“Nothing but net!” Ben said excitingly.
“Yeah, yeah, keep talking smack,” Rachael said sarcastically.
Ryan and his cronies James and Michael were walking around the playing field of grass, which occupied four acres, looking for a potential victim. They spotted a boy named Adam. Adam is rather short, 4’3’’ and is extremely skinny.
“Hey, you come here!” Ryan exclaimed to Adam.
Adam ran up like a puppy. “What do you want?” Adam asked in a scared tone.
“You know what I want. Do you have $5 for me?” Ryan asked.
“No, I don’t,” Adam said, shaking his head with a very scared expression on his face.
“Do you have any money on you at all?” Ryan asked.
Adam starts digging through his pockets digging out change, when James knocks the money out of his hands and into the ground.
“We don’t want no chump change, bitch!” James exclaimed.
James and Michael grab Adam’s arms trapping him in front of Ryan. “I’m going to ask you one last time, boy. Do you have my money?” Ryan asked.
Before Adam could say a word, Ryan throws a punch right into the middle of Adam’s chest. Adam falls to the ground in tears. Michael and James let go of Adam’s arms and begin digging into Adam’s pockets. They find only two $1 bills.
“Give me the money. You two clowns can have all the change that pansy dropped all over the ground,” Ryan said.
Michael and James knew better than to try and fight Ryan. The three of them never had a real fight between them, but they had wrestled on numerous occasions, and Ryan won handily over both of them.
After Michael and James gave Ryan the two $1 bills, a girl with her blonde hair in a pony tail showed up out of the blue. “Leave him alone!” Shirley exclaimed. Shirley is a good friend of Adam’s and isn’t afraid of getting hit by a guy, regardless of his size.
“And, who are you, his girlfriend?” Ryan asked sarcastically. He drew laughs from his two buddies.
“No, dip shit, but he is my friend. If you don’t get away from here, I will lay a nice beating on the three of you,” said a convincing Shirley.
“Oh, I’m so scared,” Ryan said sarcastically. He even shook to pretend that he was scared. Michael and James laughed.
“Well, boys, I guess we best get going, so this girl doesn’t lay a whippin’ on our asses,” Ryan said jokingly. His friends once again laughed at his joke.
As the three of them walked away laughing, Shirley helped Adam to his feet.
Ben tried to guard Jennifer only for her to shoot a two-pointer. Ben watches Jennifer show her excitement by throwing her arms in the air. Ben spots Ryan and his friends. Oh, shit, Ben thinks.
As Ryan is walking with his two buddies, Michael spots Ben. “Hey, there’s queer (pointing at Ben).”
They were thirty feet away from Ben, but Ben could hear them plain as day, and he swallowed, hoping that he can somehow get out of the situation that he’s about to find himself in.
Jennifer and Rachael at first didn’t know why Ben is acting the way he was, but then they looked in the direction he was looking and seen Ryan, Michael, and James walking over to them. Jennifer and Rachael looked at each other with a worried look on their faces.
“What should we do?” Rachael asked.
Jennifer didn’t answer her but seemed to be getting the basketball ready to throw at them if push came to shove. They were now only a few feet away. Ben closed his eyes. Not even two seconds after Ben closed his eyes, the recess bell rang. Ben opened his eyes with a huge smile.
“Boy, you are one lucky bastard! Your time is coming though,” said Ryan.
Chapter 2
Ben decided to stop at the park after the school day was over. He really didn’t want to be around his mom and dad at the moment. He is seated on the park bench. He noticed a few squirrels and began observing their behavior. One of them is playing with an acorn with its paws. He noticed a man that appeared to be in his late thirties walking by. He had his hands in his coat pockets and is wearing a blue winter hat. The man is very tall, probably about 6’2’’. Ben heard footsteps coming in the opposite direction of the man. He turned to see a young blonde haired woman in her mid to late twenties. She is a very attractive looking woman. She is walking her puppy and is closing in on the man. She is just about to pass him, when he stared at her and started a conversation.
“Hey there, that’s a cute dog you have there. Is it a Poodle?”
The woman smiled. “Well, yes, it is. I see that you are an expert when it comes to dogs.” They both shared a laugh.
“I have a cute dog myself. He goes by the name of Rex, and he is a Beagle. I’ve had him going on three years now.”
The woman smiled looking at her dog, and then she regained eye contact onto the man. “I’ve had Lousie Pooh going on six months. A couple were moving, and they couldn’t bring the poor dog along.”
“I could never give up ole Rex,” said the man.
“I bet you couldn’t.” The woman smiled and then glanced at her watch. “Look, it was nice meeting you, but I really got to get Lousie Pooh home.”
The man looked away, and it was quite obvious that he was debating on whether he should keep the conversation going.
“This may sound a little bit premature, but I was wondering if you wanted to get together some time?” The man asked this kind of hesitatingly and then stepped back as if not to pressure the young girl, and also, as if to prepare himself if she refused.
“I don’t see why not. Let me see if I have a piece of paper,” said the woman.
The man held up his hand. “Don’t you worry.” The man quickly got out a crumbly piece of paper and then took her number down. They both then said their good-byes. Ben looked shock as he never realized how easy it could be to get a girl’s number. Ben sat in thought for almost two hours after witnessing the man and woman.
Ben’s sitting in a chair flipping though channels. He finally stops at a channel that had a cartoon called “He-Man” on. He heard footsteps coming.
Jeff entered the room. “Aren’t you going to eat before school?” Jeff asked.
“I’m not hungry,” said Ben.
Jeff is angry, and his somewhat loud voice showed his displeasure. “You didn’t come home ‘till late last night and skipped supper. I surely can’t have you missing breakfast as well!”
“I’m not hungry!” Ben exclaimed.
Jeff pointed his index finger on his right hand at Ben.
“Look, boy, I’m trying to be nice to you, but if you don’t go into that kitchen right now and eat, you will be grounded!”
Ben shrugged his shoulders. “Ground me how?” Ben asked, daring Jeff.
“I’ll begin by taking away your Nintendo. After that, I’ll come by your school right at 3:30 and force you to come home with me. You won’t be doing anything but school and homework. You can avoid me forcing my hand. You have a choice,” Jeff said rather calmly but in a strict tone.
Ben pounded his arms on the chair’s arms. He then proceeded to get up and go to the kitchen where he got himself a bowl of cereal.
Jeff is driving Ben to school. He looked over at Ben and noticed how sad he looked.
“Look, I want us to be friends. I do not want to fight with you. I don’t ask much from you at all,” said Jeff.
Ben’s face went from sad to sorrowful. Ben began to feel really guilty for his recent behavior. “I’m sorry, dad.”
Jeff reaches his right hand out and pats Ben on the left shoulder as he keeps the left hand on the steering wheel. “It’s ok, son.”
Ben is seated at the dining room table, as he was instructed to sit at the table at five p.m. as a part of a family gathering. Tina had just finished cooking chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. Tina came behind Jeff and Ben and nicely gave them a serving of each onto their plates. Tina quickly grabbed herself a plate of food and joined the rest of the gang.
“I called us together tonight because
I really don’t want this family to fall apart,” said Tina. Tina had her shoulders on the table and had all five of her fingers crossing over all her fingers on her other hand.
Ben wasn’t buying her wanting to keep the family together, but he definitely isn’t going to open his mouth and eliminate any small chance of him staying grounded free.
“Ben, you will start counseling next week. You’re not improving, and your grades are only getting worse,” said Tina.
Jeff showed a concerned look. “Are you sure we can afford this?”
“We don’t have much of a choice. Ben’s not eating nor doing his homework. I really don’t know what else to do at this point,” said Tina.
Ben knew once his mom made a decision that there was no going back. He, however, noticed that his sister never joined them.
“Where is Heather?” Ben asked.
“She’s at work, and besides, this gathering is about you and your troubles. Heather is doing well at school. Your first counseling appointment with be at seven o’clock next Thursday night. You will be going every two weeks,” said Tina.
Tina’s fingers were still folded together as she studied Ben. Before Ben could utter a reply, the phone began to ring. Jeff quickly got up.
“I got it!” Jeff exclaimed as he rushed to the phone and picked it up.
“Yeah, I can definitely do that,” said Jeff.
Ben and his mother could tell by looking at Jeff’s face that whatever he was saying “yes” to, that it was more of a “forced” thing and not a “willing” yes. They zoned out on the rest of Jeff’s phone conversation. Jeff then got off the phone and sat back down.
“They want me to install a few home security alarms out in Newbury, Massachusetts over the weekend,” said Jeff.
Ben knows that Newbury, Massachusetts is a very long drive from Oak Lawn, Illinois (sixteen hours), which meant that there would be no fishing on Saturday like his father promised.
Eight days had come and gone since Tina had broken the news to Ben that he would be required to attend counseling sessions.
The counselor introduced herself to Ben. “My name is Beth Winsky.”
Beth reaches out her hand to shake Ben’s, only to have him oblige.
Despite Ben’s rude behavior, Beth seemed to have a cheerful attitude. “It’s nice to meet you, Ben. Please, have a seat.”
Ben took a seat on a two-seater couch. The couch is a light brownish color.
“Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? I’ve been given some basic information about you. I already know because of the paperwork that you are eleven and in the fifth grade. Can you tell me a little more about yourself?”
Despite Beth coming across in a polite manner, Ben seemed aggravated. “There really isn’t much to say. I really don’t have any hangout friends.”
“Can you please explain what you mean, exactly?” Beth asked.
“Well, I mean I hang out with people sometimes at the school, but I never hang out with them at home or anything like that,” said Ben.
“Oh, I see. Why do you think that is?” Beth asked.
“Maybe it’s because I’m a loser or something,” Ben said.
It was painfully obvious to Beth that Ben suffered from low self-esteem.
“Have you ever tried to ask someone to hang out after class?” Beth asked.
“Not so much anymore, but I used to. They always had something going on, whether they had band practice, or had baseball practice, or some other type of excuse,” said Ben.
“Maybe you are simply meeting the wrong type of people. Have you ever thought about getting involved in sports or joining a group, ‘like’ Cub Scouts?” Beth asked.
“I’m not really into that type of stuff,” said Ben.
“How would you know until you give it a try?” Beth asked.
Ben paused. “I don’t know.”
Beth lifted her right leg over her left. “I’m going to shift gears now. Your parents have let me know that you are having troubles coming to grips with the possibility of them getting a divorce.”
All the success and progress that the counselor was having with Ben went right out the window with the words “divorce.” Those words were stronger to Ben than any word in the history of vocabulary. Beth quickly realized that she had struck a big nerve and decided she should continue talking.
“Getting through a divorce is never easy. Fortunately for you, your parents may still work out their problems, and I believe in my heart of hearts that they will do everything in their power to try and make that work. But if they are not able to, they both will still be your parents, and they will still love you the same no matter what. You will still be able to keep in contact with both of them,” said Beth.
“But, what if they meet someone I don’t like?” Ben asked.
“Unfortunately, that does happen sometimes. Parents try and make the best decision when it comes to their partner. They don’t just look for someone that will love them and treat them right but someone that will treat their children with the same respect,” said Beth.
Beth realizes that the conversation is going nowhere, so she picks up some papers on her desk and pretends to be reading them. “It says here that you have a sister,” said Beth.
“Yes, that’s correct. Her name is Heather,” said Ben.
Beth knew of Ben’s sister from previous paperwork that she had gone through before her appointment with Ben. The paperwork she pretended to read didn’t have anything to do with his sister. Beth simply wanted to find a way to strike a conversation with Ben and thought she may have found the formula.
“Well, how do you two get along?” Beth asked.
Though Ben wasn’t the least bit insulted about being asked questions about his sister, his patience had already run out with Beth’s previous words about his parents.
“How much longer do we have? I’m really hungry,” said Ben.
Beth glanced down at her watch. “About fifteen minutes,” said Beth.
Beth realized that now isn’t the best time to ask Ben any personal questions. She decides that another session would be a better time to truly get down the real “gritty” stuff that was tearing Ben apart in the inside. She decides to just try and get to know Ben a little bit better in the short time they have left for the current session.
“What are you hobbies, Ben? What types of things interest you?” Beth asked.
“Really, not much at all these days. I like playing the Nintendo once in a great while. I do greatly miss fishing. My dad was supposed to take me this past weekend but got called into work on a business trip,” Ben said.
“Well, maybe he can make it up to you another weekend,” Beth said.
“He says that it will be this Saturday, but I will have to take everything he said with a grain of salt at this point, as he has broken his share of promises,” Ben said.
Beth glances at her watch and realizes the session is over. “Well, Ben, it looks like you got your wish, as it’s eight o’clock. I will see you the same time two weeks from now,” Beth said.
Ben left wondering what the future would hold. Little did he know that the things he was concerned with at the moment were very little in nature to the dark side of things coming in the future.
Chapter 3
“Wake up. Ben, wake up. Time to go fishing,” said Jeff, who was standing in the doorway to Ben’s room.
Ben heard Jeff as he was moving around in his covers. Ben then strung off the covers and came to a sitting position. Jeff knew Ben would be ready in a few minutes, so he let him be, and he went and gathered the fishing poles and supplies together.
Jeff and Ben were walking to the creek from their parked car. Jeff is carrying two Shakespeare fishing poles while Ben is carrying a bucket of minnows and a small white cup of worms. They were closing in on a spot.
“Well, Ben, how do you like this spot?” Jeff asked.
“It’s a nice view from here,” said Ben.
“Great,” said Jeff. Ben l
aid the minnows and worms down and shortly after that was already getting the fishing poles ready. Jeff had only taken Ben fishing a few times, so he knew Ben was no expert on fishing, and because of this, decided to get both fishing poles ready.
“Are you ready to catch some bass?” Jeff asked Ben.
“You bet,” said a smiling Ben.
Jeff handed one of the fishing poles to Ben. The pole that was handed to Ben has a worm and bobber on his fishing pole. Jeff has a minnow and bobber on his pole.
“When the bobber starts shaking and goes under the water, that means you have a bite,” said Jeff.
“I know that, dad,” said Ben, who was still smiling.
They both throw their fishing pole lines into the water within a few seconds of each other.
“So, how is the counseling going?” Jeff asked.
“It’s going ok. The woman is really nice,” said Ben.
“Well, that’s good to hear. So, are you making any friends yet?” Jeff asked.
“Well, I sometimes hang out with Todd at recess,” said Ben.
This was a white lie told by Ben. Ben did hangout with Todd once in a great while, like, maybe once every six weeks or so. And when the two hung out, it was usually for a rather short period of time for an average of ten minutes. Todd always had a flock of girls that hung around him. So many girls thought he was hot.
“You really should get out and enjoy life. It’s not healthy for someone your age to just sit around at home and do nothing,” Jeff said.
Ben nodded in agreement.
“Ben, you got a bite. Hurry up and reel it in!” Jeff exclaimed excitingly.
Jeff is afraid that Ben had lost the fish, so he grabs the pole and could tell by the feel that the fish had gotten away.
“Next time, son. I’ll put another worm on,” Jeff said.
Ben is a little disappointed, but he is just so thankful for the time that he is getting to spend with his father that whatever amount of fish he caught would be secondary to that.
Hitman's Journey Back in Time Page 2
