Chapter 2

Benny's world was turned upside down. Holly was gone. For the past two years they had shared every important event of their lives with one another. Although they only met once each week, every meeting was a renewed familiarity that hurdled absences. Yet, each meeting rang with excitement, with the anticipation of new discoveries.

Holly had scheduled the meetings randomly. They often met at an out-of-the-way diner, several blocks from the office but on different days of the week and never at the same time. They had been open with one another, divulging their deepest secrets. It was as if they had known one another forever. Still, there was caution about her, an awareness of their surroundings, always on the lookout for danger.

She listened to him, advised him and teased him. She inquired but never pried. In turn, she told him things, secrets. And when he became serious, she laughed, automatically reaching for the strand of strawberry blond hair that always seemed to hide one of her green eyes from view.

On two occasions she had let down her guard. There had been the Christmas office party when Holly had ventured into his department which was almost vacant. She jokingly pointed to the ceiling in a lawyer's office, saying there was mistletoe above their heads. They kissed, then moved to the desk where Benny pinned her ass against it, stretching the knit dress with his leg between her thighs. "Too bad I'm wearing these damn pantyhose," she had laughed when she felt his cock stabbing her stomach.

"I'm sorry about leaving you all blown up and no place to go," she apologized when they met for lunch at the diner.

"What do you mean?" he asked, thinking he knew what she was referring to but wanting to hear her say it.

"The other day, your... condition," she answered, blushing.

"Oh?" he teased her.

"You know what I'm talking about," she said, leaning across the table to make him grin sheepishly. She watched him squirm before adding, "It will be different next time, I promise."

Benny didn't notice when spring rains were replaced by sprouting flowers and greening grass. His mood did not change. Holly was gone. Despondent, he felt sorry for himself. Unable to sleep, he took long walks and reflected on those meetings with Holly, the only female he had ever known as a friend.

He sat on a park bench one early morning, sun drenching his back. Absent mindedly, he watched his shadow transgress the path, letting his mind reflect on their only night together. Tom, Holly's husband, had been called to his company's home office, leaving two tickets to a hockey match. She had invited Benny to go with her.

Between periods Benny had gone to the men's room. After waiting in a long line to take a leak he had discovered that his shorts were on backwards. His fumbling to get his cock out created a clamorous uproar in the men's room. Holly was in a rare carefree mood anyway, showing no concern about being seen in public with her young friend. Learning of his dilemma in the men's room she elapsed into uncontrollable laughter, making a spectacle of herself. When she returned to her senses she suggested they leave because someone may have recognized her. In his apartment she had helped him change his bed sheets, and then maneuvered him into it. They had slow passionate sex that lasted hours before Holly pulled herself away. Now she was gone. He would never forget her and, unbeknownst to him, she would never forget him either.

His head jerked, reacting to a shadow that crossed his, briefly. His eyes followed a trim body jogging down the path, ponytail transiting from side to side as it rounded a bend in the path and disappeared out of sight.

"Hey, why did you stop?" Jen turned and watched him scoop snow off of the bench. "Anything wrong?" she asked, running in place and blowing frosted breath from her mouth as she watched him take a seat.

"No, I'm fine," he smiled up at her, "it's just that I can't help thinking that this is the first place I saw you, seems like such a long time ago."

She stopped jogging in place and walked back to him, placing a gloved hand on his cheek. "I know, you remind me every time we pass this bench but you don't have to stop every time."

Ben stared up at the young woman, wondering how he could be so lucky. A strand of hair had escaped from its binding and crossed her thin cheek. She blew it aside and watched him scrape snow aside to make a place for her.

"I want to show you something," he said, reaching inside his running jumper.

"Okay, but make it fast, it's not good to stop in the middle of a run, you'll get a chill and stiffen up," she said, taking a seat beside him.

"This came to the office yesterday," he said, producing an envelope.

"Why didn't you show it to me last night?" she poked his arm.

"Because I wanted to show it to you here at our bench," he answered, removing a Christmas picture from the envelope.

"Who's this?" she asked, taking the card from him. Then, seeing the young woman with the small boy and tall man she knew, even before she read the inscription, 'from our home to yours, Merry Christmas, Tom, Holly and Timmy.' They wore matching green sweaters and stood in front of a two story house. Tom, the smiling executive, was wearing a stocking cap, hiding his receding hair line. Timmy was making a face. Holly, looking as if she had just shifted a loose strand of her strawberry blond hair into place, was clutching her men as if they would bolt should she let go.

"There's no return address," Jen said, searching the envelope front and back. "Where do you suppose they moved?"

"The zip code is from a small town near Denver," Ben answered, "I suppose Tom took over the office there.

"Wonder why she didn't put her address on the envelope."

"I guess she doesn't want me to have it." He had given this thought and decided that Holly wanted him to know that she was okay but had moved on. She had measured the risk of taking up with him again and considered it too great to chance.

"Come on, lazy, let's finish, I want to go shopping for some curtains."

"Aren't you the domestic one," he kidded as they resumed their run.

"My parents may stop by over the holidays; I don't want my mother seeing those awful blinds you have up. What if your parents decide to come by? They'll think I'm a tasteless decorator if I don't do something about those windows," she laughed over her shoulder, already two lengths ahead.

They took a long leisurely shower together and she dressed for shopping, he for housework.

'Eight months ago I wouldn't have thought of spending a Saturday morning this way, ' he thought as he plugged the vacuum cleaner cord into the wall outlet. He couldn't help thinking of all that had transpired since that first meeting.

The day after her shadow crossed his in the park he recognized the pony tail and the running outfit as he stood in line behind her at a coffee shop. He watched the small frame bounce to stay limber as she unzipped a pocket on her left sleeve. Her head turned to the left to peer into the empty pocket. There were beads of sweat rolling down her nose and cheeks.

"I can't pay for this," she was saying to the clerk. Her voice was level, unshaken by the shock of the empty pocket. She was pushing a hot cup of coffee toward the clerk.

"I'll get it," Benny heard himself say.

She turned and stared blankly at him, her eyes apprising the body that made the offer. "I can't accept," she said briskly, turning back to the clerk to offer her apology.

"Sure you can," Benny insisted. As she squeezed past him he noticed that the coffee was no longer on the counter.

"That's not good for you," she scolded, pointing to the donut he had in one hand. She had waited for him to come out the front door. She was looking up at him, smiling. She was still in a bouncing mode, rising on her tiptoes and bouncing back on her heals. He smiled back and shrugged his shoulders.

"Thanks for paying for my coffee, I always have money in this pocket," she began, pointing to the zipper on her sleeve, "will not always, obviously," she laughed nervously. He nodded to acknowledge her thanks. She smiled again and walked away, briskly.

She did a double take when she saw him sitting on the bench the next morning. Stopping to run in place, "I'm glad you're here," she said, unzipping the pocket on her sleeve. "I've got money to pay you back." She thrust a folded bill his way but he refused to take it. "Suit your self," she said over her shoulder as she jogged down the path.

An irritating frown came to her face when she saw him there the next morning. She took notice that he was decked out in running gear and only slowed when it was apparent that he intended to join her.

"Did you stretch?" she asked, noticing how slow they were running.

"Sure," he answered confidently.

"Been running long?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"Just started about two minutes ago," he said truthfully.

"Can we speed it up then?" she said, beginning to pull away.

"How far do you go?" he asked, wanting to make conversation.

She looked back, thinking of a way to shake him. She could easily sprint off and leave him but something made her slow down so he could catch up. How much did he spend on that ridiculous outfit?

"This part of the course is four miles but I've already done two, it's two miles to the end." She looked over at him, wondering how long he would last.

"How often do you run it," he panted, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Maybe you should walk the rest of the way. You're breathing hard and there's another mile to go," she suggested, slowing the pace again.

Benny was determined. "I'm fine," he boasted, wishing he could bring himself to give up.

"You don't smoke, do you?" She hadn't seen any signs of tobacco use. She watched him shake his head.

"It's those donuts you know," framing her hands around her trim midsection to illustrate their affect on his gut.

She pitied him. They slowed to a rapid walk. He fell silent, beaten, but she made small talk as they walked to the end of the course. He was still breathing hard and only half heard her tell him that she ran the course four mornings per week but on Saturday or Sunday she crossed a small bridge and did two miles of the other leg of the course. "I'm training for a 10 K race that's coming up," she volunteered.

He invited her to join him for coffee but she turned him down, saying that she would be late for work. He had wanted to sit with her and learn more about her.

"I'm Benny," he extended his hand.

"Jennifer," she said cautiously as she placed her small hand in his.

He decided to skip having a donut with his coffee. It was while he was shaving that it occurred to him what she had implied when she said she would be late for work. He had slowed her down.

The next morning she did not show up. 'This may be the day she lays off, she said she runs the course four days, ' he thought. He set his new stop watch and took off at a slower pace than Jennifer had set. He finished the two miles winded but happy with the accomplishment.

He ran the two miles every morning, four mornings with Jennifer, the other three on his own. By the end of two weeks he was able to carry on a conversation over the two miles that they ran together. They chatted about their families and their jobs and their friends. He learned that she was a graphic designer in an advertising agency.

"I've heard the name," he admitted thoughtfully.

"We do work for your company, that's probably where you heard of us," she teased.

It was a Sunday morning. When they reached the end of the course she headed for the bridge and the other leg of the course. He followed her.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked. "I'm not going to slow down for you."

He had been extending his run each day but was still short of four miles. He pounded his gut with his fists to show that it was slimming down. In addition to the jogging he had begun visiting a gym two nights each week, working mainly on his mid section. He had not made much headway, only succeeding in becoming quite sore.

Two more weeks passed before she agreed to have coffee with him. She told herself it was a reward for the hard work he was doing. They agreed to meet at a central location one hour after finishing their run. This would give them time to stretch and shower. She arrived a little late, dressed in a short-sleeved dress with a white sweater thrown over her shoulders and matching sandals. This was the first time he had seen her in a dress. It displayed her perky little breasts and her thin but muscular arms and legs.

"It must be nice to have your own place, I had to wait for the shower," she said, explaining why she was late. He noticed that she had taken time to highlight her eyes and brighten her thin lips. Absent was the customary pony tail, her hair streamed down on both sides of her face, nearly covering her small breasts.

This was the first time she had spoken of her living conditions. "Why, do you live with someone?" he asked, crossing his fingers, anticipating the answer.

"Two of them," she said, shaking her head in dismay, "it was great at first, hanging out together, sharing cooking and housekeeping duties, always having someone to talk to. But things changed, we have practically nothing in common. I run, they don't, I'm an early riser, they stay in bed, I'm a slob, they're both neat-freaks."

She stopped talking long enough to order a bottle of water. "I'm not usually this bitchy, it's just that I got home and there was no hot water. They had both showered. Then they complained about the way I left the kitchen." She looked at him and laughed. "I'm not a very good roommate, that's why I'm going to get my own place and live alone."

"Are you really a slob? I don't believe it," he said. She dismissed the question with a nod and a smile.

"You're developing some nice muscles there," she commented, reaching across the table to feel his biceps. Her hand was small but strong. He reacted to her touch, flexing his arm.

"The race is next Saturday, can you come?" she asked, watching him for a reaction. Her hand had moved to his forearm, still resting there.

"Sure," he beamed, feeling her hand tighten on his arm again.

She came in twenty-fifth overall, behind twenty males and four females. At the finish line their eyes locked. He was cheering wildly as if she had won the race.

He escorted her to a grassy spot some distance from the finish line. Too winded to speak, she leaned on him for support. He enjoyed the closeness. She pulled away to sit on the ground.

"Rub my legs," she said, leaning back to rest on her elbows. He was happy to oblige, taking first one leg and massaging the muscles, then switching legs.

"Just my lower legs, silly," she laughed when his hands moved down to her thighs. "Hold still," she commanded, placing her feet to his chest and pushing him backwards until her legs were fully extended. She bent her legs back, the forward again, pushing him back several times.

They were still performing this strange maneuver when they heard a high pitched voice, "that's vulgar."

"It only looks that way," Jennifer said, extending her hand to Ben for him to help her up.

"Mom, this is Benny, he's just helping me recover, ' Jennifer spoke to the woman. She was carrying a warm-up jacket. "Benny, this is my mother."

The woman was slightly taller than Jennifer but only a few pounds heavier. She smiled as she shook Benny's hand, "So you're Benny," she said as if she had heard all about him, seemingly forgotten about the precarious position she had seen her daughter in.

She took the jacket from her mother and turned to Benny for him to help her put it on. "I won't be running for a couple of days but I'll come over and time you if you want," she said, turning her head to look up at him. He could only smile and nod, unable to describe the warm feeling that had come over him.

"Thank you for coming," she whispered, standing on tiptoes to brush his cheek with her lips.

"I hear nothing but good things about you Benny," his uncle announced from his end of the table. The entire extended family had gathered for Easter dinner. Like several other holidays, attending this family dinner was one of those obligations that he couldn't shed. He wondered what Jennifer was doing today, she hadn't said.

His uncle continued to talk but he couldn't make out what he was saying because of the chatter between them. Relatives were exclaiming, wishing him well. "What is it that you do exactly," Priscilla, his cousin across the table from him enquired as she reached beyond her husband's plate to pick up a bowl of peas.

Benny began to explain his job at the insurance company but soon realized that he was 'off the hook' when Priscilla's husband took issue with his space being invaded. They exchanged looks and spoke to one another in hushed tones for a full minute.

When Priscilla looked his way again it was apparent that she had either missed his answer or forgotten the question.

Dessert was served and the meal came to a conclusion. After a respectable time, making the rounds, conversing with each of the family members, his father steered Benny and his mother toward the front door.

It had rained that morning and the air was still cool as they walked down the front walk. "Hold on a minute," his uncle shouted from the steps. "Benny, I need to talk to you. How about coming upstairs one day next week? I'll have my secretary arrange an appointment; we need to spend about 30 minutes together."

"Okay," said Benny, somewhat confused by this strange request. His uncle had been firm about their keeping their distance from one another at work.

"What's that about?" his father wanted to know.

"Beats me," Benny admitted. What had been a temporary job until something better came along had become interesting. Not content to be just a clerk, Benny had expanded his role within the legal department to become an integral cog in the works. He had cataloged the claims, assigning a numerical value to each file, based on its probability of going to trial.

His charts were used by the chief to assign work to the staff.

"See Benny on that," was often heard in the office when one of the lawyers questioned why he was working on a particular case. Benny would explain how he had arrived at a high numerical value that prioritized a claim ahead of older claims.

"Get cracking," the chief would say, "I've never known him to be wrong."

Although Benny was still classified as a clerk, he had received two very substantial pay increases.

"Can we make it another day?" Benny said to his uncle's secretary when she called to set up an appointment. "Personnel wants to see me at that same time," he explained.

"What's this about?" the chief yelled, making an infrequent appearance in the outer office of the legal department. He headed towards Benny with a sheet of paper in his hand. "What does personnel need this for?"

Benny could see that the chief was holding an evaluation form with his name at the top.

"I don't know Mr. Shaw," Benny answered, puzzled.

"Why so pensive?" asked Jennifer, "you've been in your own little world all evening." He toyed with his grape-nut pudding which she had insisted he try.

"I'm twenty-five," he blurted out.

"Yes?" she said, bringing him out of his repose. He had tried to shake it. This was important, it was their first real date and he was so lost in his own thoughts that he had ignored her.

"It's something at work," he explained, putting down his spoon and looking at her. Jennifer was wearing a black satin dress, off the shoulders. He had seen the dark stockings and envisioned black underwear beneath the dress. Her long hair had been wrapped in a bun at the back of her head. A single strand of pearls adorned her neck. 'How could he ignore this beautiful creature?'

This was his chance and he was muffing it.

"Tell me," she coaxed, parting her lips in concern.

He studied her face closely, thinking of how to word the answer without sounding important. "I have to make a decision," he finally divulged.

"Is that all? Can I help? Use me; you're not going to be any fun until we get the decision made," she reasoned.

"I've been offered a promotion within my department or my choice of two other jobs within the company," he said, trying to keep his voice low and confident.

"What does being twenty-five have to do with it?" she wanted to know.

He told Jennifer about his uncle helping him get the job in legal. It had been viewed as a temporary job until something more permanent came along. Now, nearly three years later he was twenty-five and still doing the same job.

As of last week things had changed and he wanted to make the right decision.

Personnel had set up the interview in claims and his uncle had steered him toward the job in sales. When Mr. Shaw found out about the other offers, he offered Benny a promotion to remain in the legal department.

"Sounds like you're breaking out," Jennifer said, excitedly.

"Not really, the jobs are about the same; all glorified file clerks. I played some games with the files in legal just for the fun of it. Out of boredom I invented some ways to forecast which cases should be settled out of court and which ones were most likely to go to trial to be resolved." he explained.

"You must have impressed a lot of people to be sought after by three departments," she said, trying not to sound conciliatory.

"I think it's you," he said, their eyes meeting.

"How's that?"

"It's the running, look at me; I've lost fifteen pounds and turned flab to muscle. I had to buy new clothes and I think people noticed. It's you," he finished, not moving his eyes from hers.

"I think it's time I saw your apartment, my roommates are probably at home, we can't go there," she said as they left the restaurant.

That was the night they became Ben and Jen. "I've always hated being called that name," she admitted, "but it sounds different when you say it, I'll be Jen to you."

To the dismay of those who had offered him jobs within their departments, Ben decided to remain in the legal department, until something better came along. He even turned down the promotion.

Single females had begun to notice Ben's new physique, taking every opportunity to speak to him. "Call me Ben," he would say.

Only a few weeks later he got an opportunity to join the actuary group where risks are analyzed and rates are set. Although he would be a junior member and a trainee, he received a sizable increase in pay. Jen helped him select more new clothes. They ran together and spent their spare time in one another's company. On July 4th, he missed his first family gathering. They had been invited to a cookout by Jen's parents.