“I hope you have, Ben. But that doesn’t mean I have to give you any time or listen to anything that you have to say. Right now, I have my hands full, and this is definitely not a good time for the Ben Fitzgerald forgiveness tour. Now, do you really want a cupcake?” I snapped.
“I did. But I’ll come back later. I’m not done trying to talk to you, Perce.”
“E. Percy. Only my best friends call me Perce.”
“Got it.” He dropped his head and spun around slowly before walking to the door. “I’m still going to try.”
With that, he opened the door and walked out.
“Holy fucking shit.”
“I am totally bringing my taser.” Tammy Sue slapped the counter.
The world spun, and Tammy Sue was right there to keep me on my feet. Her strong arms grasped my shoulders and guided me to one of the stools we kept behind the counter.
“Well, that was better than must-see TV,” Bennie laughed.
“Bennie and Ben!” Tammy Sue chuckled. “God, we really are living in a farce.”
She had no idea how right she was. I couldn’t get him out of my head for the rest of the day.
6
Ben
“Iwasn’t sure if you’d actually meet me.” I huffed as Tim slid into his chair. It had been a very humbling day. “I’ve not had the warmest of welcomes since coming home.” I was still stinging from my exchange with Percy. I wasn’t surprised by it – but it still stung. That was not how I’d hoped it would go in my dreams.
“Well, buddy, you did kind of burn the bridges behind you when you left.”
“I think I started the fires a hell of a lot earlier than that.” The tension in my shoulders was harsh, and I cracked my neck.
“That was a loud pop. But it’s true. You could be a total dick back then, but you could also be a very great friend. And that, myfriend, is the exact reason that I am here having dinner with you, and I respond to your texts.”
“Because I wasn’t always a pain in the ass? That’s nice to actually know.”
“You were you, and those of us who really knew you knew you were going through something that you didn’t want to talkabout.” He chuckled. “Also, we were scared to ask you. You could blow up at the drop of a hat.”
“That’s… Yeah. I was definitely going through something that I tried to deny or ignore, but it just ate at me, you know? It tore me apart for a while.” I bit my bottom lip and nodded to the waiter, who promptly walked over with a swish and a knowing look.
“Hey,fellas, what can I get you to start? Drinks?” He put his hand on his hip and waited.
“I’ll have the 405.” Tim smiled.
“Sounds great. I’ll do the same, please.”
“Got it. Two beers are coming up.” He whirled like a dancer and did a small kick as he walked over to the waiter’s station. He was apparently living some fabulous fantasy.
“Enough about what an asshole I was. Tell me what’s been happening with you. The last text we had was about you possibly getting a divorce, and then it was radio silence.”
He sighed and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I, too, was being eaten alive from the inside. She just woke up one day and said she was miserable in our life, and the next thing I knew, I was being served with divorce papers. She didn’t even fight me for custody of the kids – just gave it to me as if she had no responsibility.”
Damn. “That really sucks, man.” But it didn’t really surprise me about Pam. She had always been one of the most selfish people I knew.
“I know that she was always difficult. Hell, we broke up so many times our senior year that I wasn’t sure if we were dating or not half the time. But once she got away from here and we were in college, she mellowed. At least, that’s what I thought. Two kids later, and she just decided that this wasn’t for her. Not just being a wife but also being a mother. It’s hard, man. The kids are young, but they’re confused about why their mom just disappears.” The look on his face told me how hard this had allbeen for my old friend. Divorce was never easy, but with two young children, it had to be a nightmare.
“Does she not see them at all?” I asked slowly.
“She does. But it’s an hour-long play date in the park or a quick drive-by where she stays for ten minutes and then says she has to go. The weekends she’s supposed to have them, I think they stay with her parents most of the time. They’re wonderful grandparents, so… I just don’t understand, but I’m trying to not be an asshole about it. I want my kids to know her, and I’ll just have to cross the bridge of explaining things to them when I have to, I guess. There’s not a playbook for life, and man, I really wish there was one.” He tapped the table with his fingertips.
