Love Is Overdue (31 page)

Ben leaned back on the chair he was
on, just watching the show in silence.

“
Wow – no kidding...” Sally
started in again. “You know, it was so long ago, I can’t even
remember…” Long pause again.

Ben sighed, watching Sally, starting
to look impatient.

“
Darling, it’s stress. And
you know why it’s so dangerous? Because it’s a silent killer – you
don’t ever realize the power of the human mind, Maria, it can
cripple you physically without you even…”

“
What the fuck?” Ben rolled
his eyes, muttering under his breath, but Sally just raised a
finger to him, silencing him.

“
Listen, darling, you just
put your feet up and stop worrying, okay? Sophie is sleeping
soundly, happy as a clam, I’ll gladly bring her home to you in
morning, you just get yourself some rest, awright? She’s safe and
sound here with her grandparents …What?” Slight pause. “Well, I
don’t know, sweetie, I think you’ll have to ask him that yourself…”
Her eyes focused over on me briefly. “From what I can tell, she
seems like a lovely girl, you have nothing to worry
about…”

Ben’s eyes went wide. “Are you fucking
kidding me?”

Sally raised her finger again,
shooting him some dagger eyes. “Awright Maria, just get some sleep,
okay? Okay, take care…you too.” Click.

Sally let her breath out. “Temper,
Benjamin.” She shot him another warning glance and passed him back
his phone. “Piece of cake.”

I turned to look at Ben, impressed.
“Wow. They could use you to negotiate peace treaties overseas, that
was amazing,” I complimented Sally then.

Sally laughed at that, but Ben just
pocketed his phone again, still looking a bit uneasy.

“
Now…” Sally stood up. “Can
I get you both a cup of tea?”

Ben was still silent, but I met
Sally’s eyes and smiled, leaning back into the wicker couch. “I
would love one,” I told her.

Ben raised his eyebrows at me as soon
as Sally stepped through the front door.

“
I like that lady,” I said
simply.

Ben narrowed his eyes at me. “That
don’t surprise me,” he teased me softly. “You sure you don’t wanna
bounce? It’s gettin’ late…”

I shrugged. “I’m okay…”

Ben sighed. “Cool…” And then he leaned
forward, pulling out his baggie of weed and preparing to roll
up.

My eyes went wide. “You doin’ that
here?” I was surprised.

He looked up. “Yeah, why?” he
wondered, not looking bothered.

“
Nothing, I guess…” I
watched him for a moment. “I got high with your brother today –
near the main stage, with Tasha.”

Ben looked up, eyeing me suspiciously.
“How’d that happen?”

I sighed. “Tasha,” I explained. “She
was scoping out the crowds for a free hit and she saw him
smoking.”

“
I see…” Ben pulled the
joint to his lips, licking the seal.

I took a chance. “He asked me to tell
you you should come to his wedding. He asked me to come
too.”

Ben looked up at me, narrowing his
eyes. Then he pulled out his lighter and lit up slowly,
purposefully…stalling. I waited.

“
What you tell him?” he
asked me then.

I thought. “Ummm…I don’t know anymore.
I was high.”

Ben paused a moment, debating my
answer silently. “Here,” he said then, passing me the
joint.

I shook my head. “It’s okay, I don’t
wanna smoke around your parents, I feel weird.”

Ben laughed softly. “Why?” He looked
amused. “They smoke too.”

“
Yeah, but…” I thought.
“It’ll just make me too shy, I’m too nervous already.”

Ben smiled, taking a deep pull off the
joint, his eyes penetrating me in that way that always gave me
goose bumps and made my heart race. When was I ever going to stop
hyperventilating around this man?

“
Why are you nervous?” he
asked slowly. Softly.

I stared back at him. “You,” I
admitted finally.

“
Me?”

“
Yes,” I paused. “I don’t
know, I just…I’m aware of every little thing when I’m around you –
kind of like I’m constantly high anyway, so…”

Ben sucked his teeth, his eyes still
barrelling through me. “I think you have a crush on me,
Gabriela.”

That made me laugh. “Oh, you’re just
determining that fact now, huh?”

He smiled. Slowly. Still watching me.
“No, but…I just thought the novelty would have worn off by now.” He
took a deep drag, holding and then exhaling, ever so slowly. Fuck,
he was sexy. “Apparently not,” he added then.

I felt myself flush.

“
Here we are…” Sally was
making her way back onto the porch with a couple mugs, some spoons
and some honey. “Gabriela, help yourself – Ben, let me grab you an
ashtray.”

“
Thanks Sally…” Ben called
after her as she dashed back inside.

I smiled. I sat forward and started to
pour some tea for the both of us. “Spoiled…” I teased him, under my
breath.

Sally reappeared with an ashtray for
Ben as I passed him his cup and leaned back on the couch again,
taking a small sip of my own. “Thanks Sally, this is lovely,” I
said then.

Ben picked up his mug. “So where’s
Pops?”

“
Out back,” Sally told him.
“In the garden. He wants to move the compost bin to the side of the
shed.”

“
Right now?” Ben gave her a
look.

“
You know your
father…”

Ben sighed. “Awright, I’m a go check
him. Here, kill this for me.” He handed Sally the roach and then
turned to me. “You good? I’ll be back.”

I smiled. “Yeah, of
course…”

Sally sighed, smiling to herself as
Ben stepped through the front door. “It’s nice to have Ben come
around…we don’t see him as much as we used to.”

I thought about that. Ben’s family
seemed amazing to me. I didn’t understand why he stayed away
myself.

“
Why is that?” I decided to
ask.

“
Well…” Sally looked to be
debating her answer. “Ben had a little falling out with his brother
a few years ago and – it’s just put a bit of a strain on the
family.”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, he told me
about it.”

Sally sighed, a little defeated look
on her face. “But what can I do, right? They’re grown men,
so…”

I nodded. “Families can be
complicated.” I thought about Laz. My mother... “I’m not close with
my brother either.”

Sally gave me a sympathetic smile. “Do
you have a big family?”

I kind of laughed, shaking my head.
“No…it’s basically just me and my mom… My brother lives in
Montreal. I have an aunt in the city too and a few
cousins.”

Sally sighed. “Distance always puts a
burden on a relationship.”

I nodded. “True. It’s not really that,
though. My…well…my mom is sick. She has MS and…well, I’m the one
that decided to stay and take care of her and my brother…he just
decided to escape instead.” I caught myself. “I’m sorry…” I shook
my head, smiling apologetically. “I think I’m just a little
stressed out.” I hated myself for always blurting out my problems
like an idiot. The last thing I needed was for Ben’s family to
think I was some pathetic depressed chick with some major chip on
her shoulder. “My brother’s coming for a visit – I think it’s just
stirring up some emotions.” I needed to shut up.

But Sally had a look of genuine
concern on her face. “How is your mother doing?”

I took a breath. “Well…I guess she’s
been better. She’s in the hospital now. She had a fall and…she
broke her hip.”

Sally’s eyes went wide. “Oh, I’m sorry
to hear that, Gabriela.”

We were both suddenly distracted by a
noise on the front walk. Then a familiar voice.
“Yow…w’happen…”

A smile spread across Sally’s face as
we both saw Ivan heading up the steps of the front porch. “Ivan!
What a coincidence…”

“
Hey, what’s up…” He
addressed her casually, but I could sense a hint of discomfort in
his voice when he saw me.

“
What you doing here so
late?” Sally wanted to know. “Come in, have a seat…”

Ivan sighed. “Just passin’ through…”
He sat down on the chair Ben had been sitting on. “Hey Gabriela,”
he addressed me finally.

“
Hi,” I answered
politely.

“
Ivan just lives over on
Adanac – few blocks down. You walking?” Sally asked him.

He nodded. “Just reach home from the
park…my knee been actin’ up again, thought I walk it off a bit…”
His hand reached down and massaged his left knee
absentmindedly.

“
Well…” Sally was on her
feet. “I’ll go get you a cup for some tea…”

“
Nah, it’s cool, Sally,”
Ivan tried to wave her off. “I’m a just rest up my injuries for a
minute – not staying.”

But Sally just rolled her eyes. “Don’t
be silly, Ivan. You just sit tight. Be right back.”

Ivan sucked his teeth as he turned and
watched her disappear back inside.

I smiled. “You have a very hospitable
step-mother.”

Ivan smiled slightly.

“
So what happened to your
knee?” I wondered.

“
Old soccer injury,” he
explained. “From like ten years back. Twisted it up real bad and it
never heal up right.”

I made a little face. “Ouch.” I
paused. “Hey thanks for the weed earlier – knocked me right
out.”

Ivan smiled. “You gotta go easy on
that shit if you ain’t used to it.” He had that same slow, deep
pull to his voice that Ben did.

“
That’s true,” I agreed.
“I’m not a hard-core pothead or anything. At least not anymore. I
used to steal it from my mom back in the day.” I smiled,
remembering Tony and I stealing from my mom’s stash to get high
when we were teenagers.

Ivan raised his eyebrows at me. Why
did they both do that? I wondered.

“
So your mama was a
pothead?”

I laughed. “No…well, I guess…medical
marijuana. To help with the pain.”

“
Ahhh…” He nodded slowly.
“So she had a prescription. For what?”

“
MS.”

“
Did it help?”

“
I think so. She said it
did. But the bureaucracy and hoops she had to jump through just to
get it was more trouble than it was worth, so eventually I just
hooked her up with a dealer. Much simpler. And I could take my cut
too.” I laughed.

Ivan looked amused. “Smart girl.” He
paused, watching me. “So I guess my brother’s here somewhere? Where
he at?”

I smiled. “Yes, I think he’s in the
back yard with your dad.”

He nodded slowly, then ran his hands
down both his thighs, sitting up. “I think I’m a bounce, Gabriela.
It’s been fun, as usual,” he added casually, just as Sally stepped
up behind him with his mug.

“
Sit. Drink.” She ordered
him back down.

Ivan complied reluctantly, taking the
tea from her.

“
You know, it’s funny…”
Sally started, sitting back down on the couch next to me. “I don’t
think I can remember the last time I had you two boys here together
at the same time. We should do this more often.”

She knows just what to say
, I thought to myself.

Ivan sighed, giving Sally a look. “You
preachin’ to the converted, you know that, right?

“
That doesn’t matter. One
person always needs to offer the olive branch…call the truce…so to
speak.”

Ivan sucked his teeth at that. “You
wastin’ ya time, Sally.” He took a long sip of the tea she had
poured him. “Tea’s nice though…heal me right up. Think I may go run
a couple miles tonight.”

Sally rolled her eyes at him. “Where’s
Angela?”

“
Home,” Ivan answered
simply.

We heard noises coming from inside the
house. I braced myself. And then Ben stepped back out onto the
porch. If he was at all surprised to see Ivan, he hid it
well.

“
Whassup, Ivan…” His tone
was casual, but dismissive as he stepped around him and dropped
down onto the couch next to me.

“
Not much – just crashin’
your party over here,” Ivan sighed.

There was an awkward silence that
followed. You could have sliced the air around us with a knife. I
clasped my mug tightly and held my breath.

Sally broke the silence. “So y’all
move the compost bin? Where’s your father?” she asked
Ben.

“
Yeah…he’s still out
back.”

Dead silence again.

“
Oh…Ivan…” Sally piped up
again, attempting to move the conversation along. “We booked the
flight. Your father and I.”

Ivan was still massaging his bad knee.
“I appreciate it…” His tone was uneasy.

I had a feeling they were talking
about the wedding.

“
So…” Ben’s voice cut
through the silence then. “You and Angie gettin’ married.” His eyes
were on his brother. I had guessed correctly…