“Separate checks?” the waitress asked as she looked between the two of them like “no, you couldn’t possibly be together.”
“Nah, I got this,” Benjamin answered, sending a secret thrill through her, even though she knew he was just being nice.
After taking the check from the waitress, he turned back to Tess to add, “That scene where the guy keeps ordering stuff he doesn’t need and it gets dropped off at his house faster than fast, though. Yeah, that’s definitely going to be a thing in the future. This Prime service Amazon just started? Keep an eye on them. Watch.”
“Okay, I will.” She laughed. “Have you read Brave New World too? That’s next on my list.”
“Not yet,” he answered. “But I will if you want me to.”
If you want me to…
About twenty minutes later, they walked out of an off-campus bookshop with a brand-new copy of Brave New World for Benjamin.
But instead of heading straight back to the van, he said, “I want ice cream. You want ice cream too?”
Yes, she did want ice cream. And when they saw the sign advertising the parade that would be starting in less than an hour while walking out with their scoops, they figured they might as well stick around. So, the easy conversation kept going as they aimlessly walked down historical Court Street.
He told her this was the first time he’d ever traveled outside of New England, while she told him it was the first time she’d worked with her mother inside the United States. Then she explained that she’d been born to American missionaries on a multi-year church building project in Angola.
“Though, it took me forever to figure out that we weren’t Angolan,” she remembered with a laugh. “I was so shocked when my parents told me we were Americans, like all the white people at our build site. I couldn’t believe I wasn’t Angolan, like all my other Black friends. So, I was like, then what part of Africa are we from? And they were like, we don’t know because—well, slavery. And I really did not trust that answer. They had to keep explaining the whole concept of African American over and over again because I was so sure they got it wrong.”
Benjamin laughed so hard at her story, he smeared ice cream on his nose, and she handed him the napkin she’d so wisely wrapped around her cone.
“Thanks,” he said, still laughing—until their hands touched.
A zap of electricity went through Tess, and her stomach tied in triple knots.
And though Benjamin was still smiling, he was also looking down at her in that weird, intense way again.
She didn’t realize they’d both completely stopped walking until a woman with a stroller said, “Excuse me!” impatiently behind them.
That broke her out of her trance.
We’re just friends, Tess reminded herself as they returned to walking. You’re just imagining things.
He cleared his throat as they began walking again.
“So how did you end up going from Africa to Ohio?” he asked.
“Well, you know Catholics love building all sorts of stuff in other countries—not just churches. So after my father died, Mom continued to take long-term assignments for God’s Work, all over Africa and South America. But eventually, I decided I should probably do a few years here if I wanted to go to college. So I secretly signed her up for this three-year rebuild Ohio Valley project. I figure that will at least get me through high school.”
Benjamin shook his head. “She didn’t get wicked mad when you told her you’d signed her up for a new job in another country?”
Tess shrugged. “No, she was just grateful she didn’t have to do anything for her next job. She’s um…very dedicated to helping people—obviously. But not so great at organization and planning.”
He was quiet for a few moments. Then he said, “You’re a good kid.”
She brushed off the compliment. “I’m sure you’re even better.”
“Nah, my parents aren’t the kind of people that inspire you to help them.” Benjamin’s face clouded over. “My mom walked out on us when I was still a kid. And my dad…I guess, he decided to prove she made the right decision. He was a bad drunk before she left. But beer became his whole life after. He can’t hold onto jobs. He’s pissed off at the world. I wouldn’t even call him functioning. That’s why I came here this summer instead of staying in Boston.”
“You came here for a whole summer instead of staying in Boston and trying to help him?”
He stiffened. “Why would I do that?”
“Because your father’s hurting, and he needs help,” Tess answered carefully. “And you said you were a nice guy.”
He tightened his square jaw and looked to the side. “Yeah, well, sometimes you can’t be nice. Sometimes all you can do is save yourself.”
