Chapter 28: Ben is Unoriginal
“I can’t find my necklace!” Sally shouted,, her voice muffled by the fact that her mouth was directing it under her bed.
“Which one?” Cody asked, already moving to her dresser to help her search.
Sally waved a vague hand. “You know… the one I like.”
Cody nodded. “Yes, as opposed to all these other necklaces here that you hate with a vile passion.” He sighed. “What colour’s your top?”
“Red,” said the wiggling pair of blue jeans he assumed was attached to his sister.
“And the impression you’re going for with this Louis is…?”
The upraised hand continue to gesticulate wildly. “Sweet and spicy like orange chicken.”
“Your similes worry me,” Cody said, perusing his sister’s collection of necklaces. Bracelets she ignored for the most part, rings were only those given as presents and the two she consistently wore, but when it came to necklaces, Sally was a complete packrat. She had at least thirty, which was silly since she had one she wore all the time and only changed when she had a first date with someone. Holding up a stone pendant with a dragon engraved into it on a cord, Cody said, “This one?”
Sally leapt up. “That’s it!” She kissed her brother’s cheek. “You’re a god.”
“I aim to please.” Cody smirked.
“I aim to misbehave,” Sally countered.
A knock at the door interrupted them. Sally smoother down her blouse and did a twirl. “I look…?”
“Fantastic,” Cody said. “But if we’re both in here that means the only person available to answer the door is-”
Sally flew out of the room, but it was too late.
Ben had his arm around Louis and they were facing the opposite direction. Sneaking forward, Sally could hear her father’s words to the young man.
“Sally’s very special to everyone in this town,” Ben was saying. “Sally is very special to her brother and me. She is my only little girl. She’s my world. Now she’s not a little girl anymore, so I can’t threaten to chop off your hands if you touch her. But if you decide to take things farther than she wants to go, you remember this: I got no problem going back to prison. My friends are all still there and my enemies got pardoned.”
Sally didn’t bother to suppress a sigh, “Dad, stop terrorising Louis. And if you are going to scare my date, at least don’t steal from Bill Engvall without proper citation, buddy. You’re a Scotsman who was raised in Illnois for Collins’ sake.”
Cody was watching the farce from the opposite wall. “I had to talk him down from bloody apron and meat cleaver.”
Sally clapped a hand to her forehead. “Dad! That’s Castle! Enough with the plagiarism.”
“You’ve been out on too many dates, lass,” Ben defended himself. “I was running out of original material.”
Louis broke the tension by chuckling. “I think I like your family, Sally.”
Yeah well,” the girl blushed, “my Dad lives by the rule ‘If you’re not embarrassing your kids, you’re not enjoying yourself enough’.”
Ben nodded solemnly.
“I remember my first date,” Cody added. “He told the guy that he knew at least fifty ways to make him bleed out slowly for days. My date brought me home before ten!”
Louis raised an eyebrow.
Sally sent an immediate eye-sentence to her brother along the lines of ‘no one mentioned the gay thing, so I think we’re going to get a startled answer’.
Cody nodded to acknowledge her message.
“Fifty? I can only manage about thirty seven, sir,” he addressed Ben. “You’ll have to fill me in later so I’ll know what to do if anyone ever tries to hurt Sally.”
The Madisons all exchanged brief, approving glances about Louis’ response. Witty and obviously at ease with the gay thing: full marks.
“I will,” Ben promised with a genuine smile, “but I can only teach you forty nine. I must save the last-”
“-in case you have to use it on me,” Louis smiled. “Wouldn’t expect anything less, sir.” He turned to his date for the evening. “Sally, you already look absolutely spectacular, so can I muster a guess you’re ready to go?”
The girl beamed and grabbed her purse. “You bet.”
As the two made their way out the down and down the front porch, Cody turned to Ben. “I think we just met Sally’s future husband.”
Ben nodded. “Gentry’s going to have to go big or go home.”
Cody rolled his eyes. “Dad, stop, just… stop.”