Authors: Brad Boney

The Nothingness of Ben (29 page)

Quentin rose from his chair and unfolded two pieces of paper.

Travis leaned over to Ben. “Did you know anything about this?”

“No,” Ben answered. “Did you?”

“Nu-uh.”

Quentin cleared his throat and began reading.

“The author Marc Brown once wrote, ‘Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.’ That quote means a lot to me, because I have three brothers, and as some of you know, eleven months ago, my parents were killed in a car accident. That was a big change, and the future looked pretty grim at the time. In fact, it was just about the worst possible thing that could happen to a sixteen-year-old. I was pretty pissed off. My older brother Ben came back to Texas, and he was pretty pissed off too. The first couple of days were damn awful, and I said some harsh things to him. I thought he was going to go back to New York and ship me and my two younger brothers off to live with relatives.

“But then something happened. He surprised me and decided to stay and take care of us. He took all his hopes and plans for his life and locked them away somewhere. He went from being a hotshot lawyer in New York City to the guardian of three kids he didn’t even know that well. It was a huge sacrifice, and not one I appreciated at the time. I know he thought his life was pretty much over. At least that’s how it seemed at first.

“And that’s when this other thing happened. In the midst of all the tragedy, Ben met his soul mate, Travis. Because sometimes, and this is really important, the worst possible thing imaginable leads you to the place you were meant to be all along. Even in the most dire of times, life gives you a reason to give thanks.

“So, thank you, Ben, for giving up everything to take care of us. You saved our lives, literally. I’m sorry I said those harsh things to you. I can only hope that someday I’ll grow up to be half the man you are. I know you never thought you’d hear me say this, but you really are my superhero.”

Ben, Travis, Jason, and Cade all rose at once and walked over to their brother. The five of them huddled together while two hundred onlookers wept at the good fortune of the Walsh clan.

O
N
THE
return trip to Austin, Ben and Travis started laughing when Ben brought up the last time they flew back from New York.

“Let’s try to forget about it,” Travis said.

“It’s all part of what led us here, so I’m not going to forget about any of it.”

Ben paused and Travis took his hand.

“Can I ask you about something?”

“Sure,” Ben replied.

“What would it take to change my last name? To Walsh?”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Look, I know we can’t get married in Texas….” Travis paused and gestured to Ben, waiting for his two cents.

“Welcome to marriage inequality.”

“Thank you,” he continued. “But we should all have the same last name. Atwood is my father’s name and I never even liked him. You’re my family now, and not just you, obviously.”

“Okay.” Ben nodded. “Well, you have to submit a petition to a district court judge to have your name legally changed. It’s all about how the petition is written, and they’re decided case by case. We live in the only liberal county in Texas, and I could write your petition, of course. So I don’t think it would be a problem.”

“Would you be okay with that?”

Ben smiled. “Yes.
Travis Walsh
. My dad would be proud.”

“Can we do it when we get home?”

“I’ll draft the petition on Monday.”

“Thanks.”

Ben looked past Travis and out the window. “Hey, do you remember when I was sick with the flu last winter?”

“Now
that
I will never forget.”

“Do you remember when I woke up, I told Quentin I had talked to our dad?”

“Kind of.”

“I guess it was a dream, but it seemed real at the time. I got out of bed and went into the kitchen. He was making migas for me. My dad. So I sat down and we talked. He was the one who told me to register for the Texas Bar Exam. He told me you and I were going to hit a rough patch. He told me you were the solution to my problem. And he was right.”

“I’m glad you listened to him.”

“While I was still dreaming, I went back to bed and had—I don’t know—I guess you’d call it a dream within a dream. Kind of like
Inception
. It was a vision of this moment, flying home with you, holding your hand. I looked out the window and saw the horizon like you do from a plane. You can’t see the earth so there really isn’t a horizon anymore. The future was wide open. I remember how happy that made me feel.”

Ben pressed the button on his armrest and pushed his seat backward. He closed his eyes and felt Travis follow suit. Before Ben dozed off, he leaned over toward his boyfriend and, in the softest of voices, asked, “Will you put lights on the house this year?”

About the Author

B
RAD
B
ONEY
lives in Austin, Texas, the 7th gayest city in America. He likes to tell stories about the hot boys in his neighborhood near the University of Texas. Brand new to M/M fiction, he plans to set all of his books in Austin and hopes to become an ambassador for his city. He grew up in the Midwest and went to school at NYU. He lived in Washington, DC, and Houston before settling in Austin. He blames his background in the theater for his writing style, which he calls “dialogue and stage directions.” He believes the greatest romantic comedy of all time is
50 First Dates
. His favorite gay film of the last ten years is
Strapped
. He has never met a boy band he didn’t like. And yes, it’s true—Emily’s season of
The Bachelorette
restored his faith in love. Brad is currently single, and although his heart is open to love, he’s not sure his schedule is. All he wants for Christmas is 100 Twitter followers.

Please visit Brad on the web at http://www.bradboney.com or become a part of his Christmas present at http://www.twitter.com/BradBoney.

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