60 Days with Ben (Completed)

Chapter 2

 "Let me guess how was your reaction?" Carla said while we were waiting near to the school gate for my mother to take us home. "You dragged the chair. You were embarrassed. You made an annoying noise when you dragged the chair because you were tremendously nervous and sweated; from the pushing, you needed to do for lifting the chair. I was already forgotten; did you turn redder than pepper and let all your school supplies fall to the ground?"

"Carla, please! You are doing me seem more idiot than I'm already feeling."

"Excuse me! I know that you get out of control in some situations," Carla said while adjusting the handle of her backpack. "And he, how he reacted?"

"Ben ignored me. It was like if nobody seated beside him."

I revived all that touching scene in my mind, while we are riding home. The bustling traffic of the city made the journey become ever longer.

Benjamin was irreducible in the effort to not speak with anybody. His look of fury was as if he asked me not to insist. He seemed to beg me not to continue.

"Do you have any suggestion of songs?" I had asked for the third time. He continues in silence. Was like if it was not that important for him. Was as if he had not listened to me.

I cannot sing a song in English in front of the whole class, but I needed that school grade. Also, it is not because I was the daughter of the English teacher that I would receive some privilege, and I do not need to fulfill my student duty.

Some certainties I had already formed in my mind:

First: Benjamin was irreducible. I was sure that Ben was only studying because someone forced him.

Second: I never will sing alone in front of the class. I need someone as a support, but the destiny, or rather; my mother wanted this support to be Ben.

Third: I had to do something.

We stayed in that silence until the end of class. Ben created a barrier between us that I could not break easily. It was a few interminable minutes for me. I wanted to confront him, but as soon as the bell rang, I caught my school supplies, and I got out as fast as possible.

One of the advantages of when my mother does not have lunch at home is that I can cook whatever I want for lunch. Carla always accompanies me when I am alone making my meal. It is not just about my loneliness, but is a form of escape for her, since in her house the meal is the controlled by a nutritionist. So, nothing of fast food, French fries, cheese, candy or any fattening food.

When she comes to my house, I do everything that she likes to eat, but that in her home she cannot eat.

"No way you ask your mother to exchange your pair?" Carla asked while she dipped the French fries in the sauce.

"Who would want to be my pair or pair of Ben? No one to talk with the poor boy since that he arrived in the classroom."

"This kind of thing happens when people are a snob."

"Carla, don't say that."

"You know that is the truth. Benjamin and his gang are full school owners. They talked with a lot of people, but only with those who they choose the finger."

"I take pity on him."

"No! What you are feeling is not pity, but that old Platonic love for Ben growing back in your heart. Be careful!" Carla said and pointed the French fries at me.

That night I went to sleep with the words of my friend in my mind. She was one of the rare people that knew me thoroughly. I was overthinking in Benjamin because of the few minutes that I passed with him.

Ben had looked at me for a fraction of a second, while we were pairing. It was just that movement that I got it noticed that he has done. He was bored, and I was afraid I was boring him even more.

Slightly rained that night. The cold that came along with the rain made me get up and close the window. I had the custom to sleep with the window of my bedroom opened, although the house has only one floor. I stayed for few minutes observing the night. I'm asking myself why something so tragic happened in Ben's life.

The day dawned with the sun shining. The sky was clean it was as if it had not rained the night before, the only thing that indicated that it had rained was the puddles of water that had formed on the floor.

I saw Carla at the entrance gate of the school. She had arrived first today.

"What happened? Did you fall out of bed?" I said and hugged her.

"I thought that would dawn raining, and then I changed the time of my alarm. You know how the bus is full on a rainy day. I just wanted the guarantee of taking an empty bus," Carla distracted herself, while we are walking. She waved to a boy that I did not know.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"His name is Fernando. He's handsome," Carla doesn't question, but she affirmed and then she smiled.

"Are you involved with him? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I am not involved with him, not yet. He is the new student. He is in the same class as me. I will wait to see what will happen."

As soon as the bell rang, I ran to the classroom. The students were entering the classroom slowly. Twenty minutes had passed since the teacher started the class and Benjamin does not have arrived. It must be the rain that fell last night, was enough for him to make an excuse and not come to the school.

I waited the second-class bell rings anxiously. I still had hoped he came in second class, but he does not appear. The place where his wheelchair would stay was empty. I started to get worried about the sudden lack that I was feeling about Ben.

The remaining of the week was like if it was dragging him to me. It was as if my world was in slow motion. Each day I listened to some music, so I could choose one song worth pronouncing ease in which I would sing alone. Mine pronounce in English has not been perfect, but I spoke the language well. In the rare vacant hours that my mother had, she always taught me how to speak English.

That was one of the rare moments between mother and daughter that we had. Nowadays we still do it, but the scolding is much higher if I pronounce some wrong word. Everything had to be said correctly to my mother.

In the weekend, Carla came to my house, soon after we went to the mall. We do not go to the mall to do shopping, but just for sightseeing. We were not the type that attended by parties, but we were the type that prefers to stay two hours inside of Movie Theater watching one movie. I like a good horror movie and Carla like a good romance movie. As not always have one horror movie in the theater, I usually spend several Saturdays watching romantic movies.

Worst of all was to see Carla crying for every sad scene of the movie. I always laugh the situation, and that made her upset and got the bad mood for my lack of sensitivity.

The Sunday I spend on my house with my mother, not with her exactly, since she spends most of the time locked in her mini office correcting student tests.

The Monday arrived the faster than I expected. To my surprise, Ben resolved to appear. He looked weirder than the last time I had seen him. He has not shaved his beard, and his hair was a little messy, indicating that he was not too worried about the appearance.

Once again, I had forgotten that I had English class. We did not make the pairs. The task of singing the music rehearsal will be done at home. It was a relief to me. I was not in the mood to sit next to Ben, and he ignores me during every class.

When the exit bells rang, Ben threw a piece of paper on my desk. He was fast enough to do this act and leave the classroom before any student since his wheelchair was in a position in which it prevented the exit. I straightened my glasses; I opened the paper, and Ben surprised me by what he wrote in it:

In my house. 4:30 p.m.