Junk Mail

Chapter Thirteen - Change, Conflict and Courage

"I don't think they've uploaded the video yet," Wren said, walking towards his mother's hospital bed. "But I recorded it as soon as I saw him on TV so we can just watch it back on my phone. Do you want to see it again, Hen?"

Hen nodded and grinned and they all watched a video together on Wren's phone. Ben couldn't see the screen from the angle he was standing at, but he heard his own voice and a woman's voice. He didn't know who it was but it did sound familiar, and Ben managed to link it to someone in the shopping centre. It had been the microphone lady! He realised this as Wren played the video again.

"So we've sent our team out to the Moriale shopping centre in Berkton and they're there right now," a man said, as a crowd laughed. "And we asked the general public questions about war just to see how much they know. And this is what we found out. Enjoy."

Ben heard the woman's voice as she asked people questions about the war, and then finally she landed on him.

"Do you know how many world wars we've had?" the woman asked.

"I don't know," Ben heard himself answering. "Three maybe? Which world do you mean because there are lots of worlds, like Pluto. I really don't know. Sorry, I have to go."

Ben's family started howling with laughter as soon as he started speaking and he felt sad all over again. He quickly realised that he had been on a TV show and that, once again, he'd acted like a fool in front of a large audience. Ben knew the answer was two world wars, but he hadn't been thinking straight when she'd asked him the question. Ben cursed himself for not thinking to just ignore the woman with the microphone but there was nothing he could do at that point. He decided to shrug it off, laugh about it because anyone would laugh, wouldn't they? And perhaps if he made a joke of everything, he wouldn't feel so hurt.

Ben decided to do this and was about to finally walk into the hospital room, when he stopped again.

"He's so incredibly stupid," Hen said, giggling. "When we were in school together, I had to pretend I didn't know him and then when the truth finally came out, people kept wondering how I turned out so normal with him as my brother and everything."

"Yeah, I remember I went to one of your parent's evening one time," Ben's mother said, laughing at the memory. "It was that Mrs Weaver. Do you remember her? She taught you and Wren and Ben too. Anyway she was really happy with your progress and she'd always liked Wren, but she kept talking about how Ben was a bit slow and that you'd done miles better than him at least."

"And I guess nothing's changed since then," Hen giggled. "Gosh, I'm so glad all my friends took the whole Ben dying and then not dying thing so well. I'd hate to think what would have happened if they weren't such good friends. I would've been a laughing stock in school otherwise. Ben ruins everything."

Wren laughed quietly from the corner he had moved to. "At least everything's over now, and honestly how much more can he do now? He can't do anything stupider than he already has, so we're all good. We've just got to move on now."

Hillary smiled at her two children. "I'm so glad I have you two with me. Come here and give me a hug. I don't know what I would have done today after that panic attack if you two hadn't been there with me. It's going to get better from now on, with me and my two children beside me. Everything's going to be okay."

As they hugged, Ben died inside.

Everything seemed to close in on him. All the walls seemed like they were much closer and he couldn't breathe and he felt incredibly small in the hospital and his vision was blurry and his mouth was dry and that goddamn lump was still in his throat. Ben felt weak for crying especially where everyone could see him, but sometimes it was good to cry in front of other people. At least that way you actually dealt with your feelings out in the open and couldn't lie to yourself about it afterwards, Ben thought.