Old Habits Die Soft

Chapter 7
Breakfast

Chapter Description: Ben leaves to go back to his girlfriend, fearing what may be.

[img align=left; footer=’’; border=0; showfooter=1;]http://i.imgur.com/vmlbu.png[/img]

The next morning, Ben, still clad only in a toddler’s pull-up, and Chris woke from their chairs and walked into the sunlit room where Chris’ mother was already preparing breakfast. Mrs. Heben worked diligently, pouring orange juice into cups, washing dishes and putting fresh pancakes onto their awaiting plates.

“If you were wondering, Chris, Ben couldn’t hold his pee-pee either last night,” she explained.

“Oh, yeah,” Chris said, embarrassed.

“Ben, just so you don’t feel bad, just know that Chris had the same accident as you during his first treatment. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Ben didn’t say anything in response. He just looked at the floor, his cheeks burning red with embarrassment from having his best friend know that he pissed his pants last night. He knew Chris was feeling the same.

“Eden called your phone, by the way. I saw that she left you a voicemail on your cell phone while I was folding your jeans. She wants to meet you for dinner. I called her back and told her you were doing your treatment again tonight, but that you’d meet her once you’d had breakfast, okay?”

“Okay, Mrs. Heben” Ben said, grudgingly, feeling like he was losing control over his own life. She had looked through his phone? She had called Eden! What did they talk about? His head was still pounding. While Mrs. Heben wasn’t looking, he slipped the pull-up off and pulled his boxers and jeans back on.

“You’re not staying for breakfast?” asked Mrs. Heben, her voice sounding hurt.

“Uh, no, I better get going. I’m going to meet up with Eden,” he replied, buttoning his shirt and putting his shoes on.

Chris, still in his jammies, sat next to his mother, drinking his orange juice, as she plopped more pancakes onto his plate. It wasn’t until then that he realized that Chris had shaved off his stubble. He looked like a little kid sitting down for Saturday morning breakfast. He shook his head and opened the door to leave as quickly as he could.