The Trials of November

Chapter Four

Ben Abernathy woke up the next morning, feeling a pain in his chest that he had never known. It felt as thought he was longing something or someone, and in fact, he was. He had seen a girl at the coffee shop the day earlier that he could not ignore. She was beautiful. Everything about her made Ben want more. But she left the shop, and he hadn't seen her since. When they made eye contact, it was like they were the only two people in the world. Like nothing else mattered.
He longed to see her again, but he did not know how he possibly could unless he purposely sought her out. But then, he decided that he would, in fact, seek her out. It would be worth it, he decided. He had to do it or he would deeply regret it forever, he knew.
When he saw her at Screamin' Beans, she had a water bottle in her backpack that had a school logo on it. He decided that it would be a sure way of finding her, if he would wait at her school for her. Ben did not know what he would say to her if he did find her, but he just knew that he had to say something.
Ben arrived at the school, eager to see the girl that he was certain was the love of his life.
He sat down on a bench outside of the school, and he waited patiently. People walked by him, everyone on a mission, but none of them were the girl. Ben studied each and every one of their faces, but was disappointed to find that none of them were the girl that he was desperate to see.
Ben longed to see her in a way he had never longed for anyone before. It was as though he had an extreme thirst that could only be satisfied with seeing that beautiful girl one more time. He didn't understand it. Ben had never talked to her before. He had never seen her before. He did not even know why he felt that way, he just knew that he absolutely and undoubtedly needed to see her one more time.
He stayed outside of her school longer than he cared to admit, hoping that she would walk out the doors and into his arms. Before he knew it, three hours passed. The dark and cold had begun to set in like a thick blanket that covered the land. A slight flurry had began to come from the sky, and yet he still sat there, waiting.
People would walk past, and he did not pay any attention to them. All those that passed Ben by looked at him like he was crazy. The cold air was freezing him to his core. He was beginning to see his breath on all of his exhalations, and he shivered, realizing that the mystery girl likely would not come out of those doors. It was then that Ben made the realization of how ridiculous it was that he was searching for a girl that he had never spoken to.
So that day, he carried on with his day as normal, going to school (a different school than Victoria) and then taking the city bus to his neighborhood. He thought of the girl many times, and only wished that he could see her again.
He then decided that he would wait for her. He had never felt such a thing for anyone else, and he knew that he would never be able to get that feeling with anyone else. She was the one. He knew it in his mind, his heart, and his soul. He had to find her. Either that, or he would be lonely forever.
He lived in a small mobile home with his mother, Laura, and his younger sister, Anne. She was six. Anne loved three things most: her dolls, chocolate chip pancakes, and Ben. And Ben loved Anne. Ben's mother loved both of her children equally, and though she did not have much to give, she gave everything to her babies.
They hadn't been in Grand Haven for very long. A few months maybe. And there was always the probability of them moving away again, depending on Ben's mother's employment. They didn't have much, but they were happy together. They had food on the table and a roof over their heads so they were satisfied. They had enough love in their hearts for everyone who needed some.
Once Ben got home, Anne greeted him with a great big hug. He scooped her up and twirled her around.
"Benny! Stop it!" Anne squealed playfully. "I'm gonna be sick!" She was a lot smaller than children should be at that age. But that only made her a lot more cute. Ever since she was little, Ben had been able to pick her up with ease, but she was getting bigger than she used to be, and Ben was sad whenever he thought of her being so big that he couldn't carry his little baby sister. She was growing up way too fast for his liking, even though she did not realize it.
Anne was much smarter than most people at her age. She could count in multiple different languages, she could read and write at a much larger level than most at her age, and her grammar when speaking was better than most of the people that Ben went to high school with.
Ben put her down and squatted down to her level.
"How was your day?" He asked her. Anne went to school two blocks away at the elementary school. Ben always walked her there before going to his school in the morning, but his school was too far away from hers for him to be able to pick her up after the school day was over.
"Good! I got to the seventh bar on the monkey bars today!" Anne said excitedly. She always seemed to be in a good mood. Ben loved to think of her as the optimist of the family. No matter how much money the family had or how much food, according to little Anne, everything would end up alright.
Ben aspired to have the same optimism and happiness that his sister always seemed to carry.
"Wow! That's amazing!" Ben exclaimed, smiling down at his beautiful little sister. Her happiness always radiated on those around her. "Where is mom?" He asked. He needed to find her to see if he could go to the coffee shop that night. He would try to find the girl he was looking for there.
"She's in the kitchen." Anne said with a smile. The little girl hugged Ben around the legs and grabbed his hands playfully. She then went back to the corner where her dolls were and started playing with them again. Ben smiled at his adorable little sister and went to the kitchen to find his mother.
His mother was named Laura, and she had been hard working all her life. She had always given anything that she had to her children, hoping and praying that they would get a better life than what she had growing up, and for the most part, she was successful. Her children adored her.
Ben's father had left them when Anne was a baby. They did not have much money, and they thought that Ben's dad just could not take the stress of it anymore. Ben was eleven when he left, but he had never had that great of a bond with his father. Ben had been a huge supporter of his mother for as long as he could remember. Anything that he had, he happily shared with his mother and his sister.
His mother was in their little kitchen stirring something that was on the stove. The kitchen contained a small refrigerator and a table, along with about one person's worth of walking space. But again, they did not mind.
"Mom?" Ben said. His mother turned around. She used to be one of the most beautiful women in their town, but between stress and age, she now had greying hair and wrinkles. She had a kind smile, but that too had been aged.
"Yes, dear?" She said kindly.
"Can I go to the coffee shop tonight? I want to meet a... friend there." Ben said, and he accidentally hesitated on the word friend. He didn't know the girl. Was she considered a friend? He did not want his mother to know that he had a lady of interest, but he had a feeling that he had just given himself away. His mother seemed to know, but she was not confrontational at all, so Ben prayed that she would not bring it up. It was embarrassing.
He did not even know if she would be there. He hoped that his face didn't show his guilt. His mom was always able to read him though, better than anyone. He knew by the look on her face that she knew that it wasn't a friend he wanted to meet.
"Sure." She smirked playfully. "Be home by eleven. It's a school night." She said. His mother then turned back to her cooking and smiled to herself.
Ben felt a little guilty for leaving his family right before dinner, but he determined that if he found the girl that he was looking for, it would be worth it. He felt a little crazy for being so desperate to see the girl, but there was some force that he did not know that was driving him towards her.
Ben then left his house with a skip in his step, running down the sidewalk towards the coffee shop, elated that that night could possibly be the night that he meets the woman that was definitely his soulmate.