A/N: Just a little note for future reference. Some characters may seem out
of character from what we've seen of them in these beginning parts. This is
pretty much on purpose. I believe that people's experiences are what make
them who they are.
Part 3-Benny
"I'm going now!" Benjamin Coffin III announced proudly to his parents.
"Good luck!" his father told him and firmly shook his hand.
His mother looked nervous. "Oh, I don't know, Ben. Maybe he should stay just a little while longer?"
"He'll be fine, Dear," the older man responded. "Won't you, Benny?"
"Yes, Dad," Benny responded, his smile broadening every moment. "I'm going to New York. The City of Dreams."
"See? That's my boy!" his father exclaimed.
"Just be careful," his mother advised him.
"I will, Mom," he told her.
Then he hugged his mother goodbye, and left without another word.
----------
A year later, Benny was sitting on the stoop of a building with a suitcase in his hand and nowhere to go.
He had wanted to go to the City of Dreams, but instead, ended up in the City of Nightmares. The City of Dreams was the other side of town.
The door behind him had been boarded up and the stoop he sat on stunk really badly. Benny would bet all that he had that someone had pissed on it.
Now, Benny considered himself to be fairly smart. He had skipped a couple of grades in school and had managed to maintain a pretty decent B-average all the way through high school. He had done well in Collage also. So where along the line did he make the fatal mistake that had landed him here?
No matter how hard he tried to get a job, there always seemed to be someone who was better than him, that always got the job and left him in the dust.
He had been sitting there for a little over an hour when someone else approached him.
The man extended Benny a hand. "You look like someone who needs someplace to stay," he said. "I'm Collins."
"Benny. And yeah, I guess I do need somewhere to stay." He looked at Collins nervously, as if he might suddenly attack.
Collins laughed, a deep hearty laugh, which made Benny calm down a little. "You can stay with us."
"Us?"
"Me and a couple of friends." He paused, and then continued, "Which is incorrect grammar, but I don't care."
Benny laughed. This guy wasn't so bad after all.
------------
When they arrived, Benny noticed Roger sitting on a table working out a melody on his guitar. He looked up as Collins and Benny entered.
"Hey, Collins," Roger greeted. "Whose this?"
"This is Benny, he'll be staying with us," Collins answered. "Where's April?"
"Out," Roger stated simply.
Collins didn't push it. He took out a bottle of alcohol and took a swig from it. Then, he offered it out to Benny.
"No thank you," Benny declined. "I'm not drinking age yet. My 21st birthday isn't until a couple of months, still."
"So?" Roger said. Then he took the bottle from Collins and drank from it as if he was proving a tremendous point.
Collins laughed. "Roger's nineteen."
"Oh."
"It's really a wonderful example for today's youth," Roger laughingly explained.
"Yeah." Collins chuckled. "Don't drink underage. Unless you're Roger Davis."
"Or his girlfriend," a voice said from the doorway.
April walked in and sat herself on Roger's lap. He put the drink down, and without another word, they started making out with each other.
Benny couldn't help but stare.
April stopped kissing Roger and got up. She said, "Come on," and lead him to a bedroom that was leading off from the main room. Roger shut the door behind them.
Benny stared at the closed door.
Collins shook his head. "I wonder what they're doing."
"You wonder?" Benny squeaked.
"Well, they're either," Collins lowered his voice, "experiencing the pleasures of the world, or." he took on a worried tone. "Or April just got a new stash and decided to share."
Benny didn't get this for a second, then he realized. "They're junkies!?!" His eyes shot back nervously to the door.
"That doesn't make them bad people," Collins told him. "I just don't like it when they get into the big stuff. It makes me nervous that someday they're going to get stuck with a needle that isn't going to be a good one."
"I didn't realize that there were good needles."
"Well, I-I just meant-I wouldn't want." Collins stammered, then trailed off. "Forget it."
----------
Benny and Collins had been engaged in some friendly conversation about computers when Roger and April made their way back out of the room. They were obviously high.
They were clinging to each other and then all of a sudden, collapsed on the floor. They started laughing.
Benny stopped what he was saying mid-sentence and stared at the couple once more.
Collins sighed and looked over them. "What was it this time?"
"Oh, no worries." Roger waved his hand in front of his eyes in the general direction of Collins. "No needles, just some good old-fashioned powder."
Collins sighed again. "Get up."
"Fine. Pushy, pushy," April complained. She tried to push herself away from Roger, but found she didn't have the strength to, as he pulled her back towards him. She started laughing again.
Roger stopped her laughter by kissing her deeply.
Collins closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, shook his head, walked back towards Benny and sat down.
Benny guessed that this was life now.
Part 3-Benny
"I'm going now!" Benjamin Coffin III announced proudly to his parents.
"Good luck!" his father told him and firmly shook his hand.
His mother looked nervous. "Oh, I don't know, Ben. Maybe he should stay just a little while longer?"
"He'll be fine, Dear," the older man responded. "Won't you, Benny?"
"Yes, Dad," Benny responded, his smile broadening every moment. "I'm going to New York. The City of Dreams."
"See? That's my boy!" his father exclaimed.
"Just be careful," his mother advised him.
"I will, Mom," he told her.
Then he hugged his mother goodbye, and left without another word.
----------
A year later, Benny was sitting on the stoop of a building with a suitcase in his hand and nowhere to go.
He had wanted to go to the City of Dreams, but instead, ended up in the City of Nightmares. The City of Dreams was the other side of town.
The door behind him had been boarded up and the stoop he sat on stunk really badly. Benny would bet all that he had that someone had pissed on it.
Now, Benny considered himself to be fairly smart. He had skipped a couple of grades in school and had managed to maintain a pretty decent B-average all the way through high school. He had done well in Collage also. So where along the line did he make the fatal mistake that had landed him here?
No matter how hard he tried to get a job, there always seemed to be someone who was better than him, that always got the job and left him in the dust.
He had been sitting there for a little over an hour when someone else approached him.
The man extended Benny a hand. "You look like someone who needs someplace to stay," he said. "I'm Collins."
"Benny. And yeah, I guess I do need somewhere to stay." He looked at Collins nervously, as if he might suddenly attack.
Collins laughed, a deep hearty laugh, which made Benny calm down a little. "You can stay with us."
"Us?"
"Me and a couple of friends." He paused, and then continued, "Which is incorrect grammar, but I don't care."
Benny laughed. This guy wasn't so bad after all.
------------
When they arrived, Benny noticed Roger sitting on a table working out a melody on his guitar. He looked up as Collins and Benny entered.
"Hey, Collins," Roger greeted. "Whose this?"
"This is Benny, he'll be staying with us," Collins answered. "Where's April?"
"Out," Roger stated simply.
Collins didn't push it. He took out a bottle of alcohol and took a swig from it. Then, he offered it out to Benny.
"No thank you," Benny declined. "I'm not drinking age yet. My 21st birthday isn't until a couple of months, still."
"So?" Roger said. Then he took the bottle from Collins and drank from it as if he was proving a tremendous point.
Collins laughed. "Roger's nineteen."
"Oh."
"It's really a wonderful example for today's youth," Roger laughingly explained.
"Yeah." Collins chuckled. "Don't drink underage. Unless you're Roger Davis."
"Or his girlfriend," a voice said from the doorway.
April walked in and sat herself on Roger's lap. He put the drink down, and without another word, they started making out with each other.
Benny couldn't help but stare.
April stopped kissing Roger and got up. She said, "Come on," and lead him to a bedroom that was leading off from the main room. Roger shut the door behind them.
Benny stared at the closed door.
Collins shook his head. "I wonder what they're doing."
"You wonder?" Benny squeaked.
"Well, they're either," Collins lowered his voice, "experiencing the pleasures of the world, or." he took on a worried tone. "Or April just got a new stash and decided to share."
Benny didn't get this for a second, then he realized. "They're junkies!?!" His eyes shot back nervously to the door.
"That doesn't make them bad people," Collins told him. "I just don't like it when they get into the big stuff. It makes me nervous that someday they're going to get stuck with a needle that isn't going to be a good one."
"I didn't realize that there were good needles."
"Well, I-I just meant-I wouldn't want." Collins stammered, then trailed off. "Forget it."
----------
Benny and Collins had been engaged in some friendly conversation about computers when Roger and April made their way back out of the room. They were obviously high.
They were clinging to each other and then all of a sudden, collapsed on the floor. They started laughing.
Benny stopped what he was saying mid-sentence and stared at the couple once more.
Collins sighed and looked over them. "What was it this time?"
"Oh, no worries." Roger waved his hand in front of his eyes in the general direction of Collins. "No needles, just some good old-fashioned powder."
Collins sighed again. "Get up."
"Fine. Pushy, pushy," April complained. She tried to push herself away from Roger, but found she didn't have the strength to, as he pulled her back towards him. She started laughing again.
Roger stopped her laughter by kissing her deeply.
Collins closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, shook his head, walked back towards Benny and sat down.
Benny guessed that this was life now.