The countdown began exactly three months and four days ago, for Benny, when he finally came to term with the idea of moving. What other option does he have after all? Struggling with his old patchy leather pass -me-down suitcase, he managed to fit in the very few clothes and shoe he thought important to start a new life elsewhere, at least he wouldn’t have to be worried about being mocked for wearing the same old clothes he has had recycled on his body for the last four years.
Just like in the movies, Benny stared deeply at every corner of his tight cornered room like he was taking in the most minute detail of the environment he had known for the last nineteen years, but no, this is no movie, I hope I never remember this place as soon as I leave, he muttered with a smirk.
Running to the train station, as usual, in his always late mode, to catch the last train towards the airport, he felt a mix of exhilaration and nervousness rising from his gut to his throat, but he kept on running anyways. Finally at the airport, two hours forty-six minutes later, he was right on time for his flight. Arrhhh! Benny exclaimed quietly, this was one of his best achievements so far he made it on time to his destination, very on time, because he had roughly twenty seven minutes to window shop before check-in. He was finally leaving Jordan.
Benny arrived Heathrow airport looking like a monument of exhaustion, for that was the longest trip he had never had. Collecting his luggage, and following the trail of the crowd of people towards the arrival like he was a part of them, he soon saw hands raised, holding a placard with his name. As he walked faster towards those raised hands, he was once again met with that exhilarating and nervous mix of emotions he had hours earlier in Jordan. Hello, you are Richard? he asked the grayish green-eyed guy holding his name up, and before he got a response from the beautiful British young man standing in front of him, he had thrown his arms around him, and kissed him on both cheeks. Ohhh, hello to you too, Beh- nam, did I get that right? Stuttered, Richard, who stood flushed with amusement. “Don’t worry, you can call me Benny”, he answered sheepishly, I have make my name sound more English like you, brother he responded proudly with his best English accent. Pardon my manners guys Benny, meet Egsy, my friend, Egsy, meet Behnam, sorry, Benny, my brother!Within minutes, they were en route Las Iguana one of Richard’s favourite restaurant since his last vacation to Machu Picchu. He barely cooked, except for days he had a lady to impress or when he needed a favor from his late mother or when he simply missed her absence unusually. I wouldn’t count on the meal you had on the plane as food enough, so I thought to reserve us a place at the restaurant to have dinner, if that’s ok Benny Yes, Yes, that is good, you know, I like good food, he said giggling, and that is why I cook very well. I learn good cooking very well in Jordan Benny responded. Lovely, I am sure you would love the food, welcome to England then! Benny wished his brain could soak and store up the tiniest detail of every scene oozing out of the autumn climate, as he looked out the window, while Egsy and Richard sang along to Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”. Can I ask you a favour brother? You know you can call me Richie, like Egsy does, you would sound less awkward, and not so newbie Richard said forcing a smile and hoping he didn’t sound conspicuously offensive. In honesty, he would rather Benny made him less nervous with the brother term while he still tried getting used to the reality of living with a non-existent existing sibling. вSo what is it, you alright? he asked. I am thinking if you will like to take me to mother’s grave. Please. You know, aleayilat hi kl shay Excuse me? Sorry, sorry, what I mean is, family is everything. Mother is very important to me, to everybody. Although, it was the last request Richard had expected to be asked, but maybe, he could replace his depression and fear of visiting his mother’s grave again, with the anxiety of having his new sibling around, just maybe It had been over a year and eight months living together with Benny. The brothers had successfully built a frenemy relationship. Benny had made a habit of visiting their mother’s grave almost every Thursday a habit Richie often called mental torture. Though it was Benny’s way of making up a little for the lost years, which Richie quite understood sometimes, but his brother’s binging on every picture of their mom and uttering his now habitual aleayilat hi kl shay hasn’t helped their struggling brotherly bonding either.
Jana, their mother, was fifteen when she got pregnant to another man different from whom she was betrothed. Being abused physically and verbally during and after her pregnancy, led her to meeting one of the expats in Jordan, who would later fall in love and fight until he succeeded in taking her with him to London. Her dead mother’s words were true after all, hnak amal there is hope. Her hope felt incomplete because she couldn’t have her son, who had been taken away. Years later, with help from her father before he passed away, as his only way of apologizing for not being the father he should have been to her, he helped reconnect her with her son. And from that moment, she went every length to see that Behnam, her son, her first child, could finally come live with her and Richie as a family. When Behnam’s visa was finally sorted, he was almost a year late, because Jana had lost her battle to cancer but won the battle of having both of her sons live together in England.
Benny and Richie had been running the business together under the guidance of Mr. Graham, Richie’s godfather. They had began to experience some financial challenges and needed every move they could to salvage their mother’s legacy. From discrepancies in the company’s account, to some sneaky deal approvals by Uncle Graham sir’as Benny preferably called him, there was too much wrong going on somewhere, but Richie wouldn’t heed his observations or advices.
They were at the verge of bankruptcy, and every move Benny brought to the table had been subtly rejected. While Benny pressed Richie during a chat to know why he was not only being made to feel inconsequential but his efforts as well, Richie, yelled at him, with the response, the boards of directors know better than to follow a boy from the medieval world! A fight sure broke out.
Richard’s health scare became more serious, as he passed out during a meeting. He was later diagnosed with a rare form of a disease, with quite a slim chance of being cured. He would have to rely on medications to manage him, while he waited a couple of months to know if he could be cured, based on ongoing research.
Benny helped nurse his brother to recovery, and was soon back on his feet, at the helm of affairs. Business continued as usual, still laden with financial challenges, that they began cutting down on everything.
There was a conspiracy Benny lost his shares of the company, was kicked out, and arrested. Four months into his jail time, it was discovered Mr. Graham had masterminded everything wrong from the beginning. He hated knowing Jana had another son who could deprive him of his long planned sinister move, and so manipulated Richie to selling him out.Weeks after Benny got out he was set to move on, so he packed all that mattered to him once again, and was ready to go back to the only home he knew besides England, back to Jordan. At least he wasn’t going back the same way he came, he thought, to console himself.
While at his place of business, about five months later, he received a call from Richie telling him he was been scheduled for surgery in three weeks. Benny, you have taught me that it takes more than being called a brother to be one, you call me brother, and have been a brother indeed, even when I failed you so many times, because I didn’t understand what you understood about family. I am calling because, I miss you Benny, and because you are family, my only brother. If I make it out of this surgery, I hope I can make up for every misunderstanding I have caused. It’s ok we don’t stay angry at family forever. Good-luck with surgery, and I will be praying for you brother.
Weeks later, while being wheeled into surgery, he opened his eyes to see Egsy, his best friend squeezing his hands to show him support, and then sees another face beside him, saying, I will be here waiting and praying for you brother. He smiled and closed his eyes peacefully.**The Character, Benny is a dynamic one, as he grew from being just a humble and inexperienced nineteen year old boy from a developing nation to being a co-owner of an inherited company in a developed country. The Third-Person-Limited point of view was used because it allowed the narrator to give unbiased expression to each character. The turning point of the story was when Benny became outspoken about being indirectly discriminated against, and being just a ceremonial co-CEO with no evident input whatsoever, and when he went to prison for a crime he knew nothing of, and lacked support from the only family he had. Metaphor, euphemism, oxymoron, repetition were literary devices used.