I own nothing the chararcters are owned by Brenda Hampton & the writers & producers of ABCFAMILY CHANNEL.
HEADACHES & HEARTACHES
JUNE 5, 2011 BOYKEWICH ESTATES 8:30 pm
Ben, lay in bed in his room trying to rest from the headache that pounded into his skull, after his argument with Ricky. For the past few weeks his headache had been coming and going it started right after his daughter died and continued to worsen as time went on. Ben thought the headache would get better as he began to come to grips with what happened to Mercy, but as his life began to unravel it just got worse. Now after this argument it seemed to be beating against his brain with mallet and just made it worse. It was then that he heard a knock on his door and turned his head slightly to see his father standing in the doorway.
"Hi son are you awake." Leo asked as he stood in front of Ben and turned on the light to his room. "Yeah, dad I'm awake." Ben said as he slowly sat up and allowed his eyes to become adjusted to the light. "I just came to talk to you, and ask how your day at work was?" Leo asked looking at Ben with a somewhat worried expression. "It was okay, I guess. " Ben said as he looked at Leo, then realized that there was something else on his fathers mind as he saw the troubled expresion on his face.
"But that isn't what you came in here to ask me is it?" Ben said he met his father eye to eye. "No it isn't." Leo said with a sigh. "In fact I came to talk to you about some bad news, and I don't know how you're going to take it." "Well just tell me, then Dad. It can't be much worse than anything else that has been happening in my life." "Trust me son, this is almost as bad, because it affects both our lives, and the lives of all my employees , and the future of Boykewich Ind. as well." Leo said looking regretful and ashamed.
"WHAT!" Ben said with a frantic expression surprised at the comment his father had just given him. "Dad what's going on is something wrong with you or the company." "No, not me at least not health wise, save for my mental health." Leo said with a chuckle. "Its' Betty, she met some hotshot fancy lawyer and he's convinced her to contest the divorce, and the pre-nup we have, on grounds of adultery." "Huh, why would she do something like that, Dad." "I thought you, and Betty had decided to part on good terms and she was okay with the settlement she would get in the divorce?" Ben asked as he looked at the sad face of his father.
"I thought the same thing but this attorney has convinced her that she should sue me for adultery, because he has a few snapshots of me with Camille." "He's claiming that I was having an affair with Camille, before we separated and this nullifies the agreement we made in the pre-nup." "But Dad you and Camille haven't been you know… intimate with one another have you." Ben asked with a slight tone of both worry and disgust of his father having sex.
"Well, after Betty and I separated a month ago and you encouraged me to go for it, after knowing each other for so long, Camille and I decided that we shouldn't put off our feelings any longer." Leo said feeling a bit uneasy about having a conversation like this with his son. "Dad I said that you should start a relationship, not start having an intimate relationship, you're not even divorced yet." He said with disgust. "But then again neither is Adrian, so I guess that is the way marriage and relationships work these days." Ben said a little irritated at how both he and Betty were getting divorced for the exact same reason.
"Ben, I didn't start out to hurt Betty, I just never really understood my feelings for Camille" Leo said with a little guilt in his voice. "Dad,trust me I know what you mean, but I also understand what Betty is feeling too." "She loved you, she really does, and she was understanding at first because she felt like that mom was the reason you weren't happy," Ben said looking at his father. "How do you know about that?" Leo asked staring at his son and remembering his altercations with Betty when she caught him staring at Sarah's picture. "She told me about it, Dad. She was my stepmother and my friend."
"She was also the only person who stood by both me and Adrian when we decided to get married, and she was also the one who let me see how stupid I was for not remembering why I really got married in the first place." Ben said with a bit of sorrow in his voice. "I never realized that you, and Betty had a relationship like that," Leo responded. "Well, when you give someone a $50,000.00 engagement ring, you kind of have to develop a close relationship with them," Ben replied.
"The RING!", Ben yelled out as he remembered it. "Betty doesn't want the ring back does she because I promised that to Adrian and I am not going to try and take it from her. I promised Betty that I would pay her for it and I will, but I'm not going to ask for it back, not after all this." Ben said in worried and frantic tone. "I don't know son, but from what I gather the person controlling and intimidating this entire thing is her shyster lawyer, he's responsible for taking apart a lot of marriages and pre-nups just to line his own pockets." Leo replied. "If that's the case, and this guy is a slime how did Betty get entangled with a creep like that," Ben asked. Well apparently Ben, she was on layover during a flight to Idaho and met him at the airport." He had probably heard about her divorce from me, and knowing who I was decided to manipulate Betty into contesting the divorce to get a whack at me, and the company" Leo said a little depressed.
"Dad, I'm sorry and I hope things between you and Betty don't end like this." "I don't know son, maybe I deserve this," he said with guilt. "I rushed my relationship with Betty not thinking and fell in love. She did the same thing, and neither of us knew just what we were getting into just like you and Adrian. "But unlike you and Adrian we didn't have a child together forcing it, and neither of us were young and naïve." Leo said looking at his son and realizing that both marriages his an Ben's suffered from the same problem."
"But why are you in bed so early son its' not even nine o'clock yet," he asked? "I just had a headache from the day I've had, Ben said with frustration." "Anything I need to worry about, I thought you said work was okay, Leo responded." "Work was great, it was school and after work that was the problem, Ben replied."
"Okay so what happened at school did you get into a fight with Adrian or Henry, Leo asked." No, I settled everythng with Adrian and after the divorce she and I will go our separate ways, and try to remain friends, for the most part at least. "As for Henry, well he and I have just run our course, I guess." Ben said. "Ben you and Henry have been friends for almost ten years now son, are you really willing to let it all go away for one mistake, he asked." "Dad it wasn't just one mistake, it was Henry sleeping with my soon to be ex-wife, after he made me promise not to do the same with Alice." After everything I have done for him, and after all we have been through together, I didn't throw our friendship away, that was his decision."
"It was his decision to sleep with Adrian by using the secret I had told him about her." "Just like it was his decision to break up with Alice just so he could sleep with girls like Adrian in abundance." Ben said angrily. Henry thought that he could sleep with Adrian and I would blame Adrian like everyone else does." " But, I knew Adrian would do something like that, and I expected Henry to know better. " "So Dad, I didn't throw our friendship away for one little mistake he did." Ben said with anger and hurt in his voice.
"Well, I guess it is your decision and you do have a point, Leo said after remembering how Reuben told him of Adrian's confession for her true feelings for Ben. "But what else are you not telling me? Leo aksed. "Well, I decided that besides Henry, that I should stop being friends with Ricky and Amy? " Ben said with a little hesitancy.
"Are you sure son you, Amy, Ricky, and Adrian have been through a lot together as well, Leo said. "I know Dad, but we both know that not all of it was good either, in fact hardly any of it was good, at least not good for me and Adrian anyways." "Ben, are you sure that you're not going to be friends with them out of jealousy, or anger about what they have, and you and Adrian don't?" Leo asked. "Dad, I'm not going to lie that is one of the reason's why, but it is not the only reason." He said looking at his father with regret.
"Dad, I need to move on with my life and the only way to do that is to leave everything that holds me back in the past, and one of those things are my feelings for Amy." "If I had stopped feeling guilty for hurting her maybe I could have thought about taking things slow with Adrian, or at least have been able to be the husband that she needed.
Instead I felt that our daughter died because, I never let myself love her mother or her because I felt that I didn't deserve to be happy for something that hurt Amy and Ricky. " "But, after everything that happened Amy and Ricky's first time together, Amy's pregnancy, her relationship with me, and his relationship with Adrian, and all the drama that went on between us. I just feel as if Adrian and I kept getting the short end of the stick," he said. "Ricky never really felt guilty for any of the times that he cheated on Adrian, or how he admittedly wanted to be with Amy when she and I were together. She didn't feel bad after telling me that she kissed Ricky.
"Ricky gave me grief for months when he found out Adrian and I were together. Then he gave me even more grief when he found out about us getting married, but I at least gave him a heads up that I was proposing." "After everything I thought the least he could do was let me know what he was going to do so I could at least prepare for it, or at least do it in an intimate fashion between he and Amy." "But just like Amy he wanted everyone to know and make himself the dashing hero, who saves the princess, giving her the happy ending." "I don't need that or anymore of the drama they create in my life Dad." "I promised Adrian that I would always be her friend and that I would always be there for her. I owe it to her and to our daughter. Even though Mercy died she will always connect me and Adrian for the rest of our lives."
But, what about your feelings for Amy son, don't you love her. Leo asked. "I used to Dad, but not anymore, and even though I did love her, I'm not sure if she ever really loved me, he said looking at his father with sadness. "I mean when Amy and I first broke up, I didn't really want to but she didn't want to talk, she just wanted me to break up with her in front of everyone just so I would be the bad guy."
"She always said she loved me, but everytime we had a fight or disagreement I would always see her run to Ricky for support." Amy and I never really had a connection to one another, whether it is wrong or right Adrian and I do. "She and I will alwaysin some way had a connection to one another. "Whether it was helping her deal with her feelings for all of Ricky's transgressions, or my nerves for dealing with all of the trouble that Amy and I were having.
" Now we will always have a connection because of Mercy." Not because she was the person who took my virginity, or because she was also my first REAL WIFE", Ben said remembering the day he saw Adrian in her wedding dress not even Amy he thought compared to how beautigul Adrian looked that day." "But because she was the first girl to ever truly love me back, I was just to stubborn to realize it." Ben said sadly. "Well son it's your decision so I'm going to let you decide," Leo said as he turned to leave. I just hope you know what you're doing. " "Dad, I think we both know by now that I never know what I am doing." Ben then turned out the light laid down, one again, although his headache still pounded the conversation he had just had with his father allowed him to sleep a little peacefully.
JUNE 6, 2011 8:54 AM GRANT HIGH SCHOOL
Ben, opened his locker and placed his English book into it at the same time he grabbed his water bottle and swallowed an asprin, his headache still bothered him after his first class. As he turned to place his book in his sack he was surprised to see Amy standing in front of him. "Ben, I know that you don't want to talk to me or anything, but I really need to talk to you, Amy said with a sad tone." "Ben, I know that I deserved what you said yesterday, especially after how I offended your daughter, but I want to apologize and find out if there is a way for us to be friends." "I mean after all of us have been through I don't think we should just walk away from one another with hate or something " she said apologetically.
Amy there is no way for us to be friends after all that has happened. Honestly I don't think we should have even tried to be friends after everything that happened because its impossible. I'm your ex-boyfriend Amy, and Adrian is Ricky's ex-girlfriend, have you ever seen anyone else trying to stay friends with their ex after a breakup. Its because you can't, there is no way for me, or either of us to continue the rest of our lives with the other person in it."
Amy I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm saying it because it's the truth, Ben said staring at her with a look of concern." "I need to move on with my life Amy and I cant' do that with you in it." "I have said this before and now I have to say it again." "I'm not Johns' father Amy, Ricky is." "Ricky and you are connected for the rest of your lives because of John, just like I am connected to Adrian for the rest of my life to Adrian because of Mercy."
"I owe it to Adrian to be there for her when she needs me, I don't owe that to you, Amy, he said rubbing his forehead." "But Ben I just don't want to lose you, and think that you hate me, she said. "Amy Ben said placing his hand on her shoulder. I wish nothing but the best for you, your son, and Ricky. I hope you two are very happy together and I congratulate you on your engagement. " And I want you to know that I don't hate you I could never hate you Amy, I just don't love you anymore, he said with a look of concern.
And I think I have needed to stop loving you for a while. This way Amy I can move on with the rest of my life and you can move on with yours. Goodbye Amy and I really do wish you and your family nothing but the best. I'll see you around Amy." He then turned closed his locker and realized that after five months his headache had subsided .
As Amy watched Ben walk away tears began to fall from her eyes. She didn't realize it until a tear hit her hand. It was then that she realised that all those months she and Ben were together she didn't just use him, or just needed him she actually loved him. Now her heart was breaking because he no longer loved her. But, worst of all she felt broken because she now did not know if her feelings for Ricky were as pure as she thought they were.
