From the very moment that I first saw Ben getting off of his motorcycle, I was intrigued, smitten by this rugged dark haired man dressed in black leather and denim. I carefully observed him swaggering towards the porch. At first I wondered if he might be married or had a girlfriend. During that first picnic I checked his finger to see if he was wearing a ring, but he wasn’t. I talked with Cindy about Ben one day while we were at Lake Carnico. I let it slip that I thought Ben was cute. She confided in me that she also found Ben to be very attractive. He did have something special about him that made people want to be near him. I was turned on by the air of mystery surrounding  him, as well as the tough bad boy biker exterior, but unlike most of the other men, he was sweet and kind. Cindy told me not to be so shy and ask him out. I tried to explain that it was difficult for me to do that. Usually  guys would ask me out long before I even decided I wanted to go out with them. That’s just the type of guy that I usually wound up with, the aggressive type.

I remember it was a Sunday afternoon when Cindy and I took the kids to check out the local yard sales. Sam begged me to let him tag along with Travis and Ben on one of their weekend fishing trips and I finally agreed.  We’d found a fairly big yard sale at a house near the Millersburg cemetery. Five big tables had been set up on the lawn between two big white houses. They had everything from tools, knick knacks,  pieces of old furniture, old comic books and children’s toys. Two elderly women ran the show and seemed annoyed with the kids walking around with the toys. I checked out a pair of blue jeans that looked to be my size when Cindy asked me if I’d asked Ben on a date yet. I frowned and shot her a quick glance. “No, I don’t know how to go about doing that.”

Cindy tried on a pair of sunglasses and said, “So what’s Ben doing next weekend?”

“Travis said that his band’s supposed to play at the Blackberry festival this year?”  

“Wow, this is perfect Suzanne. You should go. It might give you an opportunity to get close to Ben. They have street dances and fireworks.”

“I don’t even know if he likes me that way,” I said.

“Oh please! What guy wouldn’t like a hot woman like you? What’s not to like? I’ve seen him looking at you before. I mean what’s the worst that can happen? He can just say no.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I said, with a sigh.

Cindy took off the sunglasses and put them on my face. “Oh they look much better on you. I think you should go.”

Bella ran over carrying an old doll that had its eyes closed. “Mommy mommy! Can I have this cute doll. Look how she opens her eyes when she sits up and closes them when you lay her down.”

“So how much is it?”

“The lady said it was five dollars. Can I have it, please?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” I reached in my purse and pulled out a five and handed it to Bella. She ran over to the little old woman sitting by the table who smiled then told a story about the old doll.

Cindy grabbed my arm. “So, are you gonna go or not?”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

Every year the little town of Carlisle has an annual tradition called the Blackberry Festival that’s held on the courthouse lawn during the 4th of July and the weekend that follows. There are street dances, a parade, local bands, carnival rides, lots of drunk rednecks, and usually a fight or two.

It was a hot, muggy Friday afternoon, the day of the festival. Travis was helping Bella repair the chicken wire that had come loose on the chicken coop. I talked the boys into helping me hoe the weeds that had overtaken the beans. I wore my big straw hat and I felt the sweat dripping between my eyes. As I stood up to wipe my eyes, a big grasshopper landed on my arm and I jumped.

“Damn, I think it bit me!”

Hank looked over at me and said, “I don’t think grasshoppers bite, Mom.”

“Well this one felt like it.”

Sam was shirtless and looking a bit red. “You know, I think we’ve been at this long enough. How about we go back and I fix us something to eat?” I said, stretching my back.

Sam stood up and dropped his hoe. “Hell yeah! Hoeing sucks!” he said with a big smile.

As we walked back towards the house, Travis was sitting in the porch swing with Bella, taking turns throwing a ball for Buddy to retrieve.

“You guys look dirty and tired,” Travis said.

“The weeds were bad. Good thing we did it today or they would’ve taken over the entire garden,” I said laying the hoe against the side of the house.“So what was up with the chicken coop?”

“It looked like something had tried to get inside. Might be raccoons. We tacked some more chicken wire to cover the hole.”

Bella looked up at me and said, “One of the chickens looks like it lost some feathers on its butt.”

Later on that afternoon before the show, I tried on a new blue dress I’d bought at the yard sale. I hadn’t worn a dress in ages. It was cut rather short and showed off my legs and cleavage. I thought it looked good on me. In the last few years I had taken to only wearing jeans and a blouse. Since living with Rodger, I had learned to dress down. He was so jealous and would accuse me of being a slut if I happened to wear makeup, or dress halfway nice. I never knew what could set him off on a violent rampage. I looked in the mirror checking out the bruises on my arm and back. The marks had almost faded away. I noticed that the corners of my eyes had gotten little wrinkles and little bags starting to develop on my lower lids. I just shook my head and sighed. I decided to put on some makeup to cover the signs of age. The older I get the more self conscious I get about dating.

Just as I was putting on my shoes, I heard Ben’s motorcycle roaring down the gravel road. I glanced out the window and saw Ben dressed all in the black leather jacket and pants. I felt my heart racing as I watched him dismount his bike. I put on my other shoe and walked over to the mirror again. One last check. I sighed and walked towards the stairs. When I got to the porch I saw that Bella and Sam were already waiting for me in the car. Sam was all dressed up, wearing his best pair of jeans and a button down white shirt. Bella wore a bright yellow dress and her new purple sneakers. Hank was sitting on the porch swing with Buddy, and that’s when I saw Travis and Ben walking towards the porch. Ben had turned, facing away towards Travis.

Travis noticed me wearing the dress and smiled.“Wow! Look at you all gussied up! Hitting the town tonight!”

I was caught off guard and grinned, covering my mouth with my hand. Ben turned and I felt his eyes upon me. He lit up and smiled really big. He looked me up and down.

“Hi Suzanne. I must say you look very nice in that dress.”

I felt my heart beating fast. “Thanks, Ben.”

I noticed that he was wearing a white shirt under the leather jacket and a black bolo tie. His eyes were the deepest blue and I felt like melting when he smiled at me.

“Well Suzanne, I hope you try to catch our show tonight. We play a mixture of Bluegrass and Folk. It can be kinda lively and maybe if I’m lucky I can get a dance with you.”

I felt myself grinning like a schoolgirl. “Sure, that sounds fun Ben. Looking forward to it.”

Travis got in his truck and said, “Ben, you can ride with me. Suzanne, we can try to meet up in front of the courthouse after we find a place to park.”

I got in the car and Bella said, “Mommy, you look so pretty. We’re gonna have fun.”

“Thanks, Sweetie.”

Sam turned to me and said, “Hank’s still sitting on the porch swing. He knows we’re ready to go and he ain’t even ready. He’s being a butt.”

I rolled down the window and yelled, “Hank, Honey! Aren’t you gonna come with us?” He was sitting on the swing hanging his head down.

“Sit right here. I’ll be right back,” I said to Bella and Sam.

“Hank does this all the time. He just wants attention,” Sam said as he turned on the radio.

I got out and walked over to the porch. Travis had just driven off down the road. I felt sorry for Hank. He has always been a troubled kid ever since he was very little. Even more so since his father’s death all those years ago.  

I got to the porch and I could see that Hank was in one of his moods.

“What’s wrong, Sweetie?”

“I don’t know, Mom. I feel ugly and I don’t want to be around lots of people.”

“I’m not going to make you go, Hank, if you don’t want to, but I wish you would. I think it would be nice to have the whole family there. You know one of these days you’ll be all grown up and gone and I won’t get to enjoy you as a kid. You can stick close to me, and Bella. Ben would really like to have you there to listen to his band. Ben really likes you.” I sat there and put my arm around him. “So what do you think? Will you come with us?”

“Hmmm, maybe, but if I go I don’t want to dress up or wear shoes.”

“You don’t have to dress up and you don’t have to wear shoes. Just be careful and watch out for broken glass then okay?”

Sam was smacking his hands on the dashboard impatiently, “ Wow, you took long enough, Hank. You always do this.”

“Sam, please don’t start this. You know this hasn’t been easy on Hank,” I said.

“So you think it’s been easy on us?” said Sam.

“No, it hasn’t been easy on any of us, but we have to do the best we can.”

When we got to Carlisle, I circled around the courthouse a few times and gave up on the idea of parking close. I thought, “Oh, fuck it,” I thought, then parked on the far east end of town near the Dairy Queen. The kids didn’t seem to mind the long walk even though it was so hot outside and the tar was bubbling up on the road. Hank winced in pain as he scurried across the road. He looked relieved when he made it to an island of green grass near the sidewalk. I knew better to comment on his being barefoot. It seemed to be a touchy subject with him and I hoped that he would try to have fun.

As we got closer, the crowds of people got denser. I felt pretty in my new dress and noticed a group of three young men who smiled and gave me a look back as we passed. It is a nice ego boost to have younger guys notice a much older woman such as myself with kids. I looked back and saw Hank trailing behind. He looked so unhappy and I basically had to twist his arm to go. Bella was skipping beside me looking about with a big smile on her face. Sam walked well ahead of us. I suppose he didn’t think it looked too cool to be seen with his mom. I chuckled to myself. He was becoming so much like his father, he even looks like Paul, when he was his age.  

As we waded through the crowd, I noticed Travis sitting on a rock wall. Bella called out to Travis and he turned and waved his arms. He looked rather handsome sitting there in his white tank top. Normally I would be attracted to a guy like Travis,  heavily built and masculine, but the moment I first met him, I got this impression that he was the kind of guy who could be my brother, or a good friend. I sat down on the wall beside him, and Bella stood next to me, fidgeting and gritting her teeth.

“What’s wrong sweetie?”

“Mommie, I need to go pee.”

“Why didn’t you go before we left?”

“I didn’t have to go then.”

Hank spoke up and said, “I have to go too.”

“Bella why don’t you go with Hank, and you hold his hand so you don’t get lost. I’ll be right here.” The two of them ran down the sidewalk. I turned to Travis and said,“Did I miss anything?”

“No, you didn’t miss anything. They’re just doing a sound check right now. I heard they won’t be playing until eight. I think Ben wants to get something to eat after the sound check. You’re welcome to come along,” Travis said.

“Looks like Sam has already gone looking for Janice. She’s supposed to meet him here,” I said.

“His date, huh?”

“Yeah, I hear she’s a preacher’s daughter. Hard to imagine that he’s dating already, but I guess I started dating at his age. Hard to believe I’m this old.”

“Well, you don’t look very old.”

“Thanks, but not ready to be a grandmother anytime soon either.”

Travis chuckled and said, “Well I don’t ever plan on being a dad.”

I was a little shocked to hear him say that. “What? I wouldn’t imagine you would have any problem finding a girlfriend. You aren’t that bad on the eyes, Travis.”

“Well thanks, I had a girlfriend years ago. I almost married her, but luckily I changed my mind before I made a big mistake.”

“Why would it be a big mistake?”

“Well,… Let’s just say that I finally realized that I was attracted to the same gender as myself.”

I didn’t expect Travis to say that and found myself laughing. “Oh, my god! I’d never have guessed.”

Travis turned to me and frowned, “So why are you laughing?”

“Sorry, Travis, I don’t mean to laugh, but I need to tell you something. Cindy’s convinced that you have a thing for Charleen. She told me that you were into big women. Oh man this is so funny! Not that there’s anything wrong with you being gay. It’s just funny that Cindy could be so wrong. Ever since that first day setting tobacco, she said she caught you staring at Charleen’s tits. And you two were having such a lively conversation. Well,… we just assumed. Ha ha ha.”

“Well, I guess I was looking a bit. They were so big and they looked like they were about to flop out of that blouse any second. It seemed more like a circus site than anything.”

After he said that, it got us both to laughing.

“What’s even funnier is that Charleen told me that she thought you had a crush on her. So Travis, have you ever had a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, there was this guy back in Chicago named Jason. I thought he was the one, but he dumped me a few months before I moved back here.”

“I’m sorry Travis. It truly was his loss.”

Hank and Bella wandered back a few minutes later.

Bella ran up to me and said, “Momma, the toilets were really nasty. One of them had poop all over the seat!”

“I hope you didn’t use that one,” I said.

“No, but I saw the fat woman who did it. I used another one.”

I heard some music down the street. Bella perked up.

“Momma! Do you think Ben is playing now? Maybe we’re going to miss it. Let’s go see,” she said, jumping with excitement.

“We aren’t going to miss anything, Bella. They’re just practicing.”

We walked down the street east of the court house. A little stage sat in the street with a tarp strung across the top to shade them from the sun. It was decorated with red, white and blue crepe paper. Ben sat on a little stool in front with his fiddle. He winked when he saw me. I smiled back at him. There was a tall, dark haired guy with a big, bushy beard, and a big cowboy hat with feathers, standing with a guitar in his arms near the back. Beside him there was a slightly taller dark haired guy with a goatee playing a banjo and just in front of him sitting next to Ben was a short dark haired heavy guy with a fu manchu playing a little mandolin. We sat down on the lawn in the shade.

After they played two short songs, making sure everyone’s microphone was loud enough, the taller guy nodded to the young man with the mullet and tattoos covering his arms and then put their instruments away. Ben stood up and called called us over to meet the band.

After we introduced ourselves Ben smiled and said, “So, are you guys hungry?  They got some food stands down the street.”  

“I’m in the mood for Polish sausage and sauerkraut.” Travis said, already walking that way.

Ben walked up beside me and said, “So, how did we sound to you?”

“I think you guys sounded great. I didn’t know you could play a fiddle,” I said.

“I guess there’s a few things you don’t know about me yet, huh?” Ben said, with a wink.

“I s’pose not.”

Bella ran and caught up with Travis. I turned around and saw Hank lagging behind about 20 feet.

“You okay, Sweetie?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Hank said.  

Ben looked at me and whispered, “Is Hank okay?”

“He’s always been kinda sensitive, but seems like after he lost his dad, he’s just been in his own world. Besides that, he’s never really wanted to be in big crowds.”

“Well, maybe he’ll like the band tonight and the fireworks.”

“Yeah, I hope so.”

Bella came running back, “Mom! Can I have a hot dog?”

“We’re heading that way sweetie.”

When we got to the hotdog booth, Travis had already ordered a hotdog for each of us. He said it was his treat. The man who ran the stand was very fat and had bright orange hair. He wore blue overalls stained with mustard and a blue ball cap. The sweat had soaked through all of his clothing. Hank and Bella were already eating theirs as I got to the stand. He handed me a hotdog as I watched a stream of sweat pooling into a drip on the tip of his sun burnt nose.

“Here you go, Ma’am. Sure is a hot day today.” His eyes became slits as he smiled.

“Thanks so much,” he said, turning to get another hotdog from the pot of boiling water. His ass was huge and I couldn’t help but stare. Travis caught me staring, smiled and raised an eyebrow. I felt a flash of guilt and lowered my head. He put it on a bun and handed it to Ben.

“Hey aren’t you part of that bluegrass band over there? You guys sound great.”

“Ben smiled. “Yeah, so you think we sound good, huh?”

“Oh yeah man! I’m a big bluegrass fan. You play around here?”

“I only play with these guys once in a while. I’m not a regular member. Charlie Brooks and his brothers usually play down in Renfro Valley. They just happened to be in town for the Blackberry festival and asked me if I wanted to play with them today.”

“Well, when I close for the night I’ll come and hear you guys play,” he said, reaching out to shake Ben’s hand.

Ben walked towards us and said, “So what do you want to see?”

Bella spoke up and said, “I want to ride the ferris wheel.”

I patted Ben on the arm, “They’ve been asking me about the rides all night.”

We pushed our way through the crowds and Bella stood looking up at the big ferris wheel.

“Momma, will you ride with me?”  

I looked up thinking of the height and said, “I just ate. I think I’ll sit this one out.”

Bella scrunched her eyes and walked up to Hank. “Will you go up with me?”

“Nah, I want to ride by myself.”

Travis spoke up and said, “I’ll ride with you.” Bella smiled and took Travis’s hand and led him to buy a ticket.

Ben and I stood by the fence waving as Bella, Travis, and Hank took their seats on the ride. I found myself alone with Ben and didn’t know what to say. I saw Bella waving and smiling, I waved back. Hank saw me waving, cracked a slight smile and gave a quick wave.

I stood watching and sighed, “I don’t know what to do for that kid.”

“What happened to his dad, if you don’t mind me asking?”   

I turned looking off towards the kids. “Well, their father and I were childhood sweethearts. We were so young and in love and got married right out of high school. Paul was a wonderful husband and a great father to his kids. Four years ago next month I got this call on a Tuesday afternoon from Paul’s boss at the construction site. They said there had been an accident. A truck load of rebar had come loose off of a truck and Paul happened to be standing beside it when it fell. They say he was crushed underneath it. It changed our lives. It was hard on all of us, but mostly Hank. He was always a sensitive bright kid, but when his daddy died, things just went downhill for him. He started getting teased in school and I’m afraid I made it worse by my poor choice of boy friends following Paul’s death. That last guy I lived with would pick on Hank and torment him. I was afraid that either Hank or myself would get hurt and we did. And that is how we wound up here. I’m so grateful that Travis took us in to live with him. I haven’t seen Hank smile much until he came to live on the farm.”

Ben looked at me and said, “I’m sorry that happened to you Suzanne. Hopefully things are looking up now.” He reached over and put his hand on top of mine. It made me feel happy and I let my head rest against his side. There was a nagging thought that crossed my mind that maybe Ben was Travis’s boyfriend.

A while later Bella had just gotten off the Tilt-a whirl and can running towards me all excited.

“Momma! Momma, guess what?”  

“What Bella?” I saw this boy on the seat next to me and he was puking.”

I didn’t need to hear that. Travis walked towards me smiling.

“It was just nasty,” he said, laughing.

Ben and Hank returned from the port-a-potty.  Hank seemed happily chatting away to Ben about something. As they got nearer, I heard Hank say, “I want to buy one someday and ride far away!”

“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun, but you also need to be very careful. They can also be very dangerous. It is not so much that the bike is dangerous, it is just that you need to watch out for other people. They’re the ones that won’t be paying attention and you’ll pay for it,” said Ben.

“Have you ever been in a bad accident?” said Hank.

“Yeah, a couple of times. I was just lucky.”

Hank saw me listening and he got closer. “Mom? Do you think when I get older and save my money I can buy a motorcycle?”

The idea of Hank getting a motorcycle threw me off. I didn’t like the idea, but I didn’t want to tell him no either. I looked over at Ben who gave me a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders. I saw the eager look on Hank’s face and sighed, “Maybe when you’re a bit older, but we can talk about it more later.”

Travis spoke up and said, “So what do you want to do next? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m still hungry. What about some ice cream?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. It’s so hot,” I said.

“I want some too,” said Bella

As we all headed through the crowd looking for a booth that sold ice cream, I saw Sam and two young girls around his age sitting on the lawn. Travis Hank and Bella walked on ahead. Sam noticed us and waved.

“Hey! Where’d you guys go? I thought you were going to be by the stage.”

“We waited there a while and then we got something to eat and then Hank and Bella rode some of the rides,”I said.

The two girls beside him seemed to be busy talking to each other. The shorter brown haired girl turned to the taller blonde and started to giggle. Sam tapped the blonde on the shoulder and turned to me.

“Mom, this here is Janice and this is her friend Angie. This is my mom and our good friend Ben.”

Suddenly the blonde named Janice changed and became very polite, “Hello, Mrs Davis. It’s so nice to meet you. Sam has told me so much about you.”   

I reached out to shake her hand and my very first impression was that this seemed like the female version of Eddie Haskell from the Leave It To Beaver show. She seems so ultra polite, but when I was watching her from a distance, she seemed a bit sneaky and obnoxious. I didn’t trust her.

“Howdy girls,” Ben said, as he reached out to shake their hands. Angie smiled as  Ben took her hand.

“Sam, we’re going to get some ice cream and then we are going to be watching Ben’s band play at eight. Are you going to watch it with us?”

Sam looked over at Janice, “I think we are going to ride some of the rides first and then meet you back here later, if that’s okay?”

“I suppose,” I said feeling a bit irritated by the two girls. As we walked through the crowd, I looked over at Ben and said, “I think that Angie girl has a crush on you.”

Ben smiled, “Oh, you think so? I hadn’t noticed.” I gave him a slight punch on the arm.

Around eight Ben took his seat with the band. Charlie took the mic and introduced the band and then instructed the crowd to grab a partner and he would lead them through dance moves. Suddenly they started to play a fast paced song. Charlie demonstrated the moves with a volunteer from the crowd. Each time he called out the next move like ,swing your partner or do-see-do, he and the woman would go through the motions. The bow in Ben’s hand moved with such speed and the music sounded sweet. The guy on the banjo kept pace with Ben. Soon a crowd had gathered and people had taken to dancing in the street. At first I stood back with Travis and the kids. After the first song a young woman in a long dress and long black hair took my hand and urged me to join. I was shy and politely tried to say no, but she insisted and against my better judgement I followed her. Travis was laughing and clapping. At first I felt a little awkward and embarrassed, but soon I realized how fun it was. As we were being led through the moves,  a young girl grabbed Bella’s hands and then they were spinning in a circle. Ben smiled at me as he played and it gave me confidence.

After the dance ended I felt exhilarated and my heart was pounding. I thanked my partner and walked towards Travis. He was laughing and proud of me for going out and trying it. I smiled and held out my hand.

“Travis, would you dance with me?” At first he tried to beg out of it claiming he couldn’t dance. “Please Travis? It’s really fun.”

Reluctantly he followed me into the street. As we started to dance the next song, we were told that we would be going from partner to partner. Travis looked a bit shy, but soon he was dancing and laughing as we were led through the motions. At first we were partners, but soon he was passed on to another woman and I to another man and so on. The numbers grew until we filled the street. We danced three fast dances when it was announced that they would slow things down a bit. Travis went back and joined Hank, sitting on the grass. He was smiling and out of breath. As I was standing there in the road looking back at them, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Ben standing there.

“Suzanne, may I have this next dance?”

It startled me and I was happy that he asked me. “Yes, I would love to.”

The band started playing a slow beautiful waltz. Ben took my hand and led me into the road and held me close. He felt so lean and strong. I felt so close to him as he stared at me with his deep blue eyes. As we danced, it felt as if I were floating on air. When the song ended, I was elated. Ben thanked me for the dance and I was giddy with all sorts of energy.

I rejoined, Travis, Hank and Bella who were sitting on the grass watching the show. Travis cocked his head and squinted.

“Wow! you look happy. What happened?”

“I’m just having a really fun time tonight. I don’t think I’ve been to a dance since before I got married to Paul.”  

“Momma, I didn’t know you could dance!” Bella said.

“It’s been a long time that’s for sure. You kids having fun?”

“Oh yes, it is way fun.” A lively song started to play and I reached out my hand to Travis. “This is such a fun song, Travis will you dance with me?”

He seemed to squirm a little and said, “I don’t know, maybe.”

“Please, pretty please?”

“Oh I suppose I can try again.” I laughed and pulled him up to his feet. A circle dance had formed and people were asked to find a partner. Travis seemed shy and a bit awkward.

“Come on Travis, it will be fun,” I said.

He took my hand and Charlie the caller instructed us to form a big circle. He took us through different moves such as Do-Se-Do, swing your partner, allemande left and right. I thought it seemed fairly easy, but Travis seemed to have two left feet.  Hank and Bella found it very funny when Travis tripped into a larger woman when he turned the wrong direction. He looked embarrassed and I tried not to laugh. People standing on the sidelines started to clap to the music. Travis soon got the hang of it and seemed more at ease.

“See, it’s pretty fun, huh?” I said to Travis.

Ben saw us dancing and yelled “Yeee haw!”

When the song ended, we were both laughing and out of breath.

“Thanks Travis. That was very nice.”

Just as we were walking back towards the lawn, a waltz started to play. Travis looked at me and said, “Would you like another dance?”

He surprised me and I said, “I would love to.” He took my hand and led me back into the street. He smiled and said he would try to be better at the waltz than he was at the square dance. We had just started to dance when I saw Hank’s face contorted in pain. Something disturbed him. I turned my head to the direction he was looking and gasped. Travis cocked his head and was punched in the shoulder from behind. He turned to face the person who punched him.

“What the fuck is this!” said Rodger, taking a swing and punching Travis in the eye. He fell backwards to the pavement. People moved back creating a space. Rodger grabbed me by the arm and started to pull me through the crowd. “What the fuck! You’re coming with me you cunt! What the fuck are you doing with Travis? Have you been screwing him?” said Rodger, in a fit of rage.

“Leave me alone! He didn’t do anything you bastard! Let me go!” I yelled.

The band stopped playing and suddenly Ben shot up from his seat and grabbed Rodger’s fist just as he was about to hit me. Rodger let go of my arm and I stumbled backwards. Ben stared deep into Rodger’s eyes as he held back his fist with one arm. Rodger being nearly six foot five towered above Ben, but seemed powerless against him. He didn’t move for what seemed minutes. He had a blank stare as Ben continued to hold his fist in mid air. Amazingly, Rodger began to pee his pants. People watched in awe as the front of his pants grew wetter and wetter. Ben’s eyes were intense as blue flames as he held Rodger’s gaze and then he suddenly released his grip. As Rodger came to, a look of embarrassment and fear crept over his face. I never saw him look that way before. He didn’t say a word, but looked around and then down at his crotch. He darted away from the shocked crowd. I stood in amazement as Ben asked if I was alright. He bent over and helped Travis to his feet.

“You okay, Travis?” Ben said.

“Uhhh yeah, I guess so. So what just happened?” Travis said touching his cheek that looked a bit swollen.

“It looked like some guy just sucker punched you and tried to hit Suzanne as well.” He looked at me and said, “I’m guessing that was the jealous ex-boyfriend you were telling me about.”

“Yeah, that would be Rodger and thanks Ben. I don’t know exactly what you did or said to him, but it looked like you scared the crap out of him, literally.”

People in the crowd started to talk and whisper among themselves. Bella and Hank ran over and hugged me. Bella started to cry.

“Momma, are you okay?”

Ben asked me if I was okay and I nodded yes. He said he was going back to finish the set if it was okay with me. I walked over to Travis.

“Travis, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It wasn’t your fault. My head hurts a bit, but I think I’ll be fine. I came to see the fireworks and have a fun time. You still want to stay, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I want to stay,” said Bella. “Rodger isn’t coming back, is he?”

“I hope not, Honey. Hopefully not anymore tonight,” I said.

I stood watching Ben play the fiddle. It was as if nothing had happened, but we all had seen it. Rodger was a big guy twice the size of Ben, yet Ben  reduced him to tears. I was simply amazed at Ben’s power over Rodger.

Later, after the band had finished playing, Sam showed up with Janice, who was chattering with her pack of girlfriends. Sam said he heard rumors that there had been a fight. I told him that we were involved in the fight. Sam got excited, walked over to Travis and said, “Man! Your eye looks cut and bruised. Did you get in a fight with somebody?”

“Hardly, I was hit before I knew what happened,” said Travis.

“Wow! Who was it? Did you hit him back?” said Sam all excited.

“It was Rodger. He was drunk. By the time I got up, Ben said something to him and he ran off,” said Travis.

“Ran off! That doesn’t sound anything like Rodger,” said Sam. “Usually he just hangs around and wants to fight everybody. You going to be okay Travis?”

“Yeah, I think so. Looks kinda bad huh?”

“Ha ha yeah a little bit.”

Later, after the sun had gone down and the sky had darkened, the fireworks started. Ben had finished helping the band pack up their instruments and joined us on the lawn. We all stood together watching the fireworks fill the night sky, oohing and ahhing as the bombs burst overhead. Bella sat on the grass next to Hank while Sam sat nearby with his high school friends. Travis and Ben stood on either side of me. Suddenly a tiny white ball of light appeared in the sky, and a second later a loud boom blasted with a load roar. I jumped and then I felt Ben grab my hand. I felt comforted and safe. He turned to me and smiled. I leaned my head into his shoulder and looked up to stare at the shimmering skies. At that moment I fell in love with Ben.

After that night I thought of Ben a lot. I realized that Ben and Travis were very close friends, but I wasn’t sure how close they really were. For some reason I had assumed that they were boyfriends, but was hesitant to actually come out and ask.