The Janitor's Closet

2: The Weekend

Chapter Two:

SATURDAY

"You've got wicked timing, you know that?" her hand whops me across the forehead. Gritting my teeth, I try to resist damaging it severely by looking at the ceiling. That very hand is supposed to be going to the bank to retrieve a certain hundred dollar bill that it owes me. So, I really don't need to damage it anyway.

"Tell that to the bus that left early," I release a calming sigh and look at the woman. She frowns, running a hand through her messy hair, "Where's your car anyway?"

"It's been in the shop for a month now," I tell her, this would be the sixth time she forgot. Her monster-sized, green purse weighs down her shoulders and there's a yellow stain on her short- sleeved button up. Her jeans have a small hole on the right leg that reveals her ankle if it was a two centimeter dot. There's black bags under eyes.

"Oh. Well I'll go then," she says, rushing down the hallway. Ben wheels himself out of the front door, "Uncle Dan!!"

"Hey kid," I say, bending down to hug him. "Why are you in Macy's wheelchair?"

Ben quickly hugs me back before wheeling backwards, he's scowling at me, "Why do you assume I'm in her wheelchair? I might have had a bad fall down the stairs,"

"Your mother would've told me," I assure him, patting his head of thick black hair. He grins, looking at his mother at the end of the hallway. Her foot jiggles as she waits to the elevator doors to open.

"Does she even like you?" he asks, looking back at me.

"I'm her brother. She likes me when she hates me." I laugh, pushing him into their apartment and shutting the door behind me. Ben bounces in the seat, "Maybe you shouldn't do that kid."

He looks up thoughtfully and while he does, I cross my fingers. Don't ask me why, Ben. Don't get defensive. I grip the wheelchair as I push it and Ben farther into the apartment only to relax the hold when he stops bouncing and says "Yeah, you're probably right."

"So, what are we going to do today, kid?"

Ben jumps out of the chair and pulls me into the kitchen, "I was hoping you would make some of your cookies, so we can surprise Macy. She's been feeling really sad lately. And you know how much she loves your cookies."

"Let me get this straight kid," I say, pulling out the materials "I'm going to do all the work while you just sit there?"

Ben's lopsided tooth flashes at me in his grin, he says, "I thought up the plan! Doesn't that count for something?"

"That means nothing. That's like saying teachers get credit for teaching children, " I tell him, placing the sticks of butter and sugar on the counter before starting.

"Don't they?" Ben scratches his shiny, raven hair. I shake my head at him, "No the credit goes to the kids who allow themselves to learn."

Frowning, Ben leaves the room, his blue eyes misty with the fog of his thoughts.

I put my focus into making my cookies which make me the favorite boy of my family. So, you know how at the family reunion you didn't want to go to, you have all those family members who don't remember you? Well, at mines they remember my face, and the first thing they ask me is 'Did you bring some of those wonderful cookies of yours?', guess what the second question is. It's 'Hey, what's your name again? Isn't it Boobashika?'. My family.

After I have three different batters made, I start shaping out the cookies. Halfway through, Ben reenters the room, his eyes much clearer, and hovers near me and my workstation. Treading the doughy mix, I wait for a whole evolutionary era where humans evolve into dinosaurs before he speaks.