***Disclaimer: I don't own The Mummy or any of its characters. They belong
to Stephen Sommers and Universal Pictures and some others, I suppose. I do,
however, own the character of Jadviga Szabó and parts of the plot.***
(Author's note: Thanks to all the reviewers! I'm sorry for the bad language
in the last chapter. I've changed it now!)
*********************
O'Connell didn't talk much that day. He just sat there, cleaning his guns, and I thought it was better to leave him alone. I was really worried about Beni. He didn't show up at lunch and nobody knew where he had gone. I was quite sure that I knew where he was, though. So I went to his old, still unoccupied tent to comfort him a bit. And sure enough, he was there.
"Beni?"
"What do you want?"
"Are you OK?
"That's none of your business! You don't wanna know, anyway." Beni sounded like he was going to burst into tears. "O'Connell is right! Nobody cares about me! Nobody ever did, and nobody ever will!"
I sat down next to him.
"Why is the tent still empty? Didn't you say, they needed it for some new recruits?"
"I made that up, OK? I thought, I could make friends with O'Connell, so I moved to his tent. He was always so friendly, I thought he liked me. . ."
"Maybe he does, in a way. But you clung to him like a leech and he didn't like that."
"Yeah, I know! I always mess things up!" He wiped his eyes. I took his hand and squeezed it a bit. He lifted his head and looked at me. Now I could see, that he had actually been crying. His eyes were swollen and his face looked wet with tears. But suddenly he gave a light smile.
"There was a time when I had friends, though. When I was a child and lived in Budapest, I mean. But when I grew up, the other boys didn't accept me anymore, for I wasn't as tall and strong as they were. And suddenly I was all alone. Oh God, I sound so pathetic. Like an old man telling people about his miserable life!"
"By the way, how old are you?"
"23."
"You're about my age, then. Much to young to say that your life's all over!"
"Yes, I know. It's just that I'd love to have some friends."
"I know what you mean. I never had many friends, either."
We just sat there for a while, saying nothing.
" "You'll find some friends, Beni, don't worry." . . .Oh mom, you were wrong." Beni mumbled.
"That's exactly what my mother said, the day. . ." I hesitated. Should I really share my memories with this guy? ". . .The day, my best friend left our neighborhood. I was still a small child, then. My friend was called Benjamin and we spent much time together. But then he moved to another place and I never saw him again."
Beni didn't say anything. He just stared at me. Then he said:
"You. . . Your friend was called . . . Benjamin?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"What was his. . . last name?"
"I don't know. It was a long time ago. . . "
"What did he look like?"
"He had dark hair and blue eyes, that's all I remember. ~ . . .No, wait a minute! I think his last name was Gabor."
"So his name was Benjamin Gazsi Gabor"
"Yes."
"And you are Jadviga Szabó ?"
"Yes, how do you know that?"
He got his purse out of his pocket, opened it and showed an ID card to me. "Here, look at that."
The card said:
NAME: GABOR, BENJAMIN GAZSI
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/15/1899
CURRENT PLACE OF RESIDENCE: BUDAPEST/ HUNGARY
. . .
"Say that you've stolen it from someone!"
"I can't. It would be a lie."
I looked at him. So that's what became of my little friend Benjamin, I had missed for so long. He had turned into a filthy thief, with an annoyingly nasal voice, lying to everybody without any twinges of remorse. But still I couldn't help flinging my arms around his neck. . .
*********************
O'Connell didn't talk much that day. He just sat there, cleaning his guns, and I thought it was better to leave him alone. I was really worried about Beni. He didn't show up at lunch and nobody knew where he had gone. I was quite sure that I knew where he was, though. So I went to his old, still unoccupied tent to comfort him a bit. And sure enough, he was there.
"Beni?"
"What do you want?"
"Are you OK?
"That's none of your business! You don't wanna know, anyway." Beni sounded like he was going to burst into tears. "O'Connell is right! Nobody cares about me! Nobody ever did, and nobody ever will!"
I sat down next to him.
"Why is the tent still empty? Didn't you say, they needed it for some new recruits?"
"I made that up, OK? I thought, I could make friends with O'Connell, so I moved to his tent. He was always so friendly, I thought he liked me. . ."
"Maybe he does, in a way. But you clung to him like a leech and he didn't like that."
"Yeah, I know! I always mess things up!" He wiped his eyes. I took his hand and squeezed it a bit. He lifted his head and looked at me. Now I could see, that he had actually been crying. His eyes were swollen and his face looked wet with tears. But suddenly he gave a light smile.
"There was a time when I had friends, though. When I was a child and lived in Budapest, I mean. But when I grew up, the other boys didn't accept me anymore, for I wasn't as tall and strong as they were. And suddenly I was all alone. Oh God, I sound so pathetic. Like an old man telling people about his miserable life!"
"By the way, how old are you?"
"23."
"You're about my age, then. Much to young to say that your life's all over!"
"Yes, I know. It's just that I'd love to have some friends."
"I know what you mean. I never had many friends, either."
We just sat there for a while, saying nothing.
" "You'll find some friends, Beni, don't worry." . . .Oh mom, you were wrong." Beni mumbled.
"That's exactly what my mother said, the day. . ." I hesitated. Should I really share my memories with this guy? ". . .The day, my best friend left our neighborhood. I was still a small child, then. My friend was called Benjamin and we spent much time together. But then he moved to another place and I never saw him again."
Beni didn't say anything. He just stared at me. Then he said:
"You. . . Your friend was called . . . Benjamin?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"What was his. . . last name?"
"I don't know. It was a long time ago. . . "
"What did he look like?"
"He had dark hair and blue eyes, that's all I remember. ~ . . .No, wait a minute! I think his last name was Gabor."
"So his name was Benjamin Gazsi Gabor"
"Yes."
"And you are Jadviga Szabó ?"
"Yes, how do you know that?"
He got his purse out of his pocket, opened it and showed an ID card to me. "Here, look at that."
The card said:
NAME: GABOR, BENJAMIN GAZSI
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/15/1899
CURRENT PLACE OF RESIDENCE: BUDAPEST/ HUNGARY
. . .
"Say that you've stolen it from someone!"
"I can't. It would be a lie."
I looked at him. So that's what became of my little friend Benjamin, I had missed for so long. He had turned into a filthy thief, with an annoyingly nasal voice, lying to everybody without any twinges of remorse. But still I couldn't help flinging my arms around his neck. . .