Brainlessly Laughing

Benny narrowed his eyes at the young woman sitting across from him. A brief bout of silence passed between them, the hustle and bustle of the bowling alley echoing around them at the bar. As the large balls collided with the pins, Benny grabbed his martini glass and took a quick swig. Wiping his mouth, he set aside his glass and scowled.

"Let's get this straight," he began, Chloe evenly meeting his gaze, "I didn't do it all the time."

"Yes. Yes, you did," she insisted, folding her hands on the table.

He threw one of his hands in the air. "No. No, I didn't. I wasn't that bad around Bobby. Seriously, I wasn't."

"My memory serves me right." Chloe paused to sip her martini. Continuing to hold it, she pointed at his mouth. "I know for a fact that whenever Bobby spoke as a child, you ended up screaming your head off in abrupt laughter. Sometimes, it happened when he wasn't funny or whenever you, for some strange reason, believed it suited the mood."

Benny pressed his knuckles to his cheek, his lips tightening into a thin line. "And I'm calling bullshit."

Chloe did not immediately reply. Their conversation had turned to their childhoods at Whispering Rock when they had noticed a long-time couple on a date at the farthest lane. They reminisced over those summers, but when Chloe had mentioned Benny always laughed whenever Bobby spoke, she hit a nerve. Benny insisted that he only laughed to keep up appearances, to stay on Bobby's good side, but Chloe disagreed. Benny had rolled his eyes when Chloe insisted he laughed every other time Bobby spoke regardless of what he said.

"Whether or not you think it's bullshit, it is the truth," Chloe said. "If you'd like, I can tell you exact moments when I witnessed you laughing mindlessly in Bobby's presence."

He snorted and shook his head. "What, do you still have those notebooks? You know, the ones you wrote down your observations about us as kids?"

Chloe paused. A small smile split across her face. She laced her fingers together and squared her shoulders.

"Why, Benny, I just so happen to have a few of them in my office. Would you like me to retrieve one?" she asked, her delight palpable.

The color drained from his complexion. Written in those notebooks were some of his most mortifying summer camp memories. He guzzled down the rest of his martini in a quick gulp and raised his hand. "That definitely won't be necessary. I don't need to hear about how you saw me pick the wax out of my ears with my fingers, too."

"Well, you weren't the only one who did that. I saw Franke and Vernon do that on a multitude of occasions," she replied, "and I don't believe Vernon grew out of that."

Chuckling, Benny sighed. He was still annoyed by her insistence. He leaned back in his seat, saying, "Anyway, I didn't do it that often, and you're wrong to say otherwise."

He heard the double doors swing open. Looking over his shoulder, he found the man of the hour walking toward them. Bobby waved, his usual crooked grin on his face, and he snatched a chair from a table where no one else sat. Setting it between them, he said, "Hey, guys. You're never gonna believe how badly Hollis chewed my ass off for forgetting my paperwork this week."

Benny took a breath, but just as he was about to reply, Chloe sucked in an even sharper breath. It sounded like she was intentionally choking herself. Both Bobby and Benny stared at her with wide eyes, dumbfounded as she seemed to hold that deep breath, her cheeks puffing out and gaining a red tint.

As soon as Chloe opened her mouth, an uproarious, shrill peel of laughter escaped her. She slammed her hand on the table, jostling the martini glasses. She laughed until tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Rocking her head forward, Chloe guffawed until they thought her lungs would explode, all occupants of the bowling alley staring at her like she had lost her mind.

"Bobby! You are so funny!" Chloe screamed, snatching her boyfriend's shoulder and shaking him as hard as she could.

But as quickly as her fit came, it ended. She fixed her face in a neutral expression and turned to Benny. "That's how you sounded whenever Bobby spoke," she stated, and she hopped off her seat with her martini glass, leaving to the bar for another drink.

Benny and Bobby sat in a mixture of terror and surprise. Bobby slowly dragged his head over to Benny, flicking his gaze between him and Chloe's backside as she spoke with the bartender. Benny pinched his lips together so hard they appeared to disappear from his face.

"Goddammit. I really did sound like that," he muttered, and he brought his glass to his mouth. Realizing he had nothing left to drink, he hung his head and sighed.

"What the fuck did I miss?" Bobby whispered, but Benny, humiliated and humbled, did not dignify him with a response.