Ben blinked as his apartment went out of focus around him for a moment, only to refocus with all of his things gone. He was now being held by Sarah who oddly seemed younger and with slightly larger breasts that he was leaning his chubby head against. She was also now on the phone.
"Yes mother, I made sure to check out underneath the counter tops in the kitchen," groaned Sarah as she hefted Ben further up on her hip which he'd been unconsciously sliding down ever so slightly.
What had happened to all his things? The apartment looked empty.
Sarah continued her conversation, "It looks like a great place for Sam and Benny and I to start out with after the wedding. You should come over and see it for yourself."
Sam? That was the same name as his kid brother. And since when was I called "Benny"?
Walking over to the window and pulling aside the blinds, Sarah said, "Traffic's not too terrible, you could get here in fifteen minutes. Sam and I can keep the dealer busy until you arrive."
Suddenly memories started hitting Ben as he began associating Sarah as "Mommy" and Sam as... "Daddy" in his fuzzy baby brain. What had hitting save done to him? And if all of his things disappeared, did that mean his computer was gone too? How was he going to get back to normal now? Ben didn't like where any of this was going and began to fuss.
"Hold on, Benny's getting fussy," said Sarah as she put her smartphone down on the kitchen counter and then held Ben up so he could face her... his new mommy.
"What's the matter, Benny? Do you need your diaper changed?" she asked him in some of the most humiliating form of baby talk that Ben had ever heard. How real babies put up with this day in and day out, he didn't know. He began to cry as the thought of being trapped as a baby began to hit him hard.
She sniffed his diaper and said, "No, that's not the problem. Is Benny hungry?"
With no computer, he was trapped. Ben continued to cry. Sarah tried positioning him as if she were about to open her blouse and breastfeed him, but Benny didn't want that. So he flailed his arms, pushing and hitting the readying breast away from him.
Sarah reacted "Ow! Okay, not hungry. Then what's wrong Benny?"
Just then in came Daddy with another woman who was dressed rather professionally, obviously the realtor. And Ben stopped crying as a deeper fear hit him. Sam was his kid brother, his twenty-two year old fresh out of college kid brother. He was dressed rather well in a business casual suit that Ben had seen his brother wear a few times when he'd invited him out to celebrate some achievement he'd achieved in college. The details were getting fuzzy for Ben, as if that life wasn't as important anymore. He did remember Sam admitting to him in one of those fancy restaurants he'd taken him out to that he'd always wanted a family, just never being able to find the right girl in college who wasn't interested in going to fraternity parties and getting drunk all the time.
And now... he has what he's always wanted, Ben thought. Strangely that thought had comforted Ben. He'd been worried about how Sam had never seemed to hit it off with other people, always being awkward and rather shy. Ben had always wanted the best for his kid brother who had never cared what his orientation was when he'd come out to the family. Sam had accepted him far easier than their parents had, making Ben wish his parents had been as understanding of the news. And now, oddly enough, Ben was about to get his wish while giving Sam what he wanted too. And with that thought, Ben began to feel his fears and worries about not being able to grow right back up again begin to disappear. That didn't seem to matter as much anymore.
"Everything all right?" asked Sam as he came over to Sarah and Ben. Ben couldn't take his eyes off of how big his brother--now father looked. So tall, safe and comforting...
Sarah admitted as she shifted Ben once again, "I think Benny's just tired and needs a nap."
"Here, I'll take him for a bit, so you can look over the rest of the place," offered Sam, who was already in the process of taking Ben into his arms, his big strong, safe arms, as he was gently rocked. This was soothing to Ben to be in S--Daddy's arms.
Sarah took the opportunity to cross back to the counter, and pick up her phone, only to see her mother had hung up in the intermittent time. She placed her phone back down on the counter.
"If you need to come back another time to make a decision," began the realtor.
Sarah assured the woman, "No, it's fine, Sam always is able to get Benny to go to sleep anywhere. It's a magic touch I wish I had."
"I wish my husband had that touch," laughed the realtor as she and Sarah exited the kitchen, leaving Sam and Ben to bond quietly in the kitchen.