Charade

Vic

The atmosphere was so thick one could cut it with a knife.

We all huddled around Officer Wickham's desk, lined up in chairs, waiting for her to arrive. The silence was impenetrable, heavy and alive, so there wasn't much else to do but study the dynamics of this dysfunctional family. After all, I was curious to know more about where this boy had come from.

Benjamin sat beside me, arms crossed, putting as much distance between him and his folks as he could. He couldn't quite meet anyone's eye, not even mine, which I found both saddening and intriguing. David, Benjamin's father, sat on the other side of me, stern and silent, with a look of repressed fury burning in his eyes. Maria, Benjamin's mother, wept loudly and constantly, but surprisingly didn't say a word. No attempt at conversation, and no attempt from David to try to comfort his wife. All this distance and anger and sadness mashed together like this was enough to drive anyone away.

The door opened and Officer Wickham walked in with a plastic smile. She could sense the tension as easily as I could, but she wasn't as good at hiding as I was.

"Hello, everybody. Thanks for joining me. Now I'd just like to discuss Benjamin's situation with all of you here together."

"Why is he here?" David asked, nodding his head my way.

"Mr Langley is here because Benjamin has been living with him for the last couple months." Wickham said, voice calm and collected.

David shuffled back in his chair, furious, but he shut his mouth.

"Now," Wickham said, sitting down in her chair. "It's been decided that we won't hold Benjamin here while awaiting the trial. Instead he will be under house arrest, or home detention, until a proper punishment can be given to him at the trial. Benjamin, this means you will have strict rules about when you can go out and when you have to stay home."

"So I can still go to work?" He asked, meeting her eye.

"Yes," she said. "But only for work. You will have to wear an ankle tracker so we can check up on where you are and that you're home when you're supposed to be."

Benjamin nodded.

"Well that's not so bad," he said.

"So does that mean he's coming home with us?" David asked.

"Well, due to Benjamin's unique situation, it's up to him."

"I'm not going home," he said automatically.

A wail escaped Maria and she blew her nose into her handkerchief.

"What do you mean he gets to choose? He's still a minor!" David roared.

"Please, Mr Forrester, calm down. Benjamin hasn't lived at home for two years. He's over sixteen and is living with a responsible adult. He has a job here. In the eyes of the law, he's old enough to make his own decisions."

"But that's not good enough!" David yelled, leaping out of his chair.

I sprung up out of my chair, ready to handle this situation before it spun out of control. I faced him as he stared down Officer Wickham, who remained seated in her chair. Looking at him now, I didn't put it past him to hit her.

"Mr Forrester, please, sit down."

"He has to come home! What proof do you have that my son is living with this stranger? He could be a serial killer for all you know!"

"I'm not going home!" Benjamin shouted, jumping out of his chair.

I put my arm out, both protecting him and stopping him from jumping into a fight he couldn't win.

"Sit down, Benjamin." I said.

"No, I – "

I turned to face him.

"I know you're angry, okay?" I said, hands on his shoulders, eyes level with his. "But let me handle with this. You won't have to go with them. I'll make sure of it."

Benjamin, so full of rage and open wounds, glared over my shoulder at his father.

"Hey," I said, catching his eye. "You won't have to go with them."

Benjamin looked at me then. He looked like a little boy, frail and injured, and I'd never seen so much of his soul. These people, whatever they'd done, had hurt him worse than I ever had. The pain was still in his eyes, even after all this time.

I turned to the face his parents. Maria was still crying in her chair, handkerchief soaked through with tears, snot and mucus, while David's face kept growing redder and redder. He was about to fall off the edge, fall into his rage, and I knew I had to contain it quickly if I wanted this to end without a fight.

"He's coming home with us," David said, glaring at me like a wolf.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your son has made his decision. You're more than welcome to visit any time you like."

"No they're not," Benjamin snapped.

Not helping, I thought with a slight roll of my eyes.

"You shut up. Listen to your father!" He yelled.

"Mr Forrester, please – "

"Vic's more of a father to me than you ever were!" Benjamin yelled.

"Benji," I said, putting an arm across his torso to hold him back. "Remember what I said."

Benjamin stood still for a moment, anger bubbling, but then stepped back.

"Mr Forrester," Officer Wickham chimed in, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

David's eyes flashed to the woman, but then quickly met Benjamin's.

"Look what you're doing to your mother," he said, pointing to his weeping wife.

"Don't try to make me feel guilty," he hissed, "because I won't."

David's jaw clenched and he took a step forward. Automatically, I stepped up to face him, putting my body between him and Benjamin.

"So what, now I can't talk to my own son?"

"You can talk to him when you calm down."

Officer Wickham got to her feet and stepped around her desk.

"Mr Forrester," she said again, tone nastier, "I said you're going to have to leave."

"I'm not leaving without my son!" He yelled.

"Yes," I said. "You are."

That was it.

David lunged at me, fist aimed for my mouth. I dodged it easily, grabbing his elbow and twisting it to an unnatural angle. I held him down so his head was at my stomach and got three quick knees in the side and an upper cut to the jaw, every move too fast and flawless to see. Officer Wickham yelled for someone to remove the man and two large policeman entered. They grabbed him by the elbows and hauled him to his feet. He let out a deafening scream.

"Watch that left arm; it's broken. A few bruised ribs and a fractured jaw. Might want to tell the medics," I told them as they dragged him out.

I looked to Benjamin, whose mouth hung open, and watched his stunned face slowly register to what had just happened. His mouth broke into a smile.

"That was awesome," he said.

Maria leapt from her chair and stormed to door, where she paused, glared at Benjamin through bloodshot eyes, and hissed:

"Shame on you, Ben."

His smile faded.

"Bye, Mum." He said indifferently.

Maria straightened her shirt and left in a huff, but Benjamin did something I hadn't expected. He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly, holding me there for a good few seconds. I tensed up, startled.

"Thanks, mate." He said.

He patted my back and let go hastily, like the hug had surprised him as much as it had surprised me, but I smiled anyway.

"You're... ah... welcome, I suppose."

© A.G. Travers 2015