as told by Benny
4 August
"Speak."
"Benny? Benny, are you there? Benny, damnit, pick up the phone. Shit, do you really think I'd be trying this hard to get a hold of you with out a reason? Crap, I've got to go. Call me you have our number."
"Speak."
"Benny, fine, just please listen. I'm only calling because Allison wants you to know. She...um...she got into a car accidnet...on Monday...it's pretty bad; she been in and out of consciencenous, but she keeps asking for you...Call me."
I hate the damn rain.
It's raining today and it rained the day Allison told me.
Three years, three months, and four days ago it rained.
In the beginning, I thought that what I had with Allison and the friendship I had with the guys were two seperate, and equally important factors in my life; the best of both worlds. But it started to become more about the money, more about pleasing my backers (a.ka. her father). Then I started blaming Allison for all the thing I thought I had lost. I blamed her for the lost of what I once had believed, I even blamed her when Roger started calling me 'the yuppie scum'. The woman I thought I had loved had evolved into my enemy, and how are you supposed to love your enemy?
So, I found my comfort in Mimi. The worst part of it now is realizing I never loved her like I should have. The only one who could ever have done that was Roger. For me, Mimi was my reconnection to the past I still wanted, even to the friends I left behind. Sure, they might hate me, yell at me, call me choice names, but at least there was some form of communication.
When Allison found out about Mimi, she was pissed, of course. Yet every time she bothered to yell at me it was more along the lines of "How could you waste our money on a hopeless junkie?" There was nothing about betraying her with another woman, maybe that should have been my first clue.
I met Clair on the day Allison and I finalized our divorce. Apparently the two of them had met on a business trip to Sydney, a trip I decided at the last minute not to go on (we were supposed to take a red eye on the October thirtieth and something had...came up, closer to home). I far as I could tell they've been together since.
I approach the information desk and am soon pointed to the ICU floor.
I don't know how Mark and Maureen can still get together; Allison and I haven't spoken a word to each other since the finalization. Then again, Mark and Maureen had alot more together than just a relationship.
The hospital is just too damn clean.
I see Clair standing next to the nurses' station, and I brace myself.
"Clair?"
"Benny. You came."
I shrug. Get in and get out, that's the plan.
"They're going to do another surgery tonight to see if they can repair any more of the internal damage. You can go in and see her now, I don't know if she's awake or not, but she can still hear you."
I nod, take the final steps to the room, open the door, breathe and walk in.
She barely resembles the Allison I knew, with all the bandages and machines. I sit down in the chair next to the bed, and lean forward towards her,
"Hey, Clair called me and I just want you to know I came."
"Hey."
I look up to see here mouth barely move, she barely speak as it is.
"Sorry."
She apologizes. Her hand twitches and instinctively I reach for it, hold it.
"Naw, you have nothing to be sorry for. Clair is probably better for you than I was."
"You...hap...py?"
"Yeah."
"Girl?"
"No."
She struggles for a breath.
"Guy?"
I smile, "No."
"The girl?"
She's refering to Mimi.
"No. She and Roger got back together. Noah, thier son, will be three soon."
"The...cam...era...boy...how...is...he?"
Mark was the only one she could ever really even tolerate.
"Mark's getting married and inheriting a five year old."
Before she can ask anymore questions, the nurse comes in, and as I get up to go I can feel her try to squeeze my hand.
"Love...you...still...you...know?"
I swallow hard.
"Yeah..You too, okay?"
I leave the room to find Clair waiting again.
"Call me if anything...happens, please?"
She nods. "You'll pick up this time?"
I nod and turn to leave.
"Benny?"
I turn around.
Clair sighs, "Thanks."
I spend the rest of the day next to the phone.
"Benny." It's Mark. "You okay?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You missed a meeting, don't worry, I filled in for you. Not that I had any clue what they we're talking about. And now you're pulling a Roger, you haven't left that spot since I got home."
"It's nothing...just thinking."
"Alright...Um, Ella, Kenna, and I are going to meet Roger and everyone at the Life, do you want anything?"
"Naw."
Mark looks at me one last time, before shrugging and leaving. He knows something is wrong, that's Mark, knows when something is not how is should be...when someone is lying."
7:23 P.M.
The phone rings.
"Hello?"
Clair's voice came in sobs, "...Benny...Allison...the surgery...she didn't make it through..."
I hate the damn rain.
Author's Notes:
Just so you know the call to Benny at the end of the Machine Interlude B came on theMonday the car accidenthappened. There is just been alot to put in between points A and B.
So this is the poor-Benny chapter that was suppossed to happen about five or so chapters earlier, but it fits better here. I couldn't just mention it in the prologue and keep mum on the whole thing, so what better time?
Okay, responses...
BwayDiva: Civil, yes...(vague sounds of evil kackling come out of a very old radio; lightning flashes omniously at the exact moment the radio dies)...well, if all works out as planned, but that so rarely happens
Lils: Next chapter and the wedding, promise.. Different is good...I think.
godessofwisdom: thanks so much.
carsonheir: I'm going to assume you meant Cade forgave too fast...And no I don't think she has completly forgiven him...her way of handling situations is very much like a Roger/Maureen outburst with a Collins sense of logic to it...if that makes any sense...I had to keep in mind that Cade and Mark had known each other, even if it was a short period of time...any how, I hold your opinion in the highest respect, as I try (deep emphasis on the word try) to with every opinion...There is probably some hostility it's just not blantant.
L.M.Ward: Really? Oh, well, I guess we can cross of sublte and cunning on my list of character traits...as to Cade, that's just her way of handling thing (see above note to carsonheir)...Trust me we'll most likely see more of her out bursts...if they work
rentjunkie6688: Glad to know it!
Up Next:
They clean out the back room
the wedding
and I am hoping to explore more facets to the story as we go; just as long as it doesn't get ridiculouly long, it wouldn't be fair to you guys to expect you to read 1,034 chapters going 'when the hell is this torture going to end?...just shut up and tell me the end'
Any how...facets such as:
the Mark-Maureen-Cade relationship, especially Mark and Cade
Definitely Mark and Ella
Mo-Jo-twins family dynamic
Roger and Noah
Benny and himself (not as egotistical on Benny's part as it sounds; as I mention on my profile page, how could a guy who uses the term 'poo-poo' be all that bad?)
Etc. Etc.
And of course how the baby fits into the whole loft life dynamic
and the RENT (Movie) cast is going to be on the TODAY show as part of the Toyota summer concert series on Thursday! Yay!
until next time, this is me...signing out