CHAPTER 31 (PART - B) END OF CHAPTER 31


Benton anxiously couldn’t wait to get home, but luckily it was barely a ten to twelve minute drive from the Ipswich harbor. The evening ride home was a quiet, but not peaceful inside of Benton’s mind. He was thinking about Lucille and the kids and quickly returning to Mary Ann’s house to find his brother. Benton also wondered why lately the frequency of child nightmares kept happening.

“Are you fine?” Eric asked as the pulled into Benton’s driveway.
“Not really…had a row with the wife” Benton said absently.
“Well I hope you can work out with her” Eric nodded.
“Me too mate, I’ll see you in the morning...and be ready!” Benton waved jumping out of the truck.

Eric waved back and drove off. Benton dashed back in his house and retrieved the keys to his car. Lucille still had not returned. Benton got in his car and quickly made his way down to Colchester. So many thoughts were going through his head. What would he say to Fenton when he saw him? Would he be able to apologize and fully mean it?

Would anyone else at the house know about what happened and would they already have a preconceived idea that Benton was a bad person? It didn’t matter what anyone else thought, he had to at least try. It was another fifteen minutes to Mary Ann’s house. The anxiety within Benton began to build. Finally he arrived in the driveway as short chubby red headed woman was carrying a sack of rubbish to the bin outside.

“May I help you young man?” Mary Ann asked him as he nervously got out of the car.
“I’m Benton, Fenton’s brother…or Tintin as all of you know him as…” he said dryly.
“Yea, I remember you now. You were the bloke my brother and Archibald chased down the lane” she nodded.
“Yes, I need to speak to him, it’s important” Benton’s hands trembled.
A young woman stepped outside the house, “Benton!” she cried out.
“Alyssa?” he said recognizing her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked incredulously.
“I came to apologize to my brother for everything…” he said humbly.
“You’re a little late, he returned back to Belgium yesterday” she shook her head.
“Oh no…” he sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Alyssa asked.
“Lucille left me and took the kids and won’t forgive me until I apologize to Fenton” he explained.
“I say you got a good wife there lad” Mary Ann laughed.
“She’s the best” Benton agreed.

“Do you know how to get in touch with him?” Benton asked hopefully.
“Yes, I can call him for you if you want” Alyssa suggested.
“Yes, would you? Tell him I’m sorry…sorry for everything, and I don’t expect him to forgive me” Benton replied.
“I got a better idea, why don’t you tell him yourself?” Mary Ann suggested.
“Me?” Benton gasped.
“Of course Benton, it would mean more to him” Mary Ann nodded.
“Let’s go inside and call him right now” Alyssa agreed.
They walked in the house quickly. Mary Ann went through her notebook of phone numbers and began searching.
“Ah, here it is” she said walking over to the telephone dialing the number.
“Here it’s ringing” she said handing Benton the telephone.
Benton listened to the phone ring in anticipation wondering who would answer the phone. After fifteen long rings he hung the phone up.
“There’s no answer” Benton nodded sadly.
“That’s odd, he has a butler there all the time who takes calls when they cannot” Mary Ann replied suspiciously.
“We can try again tomorrow?” Alyssa shrugged.

“That’s fine. I only have to work half a day tomorrow… was I as bad as Lucille said I was?” Benton asked slowly.
“I don’t know how bad Lucille said you were, but you took a swing at my husband with a club” Alyssa told him.
“I did? Well tell him I’m terribly sorry…I was pretty pissed” Benton nodded.
“Yes, I know…luckily my uncles were able to calm you down” Alyssa agreed.
“All of you found him not long after?” Benton continued to ask.

“Oh you don’t know that part of the story… he was attacked by four goons on the road after you threw him out” Alyssa stressed what his irresponsibility caused.
“He didn’t get hurt did he?” Benton asked a bit concerned.
“Not really, your brother is made of some really tough stuff. You saw how well he handled those goons up in Ipswich, with a little help from me and Enzo of course” Alyssa finished.
“I’m glad to hear he’s at least back home safely” Benton sighed in relief.
“You’re going to have to change your attitude or apologizing to him isn’t going to mean much” Mary Ann interjected.
“I know… it’s not easy for me. Listen, I guess I’m going to return home. I have to be up early in the morning” Benton explained.
“Fair enough, you be careful going home now!” Mary Ann nodded.
“If you do see Lucille, tell her hello for me” Alyssa added.
“I will…” Benton said disappearing out the door.

“What’s wrong mum?” Alyssa asked noticing the strange look Mary Ann had when she seemed to be thinking about something.
“Call me mad, but something just doesn’t seem right” Mary Ann nodded.
“You feel it too then… maybe we should call Uncle Frederick and tell him about it” Alyssa suggested.
“I don’t want to worry Frederick with our petty worries, maybe it’s nothing?” Mary Ann shrugged.
“At the very least we should call Uncle Frederick and tell him about our visit” Alyssa pointed out.
“Fair enough” Mary Ann said dialing her niece’s number.

XXXXXXX

“Rachel! Stay away from the fire please!” Elizabeth shouted running over to grab her wandering curious daughter. The young girl giggled as if it was a game.
"No Rachel! That's hot! h-o-t!" Elizabeth said slowly pointing to the fire and shaking her head no.
“She’s got a lot of energy for a young girl” Enzo observed.
“You should see her in the mornings” Elizabeth commented putting her back in her play pen.
“Rachel is a spitfire just like her mother” Kevin laughed.
“Is she now?” Elizabeth turned around giving her husband a playful stare.
The phone rang and Elizabeth walked over to answer it.

“Hello?” she said keeping an eye on Rachel.
“How are you Alyssa?” Elizabeth smiled.
“Dad? Yes he’s here… is there some kind of trouble? Oh I see…one moment” she nodded.
“Dad it’s for you?” Elizabeth said handing him the phone.

“Alyssa?” Chester answered.
“Yea I know the number but you really shouldn’t be calling Marlinspike with such matters. He’s the one who blew it. Oh you already have the number…you called?” Chester nodded.
“Did he now? Uh huh…” Chester changed ears on the phone while everyone in the house looked at him curiously.
“That is strange, Nestor usually almost always answers the phone it’s barely a quarter past seven” Chester said looking at Elizabeth’s clock on the mantle above the fire place.
“Well don’t you worry about it, you let me contact Haddock and Tintin” he shook his head.
“I understand…” Chester said listening to a long explanation.
“If he comes back over call me first, I shouldn’t be out too much tomorrow…exactly I’m relaxing. I have to go back to work Monday” Chester explained.
“Fine thank you for calling me. You stay out of trouble you hear?” Chester shook his finger.
“Cheers!” he said hanging up the phone.

“So?” Elizabeth was the first one to question him.
“It was Tintin’s brother Benton, he had the nerve to show up at my sister’s house” Chester said disapprovingly.
“What did he do for you not to like him?” Kevin asked sensing the hostility.
“What didn’t he do?! He attacked Nathan, Haddock and myself when we confronted him about Tintin” Chester explained.

“He seemed like such a nice gentleman when he wasn’t drunk” Enzo commented.
“You weren’t there to see how cheeky and rowdy he became when we arrived later that evening” Chester shook his head.
“It’s Tintin’s brother though? Siblings fight all the time! You remember how Alyssa and Carol used to argue?” Elizabeth said reasonably.
“This was a bit different dear… but that’s beside the point. I need to call Marlinspike and just check up on Haddock and Tintin to make sure everything is ok” Chester said picking up the phone dialing the number by heart.

The phone rang and rang and still no answer, “Now that is a bit strange” Chester said slightly concerned.
“Why don’t you just call them in the morning?” Elizabeth suggested.
“You’re right, maybe they all went out for dinner. Haddock is forever treating his entire household” Chester laughed.
“Well, I’m sure Benton apologizing couldn’t hurt and plus he was really drunk when all of that happened” Enzo commented.
“I’m still a little skeptical about that young man… but time will tell” Chester nodded suspiciously taking back his seat taking a swig of his ale.

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