Quietly mulling just how far he could go, the young man strode into the kitchen down the short hall from his small bedroom – he lived in a one-story house with his parents – and sat down at the table, his heavyset father impatiently frowning at him. To an outsider, it would be hard to believe that Ben was related to the older couple, slim to their collected bulk, bright-eyed to their dull, piggy orbs, and quiet to their generous gift of gab as his mother put it – in the case of his father, when the old man had too much to drink.
The young man’s gaze fell on the – amazingly – unopened beer can besides the old man’s plate, the cliché light bulb shining brightly in his mind, and smiled to himself as his father lifted his bulk from his chair at the round table with the can in his hand.
“Dear?” his mother gaped at her husband, setting the large casserole dish on top of the hot pad.
“What?” he arched a heavy eyebrow with a grunt, closing the refrigerator door behind him.
“Are – are you okay?”
Ben’s father frowned and scratched at the thick stubble on his chin in thought.
“I could be better,” the old man admitted at last, returning to his seat. “Wouldn’t hurt to lose some weight. It’d help the ol’ ticker some, that’s fer sure.”
“Hmm,” his mother pursed her lips, settling down across from him. “Nothing wrong with that, I guess.”
“Nope,” his father grunted, spooning out a much smaller portion his plate than usual. “I was thinkin’ of takin’ a walk after dinner as well. Be good to stretch out the ol’ legs for once.”
“That sounds… Excellent,” Ben’s mother smiled, a glitter percolating in her chocolate brown eyes. “Exercise would be good for both of us.”
The young man’s lips upturned slightly, serving his typical apportioned casserole on his dish, happy with the results. Pushing his parent’s conversation aside – they had begun to discuss several possibilities of how to achieve a healthier weight and life style – Ben’s mind idly turned to what else he could do with his new gift, the pale green stone resting against his chest beneath his faded polo. Mrs. Rayburn was next door, unless she had gone out for the evening – her husband was off on a business trip and her son, an old friend of Ben’s, still away at state college until the semester ended while he attended the County Community College. |