***
He wonders when they'll wise up.
It's not like it's completely hidden -- they're always fighting or giving each other weird looks. He has a notebook full of all the instances where his mother and Mr. Monk have had an argument, or when they just started staring at each other. He even writes down some of the funny stories she tells him about work, and times how much time she spends laughing afterwards.
He's very perceptive, for a kid.
Of course, all of this stuff is hidden at the back of his math notebook, so that his mom will never look at it. She helps him with science and English, and his friend Jake helps with the math. Jake doesn't really care about Benjy's top secret notes, but only because he doesn't know what goes on every day at Benjy's house.
Whenever Mr. Monk comes over, Benjy gets out his math book and starts writing as fast as he can. 5:18pm -- Mr. Monk stares at mom. 5:30pm -- Mom stares back at Mr. Monk. 5:43pm -- Mom says "God, you drive me crazy, Adrian!"
He sits in the armchair, or at the table, or on the floor and writes everything about them that they don't notice.
"Hey, Benjy, whatcha doin'?" his mom asks as she walks in from the kitchen. She went in to get a bottle of water for Mr. Monk, which her son writes down happily.
"Oh, writing a letter to Grandma," he replies. She says that he must really have a lot to say -- it's his fourth letter in a week.
He does have a lot to say. Every once in a while, he'll put a comment next to a particular event or conversation. Things like Staring contest. Mom wins. or Mr. Monk does 75% of the looking...
The thing he writes the most, though, is I can't believe they don't notice!. People, he figures, must get less intelligent as time goes on if he's twelve and he notices that his mom and Mr. Monk are basically in love. They just sit there, staring and arguing about stuff like pens.
He really doesn't want to grow up, when he thinks about it from that perspective.