Benji in Control
by: E Walk
(© 2009-2010 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 18 

The Big Wind

When I arrived at the house, I saw some strange cars parked in front of the house.  When I walked in the door, I was attacked by Benji and Pete.  Benji started on me, “Daddy, why did you have to call Mrs. Cooper?”

Pete was standing there with tears in his eyes, “Dr. C., I know they’re going to take me and lock me away.  They aren’t going to let me live with people who don’t look like me.”

I hugged both guys, “Guys, I wasn’t the person who called Mrs. Cooper initially.  I did talk to her today, but she said nothing about taking Peter away.  Pete, she told me that she has known your Grandmother for a long time.  Benji, she also knows Grandmother McBride.”

Benji bristled, “She's not going to take me away from Summerhill is she?”

“Guys, please trust me.  Dad Cole and I aren’t going to let anyone go anywhere. Let me go see what Mrs. Cooper is here for.  I want you to stop being so negative.”

Benji put his hands on his hips, “What does that mean?”

“It means that the two of you need to stop thinking that bad things are happening.  You need to think that everything is going to be okay.  Now go beat each other up, if that will make you happy.”

Benji glared at me, “You’re just like all the other big people.  You treat us like we’re little kids.  Come on, Rocky, let’s go for a ride on the horses.”

I watched as the two young guys walked to the stable with their arms around each other.  I went into the house not knowing what to expect.  Mrs. Cooper and another gentleman were talking to Mrs. Cunningham and Cole.  When I entered, I looked at the visitors, “Why do you have the two oldest boys so upset?  What’s happening that's so important that it can’t wait until I get home or until tomorrow?”

The gentleman stood, “I’m Ryan Alford from the State Attorney General’s office and we have been informed that Peter Cunningham killed his stepfather.”

“Peter, couldn’t have had anything to do with what happened to a Mr. Jackson, or whoever the dead person is, since I found him sleeping in my office last Friday morning before 7:30.  When I spoke to the Columbus police department, they indicated that whoever was in the Cunningham house died on Saturday.  I suggest that you people in Atlanta need get your heads out of your butts and concentrate on what’s really happened.  Why is the Attorney General’s office involved in this matter, anyway?”

“I’d like to see some identification.  I find it difficult to believe that The Attorney General, whom I’ve met, would even be concerned about this case.”

The man made a hasty retreat for the door and I went and made note of his license plate.  When I returned to the assembled people, I asked, “Did anyone bother to check the gentleman’s credentials before they heard what he was espousing?”

Mrs. Cooper stood, “This is my fault.  My supervisor brought the gentleman into my office and introduced him as being from the State Attorney General’s office, so I never even thought of asking to see a his credentials.”

Cole spoke, “Doug, relax. The Columbus police department called, and they would like for Pete to identify the remains of the person who was found in the house where Peter and his mother lived.  They have been unable to identify the dead person.”

I threw up my hands, “Pete is only ten.  How much more of this nonsense is he going to have to endure.  The next thing I know, the vultures will be coming after my sons.  Mrs. Cooper, what are you going to propose happen to Pete?”

Mrs. Cunningham answered, “Doug, I’ve recommended that you be named the guardian for Peter.  I certainly am not physically capable to properly care of him.  It’s obvious to me that this is the place he needs to be.  Your four sons are very protective of him.  He has a problem in that his skin is a different color and thinks people are out to get him.  While I don’t necessarily approve of your and Cole’s lifestyle, I won’t condemn you for it.  In Peter’s case, it is good for him to see that people of different races can love each other.”

Mrs. Cooper added, “Mrs. Cunningham and I were discussing the placement of Peter when my supervisor brought Mr. Alford into my office, and Mr. Alford insisted that we come here.”

“Ladies, let me make a phone call.  I was able to get the license number of the car that the man was driving.  Cole, go make sure that someone is with Pete and the boys at all times.  I smell a big rat here.  Somebody must think that Pete knows something that they want to know.”

I called the Sheriff’s office and asked them to run a license check on the license of the car that the mysterious Mr. Alford was driving.  The more I thought about what was happening, the angrier I was getting. 

I was really hot under the collar when I returned to the two ladies.  Fortunately Cole had returned and reported, “Dan and David took the boys to go skinny dipping before dinner, since the guys are having basketball practice tonight.”

I started to pace, “Mrs. Cooper, I am very concerned that you have exposed Summerhill to being infested by unwanted visitors.  This smacks of something illegal.  Not only have you made it known that Peter is here at Summerhill, you have put our four sons in jeopardy.”

Cole put his arm around me, “Doug, the damage has been done and we can’t undo it by getting upset.  We need to go into the damage control mode.  Why don’t you take Pete and Mrs. Cunningham to Columbus tomorrow, so we can get rid of that problem and maybe help us resolve the bigger problem that’s developing.  I’ll take the guys to Atlanta and we can go to a baseball game or do something so they aren’t exposed to external forces that might invade Summerhill.  Thank goodness Denny and Callie and the boys are still on vacation.”

I took a deep breath, “Mrs. Cunningham, how did you get here?”

“Terri brought me.  I can maneuver in and out of a vehicle if I have to.  Not everyone has a van like you have that is handicapped accessible.”

“Terri, we’ll take Grandma Cunningham home after dinner.  We’ll talk to you tomorrow, after we get back from Columbus.”

After Mrs. Cooper had departed, I informed Grandma Bertie and Cole, “We’ll leave Columbus at eight in the morning so we can get back at a decent time.  I do not want the boys to know what’s happening until tomorrow morning.  Peter is already upset by what’s happening, and I can’t say that I blame him.  We’ll take Benji with us to keep Peter company.  Grandma Bertie, I think you need to go with us, since you are Peter’s only living relative that we know of and I’m not yet the guardian for Peter.”

“Doug, I’ll be glad to go with you.”

The boys returned wearing towels and Benji announced, “We’ll be back as soon as we can put on some clean clothes.  Come on Rocky, we don’t have all day.  Miss Karen is home so that must mean it’s time for dinner, since everyone is here.”

Karen came into the living room and handed me an envelope, “Dr. C., be advised that you are probably going to be having an unwelcome visitor tonight.”

I frowned, “Not another one.  Who is the visitor going to be, this time?”

“Senator Hodges came into the office acting as if he owned the world.  He tried to intimidate Greg into giving him information about the college and Greg politely told him to buzz off.  The man demanded that he had to talk to you, and it had to be now.”

“Greg stood, ‘Mister, I told you that President Christiansen is not available.  Call and make an appointment so he can available if it’s so important that you see him.’  I thought the man was going to punch Greg.”

“Fortunately, Mr. Nixon and some of the other board members had been talking to Clark in his office.  They were coming out of the office and Clark was so cool, ’Sir, you seem to be upset.  Who are you and what is the nature of your business?’”

“The man sputtered, ’I’m Senator Simon Hodges, Chair of the State Revenue Committee.  I would like to see the financial records of this institution.  It appears that there is money being spent here that rightfully belongs to the state.’” 

“Mr. Nixon stepped forward, ’Senator Hodges, I was at the meeting in Atlanta where you and Senator Leggett made fools of yourselves.  I suggest that you leave.  Dr. Christiansen made it abundantly clear that there were no state funds involved in what’s happening here at Harwood Community Junior College.  Mr. Patterson, call security and tell them that we have an unwelcome visitor here in Dr. Christiansen’s office.’”

“Senator Hodges left screaming, ‘I’m going to get my hands on the financial reports for this institution if it’s the last thing I do.  I will not be made to look like a fool.’”

As we were eating, the phone rang.  I didn’t want any of the young guys to answer it, so I stood, “I’ll answer the phone.  I’m expecting an important phone call.”

“This is Summerhill, Doug Christiansen speaking.”

“Sir, this is Deputy Lamere, we were able to track the license number that you asked about, and it is a rental car that was rented at the airport in Atlanta this morning by Vincent Manino who has a California driver’s license.”

“Deputy Lamere, the man was at my house this afternoon claiming to be from the Georgia Attorney General’s office.  I honestly have no idea what his game is, but I’m guessing it has to do with an illegal activity and I have reasons to believe that there may be an attempt to gain control over a young man who is temporarily living with me.  Would you please advise your officers on patrol to be alert for the car?  It is a gray 2009 Chevrolet?”

“Sir, I’ll put out the message and we’ll have patrols pass your house as often as we can.”

“Thank you, Officer Lamere.”

As we were finishing dinner, the vehicles started to arrive and we could see the guys going to the basketball court.  I looked at the five young guys seated at the table.  “Men, after dinner, I would appreciate if you would stay away from the front of the house and be where an older person can see you at all times.”

Benji giggled, “Don’t worry, Daddy.  We gotta go make sure the giants are working hard.  We won’t let any of them get hurt.”

I watched as the boys took their eating utensils to the kitchen and heard them go out the back door, “People, the man who was here this afternoon claiming to be from the Attorney General Office was driving a rental car and had a California driver’s license.  Everyone needs to be especially alert to make sure that nothing happens to the boys.”

Cole, Mrs. Cunningham and I went to watch what was happening on the basketball court, and I noticed Leroy and PeeWee were there, so all ten scholarship players were present.  They took a break and Coach Carpenter was talking to the players and our five boys went onto the court and started to mess around.  Benji yelled so everyone could hear, “Let’s show these giants how it supposed to be done.”

They were dribbling and passing the ball when Benji threw the ball to Mikey, “Mikey, show the giants how they should shoot a basket.”

Mikey looked at the basket and let the ball go and lo and behold it went though the net without touching the rim.  Chad Schumacher yelled, “That was pure luck.  I bet you five dollars that you can’t do it again.”

Benji yelled, “Come on guys, let’s get this sucker’s money.”

Mikey made a second shot and Benji yelled, “Chad, you owe Mikey five bucks.  He can make that shot all day long.”

Dan and David were laughing, “Guys, be careful.  These young guys have been spending a lot of time out here practicing.”

The ten scholarship players were on the court when a man came around the side of the house.  He stopped and yelled, “What are these fucking faggots doing here.  Is this the kind of people who are going to be attending your second rate school, Christiansen?”

Benji went and confronted the man, “Sir, I don’t know what a faggot is, but I guess you must be one to talk about the giants like that.”

Senator Hodges slapped Benji on the face, “You little shit, how dare you talk to me like that?  I’m a state senator.”

Cole grabbed Senator Hodges and immobilized him.  “Doug, call the sheriff and tell them we have a trespasser on the premises who just physically abused your seven year old son.  Also call your friend Mr. Caster and tell him what’s happening, so he can advise the citizens of this state as to what fine upstanding people are representing them in the state government.”

Senator Hodges was trying to get away, “Let me go you black bastard.  You can’t prove I did anything wrong.  No one is going to believe a bunch of queers rather than a state senator.”

Mrs. Cunningham wheeled up in front of Senator Hodges, “You stupid man, state senators aren’t worth a grain of salt.  There are more than fifteen people here who witnessed what you did.  You’re either drunk or an imbecile”

PeeWee spoke up, “Ma’am, I think he probably qualifies for both categories.”

Deputy Sheriff Lamere appeared with another officer, “Dr. Christiansen, what seems to be the problem?”

“Senator Simon Hodges is here uninvited and just slapped my son on the face.  If you look, you can see the handprint because he hit him so hard.  I would like him booked for striking a minor.”

Senator Hodges yelled, “The queer is lying.  That handprint had to have been there from someone else hitting the brat.”

Mr. Carpenter rolled up, “Andy, I have visual proof that the man who claims to be a state senator hit the young man.  I was video taping the practice so I could take it home and evaluate the team’s skills. I can show you the visual proof that the man slapped Benji when Benji challenged him for coming in here shouting obscenities.  Here I’ll rerun the tape so you can see for yourself.”

After he saw the tape, Deputy Lamere asked, “Mr. Carpenter, may I take the tape and make a copy of it and return the original to you.  I have a feeling that you might need it to prove to people what kind of person Mr. Hodges is.  Dr. Christiansen, I recommend that you take your son to be examined, to make sure there has been no physical damage.  Your son will probably be black and blue tomorrow.  Someone will come and pick up the senator’s car probably in the morning, since he smells like a distillery.”

I decided to take Grandma Bertie back to the assisted living facility and take Benji to the Emergency Room.  I looked at the three youngest sons, “You guys need to make sure that Dad Cole gets to bed early.  You know how grouchy he gets when he doesn’t get enough sleep.  The rest of us will be back shortly.

As soon as the van pulled away from the house, Benji started to cry, “Daddy, it really hurts where that man hit me.”

Peter asked, “Then why didn’t you start to cry sooner.”

 

“Rocky, I wasn’t about to let the prick know he hurt me.  He would probably hit me again and call me some more names.”

I looked in the rear view mirror and Peter was holding Benji, “It’s okay to cry.  Go ahead and get the hate out of your system.”

When we walked into the home the guys were giving the receptionist a hard time.  Grandma Bertie whispered, “Those two need each other.  I’ll be ready at eight in the morning.”

On the way to the Emergency Room, I listened to the two guys talking.  Rocky was saying, “We need to have water guns available at all times so we can squirt people that we don’t like so it looks as if they’ve gone to the bathroom in their clothes.”

Benji giggled, “We’ll try it on the next person who comes to Summerhill that we don’t like.”

The Emergency Room visit was another experience.  Benji was tighter than a kite.  When we were registered and waiting for someone to take care of us, Benji was complaining, “Daddy, they aren’t going to make me get any shots are they?  I think we should just go home.  I’ll take two baby aspirin and go to bed.”

“Benji, you heard Deputy Lamere say you should be checked.  I can’t imagine you would need any shots for what happened.”

The nurse appeared, “Will the Christiansen party please follow me?”

The young nurse looked at Benji as she was taking his vitals.  “What happened to you?  You look as if you were run over by a bulldozer.”

Rocky started to laugh, “Nah, he ran into a state senator and Benji won.”

The young woman touched Benji’s face.  “Benjamin, does this hurt?”

“Yes, it hurts.  It hurts really bad.”

The nurse stood, “I’ll tell Doctor Shepherd that you’re here.”

It was only a short time before a doctor came into the room and looked at Benji’s chart.  “This can’t be right.  It says you ran into a state senator.”

Benji giggled, “Doctor, I didn’t actually run into him.  His hand ran into to my face.”

Doctor Shepherd looked at Peter, “Did the senator’s hand run into you also?”

Benji answered, “Rocky is here to make sure you don’t give me any shots.   I’m allergic to shots.”

The doctor examined Benji and I was sure that Benji would complain, but he didn’t, “Okay, Benjamin, I'm not going to prescribe any shots for you, but I want you to have some x-rays and they hurt worse than any shots.”

Dr. Shepherd stepped to the door, “Nurse Brennon, this man needs two x-rays of the face so we can see how many bones have been broken and how many stitches it’s going to take.  He’ll probably be eating through a straw for at least six months.”

Benji looked as if he was going to lose it and Dr, Shepherd held up his hand, “Benji, the x-rays will be painless and I don’t think there is any permanent damage.  Nurse Brennon will take you to radiology.”

“Can Rocky go with me?”

The doctor nodded, “He certainly may go with you, but he’ll need to sit in the waiting area while the technician is doing the actual x-rays.  I need to talk to your Dad.  I’ll see you as soon as they bring back the pictures that show how ugly you are.”

After the two guys had departed with Nurse Brennon,  Doctor Shepherd asked, “Mr. Christiansen, in a case like this, I need to ask you a few questions, since this could very well be considered a case of child abuse and we’re obligated to report such cases to the authorities.”

“Doctor Shepherd, I’ll be glad to tell you what happened and Peter was right.  Benji was hit by a state senator deliberately and the authorities are already involved.  They are the people who recommended we bring Benji for a a checkup.  Call Detective Lamere at the Sheriff’s office, if you need confirmation.”

Benji and Peter returned and Benji was holding his x-rays.  “Nurse Brennon said you need to hurry up.  There was five car accident and there are going to be a bunch injured people arriving shortly.”

Doctor Shepherd looked at the x-rays, “Benji, I can’t see any reason for you to be so ugly.  I’m going to write two prescriptions.  One will take care of the pain and help you sleep and the other will help you to be beautiful again.  Mr. Christiansen, the radiologist will look at the x-rays tomorrow, to make sure that your son will survive to be eight if he stops running into state senators.”

As we were leaving the hospital, we could see flashing lights approaching.  The guys watched as five ambulances pulled into the unloading zone.  There were people everywhere.  Benji looked at me, “Daddy, what happened?”

“Benji, I don’t know.  We’ll have to watch the news tonight or tomorrow morning to see if they report what happened.  We need to stop at the drug store and get your prescriptions filled.”

When we were in the drugstore waiting for Benji's prescriptions to be filled, we heard a man talking on his cell phone.  “Hi Justin, what’s happening? … Oh there was five car pile up on highway 45. … You’re kidding, Senator Leggett died in the accident. … It was caused by a driver in a rental car that was watching Summerhill instead of watching the road. … Oh he died when he rear ended the vehicle of that was transporting five teenagers.   Do you know who the teenagers were? … Oh so they were five high school students on their way home from a party? … They’re calling my name.  I’ll be home shortly.”

When we were going to Summerhill, we ran into a stretch of one way traffic as we were approaching the house because the Sheriff’s people were directing traffic trying to get the debris cleared away.  Deputy Lamere, motioned for me to pull over.  “Dr. Christiansen, in case you hadn’t heard.  The person who caused the accident was your friend Mr. Alford.  Do you have any idea why Senator Leggett was in this area?  This isn’t anywhere near his home district.”

“Deputy Lamere, I have no idea why the man was in the area.  I can only speculate that it had something to do with why Senator Hodges was here as well.  Who was in the other two cars that were involved?   We heard about the five teenagers, Mr. Alford and Senator Leggett while we were in the drug store.”

They were families out for a summer evening drive.  Fortunately most of the occupants of those two cars were not seriously injured, or at least they didn’t appear to be, the cars were able to make it to the hospital on their own.”

When we arrived at the house, I gave Benji his pain/sleeping medicine and rubbed the ointment onto to his face and sent the two boys to get ready for bed.

I made sure the doors were locked and went to find Cole. 

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  I suspected that both of those scumbag senators were going to cause trouble. 

Hate can be a terrible thing, and a very destructive thing.  The strange thing is that most often the person who is filled with hate hurts themselves as much or more than they hurt the person or persons that they hate. It eats away at you and fills you with rage and destroys your ability to reason and find ways to cope with the thing or person who bothers you.  I believe it was Brother Dave Gardener who said, “Love your enemies. It'll drive um nuts.” 

I won't even try to say that there is no one that I dislike. There are actually plenty of them, but I think I can honestly say, that I don't hate anyone.  The few people that I come close to hating are not worth my destroying myself over.  In the past there have been people who have done things to me, or to people that I love, that I started on the path to hating them, but luckily I had time to think about it, and realized that when I thought about them in that hateful way, my emotions were so fouled up, that I was being rude to people around me, and that I was actually feeling sick.  When I finally let go of that ugly feeling I was feeling toward them, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  My mom used to say, “Consider the source,” and she was absolutely correct. 

Was that a rant?  I have been asked to give one of my rants every so often, so I hope that can be taken for one of my rants.  It was a short one, I admit, but hey, it was on the spur of the moment, so give me a break, will ya?

I hope we get another chapter soon!

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 04/23/10