7th Day
Carla arrived at my house at eight in the morning. She never was late when I needed her for something. It was not difficult to convince her to get up early to come to my house; difficult was to convince my mother to let me go to lunch with people utterly unknown to her. The excuse she made was the fact of the fame of snobbish man that Benjamin's father had. I did not even know that he had this fame. Gossip among neighbors does not take part in my life. It does not mean that my mother is gossiping about the lives of others, she did not even have time for that, but always there is somebody to do so even when you do not want to hear.
Carla's smile showed up every time she showed me one of her dresses. She did not believe that I would wear a dress. A T-shirt and basic jeans were enough for me. I tried on seven dresses until I decide that I would go to lunch at Ben's house with the first one I had tried, I lost my time trying the others. Even though Carla and I wear the same number, I thought the dress was not as elegant on me as it was on her.
I was anxious and kept swinging my legs on the bed. I looked at the clock on the nightstand in seconds.
"Can you stop?" Carla said irritated because of my last look at the clock.
"I am afraid."
"This is very clear. Just be yourself. Better, don't be yourself it is quite likely that you will turn the lunch table," She laughed.
"Carla! You're making me even more nervous," I said alerting her.
"Listen, it's just lunch between friends and family, it's not the lunch for an engagement proposal."
"You're not helping me today," I lay down, and I put the pillow over my face.
"Ok, I will be silent. Please calm down."
I rang the intercom Mrs. Laura answered me. From the other side, she opened the gate for me. I did not expect that any of Ben's parents answered the door. I followed her in slow steps until I reached the entrance, my heart was beating fast, and I held the hem of my dress in a sign of nervousness. I heard the creaking of the door opening, and I was calmer when I saw that was Ben.
He smiled while looked at me. He stared at my feet.
"Great dress," I did not appreciate his compliment because I knew that dress was not great. I had chosen the simplest of all. It was just a pink lacy dress in a very light tone that went to the knee. "You look cool wearing Carla's dress," Ben said and I looked at him incredulously. Ben had just embarrassed me. I could not avoid blushing. I still could not believe that he said this.
"Is it serious that you told me that?" My voice came out like thunder. I clenched my fist wanting to hit in Ben's perfect face and rip off that cynical smile.
"Calm! Peace and love! Let's not discuss. My parents are few centimeters from us."
"Few centimeters, Ben?" He nodded. Damn it! What will they think of me, that I am so poor that I did not have the decency to go a Sunday lunch wearing my dress? "Couldn't you have kept it for yourself?"
"No, that would have corroded me for inside. I saw Carla pass by my house carrying some bags."
"Just because of this you deduced that the dress wasn't mine?"
"No, I just think that it is more like Carla. The dress is not your style it is very angelic. What seems to be your style is just a ponytail and your black sneakers," He smiled. What did he mean by all this? That I do not seem to be angelic.
"You want me to leave, don't you?"
"I don't, princess. Come in!" Ben turned the wheelchair and entered the house. I followed him still determined to hit his face. My determination ended when I saw him:
Marcos. I felt a slight pain in the stomach. I looked at the front of one of the most despicable former students of my school. He put his hand over his mouth trying to hide his mocking smile to see me, while I was trying to control my dissatisfaction. What was that annoying human being doing here? Sure, he was Ben's friend. He was part of the group of four goofy. He was also with Benjamin on the day of the accident.
Marcos seems stronger than at the time he studied at school; his body was visibly muscular. His hair is shaved on the sides and those black eyes like a night sky looked at me with curiosity, what he did not have in him was the shine of the stars. Of course, even though I had never been popular, he recognized me. I am the daughter of teacher Elizabeth and was enough he knew me.
"You told me a friend would come to lunch with us, but you did not tell me that your friend was her," He pointed at me. "Ben?"
"Marcos, please!"
"I cannot believe it," He tried to disguise the laughter.
"If you had told me this animal was here, I wouldn't come," I did not refrain from being rude.
"What did you say?" Marcos seemed furious.
"Animal!" Ben repeated. "Come on, man, you understood."
"So you're here," Ben's mother approached interrupting our little discussion. She opened her arms to me, involving me in a friendly hug. I reciprocate the gesture by hugging her too. "I'm sorry for that day," She whispered in my ear. "For some specific reasons, I do not like that Benjamin going out alone, without me, to be clearer."
"No problems," I said, and I let go of her embrace.
We stayed in the room while we were waiting for the lunch is announced. I was in my place and Ben in his. Marcos started to speak of his significant achievements. He was studying laws and spoke proudly of his high grades, and yes, he had chosen the right profession. Ben gave one of his cynical smiles when he heard Marcos say that. Marcos, I do not know why he scolded him with his eyes. Ben turned serious again.
Occasionally Marcos looked at me with a sinister look it was as if he said that I was in the wrong place. I could not disagree with him.
While Ben's mother seemed to have fun with the cases told by him, I am here, sitting alone on the couch in silence and feeling wholly affected by Marcos' presence in the place.
Mrs. Ana sometimes shared her gaze on the stairs. She sighed and put her hair behind her ear; this occurred for at least ten times. She was anxiously waiting for someone to get down the stairs. I know that someone was probably should be Ben's father. He still had not appeared. Ben sometimes looked at the stairs too.
"Are you and Ben doing schoolwork together?" Marcos asked me. Why the question, if you already know the answer? Douchebag, I thought.
"I think we are trying," I smiled at him.
"You will sing in the class," He gave a slight laugh. "It will be fun!"
"What's going to be fun?" I asked him.
"You and Ben. You know, singing together. It is surreal."
"Why surreal?" Mrs. Ana asked Marcos.
"Do you know who this girl is?"
"Who this girl is?" She crossed her arms, staring at him as if to say that it was better for him not to respond.
"Marcos, I'll give you one advice, stay quiet," Ben said to his "friend."
"I'll take a breath," I said and left, I did not wait for their response.
I sincerely hoped Ben would come after me, but he did not happen. Maybe the idiocy of Marcos had already infected him again. Perhaps idiocy is a virus. An extremely painful virus for some people. Sometimes I forgot that Ben was Ben. One of the most beautiful douchebags in school. A guy who used and abused his beauty to feel superior to many people around him.
I rested my arm on the fence that surrounded the pool, and I watched the water stirring in the wind. I listened a dry leaf being trampled. I hoped it was Ben, although I do not have heard the buzzing of his wheelchair. I looked behind, and I saw Mrs. Anna watching me.
"It's been a while since he came here," I returned my attention to the pool. "Marcos. I called him yesterday, invited him to lunch here and to keep company to Benjamin.
"I thought he visited Ben frequently. They were best friends."
"Benjamin doesn't have best friends since the accident. I do not even know if he has friends," My heart felt as if it was being perforated by every word said.
"They were a group. It was the four and Ben's girlfriend. None of them come to visit him?"
"They don't. They disappeared," Ana looked like she wanted to get something off her chest as if she needed to do it urgently, but nobody wanted to listen, but I was willing to listen. "Ben pretends he doesn't care, but I know that is eroding him from the inside. It was a full house, and it was not just on the weekend, it was every day. Every day, "She repeated and leaned her hand on the fence looking sadly at the pool. "How many parties did they give here? Marcos," She wiped a tear from your eye. "He came here every day. When Ben had the accident, and he was in the coma, he often went to the hospital, but as soon as Ben was discharged from the hospital and came home, his visits have decreased until they become nothing. He appears here once a month, and sometimes not even that."
"I'm sorry," I said and put my hand on hers.
"You are doing well for him."
"Me?" I asked surprised.
"It has been a while since he smiles so naturally, it had been a while that he didn't feel like going out anymore. You are a good friend. You have great patience with him. I know that sometimes his sense of humor is unbearable, but you still stand by his side. Thank you."
"No need to thank," I said remembering that I was not so patient. A few minutes ago, I wanted to punch his face.
"Let's go!" She said. "Lunch is ready," She was silent. "Please, do not give up on him," I nodded.
The face of Ana turned into something painfully sad. Her husband did not stay for lunch. She did not even see him leaving. I listened her asked discreetly to Mrs. Laura when he had managed to escape. She changed the subject when she realized that I had heard and tried to show her best smile. I did the same, wanting to make her believe that I did not listen.
For lunch, a delicious Bolognese Lasagna, rice with broccoli, and French fries, especially to me, so Ben said. I can tell that what I saw at the table was that the Ben that I had seen when he had returned to school. He looked grumpy, and he had not eaten anything yet. His face is red and frown.
"Damn it!" Ben said punching the table. The fork that was on his plate fall on the floor and some food were spilled on the table. That was enough to frighten us. No one expected this attitude of Ben, at least I did not expect.
I got up from the chair and went down to pick up the fork.
"You scared me!" Marcos said.
"Shut up, idiot!"
"Benjamin, I will not let you talk to your friend like that," His mother scolded him.
"You cannot make my father show up for lunch, imagine control what I say," Ben's mother bowed her head. She looked frustrated. Ben withdrew from the table, and I followed him. I think Marcos stayed there to convince her that she should not take into account what Ben says. I was glad he stayed.
Ben was already in his bedroom. He would slam the door in my face if I were not fast enough to hold it.
"Leave me alone!" Ben said without any kindness in his voice. I went into his bedroom and locked the door.
"You look like a spoiled child."
"I'm sorry if you did not know this side of me. Can't you see that I want to be alone?"
"I know, but I don't wanna do this. You don't seem to be the same today. Is it your father?" He moved the wheelchair to the window.
"Why do you insist?" He turned the wheelchair towards me.
"I just want to understand you a little."
"We only met a few days ago. I don't know if I can continue with our friendship. You are very different from my old friends."
"And does it matter?"
"Maybe two years ago, that would have mattered to me. Marcos has said so much about you while you went "outside," He made quotation marks with his fingers. He knows that I wanted was run away from Marcos.
"Did you agree with him? "I inquired.
"I didn't; I had to shut his mouth and remind him of some truths."
"Did you argue with him because of me?"
"I know this is strange if it were before I helped him make fun of you. I have a lot to tell you, Elle. Can I trust you to the point of telling you some terrible secrets?" I nodded. "Are you going to keep my secrets from Carla?" I never hide anything from Carla. I always tell everything happened in my life to her; now Ben was unexpectedly a part of it. "Come on, Elle, answer me."
"Yea. Yea," I babbled. I knew that yes was not 100% concrete.
"If I distrust that you let some part of our conversation slip to someone, I will break our friendship forever," I did not like the voice tone that he used he seemed very sincere.
"Who would I tell? If you haven't realized, I don't have many friends."
"Great! Since I have turned, our friendship shit into something worthwhile, I'll trust you and tell you what happened on the night of the accident."
"Even though you called our friendship of shit, I am precisely disposed to listen to him and keep everything in absolute secrecy."