SECRET LIFE SECRETS REVEALED

My Friend, My Enemy Myself

October 12, 2024|
3:45 PM
Office of Doctor Kenneth Fields

Ricky Underwood sits on the couch hugging to a pillow feeling embarrassed. He hadn't done this in nearly ten years, but now he felt he should. He felt bad about Ben leaving everything behind so long ago, but he had to admit he liked the fact he was gone. With Ben gone he was free to have all he had ever imagined in a relationship with Leo. Leo had once thought of him like a son, and with Ben no where around Leo focused his attention on he and his family.

He knew it was wrong, but he liked it. He felt that it wasn't his fault Ben left, it wasn't his fault Ben couldn't man up and accept defeat. He believed that Ben deserved it for ever thinking he could beat him. Amy and Adrian were his, and Ben was a fool to ever believe that they could ever want him, over he and Omar. But, he also felt bad because Ben was probably the best friend he had ever had, Omar and Jack were okay, but Ben and Ashley were the ones who knew him best. Unlike everyone else in his life including his parent's Amy, Adrian, and even Leo Ben and Ashley truly knew him, and neither pulled punches when it came to being honest with him.

He thought he could have the same friendship he had with Ashley when she returned, but to Ashley he had made a fool of her, and she refused to forgive him for that. He felt bad, but deep down he knew he deserved it. It only took a year before Ben leaving when all hell for Leo started, and for his own marriage. Leo in such a short time began to put on weight, and drinking heavily. Worst of all the man who seemed to have the perfect hair even better than his own began to thin, and gray. He and Amy began to argue heavily, because she started to miss her friends in New York, and his apartment was so small. Leo helped settle the situation by giving them the condo Adrian, and Omar shared.

For a while it was good the condo was big and had room for them and John, but at the same time Amy felt bad. She felt that it was wrong to live in a home that Ben and Adrian once shared. He had no problem, he felt the same way when he moved into the Butcher shop apartment, he felt if Leo didn't mind why should he care about Ben. Not to mention Ben and Adrian weren't even together that long, and Omar told him that if Ben didn't say anything when he lived there so why should he care if he and Amy lived there when he wasn't even around. But that fight was solved when, the people who were renting Anne and George's home had to move. With that George rented his home to them at an affordable price, and Adrian and Omar moved back to California when his project was completed, and he got a job at his former college.

But, trouble preceded when Chloe returned from college. It was no secret she never liked any of them. She made it clear that she blamed all of them for Ben leaving, and the deterioration of her father's health. To make matter's worse he found out from Bunny at her retirement party, that Leo had been shunned by his family for Ben leaving. He felt bad, but there was nothing he could do to help. He tried to contact Leo's brother's when he got his promotion after he graduated from college, but Nathan and Phillip were not like Leo. Leo was open, honest, kind, friendly, and polite to everyone. Nathan was similar, but unlike Leo he was not as open. It was apparent that he sided with Ben in most situations, and he was not as forgiving as his brother. To him if he was truly a good man than he believed that he should have been more responsible from the beginning, and to him all Ricky did was make excuses for his behavior. Ricky couldn't deny Nathan was right, and he knew nothing he did, or said would convince him other wise.

As for Phillip the only thing about him that was similar to Leo was his openness, and he openly told him he didn't like him, Amy, his family or anyone associated with him. To him Leo was a fool, and a horrible father for ever allowing his son to be friends with any of them. He saw he Amy, Adrian, Henry, and Alice as nothing more than gold digger. When Ricky tried to defend them, he was forced to see how easily to anyone who didn't know all that transpired they were. Unfortunately it also made him realize he and everyone else really did wrong Ben in some way or other. But now Ben was back, and having only been back for one day he had already managed to revitalize Leo, and save him from losing his company. However things were bad for him because now Ben was in a perfect place to take vengeance on all of them. From how he looked at him the day before he wondered would he?