Part Three - Ben’s Story #3
"At some point, Mom must have talked to Joules, Dad's right-hand person.
Joules is a miracle worker. She can find a needle in a haystack in the dark.
Somehow, Joules arranged a house for us in a little podunk town in Tennessee that no one had ever heard of called Bolivar.
The little town is about an hour east of Memphis.
By the time we rolled into town at one in the morning, Joules had arranged a house with a fully stocked kitchen for us.
How she did it, I have no idea. She rented it under her name, so no one knew where we were.
We unloaded the car and basically fell into bed.
The next morning, Mom made us pancakes. I remember because we were watching one of those women's talk shows when, across the bottom of the screen, an announcement said that Senator Carrington had withdrawn his work on the Anderson campaign and was resigning his Senate seat effective immediately.
"As she read it, Mom blanched and ran to find her phone. She went into the bedroom and closed the door. She stayed there for what felt like forever. When she came out, her eyes were red, and I knew she had been crying. She told me that my dad was on his way.”
"She spent the next hour showering and doing her hair and make-up. I was a little shocked. Mom has always been into the natural look. It was weird because I knew she was making herself beautiful for him. But let's not talk about that. Eww.
"Anyway, when Dad got there, he immediately went and gave Mom one of those long, gross kisses that I would soon come to hate.
Then, he dropped down on one knee and proposed.
And the rest is history. We moved into his house in Searcy.
My parents had a small wedding at the First Presbyterian Church.
This time, I was promoted from ring bearer to best man, but I still looked very cool in my tux. "
"I am sure you did," replied Harvey. "How long was it until your sisters were born?"
"Well, I think my folks wanted me to have time to get used to having two parents and being a normal family.
Maybe they just wanted some time together before having more children.
Either way, they waited until I was in the ninth grade to have Lizzy.
That was fun. Having a mom as beautiful as mine and then having not one but two babies while you are in high school.
Talk about taking a ribbing. My buddies did not hold back.
But I can't blame them. I would have done the same thing.
Giving each other hell is how teenage boys show love. "
"So, back to how life was different after you moved here, can you tell me more about that?"
"Sure, the major difference was in a small town like Searcy, everyone knows everyone.
If you go out to eat, everyone stops to visit.
Driving down the road, everyone waves, even when they don't know you.
That was a huge change from being in New York, where no one speaks and everyone minds their own business.
Another big change was church. I am not saying my mom was not religious or spiritual, but we did not attend church in New York.
In fact, I did not know anyone who did. When we moved here, suddenly we went to church all the time.
Most of my friends' activities involved church.
At first, it was a little overwhelming. But I got used to it.
I made a lot of really good friends through my church youth group.
That is something I would have missed if we had stayed in New York. "
"Anything you really missed about New York once you were here?"
"The food. We often got Indian or authentic Chinese delivery.
Here, that does not exist. If you want food, you have to go and get it.
I miss that. I was surprised by how much I missed the cello.
In high school, I joined the orchestra. I also continued to compete in chess tournaments.
There were only a few a year, but I enjoyed them.
To keep my skills sharp, Dad would play with me.
Unfortunately, chess is one of the things Dad is not that great at.
Don't tell him I told you that. I would sometimes just let him win because I felt sorry for him.
I mean, just how many times can a guy lose before he refuses to play ever again. "
"Anything else?" asked Harvey.
"No, not really. I had my life there, and I have my life here.
They feel like they belong to two totally different people.
That is how I feel about myself now. I have loved living and going to school in Cali.
I can't imagine leaving. Yet, I graduate in May.
Ella and I have a lot of decisions to make between now and then. "
"Will you come back here after you graduate?"
"I don't know. That was the plan. Finish grad school and come home and go to law school. But things have changed. I will have to wait and see."
"How does Ella feel about all of this?
Ben paused for a moment. He had been very forthcoming and honest up until this point. However, Ella was off limits, so he said, "You know I am uncomfortable talking about Ella. She has nothing to do with my dad or what happened years ago. I see no reason to bring her into any of this."
Nodding, Harvey said, "Understood, but just for clarification, what is your relationship? Dating, engaged, friends?"
Ben thought for a moment and said, "We are engaged."
"Congratulations. When's the big day?"
"Soon. We have not set a date, but it will be very soon." With that, Ben leaned forward and stretched. "Unless you have something else specific you need to know, I would really like to get back to Ella and the girls. I am sure they have worn her out by now."
Reaching out to shake his hand once again, Harvey said, "I think I have all I need for the moment. I might need to follow up later, but I will get your email address from your dad if I do.
Thank you for your time. It has been nice talking and getting to know you. Best of luck with your wedding and whatever the future holds."
Firmly taking the reporter's hand, Ben replied, "Thank you, sir. I hope you can write an article that will show the people of Arkansas how great my dad is. There is no finer man in the state, and he will make a fabulous governor." Ben left his dad's office and searched for his fiancee and sisters.