#benparkeris

[earthtonesandfedoras]

23. “I didn’t know we were keeping track.” -benparkeris.

@benparkeris

Red waved the comment off.  

“Don’t think of it as keeping track, we’re too old for that. Think of it as convenient opportunities to break bread.”  He looked at the coffee table. “Or pizza together.”

The Army/Navy game was in halftime and they had the sound down.  They’d been having a pleasant afternoon talking about normal things, things only old vets can talk about.  Red had almost shouted at Dembe when he’d heard about Ben being invited over, but in retrospect, he’d probably buy his old friend’s granddaughter a car.

“How’s the family, Ben? Old bachelor curiosity abounds.”

[earthtonesandfedoras]

From here  @benparkeris

Red huffed a laugh and sipped his beer.

“Bacheloring is something I’ve gotten used to, well mostly.  I have my business, which is coming along nicely.  I travel.  It’s sort of working retirement, I suppose.”

He debated injecting ‘buisness’ into the conversation.  This was actually the most relaxed interaction he’d had with a human in a while and didn’t want to ruin it.  Just a simple question, though, nothing terribly intrusive.  Curiosity.

“I’ve been running into these powered people quite a lot lately.  I’m helping one of them with her business, actually. Played chess with a particularly opinionated one.  I think you’d like him.

“How do you know the one that dug us out of the building?  They seem to be everywhere nowadays.”

[wininthetardis]

benparkeris is calling you

She had just started nodding off again when she heard her phone ringing. Reaching for it, her fingers fumbled around the edges before she finally got a good hold of it. Her eyebrows knitted together when she saw that it was from a New York area code.

"He-" Winter cleared her throat once and tried again. "Hello?"

[helixwebdouble]

"Those Left Behind."

Rich vanished in a sizzle and a pop and a stench of ozone, and it even looked like a flicker of lightning danced around his outline...

...and, standing there holding Clay's hand, Peta sagged a bit against her taller boyfriend, closing her eyes as she buried his face against the solidity of his arm. "...God."

Ben, still sitting at the kitchen table holding his cane between his hands, shook his head slightly. "I've lived too long. Did that boy just text himself to England? It's like the damned Jetsons."