Benji’s mama was still gazing at him with an adoring look. Benji smiled back, but not for the reason his mama thought he was smiling. His mama thought she had gotten through to him. But Benji was smiling…because he knew.
He knew he was going to deceive his mother.
And he knew it was going to work.
I wish that he could see me and that we could just have a conversation. It would be much easier, but unfortunately…that’s not the way it works.
But I suspected Benji was right. He was going to deceive his mother. And it was going to work.
His mother’s smile followed behind him as her fifteen- year- old middle child departed the house on his way to school. Her smile was genuine. She was full of joy over all her children— she felt like a blessed woman. It was not easy to bring children up the right way in this neighborhood, but she had faith in her husband, she had faith in her children as well, and accordingly…she had an unwavering faith that Benji would make the right decision.
Although in this case— she didn’t need faith.
“He thinks he’s slick,” Mama thought with a smile. “He probably thinks he’s going to do that ‘pretend to be cold’ thing the boys like to try to get out of school.
“But he’s speaking at youth conference whether he wants to do it or not.
Because I say so.”
Lina Frazier paused for just a moment; she had a busy day ahead and she needed to call Rose back first…but instead of starting her day, she went outside to take in the beauty of the morning and was surprised to see Benji standing on the sidewalk talking to that little Davis boy from next door. They looked like they were going across the street but when her middle child saw her, they waved to each other, then her son quickly ran off in the direction of the school.
Benji’s mother came back inside…and looked directly at me.
“Mama got one of them guardian people too,” she said with a knowing smile, a wink in her eye and a twinkle in her soul.
If I didn’t know better…I would have sworn she could really see me.