Abba entries

Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother

"Ben, I told you a hundred times! I'm never going back there."

Ben's brow tensed up. His eyes pleaded as he dared to take the topic further. "Darling, this is my sister's wedding! We'll be staying in a hotel, and we never have to leave it. The taxi will take us to the hotel from the airport. The wedding and reception are all in the same place, and the next day, the cab will take us right back to the airport."

"Ben, I don't want to go near that town at all. The hotel is in the same town! Don't you understand! I killed a boy in that town. His spirit will be crying to me in the very air which surrounds all around!"

Ben could see his wife's eyes starting to water, so he handed her a tissue and a bottle of water. He wanted more than anything to tell her it's okay, and that they never needed to go back to their home town. He also knew that they needed to go to his sister's wedding, and that it was about time she let go of her childhood bad memories. He paused while she dried her eyes and took a sip of water, then took her hand very tenderly. "Carla, each time we bring this subject up, you never tell me the entire story. All I know is that your friend fell out of a tree when you were ten years old, and he died. Can we talk about this a bit more?"

Carla, startled, jerked her hand away. After a short moment, she pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down. She nervously started peeling the label off her water bottle, but her expression seemed more calm. "Well there was me and Bobby and Bobby's brother. We were really the only kids our of age on our street. And I went to see them almost every day."

Carla looked up from her water bottle to hold eye contact with her husband. "We were the best of friends, Ben. We spent every minute together. Bobby was such a kindhearted boy. He was two years younger than his brother and I." She smiled as she reminisced. "I remember all the games we used to play. I can still see him in my mind" She took a moment to bring the tissue to her eyes. "...Climbing the apple tree. I dared him to do it. He was so afraid, Ben, but he would do anything I told him to do. Anything. He trusted me. Bobby's brother and I watched as he made it to the top."

Carla's tears fell in full force now. Ben dragged over a chair to sit close so he could hug his wife. "And that's when he fell." Ben concluded the story for her. "Carla, sweetheart, it wasn't your fault. You said yourself that it was just a little kid's game, and that you were all very close friends. If Bobby were here right now, he would be saying that he didn't want you to be sad. That's not what he would have wanted. If anything...If his spirit is still around, he might think it's lovely to get a glimpse of his best friend one more time. Maybe his spirit thinks you were disappointed in him and that's why you never go back to that town."

Carla looked up into her husband's face. "Maybe you're right. Okay, let's do this. Let's go to Gracie and Steve's wedding. But we'll take it slow. We'll only go to the hotel like you said."

As they embraced, Ben whispered, "Alright. It will be okay."