Coley's Monologue

Cole got out and opened Jase’s door. “Come on Bud.”

“Dad do you think we could get something to eat, I’m hungry?”

“That’s a great idea.” He looked up to see Bennett and the guy across the street talking. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but it looked like a strained one.

“Hey, Bennett called on her way here and said you were coming to stay. I hope it’s alright, I ordered pizza. I’m Bennett’s mom Sharon.” She held out her hand to Cole.

“That’s great, it was a long drive. I’m Cole, this is my son Jase. It’s nice to meet you. I hope we are not intruding.”

“No, trust me, we are happy to have you. Who is she talking to over there?”

They looked up in time to see the man take a hold of Bennett’s forearm. She unsuccessfully tried to pull away.

“What

I’ll stay until you are ready to go back home. If you want me too.”

“Okay.” What could she say, she was happy he was here. “I don’t know what all happened with that guy, but I don’t trust him. Tomorrow we will focus on your father, but after that I think we need to talk about what happened here tonight.”

She wondered what all he heard. Did he catch the part about Vance having a wife and kids, did he think she was a home wrecker? Would he change his mind about her once he heard the whole story?

“Then I want to talk about us.” He said the last part right before the Honda hatchback pulled in front of her house. Jase and Sharon came out the front door together, it was the pizza man.

“Pizza,” Jase yelled.

Bennett stifled a laugh. “You know, almost every time I see you he’s eating.”

It made Cole laugh too. “Yeah, it’s true. He eats me out of house and home. Just wait, you’ll see.”

After eating Sharon insisted on putting on old Disney VHS tapes that belonged to Bennett when she was little. Jase was stoked. He, Bennett, and Cole made a giant pile of blankets on the floor in the den. Halfway through The Fox and the Hound he was out cold on the floor. Leaving Cole and Bennett to

Knowing all too well the feeling he was feeling. “Okay, so kiss me,” she said leaning up to bite his bottom lip. Never before had she been so bold with a guy. He just made her feel so different, so self-assured.

It only lasted ten minutes. Ten glorious, amazing, mesmerizing minutes, before his cell phone rang on the floor beside Jase waking him.

Cole volunteered to make breakfast while the ladies got ready for the funeral and took care of the last-minute details. They ate and somberly left the house to go to the funeral home, Cole kept looking in the rearview for the black motorcycle at least half of the time. There was no way he was letting that idiot anywhere near Bennett today.

That evening after the viewing and funeral were over, Bennett was out front of her father’s house, saying goodbye to the last of her relatives to leave. Jase walked outside with her, barely leaving her side all day. He seemed to be a great comfort to her so Cole let him. Standing at the kitchen sink Cole watched out the window, making sure the motorcycle douchebag didn’t come back around while Bennett’s mom Sharon wrapped leftovers and put them in the