Loving Ben
Chapter One
I lay there in the dewy grass, early in the morning. A gentle breeze slowly blew my red hair back. It was cold and I didn’t have a jacket. I still didn’t leave that spot. How could I? I had spent 16 years here in this house. I went to this spot every time my dad would yell at me or hit me, or whenever I had had a bad day. Even though I was leaving my dad (which I was more than happy about), I still didn’t want to leave the place that held my childhood. Thinking about this brought to the reason why I was leaving. My neighbors had found out that my dad was abusing me and they had reported it. My dad was taken to trial and proven guilty. He was sentenced to 3-4 years in jail. My mom had died seven years ago. So, I really had nowhere to go but Kentucky where my grandparents live. I looked down at the bruises on my arm. That was all that was left. So many memories flooded into my head. I tried many times to forget the vivid horror they held, but it was impossible. They were burned into my memory with no way to heal it. I came then to wonder what my new life would be like. I had never had any friends. Would I have any friends in Kentucky? Would they accept me? Too many questions crammed my brain. I had to force myself not to think about it. The dog barked as a car pulled into the driveway. It was as old man. I tried to make out his features, but I was too far away. I forced myself to get up and go closer. I could see his deep wrinkles that covered his face. He looked about 70 years of age. He wore a brown hat. As he got out of the car, I could see that he was wearing a brown trench coat that matched his hat. He turned towards me and smiled. I assumed that he was my grandpa. It’s weird meeting someone for the first time. It’s even weirder when you meet someone that you should’ve meet years and years ago. He tried to talk to me and start a conversation, but he could tell that I wasn’t really into talking. “Well, how about we grab your stuff and start driving?” he said trying to seem friendly. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he really did seem to care. I managed a smile and nodded. His car seemed old and it had a slight smell of peppermint. It reminded me of my mother. Peppermints were her favorite. There was a long silence in the car for awhile. Actually it lasted the entire drive. 8 hours of silence is very awkward. I had no idea what was in store for me. I got a slight picture when I saw the giant sign that said, “Welcome to Florida.”
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