Something Like Summer by Jay Bell

she asked casually as she turned the oven
on.
    “ I tried making spaghetti,
but it didn’t turn out so well.”
    “ So you cooked for his
whole family?” His mother turned her lie-detecting gaze on
him.
    “ No, they were out of
town.” There was no point in lying. He never managed to get away
with it. His mom saw through it every time.
    “ You didn’t mention that
when you called last night,” she said. “You were supposed to be out
with Allison but ended up at some guy’s house. Someone we’ve never
met.”
    Ben shrugged, knowing that
the less he said the better.
    “ Did you actually know
this guy, or did you meet him at a bar?” she pressed.
    Ben laughed, feeling
relieved at finally understanding the source of her
worries.
    “ I wasn’t at a bar, Mom. I
don’t even have a fake ID. I met Tim at school a few weeks
ago.”
    His mom didn’t respond.
Instead she showed him the proper way to cut an onion, probably
while rethinking her strategy.
    “ I just want you to be
safe,” she said as she slid the diced onion off the cutting board
and into a frying pan sizzling with ground beef. “If you need
something, like condoms or lube, you just have to ask.”
    Ben fought to hold back his
laughter. His mother was imagining all sorts of illicit sex, when
the most that had happened last night was a few board games. He was
pretty sure that a condom wasn’t required to play Scrabble or
Life.
    “ He’s not my boyfriend,
mom. He’s straight.”
    She set down the can she
was trying to open with a loud thunk. “Then why are you cooking for
him? And how come you haven’t been home all week? What exactly do
you two do together?”
    Now she was back to
suspecting drugs. She would be twice as shocked to learn that he
had in reality been doing many of the same chores that he had
tackled today.
    “ I just really like him,
that’s all.”
    “ Oh, Benjamin,” she said
sorrowfully. “You need to find someone who can return your
feelings. You’re just going to end up getting hurt.”
    “ That’s what everyone
keeps telling me,” he responded tersely.
    “ You haven’t met any other
gay boys at your school?”
    He shook his
head.
    “ None? Maybe we should get you a fake
ID. We could go to the bar together.”
    “ Sure!” Ben laughed. “You
can help me pick someone out.”
    “ I would, too! I just
don’t think that’s the best place to meet someone. Have you thought
about personal ads?”
    “ C’mon, Mom. Stop worrying
about it. I’m sure I’ll meet someone. I just hope it happens before
I’m thirty.”
    “ It will. It’s just a
matter of time before someone realizes how special my baby
is.”
    Ben smiled as they
continued making chili together. The recipe was easy. All he had to
do was throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and let it cook. Even he
couldn’t mess this one up.
    “ You should have been
honest though,” his mother said, almost as an afterthought. “All
that stuff about being out with Allison!”
    Ben remained silent,
wondering suddenly how she figured out that he hadn’t gone to the
movies at all.
    “ She’s going to be in
trouble with her father too, you know,” she continued in chastising
tones. “He sounded furious when he called last night.”
    “ What? Allison’s dad
called?”
    “ Late last night. After
you called and said you’d be sleeping over. He asked if I knew
where you two were, and, well …”
    Ben didn’t need her to
finish. The sinking feeling in his stomach told him all he needed
to know.
     
    __________
     

Chapter 7
     
    Lunchtime couldn’t come
quick enough on Monday. Despite calling Allison at least three
dozen times Sunday evening, Ben had been unable to reach her. The
phone only rang and rang, not even the answering machine picking
up. Unless she had entered into a six-hour conversation with
Ronnie, which seemed unlikely, her phone had probably been taken
away, or maybe her private line had been canceled.
    Ben’s apprehension
increased as she failed to