Page 67 of Every Good Thing
“Only if you remembered your calcium supplements today. Don’t want you breaking a hip.”
My head whips toward Ben with astonishment. Playful banter? I only see that at home, sometimes. Not that I’m complaining—it’s good to see him loosen up.
Dr. Riley throws his head back in laughter. “Ah, man, I’ve missed that. Come on… Lena, Ebony will be in to set your cast. Think about what color you want.”
They leave so quickly that my “have fun” gets drowned out by the closing door.
Soon, dribbling draws me to the office window. Ben and Dr. Riley shoot free throws at a portable hoop in the back lot, laughing like old friends.
They are old friends. The stoic tension Ben usually holds in his face vanishes into laughs and smiles like he’s entirely different than the man who comes off as unfriendly to folks at Saddletree. He looks himself with Rob—a thought that’s sweet and painful.
Does Ben feel like he can’t be himself at home?
I scan my brain for anything that would counter that theory. But Ben rarely ‘hangs out’ with anyone except me, Ruthie, and the girls on canasta night at Mrs. Moore’s.
Ben loves canasta.
Jack and Rowan, the couple adopting Adam, have become good friends. Jack considers Ben his hero for saving Adam, but even with him, Ben’s reserved. His quiet nature makes casual friendships tough.
Dr. Riley appears to be an exception. Or maybe I don’t know my husband as well as I think.
Ebony sets my cast. I go with purple, Ruthie’s favorite color, and I hope it’ll earn me some street cred since my inability to accomplish simple tasks has tickled her lately.
Thirty minutes later, I’m ready to show Ben my new bling. I leave the office and trek around the building. Me and my excitement stop short at the corner when I hear Dr. Riley say, “She wasn’t the same after you left.”
“Neither was I,” Ben says, dribbling.
“She left for over a year, traveling. Trying to find herself again. Came back with the twins. We thought she’d lost her mind, but they’re awesome. You’ll have to play basketball with Freddy and Omar on break.”
“Are they good?”
Dr. Riley looks stern. “Hell yes, and they don’t need calcium supplements yet.”
They laugh, and I feel bad for listening. But then Dr. Riley says, “She always thought you’d come back. See that she’s changed. Forgive her.”
Ben stops, one arm holding the ball while the other rests on his hip. “I never gave her that indication.”
Dr. Riley shrugs. “You were with Lauren longer than any of my marriages to date. No one believed you’d give up on her, least of all her. One moment shouldn’t have ended it.”
“Why the fuck not? One moment destroyed me.”
“That wasn’t Lauren’s fault. You took it out on her.”
“No, I didn’t. What happened couldn’t be undone. I don’t need the damn guilt trip. Let’s play.”
He laughs. “I’ve been waiting a decade to say this… shit happened, and you pushed her away, pushed all of us away. You’re the king of self-sabotage, dude.”
Ben shrugs lightly, tossing the ball into the basket. “Now, you’re a shrink, huh?”
“You need one,” he teases. “She needs your forgiveness, man.”
“I told her. She has it. But that’s her problem—nothing’s ever good enough for Lauren.”
Dr. Riley moves in and steals the ball. “Take the job. Let her have closure, and she’ll move on. It’s not like she has a chance with you anyway, right?”
So, she wants a chance with him. It’s understood. Ben sees it, too. We stare at Ben, awaiting an answer that takes far too long to deliver. Dr. Riley grins, probably latching onto Ben’s pause in a sort of victory. He’s considering it.
Meanwhile, my heart palpitates, and my breath holds in fear over his delay. Why isn’t he answering? The correct answer is something along the lines of right, no chance, no chance in hell, what a dumbass question. Instead, there’s only silence.
