72 Hours Remain

Dawn of the First Day

(Part 2)

     As they made the drive home, Grandfather was the first to speak.
     "You know, Dr. Schaulf was kind of hurt that you wouldn't talk to her."
     Ben just said nothing.
     "I understand that this is hard for you. It's hard for all of us. But you have to understand this whole silent routine isn't helping. We can't help you if you don't talk to us, Benjamin."
     'Maybe I don't want help.' Ben thought to himself. 'Have you ever thought about that?'
     "What's the point in it, huh? Where's the sense? What are you proving?"
     'I don't have anything to say to you. Or anyone. Talking isn't going to do anything to fix this. Nothing is.'
     "Living the rest of your life with your mouth shut isn't going to do anything to fix what happened." He said, as if he had heard Ben thinking.
     Ben looked up in surprise. He considered that maybe Grandfather was right.
     But what did he even have left to say? What could he say? It had been two weeks since his parents died. A car accident. They had lost control of the vehicle and broken through a guardrail, and into a lake. Both of them were trapped underwater.
     The phone at home rang.
     Ben answered it. "Hello?"
     "Ben?" His mother replied, almost in tears.
     "Mom? What's wrong?"
     "Sweetie, your father and I want you to know that we love you."
     "I love you guys too." Why was she asking him this? "Mom, what's happening?"
     "I...N...Co...ng...ack..."
     "M-mom? Mom, I can't hear you, you're breaking up!"
     "...Goodbye, Ben..."
     The line went dead.
     "Mom? Mom!"
     According to their will, Ben's godfather was his uncle Kennedy. But Kennedy vanished almost immediately after finding out about the death of Ben's parents. When an investigation was launched on his house, it seemed as if he had packed to leave somewhere. The police were still trying to find him; the accepted theory was that he had skipped town to dodge the responsibility of Ben's upbringing. Ben wasn't surprised; uncle Kennedy wasn't the nicest guy. The only reason they had chosen him to be Ben's godfather was that they probably assumed they would outlive Grandmother and Grandfather. Ben hated the fact that they were wrong about it. He hated Uncle Kennedy. He hated Dr. Schaulf. He hated everyone. Even God. He had never been so full of pure, unadulterated hatred in his whole life.
     Four days after his parents died, Ben just stopped talking. He himself barely knew why. He was just fed up with everything. He hadn't said a word since.
     The car pulled into the drive. Ben got out first, walking into the house. He shut himself in his room, turning on his SNES and started playing A Link To The Past. He wished deep-down to have one of those new Nintendo 64 consoles that would be hitting shelves in a matter of months, but doubted he'd get one.
     For dinner that night, they had steak and potatoes. For dessert was Ben's favorite- apple pie. He dug his fork into the slice of store-bought pastry and crammed it hastily into his mouth.
     Ben sighed. "It doesn't taste as good as Mom's." He said.
     His grandparents turned to look at him. He looked down at the plate, trying his best to hide the fact that tears were rolling down his face.