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Ben waited by the front door for as long as he dared, but neither his mother nor Andrew came down to send him off to school. If he waited any longer he’d miss his bus.
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Yesterday his mom had slept in because she’d been up so late waiting for Andrew. Andrew had been at the hospital watching Vin, but he got up early to make sure Ben was all set for school. Not that Ben needed anyone’s help. But it was nice. Ben’s dad never bothered. Andrew did a good job of it.
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Then something happened at the hospital. It sounded like Vin tried to come home, but couldn’t make it to the bathroom. Ben wasn’t exactly sure what passing out on the way to the bathroom had to do with coming home.
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The banjo clock on the wall in the downstairs hall chimed. Ben couldn’t wait around any longer.
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“Bye Mom!” He shouted at the stairs.
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He tried not to feel left out, abandoned, and ignored. His mouth tugged down as he closed the front door behind himself with no response from any of the grown ups in the house. He tried to make his lips stop acting funny by pressing them together, and made it worse instead of better.
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Ben wanted to see Vin in the hospital, but he wasn’t allowed because he wasn’t family. Everyone else got to see Vin just not him. It was because he was a kid. No one every cared about how kids felt.
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He wasn’t sure because no one would tell him anything, but it sounded like some creepy guy was after Vin. Well duh. It wasn’t like Vin shot himself. Could it be the guy who liked to hang out across the street from the bus stop?
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Taking the bus wasn’t much fun anymore. First there was the creepy guy. Then Ben’s best friend Mark moved to a different neighborhood and didn’t take the bus with him anymore. It was hard enough to put up with the bus driver when Mark was around. Now Ben got yelled at almost every day.
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Things weren’t going too well at school either, but did anyone care? Did his mom even ask any more? Not since Miranda moved in.
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Ben would have been jealous, but he liked Miranda. And Andrew. And Vin too. If they quit acting like he was invisible, he’d like them even better.
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He had to run the last few yards when the bus arrived before he did. He paid his fare, then plopped down in a seat by the door. Through the window next to him he saw some guy walk up to the weirdo who always watched the bus stop.
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The weirdo was a tall, thin, red-headed man. They guy who walked up looked a lot older. He had silver hair, anyway. The two of them talked for a minute, then went off together as the bus turned the corner so Ben couldn’t see them anymore.
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Something about those two men made him uncomfortable.
The previous was Suzie’s House 22: Should Something Arise
This is Suzie’s House 23: The Forgotten One
Next is Suzie’s House 24: A Mother’s Love
Aaw, poor Ben. Sounds like the little guy is been forgotten with all the trouble around. Can’t help but wonder, where is mom?
I think we forget about poor Ben as much as the adults in the story do. It was great to get a bit from his POV and to see how he felt about having his home invaded by all of these other people. Poor kid. Life is tough.
I hate to make Suzie look bad, but sometimes a character has to take one on the chin for the sake of the over-all story. I’ll make it up to her.
Alice
Something about them makes me uncomfortable too.
I loved it from Ben’s POV. You did a good job of filling us in about what was going on with the adults from his thoughts. Poor Vin never made it out of the hospital. And creepy bad guy is meeting with another guy, maybe the game leader? Maybe Ben knows more than he should. Question is will there be an exchange of communication between him and the adults in his house?
Laurie
Aaaaahhhh- totally unexpected today Alice. Nice journey into Ben’s POV. Kids always seem to have a different take on things, and sometimes more insight than us busy adults. Good job!
Nice POV change. Ben is smart and observant, can’t wait to see what comes next.
Loved the refreshing POV of a child. Poor Ben. Those creepy guys… ewww
Creepy guys. . . ewww! It’ll be interesting to see where this twist takes us!
I’ve been living with Ben and his problems in the back of my mind for so long that it never occured to me anyone would be surprised. Cool.
Alice
I agree. I really enjoyed getting to see things from Ben’s perspective. Life sucks when you’re invisible. I loved that you’ve hinted at just how vulnerable Ben really could be under the right circumstances. Great job!
[...] Suzie’s House 21: Well? What Did You Decide, Drew? Suzie’s House 22: Should Something Arise Suzie’s House 23: The Forgotten One Suzie’s House 24: A Mother’s Love Suzie’s House 25: The Times, They Are A Changing [...]
Poor Ben, got lost in the middle of the hurricane! Something tell me that in the next one he will be remembered!
Hmm. I’m not happy that Ben’s so ignored.
xo
Sounds about right. Sadly it is often the case that a parent forgets about their kid(s) when a new squeeze comes along. Maybe if Suzie wasn’t drooling over Drew so much her son wouldn’t be feeling so neglected. If Ben actually gets snatched by those criminals because his mother is too wrapped up in hugging Drew, I’ll be furious.