Page 52 of His Temptation
“Yeah. Can … I … g-get … a haircut?” he asks.
“What? You want to look just like Scott?” I tease.
“Hey … he’s definitely … someone … who … gets the ladies.”
“Oh gosh.” I throw my head back. “You did not just say that. I thought you were better than that, Benny. Now you’re talking about impressing the ladies. Stop growing up.”
He looks down at his feet. “Speaking of … growing … up … do you … think … you … c-c-can … s-s-s-stop calling me Benny?”
I stop dead in my tracks, and annoyed New Yorkers bump into me and tell me to keep moving. Benny grabs my arm and pulls me along to keep walking.
“You don’t want me to call you Benny anymore?”
“It’s … just … that I’m … getting older … now. Benny sounds … s-s-s-so … young.”
I get what he’s saying, but the thought of not calling him Benny anymore feels like a dagger to my heart. Since our parents died, he’s always been the purpose behind my drive. My little Benny was what stopped me from giving up each time life seemed too hard.
Now I look over at him, and it dawns on me. His jaw is cut stronger than it was the last time I remember. His arms are thicker, and his features on his face don’t look like ones of a little kid. When did he grow up? Tears sting the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away, pretending it’s the autumn gusts making my eyes water.
“You’re right. You are getting older. I can’t believe how fast time has gone by. All right,Ben,what are you in the mood to eat for dinner?”
He smiles. “How … about … some … pizza?”
“Pizza it is.”
I link my arm in his, and we walk the three blocks down to the nearest pizza place. Once we walk in and take a seat, he looks around.
“Remember … when … we … couldn’t afford … to eat … out like … this?” he asks.
The first thing I think to myself is,I remember when it took him a solid thirty seconds to stutter a question out like that.He’s doing so well. I’m one proud sister.
“Do I remember? That was, like, ten weeks ago. Yes, I remember. It was awful.” I put in an order for a large pizza and our drinks.
He looks out the window for a moment as I watch a flood of emotions cross his face. I know how much he has disliked where we live and the kids at his school. Now that he’s improving his speech, this would be a fresh, new start for him. I know it means a lot.
I think back to all those nights we would lie together in the same bed, me promising him that things would be better. I was young myself, just a kid, and I had no idea if my words were true. But I knew it was what he needed to hear at the moment.
“Hey, I … know … I’ve never … been good at … telling you this. Thank you,” he says as his voice wavers. “You didn’t … need to … make me … your … res-responsibility.”
“What are you talking about? Of course I did. You’re my brother.”
“Yeah … but I … t-t-took away … your freedom. I just … I’m old … enough now … to know what … th-that meant. Just … thank you.”
I smile at him as the pizza gets placed in front of us. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
For the first time, I see something in my brother that I’ve never seen before. Excitement for the future.
We each grab a huge piece of New York City pizza and shove it into our mouth as we both laugh.
After one too many slices but a nice evening with Benny—or Ben now—I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket.
I pull it out and see a text from Lincoln.
Lincoln: Working hard with our newest client. He’s a little peculiar, and he could use some classes on business etiquette, but I think he’ll be a valuable asset to the company.
Below the words is a picture of him sitting on a couch in a black hoodie and a backward hat with a golden retriever puppy in his lap. The puppy has its paw in his hand like they are shaking on a deal.
Me: Did you get a puppy? You know you work too many hours for a dog, right?
