Ben There

Chapter 3
Early March; Shrinking, Games

Chapter Description: Ben is becoming worried about his health. He tries to adjust and even has fun sometimes.

Early March; Shrinking, Games

Ben’s father yelled, "Com’n, Ben! Jetter’s going for the steal. Throw it home! Skip the cut off man."

Ben sighed and then heaved the tennis ball as far as he could across the park. It wobbled through the air then bounced along the ground. Ben didn’t think he would have even gotten it as far as the cut off man, but Laddie didn’t mind and sprinted after it anyway.

His Dad said, "Ohhhhhh, good throw but too slow. He got the run, big guy."

Ben shook his head at his father’s lame joke and then, though he knew it was uncool, decided to chase his dog. Laddie didn’t know what to think at first, her job was to bring the ball back, but then loped away from Ben. She dodged three times, and then Ben did something much more uncooler: he tripped on the cuff of his pants and landed on his head.

His father trotted to him laughing. He said, "You OK, son? Did you get hurt?"

"Yeah, No, I’m ’K," Ben said.

"Everything but you dignity, huh?" He was still laughing. "Well, at least that’s fungible. I think you landed right on your nose."

"No, my ear! And what’s fungible mean?"

Mr. Collins bent Ben’s head so he could look at his son’s ear and said, "Replaceable; you’ll get your dignity back someday. I don’t think your ear is bruised, just a bit red. You ready for some more fetch; you know, Laddie never gets enough of it."

"Yeah, but Dad, can I tell you something? I think something is going on."

"Oh? What?"

"All my clothes have gotten too big. I’m shrinking, or that maid is doing something to them."

"Well, usually maids shrink clothes, not boys. I think she’s pretty good, and she’s used to working for families like ours. She might be around for a while, so you can go ahead and call her Maggie."

"But look. That’s why I tripped! These pants have gotten longer than under my shoes. And I had to poke a new hole in my belt this morning." Ben didn’t mention that the hair on his arms and legs was getting thinner too because he was still trying to be in denial about that.

"Hey! Baggy’s still good, isn’t it? You look like a rap star."

"Com’on. What’s wrong with me?"

"OK. We’re being serious, aren’t we? Come on."

They walked over to a picnic table and sat on top of it. Ben’s dad tossed the ball for the dog and, after bringing it back, she climbed onto the table too and asked Ben to rub her ears.

"You know what your mom and Vicky are doing while we’re playing with Laddie? They’re going through those boxes you took up to the attic last month - Looking for your clothes she was saving for hand-me-downs. -- Not that either of your sisters has ever worn a hand-me-down from you in their lives, or Kathy any from Vicky either, but we moved them a thousand miles anyway, and I’ve no idea why -- But your mom is pretty good at being a mom, and she noticed you were losing weight, puddin’head. You’ll have plenty of stuff at least for a little while. Didn’t the doctors tell you your shots might do that?"

"Uh-uh, and I’m getting shorter too, Dad. What are those shots for? What have I got?"

"Buddy! Do you think you have some weird illness? Loose clothes seem longer, happens to me whenever a diet works.

"Benny, you’re an expert worrier. That’s one of the reasons we’re trying to do what we’re trying to do. You’re not dying; you’re not even going into the hospital - unless you hit your head a lot harder than you did today. The shots are just to help in the new way of doing things."

"But they’re real powerful. The nurse makes me strip to get weighed and stuff to get the amount right."

"Well, nurses get a license to see naked people. She didn’t do anything kinky, did she?"

"No. Not like that. But it’s kind of weird."

"A little maybe, but I bet you’re not the only one she sees undressed. And it’s all only temporary, until the end of the school year. Your last shot is in May. Then you’re going to get just as big as you were before and even a lot bigger someday. I promise you.

"Can you do us one big favor, Ben? Leave all the worrying to us, and just enjoy being a kid again. That’s the only responsibility you have for a while, son."

"And school."

"Yeah, and do what your teachers and Ms Vanderjung ask of you."

"And it’s temporary, so I’ll still get to drive this summer?"

"Maybe some, not all over town, but we’ll see how you adjust and how school goes."

"And you’re still going to buy me a car if I go along and do what I’m supposed to?"

"Wait, now! That was never a promise. But I still might get you one. What kind do you want?"

"A Mercedes convertible, just the small one, silver."

"Oh, the small one, huh? Why not a Porsche or a Lamborghini?"

"I didn’t think you were that rich. They’d be good too."

"How about an old clunker that only goes thirty? Or maybe one of those little cars with pedals? Do you think you would like one of those? They’re convertibles and lots of fun. Know what, sport? I’ll buy you a pedal car this summer. Promise."

*************************

Ms Vanderjung agreed at once when Ben asked to switch into Amber’s PE class, but she insisted that he drop the Health class that he took along with his old PE. Most of the students in that Health class were also in that old PE; he wouldn’t miss them; however, he was worried about not getting the credit which the state required for graduation. The counselor assured him that he was going to have plenty of time to get all the high school credits he’d need to get into a great university, and told him to let other people think about all that for a little while.

His new gym class wasn’t even in the gym, and the students didn’t have to change into gym kits. Amber and Danielle guided him out to the big metal building on the other side of the junior school, and it wasn’t a shed for the gardener’s equipment, like Ben had thought; it was a field house big enough to hold five or six basketball courts. At one end a bunch of little kids from the junior school were already having recess. Ben’s class met at the other end.

Most of the students must have been upperclassmen, but there was one girl, named Cynthia, that must have been a freshman because she looked even younger than Vicky who was only in seventh grade. Before the week was over, Ben had decided that the class was a way to get playground supervisors for the little kids, because after warm-ups half of the class went over to run the kids’ games. However, Ben always stayed with the upper-schoolers at first.

But the change caused a big problem. The students that had begun the year in that class had their next class on the same side of the main building; Ben’s fifth period Spanish class was on the other side of the campus, and he got there after the bell everyday. By Wednesday Senor Pullman was fed up, and Ben found himself in Ms Vanderjung’s office again.

She scratched her head, then looked at his records, and finally said, "Ben, do you get along with younger children? You have little sisters, right?"

"Yeah, they’re OK most of the time. Why?"

"Well, you only started taking Spanish last year. In the junior school, they start studying Spanish very young, and the older children are really at the level you are, or better. Would you mind taking the class with them? It would be more verbal, less writing, but that might work better for you too."

"I guess, but..."

"Before you even ask, Mr. Worry Wart, yes, you will still get all the high school credits you need from taking that course, and might actually learn to speak the language. I’ll get everything set up, and we will start tomorrow."

Ben felt self conscious in that class at first, but the kids didn’t act like it was strange having him there. He thought he could deal with it for a few months.

********************

Friday morning Danielle arrived early to pick him up, and she came inside and met his family for the first time. Ben had expected to be real embarrassed, but his father managed not to tell any dumb jokes, his mother managed to not call him any dumb pet names, Kathy managed to keep most of her chewed food out of sight, and even Vicky kept quiet and acted human - until they were upstairs. It turned out that Danielle’s little sister was the same age as Kathy and most of breakfast was spent making plans for the two little girls to meet.

In fact the first one to embarrass him that morning was Danielle, but he laughed it off. After his mother had finished brushing Kathy’s hair, Danielle took the brush and said, "Now, I’ll do Benji’s", and did a couple of stokes on his head.

His father, mother and Kathy all laughed, so he did too, but Vicky gaped.

When he went upstairs to get his backpack, Vicky followed him and in the hall she said, "Does little Benji-en-gee have a big ol’ crush? Aww; you going to get up the nerve to ask her to the dance, dope? I want to watch; it should be an LOL."

"We’re just friends, Vicky. She has a boyfriend, and I’m going to ask someone else to the dance."

"Yeah, I bet you are -- ten or thirty girls who’ll all say no."

"Just bug off, dweeb-o."

"’Dweeb-o’? That would sound lame in my grade. No wonder she treats you like a baby, Ben! Maybe she and her real boyfriend will adopt you."

"Just shut up, ass wipe!" And Ben’s voice broke as he said it so that the end was pitched very high. It hadn’t done that in nearly three years, and Ben noticed it, but Vicky didn’t.

"Eww, little Benji used a bad word! Let me fix your hair-zees, Benji!" Then she used both her hands to muss up his hair, and he grabbed her shoulders and tried to get her into a headlock. Just then Kathy ran up the stairs and said, "Mama says for you to quit fighting, and it’s time to go."

In her car Danielle said, "You have really cute little sisters. I hope Kathy and Monique like each other."

"Kathy likes everybody, especially kids, and they all like her. She’s neat that way."

"But Vicky isn’t, huh?"

"A little bitch."

"No, Benji. It’s hard to be a little sister. I remember when I adored and hated my big brother. Mostly I hated him because he didn’t seem to care that I adored him. And he was so mean sometimes. She might change soon. It was really when Monique was becoming a little girl that Michael learned how to be kind."

********************

On Saturday Ben went to Danielle’s to finish their extra credit project in Physics. Monday they were to make a class presentation. They had done all the experiments, collected all of the data, and written all of the report. Confidence was high, but they still had to make the charts and posters they were going to use. He got to her house before noon on Saturday to work on them.

And Kathy had to meet Monique, so she came along. The little girls disappeared into Monique’s room. Ben and Danielle took over the Doucet family den and, in an hour and a half, had two and half of their four charts finished.

That’s when Kathy came in and said, "Can you fix Monique’s bike? I said you could, cuz’ you fixed mine that time."

"It depends on what’s wrong with it, Kathy, and we’re busy."

Monique said, "Can you try, please? My Daddy is out of town till next week, and it’s been broken for forever."

"Can you just leave us alone until we’re finished? This stupid curve isn’t working at all, and I want to get it done."

"Ben, you’re being mean," Kathy said.

"No, I’m not. I’ll try after lunch."

"Oh, Yay," Monique said, "and Mommy says lunch is ready, and you come now."

Danielle laughed and said, "They caught you, Benji. I think the posters look good; let’s go and finish after you fix the bike."

Kathy said, "Ben, did you know there’s a movie named after you? Why don’t we watch it ever? Monique says we’re gonna after lunch. Did you know about it?"

Monique said, "Are you a good fixer? Our daddy is, but sometimes he isn’t because he’s a lawyer instead."

Ben never did get back to work on his posters. After lunch he tightened the chain on Monique’s bicycle; the girls took two laps around the driveway and realized there wasn’t much to do with it when they only had one between them, so they decided it was time to watch the movie. Danielle gave him no help when he tried to escape watching it too, in fact she was the instigator, and Ben had to spend eighty-five minutes hearing little girl jokes about what a cute dog he was.

The worst part was when Adam showed up right at the end. He and Danielle embraced and kissed each other as soon as he walked in; the school’s rule about PDAs had protected Ben from ever seeing that before. The little girls giggled, and Ben got squeamish; he thought it was jealousy but really he felt embarrassed. Ben still thought Adam was a jerk then, and Adam strengthened that opinion by joining in with the girls and kidding Ben about his name.

As soon as the movie ended Adam changed the channel to a basketball game, and Danielle said, "Why did you come over here just to watch TV?"

"Because there are three TVs in my house for six people, and you smell better than any of them. Besides Ben wants to watch this too, and you made him watch that movie, didn’t you?"

"Maybe, kind of," Danielle said, "but he was laughing by the middle. And you aren’t going to smell me, even if I do smell better than your TVs, because I’m going to the store to get some chocolate chips and let the little kids make cookies. My mother went to her office, so I’ll have to take them with me so you men can watch your important show."

"Good idea, woman, and get me some beer and bring my pipe and slippers. And cookies will smell even better than you."

Danielle said, "Root beer or ginger beer?" Then they embarrassed Ben and the girls again before she left.

"Who’ve you got picked in this game, Ben?"

"Don’t know - I don’t follow basketball much."

"Oh, wow; it’s the greatest game ever invented by mortal man! Why don’t you like it?"

"I’m too short to play and just never did."

"You won’t always be that short. You’ll get taller someday."

Ben thought about how everyone kept saying that, and he tried to believe, though these days it sure didn’t seem likely. He was now just over five foot two, but he still thought of himself as around five eight, like he’d once been. However, even that isn’t good for a basketball player. He said, "Probably never tall enough though. My dad’s not even five ten."

"Hey, I’m only six two and am one of the greatest players in the world. No - really, you don’t have to plan to go pro to like it, and there’s a lot more to basketball than height and jumping.

For the next two hours Adam explained pick and rolls, and screens. He told Ben to watch the guard play and see how much more they did than the bigs, how important passing and ball handling were. He pointed out when players were blocking out and the difference between a lay up and a jump shot. During the commercials, he corrected Ben’s free throw stance. He answered every question Ben asked without a grin.

When the cookies appeared on the coffee table, Ben was telling Adam that the defense had switched to a zone, and who had missed their coverage when someone got a good look. By the end of the game he thought Danielle was lucky to have found someone as great as Adam.

As he was walking to Danielle’s car to go home, she said, "Are you starting to like Adam now, Benji? I don’t think you did at first."

"Nah, he’s OK," was the only answer Ben was prepared to make. "We didn’t get our posters finished. Want to do it tomorrow again?"

"I finished them while you were entertaining Adam. That was a big help, believe me. He can be worse than those two," she said nodding at the little girls climbing into the back seat. Then she hugged Ben, and made him feel very uncomfortable.

As soon as they were in the car - and Danielle had checked all the seat belts - Monique said, "Can we give it too him now?!"

Danielle said, "Yeah, we can. -- Benji, I stopped them from giving this too you in front of Adam, because you might have been embarrassed, but we saw this at the store and just had to get it for you, and we all chipped in too."

Kathy said, "I’m gonna give that gift card that’s still got some on it."

A plastic bag had landed in Ben’s lap.

Monique said, "It’s for fixin’ my bike."

Danielle said, "For helping on the project, keeping Adam happy, and being such a sweet guy too."

Kathy said, "I got it ’cuz you’re a good brother."

Ben opened the bag and found a floppy stuffed dog that looked somewhat like the dog in the movie. He said, "Ugh -- umm- Thanks"

Monique said, "Because you can’t call him Benji, we named him Higgins, because that’s the name of the actor that played him in the Movie."

"The dog actor?" Ben asked and was assured dogs could be actors. He said, "OK. But I don’t play with stuffed animals. But thanks."

Kathy said, "I know some boys that do."

Monique said, "You might like him later."

Danielle said, "Hush, Monique. You don’t have to hug him, Benji, but keep him around to make you think of how much we like you."

Kathy said, "Use him for a pillow. I do that with some of my animals. Or he can be a dec’ration."

When he got home, Ben stuffed the stuffed animal on top of a bookcase, in case Kathy ever came into his room, and then he dug out his basketball from the back of his closet and practiced dribbling until it was too dark to see.