Hapless By Leo 30

 Chapter Thirtieth :

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 ''Don't confuse me with anything. We've been good friends and I will always be your friend but I'm going from here. I got a nice job in Florida and I will be living there.... here.'' she gave him the keys of the apartment.

''I've cleared all my stuff you can have it.'' she took hold of her satchel's leather strap and turned her face away from Ben. She did this because she was about to cry. She was bad at goodbyes sure she was.

''Hey Jen, look at me come here.'' he came in front of her and curled her into a hug.

''This is yours, you can either rent it , lock it up or sell it. I have no right to it and I never take back a present. You don't have to think that it was given as a point of your job's commitment you understand.'' Ben said leaving her. 

She walked a little further away from him. She remained silent.

''I don't want it. Take it as a present from me. I worked  a little investigation of my own and I found about the man who attacked you probably he could be the one.'' she took out a bunch of documents , files and some photographs. Ben flipped through them and saw the same man with a scar over his jaw bone, the one he just dreamed about.

''Where did you get this.'' Ben said pulling her inside the apartment.

''I know someone, he took all this all I told him about Carla and he got me all this. This man is related to Carla, not in a good way. I came to know that he wanted to marry her but due to Carla's dream of getting her hands on a bigger fish made her marry your father and this guy still visits her. Not anywhere else but your own very house. I must be get going. My plane leaves in two hours. '' she kissed him one last time.

''This man wanted to marry her and this feeling was mutual I don't understand why your father married her. Stay clear of enemies.'' she smiled.

''Jenny you don't have to leave like this, stay.'' Ben resisted.

''No I have to go Ben its necessary. I have no right to be a sorcerer in your life. Just be happy and be with the one who makes you happy.''

Jenny walked out and Ben was standing there like fool.

 

                                                        

 

A few days earlier:

 

''I don't know how to tell you this but everyone knows about it.'' Sam said eating the spaghetti.

Jenny had met him by incident and then she brought him to have lunch with her.

These days she had been busy and she was just thinking to have a detailed conversation with Sam after the day at the beach. He knew Ben and Tina more than her. Maybe he could help her in taking the right decision about the most important thing in her life.

''I feel like an idiot. You persuaded me for this freaking good lunch and now you're making me spit out all the beans like a child who's got a free Ferris wheel ticket. When someone else will come to know about this especially Ben I feel the horrors by just the thought of it.'' he said wiping his mouth with the napkin.

''Come on Sam, be a mature guy and stop beating around the bush. It's damn important for me to make the right decision. I know a little about Ben and Tina but I would like you to shed some more light over it if you would please.'' Jenny sipped from the straw.

''The tale goes like this, what goes around come around. Ben's been ill fated. Yes Tina and he were linked to each other from childhood but when Tina found love then Ben understood that he had a heart and that he loved Tina. Then time had passed and he did what every good man would do. He went on and sacrificed.'' he made a face.

Jenny snorted. 

''Thanks for the good story.''

'' You think I'm kidding?'' Sam was shocked.

''Of course you are. Anyway it was a good story I really enjoyed it. It's a pity my money got wasted when you came of no use to me. Bye we'll surely be seeing each other some other time.'' Jenny got up.

''You're coming to Florida I will be a great host.'' 

''Sure you will.'' she smiled. Sam was a good guy. She felt happy with him. Last time she met him in the party where Ben left her to bring Tina, he was the only one who made her feel better.

She snorted but she had got what she wanted.

                                                                               

 

''Victor Andrews the famous swindler and gambler. Although we have some records of smuggling against him but that too with no proof. If he had attacked you that night then he must have been hired to do so. Because in your circle he doesn't comes to pass.'' officer Patrick sighed and took another look over Victor's picture.

''I have a feeling my stepmother is involved with him.'' Ben said. 

''I'm sorry that is only a though and claim, unless you don't have any proof we are unable to do anything.''

''Proof yes I don't have any evidence but...''

''Good day to you Sir we'll be waiting for the evidences in the meanwhile we'll try ourselves to get some clues.'' officer got up and Ben came out of the police station.

'Jenny why did you leave me alone?' 

Ben was confused, mixed with thoughts and a touch of melancholy.

                                                                  

Liz was upset. She had been for two days and Tina was in no mood to handle her so she brought her to Rachel.

It was week's end and Rachel usually would take off on weekends. It was a sunny day. Both of them sat near the patio opening the windows panels which usually was covered most of the time, Sitting near the little pond in the backyard. Birds cooing around. Finally Liz was feeling better.

''I cannot believe it I would be coming to face such a horrible fact that Ben had been a traitor all along.'' she looked at her mother who placed the coffee back at the table and looked at her with disbelief.

''What did you say, hmm, I see this is why you came here. Liz was not disturbing you she was missing Ben and you both had a fight again didn't you? Grow up Tina you have other issues to deal with why do you keep fighting with your only friend and support.'' Rachel picked Liz up and made her sit beside her on the stool. She had been poking toys in their faces. She had to make her sit. ''He's not a support. He's a traitor. You know what Jenny said to me two days before the day they both were staying on my place. She said that he loved me and did this as a great sacrifice. What is he? What he did I don't care about it. I loved Taylor and no one can take his place ever.'' she got up and came inside as the sun's rays made her blind for a moment inside. Rachel followed her,

''No he didn't. He never did anything to make you feel obliged to him. And he , he's not a traitor please don't call him that. I know about all of this. I knew about it and I feared , I feared that this would not end well for the both of you and I kept this from you only to see you happy.'' Rachel sighed and sat on the couch.

''You did, you knew about it the whole time and did not even cared to tell me about it. Ha, great my own mother had been lying to me. Why should I blame Ben for anything. All of you were involved in this conspiracy and I was the only dumb person. Come on sweetheart let's go.'' she gathered Liz's things in her bag.

''Who are you? you are not the woman I raised my daughter to be. You are completely a different person now. Look at you what a wreck you are. You cannot even look after your daughter. You are only busy with your work and mostly you stay out of the house the whole time and by the time you are back home Liz is already sleeping. Only a few days are off and the only one who did cared about you and your daughter, whom Liz really was attached with you've taken that person away from her. What will become of her eventually? Have you given it a thought. After Taylor's death you have to be both a mother and a father for her but you,,, you even attempted suicide, have you given a thought about it how your daughter, your two year daughter would have felt at that time? you left her alone to find a place in this world. It's even bad than to be a parent less child.''

''Mom it's enough I will not be coming here if you say one thing more.'' Tina had some tears in her eyes.

''Hon sit down I want to talk to you. I want to know what is it that I can help you with. If you bar yourself like this from everything what will become of you. You'll explode. Come sit let's talk about it.'' Rachel insisted her and she sat down.

''I don't know what is happening to me. All I want is to be like the same as Taylor. Only to be in places where he used to be. Do only those things which were a major part of his life. I just want to die. Mom am I  being a psycho?'' her voice was trembling with fear.

''No you are just afraid. Afraid to face the reality afraid to live the truth. Listen give Ben his place back in your life.''

She looked at her strangely but didn't protest.

                                                     

Her locks were flowing in the air as she leaned out of the car's window. She was free and happy. Not completely but she felt a sudden thrill of being free. All these years she'd been in pursue of a goal in which she failed but she learned a lesson. The times she had with Ben was something she'll never get over with she knew.

                                                          

''I know you loved Taylor, but the truth is...'' Rachel paused for a moment. She was not sure whether to talk about it right now or to let it go for some more time, but she had to do something . Tina was becoming sick every day, more. She had to do something. How could she let her daughter suffer like this.

''The truth is,'' she pressed her hand firmly. ''You also have a love for Ben, as a friend as a emotional support that has stood with you forever. There are some times when I found you irresponsible and repulsive. That time who was with you? At certain moments you want to do some hideous stuff and who's with you on that? When you were in hospital he did not blink an eye. He treats your daughter as she's his, he understands you and loves you more than anything else. If there is someone who can bring all the joys back to you and to Liz its him. Don't treat him like that after which you will regret it.'' her voice lowered and Tina hugged her and began to cry.

                                                               

He was driving across the street and suddenly he stopped his car in front of a bar and went inside. He walked in a trance towards the bar and ordered a drink. He had no intention to be here but here he was. ''I wish you were here Jenny.'' he said to himself and drained the glass in a single drought. ''Maybe you were right to go but at least you could've resented yourself that night.'' he began to talk to himself. A girl who was a regular customer of the bar as it seemed came and seated beside him. ''This shouldn't have happened.'' Ben said again in a low voice but the girl heard him. ''What did you say... anything to me ?'' she was just finding a way to communicate as it seemed. ''He's talking to himself.'' the bartender said in a dry tone. 

''Really, you seem lonely to me maybe we can talk and I can help you out with it'' the girl was definitely a gold digger like the various kinds Ben was already familiar with.

In a thunderous way Christina came marching towards Ben. She spotted him in a jiff and he was drunk already. ''Ben you are here again? Where's Jenny?'' she shorted questions at him.

Ben raised his head up upon recognizing Tina's voice but he took it for a hallucination. ''You what are you doing here go home, Jenny's gone too. Leave me alone. Why are you here didn't you just throw me out of your house?'' Tina knew what was going on when she looked at the girl who was eyeing both of them with curiosity.

''Why are you disturbing him didn't you hear what he just said.'' she barged in their personal matter to which Tina turned red in anger but she did not answer her back. Instead she pulled Ben's arm had him on his feet. Although it was difficult to carry half his weight but she somehow managed to make him walk out of there. 

''There you are again poking your nose in my matters , but when I do this to you you just throw me out of yours and Liz's life. This isn't fair.'' he sat by her help in her car. Upon recognizing that this was not his car he wanted to say something but Tina looked at him in such an anger that he  became quiet. She brought him to her house.

The next day he came back to his senses. ''What happened? Mommy was so angry with you but I missed you.'' she hugged him with her little arms as tight as she could.

''I missed you too sweet but how did your mother brought me back here. Do you know?''

she shook her head in  disagreement.

                                                                   

He was facing his head towards the window. It seemed that the lilies or the Moraceae interested him. Yes they did interest him this is why he had the whole mulberry family planted in his wide illustrative orchards but right now he was only thinking. Dylan walked towards his favorite couch which had a long back which scared Ben when he was kid, In fact Ben still hated this type of furniture. He used to call it ''when dad's angry''. Because when ever Dylan was in a bad mood or something irritated him he would sit in his study facing the gigantic fireplace which had a gargoyle crafted with finest sculpturing arts on each of its corner on this very couch.

Right now what troubled him no one knew. Carla cleared her throat and walked in the room.

''What is it Dylan is everything alright why did you call me here.'' she said and walked towards him until she reached the fireplace.

''I've been noticing some slight changes in every piece of document that I leave back home. May I know what is going on here when I'm not at home.'' Dylan threw a bunch of files on the crystal table however most of them slipped on the carpet beneath the blue crystal table. Carla gathered the files and quickly sighted them. ''Ben he has made his hit that Son of a bitch I'll surely take care of him in a way he has never imagined.'' she quickly changed her tone and came with an excellent excuse. ''Your lawyer asked me to check for all the necessary mistakes that need to be changed and I changed them did I do something wrong?'' she smiled venomously.

''I don't think you should be sneaking into something that has nothing do to with you , as far as my lawyer is concerned he never came here so what were you up to? Have you forgotten or do you think I have forgotten where I took you from and where you are today? You belonged in to those little slums where I found you and pitied you. God bless my poor mother's soul upon which I'm tolerating such abhorrence of yours. One more of your vile acts and you are out of this house. I never wanted another woman if it hadn't been for my mother's pity do you remember.'' Dylan shorted his fiery glance at him and she looked away.

''I apologize for what I have done assuring you that such a thing will never happen again.'' she hissed like a python. From which it seemed that she would have eaten Dylan alive if she could have or if it were in her hands she would have ruined him.

''You better should.'' Dylan turned and went out of the room as fast as he could angrily.

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