Junk Mail

Chapter Twelve - Apologies, Angst and Attacks

Ben put his head in his hands.

Things had gone terribly, terribly wrong for him. All Ben had ever wanted was to put his education to use and do good in the world. No one had ever given him a chance, and when things finally seemed to be looking up for him, everything was falling apart again. Ben had lost his dignity, his lowly status in the town in which he lived and most importantly, he had probably lost his job as well. That didn't even begin to sum up what Ben must have lost in terms of his relationships with his family members. Ben didn't want to think that far because he feared he would have a heart attack. This time, however, there was no one around him to experience the pain for him, so Ben did not escape the heavy feeling in his chest which he recognised as hurt rather than a heart attack.

Ben was alone.

Around him, people were beginning to get restless. Ben's father kept getting up, pacing the room and then settling into his seat again only to stand once more when he remembered what he was pacing for. Susanna simply scoffed and then sat down on a bean bag placed up along a wall in the living room, but she seemed to be affected by the heavy sense of hopelessness that permeated the room. Pepe el sniffled in the corner as he thought about the embarrassment Ben would face and wondered how his friend would deal with the aftermath of the lies that had been told. In some respects, Pepe el did experience Ben's pain with him which Ben could not see through his panic and fear.

In another part of town, Ben's mother slumped into the new designer sofa she had splashed out on, and then she sobbed. She cried for the fortune she had lost, for her lack of fame and for her relationship with Mike the producer which had broken down in the midst of Ben's revelation. Hillary Hughes did not at all cry for her son, and hoped with everything she had in her that he did not come home that night. Ben's sister Hen felt the same way and smashed her phone when she read comments on her social media pages linking her to Ben Hughes - idiot and all round liar. Wren Hughes was conflicted, as he was angry with Ben for telling lies but slightly happy that he would still have a brother for a long time. If Ben had died, Wren would have been stuck with Hen as his only sibling and Wren did not like Hen all that much.

Local news stations and newspapers reported on Ben's lies but would ultimately forget who he was and what he had done in a few days time. The people of Ben's town would mock him for a long time but they did not particularly matter to Ben. It was those he cared about that would have the biggest impact on him.

"I have to speak to mum," he said, with tears streaming down his face and a wobble in his voice. "I hope she's okay. She probably wants me to explain what's going on and Mike's probably still with her and keeping her calm. They seemed like a happy couple, and Hen must be worried about what's happening. And Wren too. I hope they're all okay. Dad, can I use your phone? I need to call them."

Larry nodded as Ben reached for the phone. Larry watched Ben as the twenty two year old called his mother, and wondered again why he hadn't thought to contact his son before. Watching Ben hadn't done the boy justice and Larry realised this when he heard Ben speak. Sure the boy was a bit of a fool and he seemed to trip, make mistakes and get in trouble a lot more than the average person, but Ben came across as being kind hearted to Larry. His son hadn't thought about himself but the welfare of his family members, and seemed to possess a certain innocence and selflessness that was ultimately disguised by his overwhelming naivety. Perhaps Ben was just taking a little bit longer to grow up than those around him, and perhaps his degree (though it was not a proper degree) and his lack of experience in the real world made people think he was stupid. Larry realised for the first time that his son was not stupid. Ben was just something else.

"Mum, I'm really sorry," Ben was saying on the phone. "I didn't mean to lie. I just wanted to keep my job and I was going to tell the truth but you found out from someone else... Mum, listen to me, I'm really sorry... Mum? Mum, are you there still? Is that you Hen? Listen, I didn't mean to -"