When we touched down it was raining, of course. I sighed, it was just one of those things I'd have to get used to, no use being a drama queen about it. I walked out into the already chilly Seattle September air and had to bite back a fit of giggles.
There was Carmen's cruiser. Parked right in front of the airport. In the white zone. She was never one for parking rules, god knows why she bacame a cop. Carmen was leaning against the hood in full patrol getup, her long, dark hair pulled up in a tight bun. She leaned forward and smiled when our eyes met, "Benjamin!"
"Carmen!" I ran forward like a lost puppy but stopped dead when I noticed her piercing glare.
"Mom, not Carmen. Don't let me catch you calling me that again."
"Oh yeah, sorry Mom." I looked away sheepishly. 'Mom' didn't suit her, she looks way too young to be my mom for starters.
She smiled again and wrapped her arms around my waist, "I missed you. You're so tall now!"
I stood up a little straighter, "I've had another growth spirt. I'm up to five eleven. Dad says I'll be six feet in no time flat."
Carmen laughed, "Well, I'll leave the top shelves to you then. Here." She picked up one of my four bags and carried it around to the back of the cruiser, "Now I have a surprise for you when you get home."
I tilted my head as I put my bags into the trunk, "What?"
She wagged her finger and made a clicking noise with her tounge, "I said it was a surprise!" Carmen laughed and walked to the front seat.
"Common!" I ran to the passengers side and flopped down, "A least a hint?"
"Nope. I promised myself I'd let you be surprised; seatbelt."
I sighed and did as I was told, "I hate surprises, you know that."
"And that's why I take such joy from taunting you with them," she glanced over as we pulled away from the airport, a mischivious smile on her face.
"That's not very motherly, you know?" I chided
"Hey!" she shouted punching me, "I'm a great mother!"
"Uhuh," I said smiling. She shook her head and returned her focus to the road. I looked out the window and watched as the rain made tracks. I rested my head against the cool glass and closed my eyes.
"It's going to be a couple of hours so if you wanna sleep that's okay."
"I'm not sleepy," I mumbled. I tried to open my eyes but the soft hum of the tires on the road and the gentle rocking of the car was almost too inviting.
Carmen turned on the heat and pointed it at me, "I'll wake you when we get there."
The added heat pushed me over the edge, "I'm just resting my eyes..."
"Ben, we're here."
"Mm?" I opened my eyes sleepily and rubbed one of them with the meat of my palm, "Already?"
"Yeah, turned on the siren a couple of times. Cut thirty minutes off our ETA. Common, you can go back to bed when we get everything inside."
I nodded slowly and practically tumbled out of the car. I shook my head and made my way to the trunk when a flash of yellow caught my eye. I looked over and we were parked next to a faded yellow VW Beetle, it had to be at least twenty years old. "Company?" I mumbled, still half asleep.
"Ah! Surprise!" Carmen shouted excitedly. She threw her arms open in front of the car, doing her best Vanna White impression.
"You mean... for me?" I was suddenly very awake. Carmen was giving me a car?! "Seriously?"
"Yeah! You remember Bets Black right? You used to play with her little girl, Jenna?"
I thought back to my childhood, a little girl with a tangled mane of black hair and warm brown skin popped into my head. Her mother was an older woman who's face looked well worn and proud. "Um, yeah I think so. They lived up on the reservation... Pa Push?"
Carmen laughed, "La Push. You used to call it Pa Push because you had a hard time with 'L' sounds."
My face went crimson and I looked away, "Whatever! What's it got to do with Bets?"
Carmen stifled another giggle and smiled, "Well Jenna likes fixing cars now and they were practically giving this one away!"
"Practically doesn't mean totally, how much did it cost?"
"Nothing, well nothing for you. It's a gift! Do you like it?"
I walked over to the bug and traced the large dome roof with my hand. Surprisingly, I did like it. No, more than that. I loved it. I turned back around and smiled, "Thanks Mom, it's amazing."
She beamed, "Common let's get this stuff inside."
Carmen and I made short work of carrying everything I owned into my new bedroom. Well that's not entirely correct, this was technically my old bedroom. I'd slept here as a baby and everything was pretty much the same. The only new additions were a simple double bed and an exremely old computer sitting on the desk by the window. Well, Skyping was out of the picture. "What's that?" I asked pointing to it.
"I got it at a garage sale. Pretty sweet, huh?"
"It's something alright," I mumbled rolling my eyes. I walked over and pressed the power button. It wheezed slowly to life as jumbled letters flashed across the screen. Good thing I don't play MMORPG's. A windows log-in screen popped up with my picture and name in the middle and 'Windows XP' in the corner. Retro. I turned and smiled, "Thanks Mom, it'll be useful for school."
She nodded happily, "That's what I figured." Carmen pulled out two bobby pins and a hair tie and let her shoulder length dark brown hair fall down. She shook it out and stretched, "Well, there's a game on at seven if you're interested. I'll order take out, do you care what it is?" I shook my head and Carmen smiled back, "Take your time." She walked over and hugged me, "Glad you're here, Benny."
"Me too, Mom," I said, hugging her back. She let go and with one last smile walked out closing the door behind her. If there was one good thing about Carmen, and there were lots, but if I had to pick one it'd be her ability to read people. She knew I needed alone time and gave me the chance to have it.
I sighed and flopped down on the bed. The comforter was soft and smelled new. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, sleep could wait. I started unpacking my meager belongings, for the most part it was all shorts and t-shirts. Paula had gone out and bought me two pairs of jeans, three sweaters and a windbreaker. I picked up the red and black windbreaker and rubbed the flimsy material. It wasn't going to be enough, I'd need to go buy a thick winter jacket soon. Maybe in my new car. I smiled to myself, I have a car! I laughed and tossed everything into a single drawer, squishing everything down.
I turned on my cell and waited for it to finish coming to life. NO SERVICE stared back at me from the screen. "Ugh, you're kidding me!" I lifted the cell hoping to catch a bar but gave up after a minute. I tossed the now useless piece of technology on the desk and logged on to the computer. I typed up a quick email to my Dad detailing the flight and my cell situation, sending it off in less than five minutes.
Standing, I streched and walked into the hall way. I headed to the bathroom and looked around the familer room. I reached for my towel but paused when I realized it was gone. "Mom?" I called, walking back to the stairs. "Where's my towel?"
"Ah!" I heard her shout from the living room, "It's," she groaned and ran for the stairs. "Sorry, I forgot to put it out. It's in the hall closet, I've moved things around since the last time you've been here."
I glanced at the closet, "Cool, thanks." I looked back at her and smiled shyly, "Oh and uh, thanks for the bed stuff. You didn't need to get a new one."
Carmen's eyes brightened and she smiled broadly, "No problem. Port Angeles has some great stores, I'll take you there later. I bet you need a winter coat."
I narrowed my eyes, "I can go clothes shopping by myself."
She looked away sadly, "Oh, sorry." It was almost painful how hurt she looked. She despretly wanted us to be close.
"No, I'm sorry. This weekend cool?"
Carmen's face lit up again, "I'll move around some stuff and get the time off. I ordered Chinese about five minutes ago by the way. It'll be here in about thirty minutes, you still like fried rice right?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna take a shower before then."
Carmen nodded and headed back into the living room.
I grabbed my towel and closed the bathroom door gently. I stripped and caught a glimpse of my tired face in the mirror. The bags under my eyes were huge, it looked like I hadn't slept in forever. I slapped my face and tried to look more alert, It's only two years. I thought fearcly, It's not like that's forever. Two years is nothing. I nodded and hopped into the shower. I wasn't going to let this get me down. I'd make the most of my last two years in high school, even if it killed me.
A/N: I figured because a big Ford truck was so opposite to how Bella looked, Ben needed something equally opposite but still recognisable. Also reasons for names time! Benjamin (Ben/Benny) sounds oldish and can be shortened ala Isabella (Bella/Bells). I prefered the sound of Carmen to say Carlie or Carla for Charlie. Bets=Elizabeth Billy=William so there you go. And Jenna can be shortened to Jen for Jacob/Jake
