection on her, or her ability to perform her job duties. In fact, New York had told her they were pleased that it was as full as it was under the circumstances, but it didn’t really make her feel much better. The janitorial contract had been modified and she assumed that a few people had lost their jobs with fewer offices to be cleaned. Security had been increased, as the protestors had gained in strength and their physical presence was being felt closer and closer. So far, however, they were still safe.

  Luca continued to accompany his mother to work. School was out for two more weeks and then it would be back to the usual routine. School then soccer then to the neighbor’s house ‘til his mother returned home from work. In some ways he was looking forward to it, but he was enjoying the carefree existence at the Towers. He had the run of the management suite; the conference room was all his, the break room was mostly all his with all the snacks and drinks he could want. Life was pretty good.

  Maria sat in her office opening mail. A nondescript envelope was next in the pile and as she read the letter inside, her heart stopped for a split second.

  ‘You are part of the problem. You Americans with all your money. You think you can buy us? You think you can use your money to stop us? You are wrong. You have been warned.’

  She had no idea what to make of the veiled reference of a threat but she called the security company and increased manpower and surveillance anyway. Then she faxed the letter to New York.

  *****

  “Please take off the jersey so I can wash it,” pleaded Sophia.

  “Do I have to?” was Alex’s reply.

  “Yes! You have to.”

  Alex pulled the Yankees jersey over his head and threw it at his mom standing in his bedroom doorway with a basket of dirty laundry. She caught the offensive garment and stuffed it under her arm. “I’ll have it back to you in a couple of hours and then you can wear if for another week,” she chuckled.

  It had been exactly one week since the Yankees Red Sox game and Alex was still floating high. He wore his ball cap everywhere and Sophia knew once it was cool enough the sweatshirt would be on his torso twenty-four seven. But he was deliriously happy with the whole experience so she could only smile as she threw the jersey in the washing machine.

  Although nothing could make up for the absentee father Willis had become, Sophia knew that Ben had achieved what she’d never be able to do as Alex’s mom. He’d spent time with the boy, shared in his love of baseball, and showered him with meaningful gifts. She acknowledged that it must’ve cost a fortune too – money she certainly didn’t have to spend. She was grateful to Ben, even if she refused to admit it out loud.

  After adding detergent, Sophia turned the dial and water started pouring into the machine. She closed the lid and headed downstairs. She’d offered to man the store for a couple of hours so her parents could enjoy dinner together. Gloria was able to shower by herself now and walk around the house without being totally winded. There were small improvements every day and for that Sophia was grateful and relieved.

  “I’m all good now,” she smiled at her dad as she entered the store. “Dinner is in the oven. All you have to do is serve. Mom’s even set the table.”

  “You are too good to us,” Aldo smiled. He kissed his daughter as she joined him behind the counter.

  “Nonsense!” she scoffed. “Parents take care of their children when they are young and children take care of their parents when they are old.”

  “Who you calling old?” Aldo chuckled. “Thanks sweetheart,” and he disappeared through the back door and up the stairs.

  *****

  At eight forty-five, Ben exited the high-rise that housed MEL Holdings and started the four block walk home. He was tired after a long week and looked forward to a weekend at home…alone…doing nothing. Of course Ben’s idea of doing nothing was working out at the gym, including swimming some laps and then spending hours on his couch or at the dining table working with a ball game on. Football, baseball, basketball…he wasn’t fussy. He’d order in dinner on Saturday and eat the leftovers on Sunday, after church and dinner with his parents and family. So doing nothing wasn’t really nothing at all.

  By the time he’d walked three blocks he was craving something sweet; chocolate, ice cream, cookies. He didn’t care what, he just needed some sugar. My blood sugar must be low, he thought grinning. That was his father’s excuse every time him mother caught him with a treat. She’d just frown, shake her head and mutter, “Blood sugar? Your blood sugar hasn’t been low the entire time I’ve known you.”

  Aldo’s market was still open so he opened the door and headed straight for the snack aisle. Twinkies, Kit Kats, M & M’s stood before him so he picked up all three before looking for ice cream. Vanilla ice cream and a Kit Kat had been a childhood favorite that he’d never outgrown. Instead of going for the quart container, Ben pulled the half gallon from the freezer and headed for the cash register. He d
idn’t see Sophia until he’d dumped his sugar binge on the counter.

  “PMS?”

  “Huh?” he asked.

  “It looks like you’re shopping for someone with PMS,” she explained.

  “Huh?” he said again, obviously confused.

  “Never mind,” she chuckled. “Twelve fifty-eight.”

  Ben pulled his wallet from his rear trouser pocket and looked around. “Where’s Alex?”

  “Moping upstairs.”

  “Why?”

  “I made him take off the Yankee jersey to wash it,” she laughed.

  Ben laughed with her. “If he’s not here, I can use cash, and get to keep the change.”

  “Huh?” It was her turn to look confused.

  “Never mind,” he grinned.

  Sophia bagged up his groceries in a white plastic sack but before handing it to him said, “I want to thank you for taking Alex last week. He had such a good time.”

  “Oh, my pleasure. In fact, if he wants to go again I’d be happy to take him.”

  “Really?”

  “For sure. Have him pick out a game, or two, and I’ll make it work.”

  Sophia smiled, a real smile that almost took Ben’s breath away. “I’ll do that.”

  Ben took the bag and left…quickly.

  *****

  Luca sat at the table and wrote his weekly letter to Ben. School was starting the next day and he was happy to be going. At least that’s what he wrote to Ben. The truth was he wasn’t really excited about the school part. Well, that wasn’t entirely true either. He liked school, he just didn’t like a couple of the boys that always seemed to find him on the playground or in the bathroom. They hadn’t hurt him…yet. They just called him names and said mean things about his mother. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t have a dad. He tried to explain that he lived in America but they didn’t want to listen. Sometimes he’d speak to them in English so they knew he was smarter than them but that just made them madder.