Part 47 (1/2)
BEN.
I'm finally leaving Orange today, but yesterday's chemo kicked my a.s.s, so instead of staying with Rose at Griffin's, my father's picking me up and taking me home. There's no reason to have Rose see me like this yet. I'm going to miss her sweet smile, but I'll be seeing her next weekend. For now, I'm just going to sleep the Memorial Day weekend through.
47.
ROSE.
”Well, this is it, Rosebud,” my father says, tossing the last of my things in the truck bed. When I came up on Sat.u.r.day morning, I brought some of my clothes back so I could make room for my summer things. Plus my father bought me a bigger dresser and a new TV since Griffin's place will be my full-time home for a while.
”We're gonna miss you guys too,” I tell him, talking to my mother, Beth, and Patti as well.
”I can't believe both you and Terri won't be home this summer,” my mom says.
”Well, be thankful Terri found a boyfriend up at school,” Beth says, ”this way she'll leave Rose's alone.”
Patti laughs, but Terri really p.i.s.sed me off when she did that, so I just fake a smile.
”You know she only did that because of the situation, she was jealous of all the attention you were getting,” Patti says. ”She's over it.”
”Yeah, well, Rose might not be,” Beth says.
”I'm fine. So, you guys can come down anytime, you know. Griffin has lots of couches you can crash on if you just wanna hang or watch a movie.”
”Or go to that bar y'all talk about,” Patti says.
”Yup. That too, if you want.”
”Rose, please come visit us too,” Mom says.
”Of course. I'm only an hour away.”
”I know. I just miss you when you're not here, but I'm glad you're happy again.”
”And dancing,” Dad chimes in.
”And dancing,” Mom repeats.
”I love you, Rosebud.”
”Love you too, Dad.”
I say goodbye to everyone one more time and then get in my truck to head back to Haledon. Hopefully in time to help Ben move in.
Too late.
Griffin and Mick, in the kitchen having burgers, inform me that Ben's all moved in, but not feeling all that well.
”But he said as soon as you get here, to send you on up,” Griffin tells me.
”Okay, thanks. And Griff, thanks so much for letting him move in. We really appreciate it.”
”Hey, no problem. Worked out perfectly. Knox graduated, moved out, Ben moves in. Perfect.”
”Yeah. Thanks.” I smile. It did work out perfectly. I'd forgotten all about Knox being a senior, so Ben and I don't have to move in together, but we still get to live in the same house.
Ben's door is shut, so I knock.
”You can come in,” Ben calls from the other side of the door.
”Half-pint,” he says weakly when I come in.
”Were you sleeping?”
”No.” He pats the spot next to him on the bed. ”Just not feeling great. But I'm better now that you're here.”
I kick off my shoes and climb into bed with him. ”Chemo's kicking your b.u.t.t?”
”Little bit, half-pint. But look, I wanna show you something.” He takes his laptop off the nightstand and opens his email. ”Isaiah sent me this this morning.”
”Isaiah?”
”Johnny's nurse. His mother's new husband.”
”She got married?”
Ben nods. ”Yup. But that's not it. Johnny's mom got a call from one of those big gaming system companies. Apparently, Johnny was working on a program that would allow for voice-control gaming. I don't know the particulars, but evidently, he came up with a way to use voice codes to play actual games. He was using the technology they already have for quadriplegics, where they use their straws in some controller, but Johnny said they were too slow. So he came up with a voice code system.”
”Wow.”
”Yeah. Anyway, in his letter to the company, he said he'd love to work with them to bring this into fruition. They'd emailed him back, but they never heard back from him. They a.s.sumed he went with another company, but they called anyway. His mom told them he'd died. They offered her a substantial amount of money to use his system anyway. She accepted. One point five million.”
”Holy crow.”
”Best part is, Rose, he never gave up.” Ben's eyes are tearing now. ”He did fight until the end. This proves it.” He taps on the screen. ”Oh, half-pint.” He closes the laptop and sets it aside. ”You don't know how much it bothered me thinking he gave up. I know his life would have been difficult, but I hated to think he'd gotten so low he'd just waited to die.” Ben wraps his arms around me and kisses me on the head. ”He got what he wanted in the end. He's providing for his mom, and she's not alone.”
”That's good news, Ben.”