Those Will Be The Best Memories
ten
“Ben? Madeline’s on the phone,” a quiet voice said, close to his head.
Ben groaned, and pulled his head up from its face down position on the pillow. He put his hand out in Pat’s general direction, grabbing for the phone. He could hear Pat sigh while he handed him the phone and his footsteps as he left the guest room.
“Hello?” Ben grumbled into the phone.
He didn’t know what time it was, but Ben had had a rough night and the last thing he wanted to do was talking to his girlfriend; if he could still call her that.
“Ben?” The bright feminine voice on the other line asked.
“Uhuh, what?” Ben crankily answered.
It was then that he heard the high pitched crying and screaming on the phone as a small voice yelled out, “Daddy! I want daddy!”
“Is Matthew okay?” Ben asked, sitting up fast and throwing the covers off.
Madeline sniffed, “Gosh Ben, he won’t stop crying for you. Can you come over?!”
“Yeah, um, yeah I’ll be over in ten minutes,” he said quietly, running his hand over his shaved head and picking at clothes that were thrown on the floor.
“Ten minutes Ben? You need to be over in like five minutes, I can’t stand his crying anymore! All he cries about is you, and he doesn’t stop.”
“God Madeline, shut the fuck up. I’ll be over in ten minutes or nothing.”
Ben hung up the phone.
Patrick knocked on the door to his guestroom as he heard Ben yell at Madeline over the phone, “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
Ben wrenched open the door and stared at his best friend as he held a pair of jeans in his hand, “No, I’m not okay. Madeline has turned into a psycho bitch, and Matthew is crying for me.”
Ben slipped on his jeans and picked through the pile of t-shirts sitting in the corner of the room, picking out a plain grey t-shirt. He grabbed his cell phone off the side table and a Blackhawks hat, pulling it on.
“Can you drive after last night?” Patrick asked as he followed Ben down the hall of his apartment.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know when I’ll be back, alright? Is it is okay if I bring Matthew back with me?” Ben asked as he grabbed his car keys and slipped on his shoes.
Patrick nodded, “Yeah, it’s fine. Bye man.”
Ben muttered a quick ‘bye’ as he opened the door to Pat’s apartment. He went down the hall and into the elevator, pressing the B1 for the basement.
Two weeks before, Madeline and Ben had decided to ‘take a break’, or in Ben’s terms, ‘separate’. After fighting with Madeline for 2 days non-stop, Ben had finally complied with what she wanted. He called Patrick that afternoon and asked him if he could temporarily stay with him for a little while as Madeline listened. Ben loaded his clothes into his car, as well as his lap top, kissed Matthew on the forehead and left.
Today was the first day that Ben had heard from Madeline, and the first time he would be seeing Matthew since that day. Ben called Madeline almost three times a day, leaving messages so he could see Matthew, but she had never called back.
---
Madeline bounced Matthew on her hip as he cried big fat crocodile tears. His face was red as his eyes glossed over and his throat was becoming raw from all of the screaming and crying he had been doing for the past hour.
When Madeline had called Patrick’s house, her heart was thumping into her throat as her hands became sweaty with nerves. She hadn’t felt like this since she had first gone out with Ben, and it made her feel like the 20 year old she had been. The only reason she wanted a break was to see how much she loved him.
For the past two weeks, Madeline thought about Ben almost every single day.
“I want my daddy!” Matthew screamed, his hands clawing at Madeline’s shirt as he pushed his head onto her shoulder.
Madeline quietly shushed him as she rubbed his back, “I know baby, I know you do. He’s coming over.”
Madeline felt extremely bad about yelling at him on the phone; she really didn’t mean to. She was just going crazy without him.
A few hard knocks sounded on the door and Madeline raced over, balancing Matthew at the same time. As she pulled open the door, Matthew immediately reached his arms out towards his father. Madeline stepped back as Ben wrapped his seemingly bigger arms around their son.
“Daddy!” Matthew yelled out as he squeezed his arms around Ben’s neck, hiccupping as his crying began to slow down.
“Alright buddy, calm down. Daddy’s here, I’ve got you,” Ben whispered to Matthew, his large hand rubbing up and down his back.
Ben nodded at Madeline as she let out a sheepish smile. She closed the front door as Ben walked into the living room, sitting down and placing Matt on his lap.
Ben ran his large thumbs under Matthew’s eyes, near his cheek bones, to dry up the tears. Matthew leaned forward and rested against Ben’s chest as he pushed his thumb into his mouth.
Slowly, the house quieted down as Matthew’s crying stopped as he slowly fell asleep on Ben’s chest. Ben leaned back and continued to softly rub Matthew’s back. Madeline sat down on the sofa next to him and bit her lip.
“I just want to apologize for what I said on the phone. I didn’t mean to swear at you,” Ben said quietly, looking at Madeline.
Madeline shrugged, “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to yell at you, I was just frustrated.”
Ben nodded and stayed quiet. They sat there for five minutes without saying a word to each other.
“I was wondering if I could take Matt back to Patrick’s for the night?” Ben asked Madeline.
Madeline looked up Ben.
“Oh. Well, I guess,” Maddy quietly replied.
“I just haven’t seen him in two weeks, and I miss not seeing him every day. I’ll bring him back tomorrow before practice.”
Madeline slowly nodded, “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll, uh, go pack a bag for him then.”
Madeline slowly stood up and walked towards the hardwood stairs in the front hall. She climbed them quickly and pulled out a bag from the hall closet before going into Matthew’s room.
Ben, meanwhile, was still sitting on the couch as Matthew shifted.
“Daddy?” Matthew asked.
“Yeah buddy?”
“Stay?” He asked, looking up at his Daddy with his big blue eyes.
Ben kissed Matthew’s forehead, “I hope so, buddy.”
Madeline let out a shaky breath and walked back into the room.
Ben groaned, and pulled his head up from its face down position on the pillow. He put his hand out in Pat’s general direction, grabbing for the phone. He could hear Pat sigh while he handed him the phone and his footsteps as he left the guest room.
“Hello?” Ben grumbled into the phone.
He didn’t know what time it was, but Ben had had a rough night and the last thing he wanted to do was talking to his girlfriend; if he could still call her that.
“Ben?” The bright feminine voice on the other line asked.
“Uhuh, what?” Ben crankily answered.
It was then that he heard the high pitched crying and screaming on the phone as a small voice yelled out, “Daddy! I want daddy!”
“Is Matthew okay?” Ben asked, sitting up fast and throwing the covers off.
Madeline sniffed, “Gosh Ben, he won’t stop crying for you. Can you come over?!”
“Yeah, um, yeah I’ll be over in ten minutes,” he said quietly, running his hand over his shaved head and picking at clothes that were thrown on the floor.
“Ten minutes Ben? You need to be over in like five minutes, I can’t stand his crying anymore! All he cries about is you, and he doesn’t stop.”
“God Madeline, shut the fuck up. I’ll be over in ten minutes or nothing.”
Ben hung up the phone.
Patrick knocked on the door to his guestroom as he heard Ben yell at Madeline over the phone, “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
Ben wrenched open the door and stared at his best friend as he held a pair of jeans in his hand, “No, I’m not okay. Madeline has turned into a psycho bitch, and Matthew is crying for me.”
Ben slipped on his jeans and picked through the pile of t-shirts sitting in the corner of the room, picking out a plain grey t-shirt. He grabbed his cell phone off the side table and a Blackhawks hat, pulling it on.
“Can you drive after last night?” Patrick asked as he followed Ben down the hall of his apartment.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know when I’ll be back, alright? Is it is okay if I bring Matthew back with me?” Ben asked as he grabbed his car keys and slipped on his shoes.
Patrick nodded, “Yeah, it’s fine. Bye man.”
Ben muttered a quick ‘bye’ as he opened the door to Pat’s apartment. He went down the hall and into the elevator, pressing the B1 for the basement.
Two weeks before, Madeline and Ben had decided to ‘take a break’, or in Ben’s terms, ‘separate’. After fighting with Madeline for 2 days non-stop, Ben had finally complied with what she wanted. He called Patrick that afternoon and asked him if he could temporarily stay with him for a little while as Madeline listened. Ben loaded his clothes into his car, as well as his lap top, kissed Matthew on the forehead and left.
Today was the first day that Ben had heard from Madeline, and the first time he would be seeing Matthew since that day. Ben called Madeline almost three times a day, leaving messages so he could see Matthew, but she had never called back.
---
Madeline bounced Matthew on her hip as he cried big fat crocodile tears. His face was red as his eyes glossed over and his throat was becoming raw from all of the screaming and crying he had been doing for the past hour.
When Madeline had called Patrick’s house, her heart was thumping into her throat as her hands became sweaty with nerves. She hadn’t felt like this since she had first gone out with Ben, and it made her feel like the 20 year old she had been. The only reason she wanted a break was to see how much she loved him.
For the past two weeks, Madeline thought about Ben almost every single day.
“I want my daddy!” Matthew screamed, his hands clawing at Madeline’s shirt as he pushed his head onto her shoulder.
Madeline quietly shushed him as she rubbed his back, “I know baby, I know you do. He’s coming over.”
Madeline felt extremely bad about yelling at him on the phone; she really didn’t mean to. She was just going crazy without him.
A few hard knocks sounded on the door and Madeline raced over, balancing Matthew at the same time. As she pulled open the door, Matthew immediately reached his arms out towards his father. Madeline stepped back as Ben wrapped his seemingly bigger arms around their son.
“Daddy!” Matthew yelled out as he squeezed his arms around Ben’s neck, hiccupping as his crying began to slow down.
“Alright buddy, calm down. Daddy’s here, I’ve got you,” Ben whispered to Matthew, his large hand rubbing up and down his back.
Ben nodded at Madeline as she let out a sheepish smile. She closed the front door as Ben walked into the living room, sitting down and placing Matt on his lap.
Ben ran his large thumbs under Matthew’s eyes, near his cheek bones, to dry up the tears. Matthew leaned forward and rested against Ben’s chest as he pushed his thumb into his mouth.
Slowly, the house quieted down as Matthew’s crying stopped as he slowly fell asleep on Ben’s chest. Ben leaned back and continued to softly rub Matthew’s back. Madeline sat down on the sofa next to him and bit her lip.
“I just want to apologize for what I said on the phone. I didn’t mean to swear at you,” Ben said quietly, looking at Madeline.
Madeline shrugged, “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to yell at you, I was just frustrated.”
Ben nodded and stayed quiet. They sat there for five minutes without saying a word to each other.
“I was wondering if I could take Matt back to Patrick’s for the night?” Ben asked Madeline.
Madeline looked up Ben.
“Oh. Well, I guess,” Maddy quietly replied.
“I just haven’t seen him in two weeks, and I miss not seeing him every day. I’ll bring him back tomorrow before practice.”
Madeline slowly nodded, “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll, uh, go pack a bag for him then.”
Madeline slowly stood up and walked towards the hardwood stairs in the front hall. She climbed them quickly and pulled out a bag from the hall closet before going into Matthew’s room.
Ben, meanwhile, was still sitting on the couch as Matthew shifted.
“Daddy?” Matthew asked.
“Yeah buddy?”
“Stay?” He asked, looking up at his Daddy with his big blue eyes.
Ben kissed Matthew’s forehead, “I hope so, buddy.”
Madeline let out a shaky breath and walked back into the room.