"So why are you avoiding Pepe el?" Larry asked, as Ben turned left. "He's been bothering me all day, and I'm guessing it's because he can't get through to you. Wait... you don't owe him any money do you?"
"I can't talk while I'm on the road," Ben said in a rush, not looking at his father. "It'll distract me from driving and it'll also risk both of our lives, and I really don't want to risk our lives just for Pepe el."
Larry sighed. "It's going to take us what? Another hour to get back to the office? You've got plenty of time to tell me what's going on. You know... I've heard that children discuss their innermost feelings and worries with their parents. Now we don't have to go that far but you could at least tell me what's going on in your life. I haven't seen you in weeks."
Ben did not make eye contact with his father. He didn't particularly want to tell Larry about Pepe el, because Larry would want to start a gossip session with Ben and whilst Ben did kind of hate Pepe el right then, he didn't want to start badmouthing his ex-best friend to his father. Ben also kind of figured that if he didn't confront his problems out loud and in the presence of another person, he could ignore said problems.
"Pepe el and I are fine," Ben said quietly. "Everyone has small fights. It'll all blow over in the end."
Larry didn't believe Ben but didn't want to push his son to speak either. If he pushed too hard, Ben might have fallen out of the car and then nobody would be steering and Larry would most likely die. He was only turning fifty five at the end of the year, so he was definitely too young to die he thought.
"And have you spoken to your mother?" Larry asked. "She called me a couple of times while I was away, and asked about you. She said you hadn't been answering her calls and that she was getting worried. Now, whilst I definitely don't believe she was pining away for you - no offence, son - I do think you should maybe just talk to her a little bit-"
"No!"
"Just hear me out," Larry pleaded. "You haven't spoken to your mother - and your brother and sister for that matter - in over five years, and that's pretty sad. Even I talk to Wren and Hen occasionally and they seem a lot more grown up than they did five years ago. Did you know Hen went to university to study hair and beauty? And Wren got a job as a mechanic in Berkton. I think he's working his way up so that he can become the owner one day. And your mother seems a lot calmer, though not completely sane, and maybe she realises that she shouldn't have treated you the way that she did. You don't want to be without your family forever, do you Ben?"
"I wouldn't mind," Ben said. "And why are you sticking up for mum so much anyway? You're always telling people how annoying and demanding and expensive she used to be."
"Used to be," Larry repeated. "I think she's changed. I don't know if she's changed because I haven't see her, but I will. You will too and maybe we'll sort out all our differences and-"
The car came to a halt in the middle of the motorway and the people behind Ben honked at him until Ben's entire face went red with embarrassment.
"What do you mean I'm going to be seeing her?" Ben demanded, starting the car again. "What exactly have you planned?"
"Well, it's our company's twentieth anniversary," Larry said quietly, trying to justify his actions for Ben. "And it's a celebratory thing, isn't it? Ara and Helena are all coming to the celebratory dinner in the evening, as are most of our employees' families. It would look a bit weird if only you and I turned up from our side wouldn't it? So I invited your mother, Hen and Wren along as well-"
"What?"
"And I paid for train tickets," Larry continued, ignoring Ben's shocked expression. "They caught the train from Berkton to London this morning and they should be here for the dinner this evening. They'll meet us at the house I think, or I'll collect them from the train station."
Ben stopped the car again, once he'd gotten off the motorway. Then he unlocked all the car doors and asked Larry to get out of the vehicle. Larry was flabbergasted and Ben was angry, and Larry did not stop out of the car which made Ben even angrier. Ben felt betrayed for the second time that week by the two people he thought had had his back the entire time.
"Do you have a knife on you?" Ben asked, when Larry did not step out of the vehicle.
"No," Larry said cautiously. "Why?"
"Because you might as well just go and stab me in the back," Ben told his father dramatically. "I mean you've done it already, but you might as well do it physically too. Then I can show people the knife lodged in my back if they don't believe me when I tell them you're a traitor to fatherkind."
"That's not a word," Larry said calmly. "And I haven't stabbed you in the back, young man. I'm trying to help you. I haven't been around very much for the last couple of months to keep you in order and I can already see you've changed. Before I left, you were ambitious and determined, and not completely fixated on trying to prove to everyone how successful you are. And I use that word for a reason, because you're obsessed with it. Ara said you've been staying up half the night to work your way out of existence, and now you're not even talking to Pepe el who is probably the only person you ever go out and have fun with and you're ruining yourself... you're ruining your state of mind. And I can't exactly carry on and watch it all happen, can I? If reconciling with your mother and your siblings means you can once and for all get rid of this idea that you're not successful or capable enough for them, then I'll make sure it happens. Because otherwise you're going to carry on pretending that you're okay and then pull all nighters and not talk to your idiot best friend and everything else. And I won't let you do that Ben. Do you understand?"
Ben felt like a little child again being told off by his parents, and Ben did not like it. He remembered feeling guilty and always fighting the urge to cry and desperately trying to get rid of the lump in his throat whenever his parents had seriously scolded him as a young child. But this time the guilt was mixed with anger and frustration - two emotions that Ben almost seemed to feel on default these days - and Ben fought the urge to cry not because he was sorry for not getting into contact with his mother before, but because his father had deserted him. Ben didn't need his siblings and his mother to feel happy or free; sure, he was angry at them and sure he had kept being angry at them for five years but he needed to be angry if he didn't want to be taken advantage of. Letting down his walls and reconciling with those that had betrayed him would be naive and it would just be opening himself up to more disappointment in the future. And Ben definitely didn't want any more of that.
Ben turned to look at his father. "Is that it or do you have any more surprises up your sleeve?"
"Well, actually, Pepe el is probably coming to the dinner as well," Larry said thoughtfully. "But that one's not my fault. You and Ara gave tickets out to everyone. I'm assuming you gave one to the guy you're not talking to anymore as well, so I suspect we'll see him there."
There was an awkward silence for a few moments.
Then Ben started up the car and began to drive, not speaking to his father the entire journey back to the office. At one point Larry felt too hot and wanted the windows rolled down on his side so rolled them down, but Ben was angry at him so rolled the windows back up again. They continued this game for fifteen minutes straight until Larry gave up and glared at his son.
Ben wished Larry would give up playing games with Ben's life as well.
"Larry!" Ara said, smiling as she wheeled over to meet her old boss. "I've missed having you around. I've had to deal with Ben the entire time, and it was really difficult. Did you know there's a rumour going around that I'm pregnant? And it's all because of Ben."
Ara saw Ben as he walked in just after Larry and told Ben the same thing. She laughed it off, though Ben wasn't in the mood for jokes and stormed in to the lift and back up to his office where he stayed for the next hour as everyone else either left to get ready for the celebratory dinner, or stayed to finish presentations for the twentieth anniversary. Fifteen minutes into the hour, Ben did begin making his own presentation as he figured it was stupid to waste his time on people he hated.
"What happened to Ben?" Ara asked, once Ben had stormed past her. "Why did he seem so angry?"
"I told him his mother was coming to the dinner," Larry muttered. "He's not very happy about seeing her, but it'll do him some good. Even if he doesn't forgive her... well..."
"Well?" Ara probed. "What happens if he doesn't forgive her? What if Ben becomes more bitter and starts taking on more work hours just to prove to her that he isn't what she thought he was?"
Larry cocked his head. "Are you on his side in all of this then?"
Ara took a moment to answer.
"I'm not taking sides on this matter," she said after a while. "I think Ben is justified in his anger. Hillary did use him for a long time, and you did kind of spring her being at the dinner on him at the last minute. He's been working way too much recently and I think some of his anger is coming from being tired, but I can see why he would be angry anyway. And this isn't just anger after a single argument. This is anger that he's held on to for five years, and now that the reason for his anger is back without any notice, I'm sure he feels quite lost. I don't know what I would do if I was in the same position as him, but I'm pretty sure I would feel at least a little bit angry at everyone, even you, even if you're doing this because you want him to be free of the pent up rage that he's been carrying for too long."
Larry listened carefully as Ara spoke and tried to process her words, but he was still convinced that inviting Hillary and his kids to the dinner was the right thing to do. And besides it being necessary for Ben to meet his family members after so long, Larry wanted to see his other kids as well. He definitely didn't like how they had treated Ben the last time Larry had seen them, but he couldn't disconnect himself from his two other children for something that they might have grown to regret... should have grown to regret.
"I guess we'll see what happens at this dinner then," Larry said. "And also, Pepe el is coming I think. If nothing else, there'll be some drama tonight."
"I'd like steak," Wren said to the waiter. "And some pasta on the side with noodles if you have them."
The waiter smiled patiently as Wren listed meal combinations that were not on the menu, and Ben scoffed at Wren's stupidity. Hen ordered a salad with fries and fried chicken on the side, and Hillary had the same thing as she was going through a phase where she tried to act just like her daughter. Ben found each and every one of them extremely annoying and desperately wanted to move to Ara's table but Larry had forbidden him from doing so. Pepe el, the traitor, was even sat right next to Ben on their large circular table which just made matters worse for Ben.
"I'll have the usual," Ben said, when the waiter came to him. "And is Rami in today? I haven't seen him in a while."
"Yes, sir," the waiter, Derek, answered. "He's at the back."
Ben nodded and stood up, taking Derek's answer as his own cue to leave. Larry asked where Ben was going and Ben informed everyone that he was going to see Chef Rami - a friend of Ben's, since Ben ate at the restaurant often. Ben was actually just looking for an excuse to avoid making conversation with his family members and Pepe el who kept trying to make eye contact with him.
"Ben!" Rami said, smiling. "Long time no see, man. Where you been?"
"Working," was Ben's answer. "I actually have a favour to ask of you."
"Yeah, go ahead," Rami said, beginning to make someone's meal.
"I actually wanted you to add a personal touch to one of the guest's meal tonight," Ben said gleefully. "My brother Wren is here and he ordered some pasta. I was hoping you could spice things up for him a little bit."
Rami looked at Ben doubtfully. "Is this a joke on him? Because I don't want his reaction scaring away the rest of my customers. I've got a reputation to uphold."
Ben assured Rami that all would be well and when Rami still wouldn't agree, Ben left or at least he made it look like he had left. Ben actually hid behind one of the walls and when he saw Wren's meal being taken out, Ben sprinkled some chilli flakes over the pasta. Ben had been carrying the chilli flakes the entire evening in his back pocket, and hoped that Wren's mouth burnt. As for Hen and his mother, the waiter had been bribed to spill sauce all over their clothes (Ben had initially suggested their eyes as a target, but potential lawsuits had deterred him). And as for Pepe el, Ben just planned on ignoring the traitor for the rest of his life. Once Pepe el realised all the perks of being Ben's friend (like paid for bowling nights, ice skating sessions and other fun activities) were no longer available to him, Pepe el would be made to feel thoroughly miserable.
"Ben?" Ara asked from behind him. "Why are you hiding behind this wall?"
"Why are you hiding behind me while I hide behind this wall?" Ben asked in response.
"I was on my way to the toilet," Ara replied. "I'm assuming you're either avoiding your family or you've done something to their food."
Ben gasped, acting completely offended. He knew he was a good actor because she was reacting to his facial expression. Ara looked unimpressed but that was still a reaction and it made Ben feel even more accomplished. He was so talented! He was a businessman, an actor, a rich person and a Ben! He was the ultimate catch!
Ben heard Wren scream and smiled. His plan was working and he was having a wonderful time at the dinner even though he hadn't eaten anything yet. His family was suffering, Pepe el was lonely and he hadn't even began to deliver a speech! Could the night get any better?
"Ben," Ara said, a warning in her tone. "You haven't got anything else planned right? It'll come back to haunt you in the long run if you do. You know, karma and all that."
Ben shook his head sadly. "I went twenty two years being my mother's purse and karma didn't get her. The only way to make things even in the real world is to become karma yourself. The universe won't sort out your problems for you. You've got to sort everything yourself. Everyone's on their own."
But even as Ben tried to convince himself that he was happy seeing everyone he had once cared for in pain, and that they deserved everything coming their way, there was a tiny feeling of regret in the very back of his mind. But Ben squashed it down.
After all, tonight he was serving what everyone deserved. That was the plan and it wasn't going to change for even a tiny little bit of guilt.