Ryan's World
David Garlock
Copyright 2010 David Garlock
Ryan Bennett found himself sitting on the edge of his bed and realized he was awake. After thinking for a moment, he decided it must be Saturday because he had a vague recollection of the day before being Friday. He didn’t remember much about that day, except that he might have asked a rather plain looking girl to a school dance. What was her name? Ryan tried to dig deeper into his memory. Was it Mandy? No, plainer than that. Mary? That sounded right – Mary Something from English class.
Having solved that mystery, he decided that he should probably go down to breakfast. He pulled himself off the bed and headed toward the open doorway. As he passed the full-length mirror nailed to the wall, he noticed that his blue and white striped pajamas had been replaced by a plain white T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Ryan grinned to himself. He hadn’t figured out why some days he had to dress himself and other times it just happened.
He bounded down the stairs, breezed into the kitchen and slid into the chair at his customary spot at the table. To his left, his mother was leaning forward, elbows resting on the table and cupping a mug of coffee with both hands. Across from where he sat, all he could see was his father’s long bony fingers grasping the edges of the morning paper. A platter of steaming scrambled eggs and bacon rested in the center of the table.
As he scooped a portion of the eggs on to his waiting plate, his mother smacked her lips and lowered her mug to the table.
“So this is the big day,” she said. “I’m so glad you’re going to the dance with Mary Parker. She’s such a nice girl, even if she is a little shy. It’s so hard to make friends when you’re new in town. By the way, I dropped your jacket off at the cleaners. Mr. Mason promised it would be ready this morning, so don’t forget to pick it up.”
Ryan returned the serving spoon to the platter. He had no idea why he had asked this Mary Parker to the dance. He couldn’t remember ever speaking to her before. He quickly tried to come up with an excuse that would allow him to get out of it without looking like a total jerk. He opened his mouth to inform his mother that he felt a cold coming on and didn’t want to infect everyone, but an entirely different set of words came out of his mouth.
“Yes, Mary is a very nice girl. I’m really looking forward to the dance. It will be a lot of fun.”
Why did he say that? He had no idea whether or not Mary is a nice girl. He didn’t know her at all. He tried again, this time carefully framing the words in his mind before opening his mouth.
“Actually, I don’t feel …, uh, very hungry this morning.” He sat quietly for a moment, wondering why he hadn’t been able to say what he meant. “May I be excused?”
His mother frowned. “You haven’t touched your breakfast.”
Ryan crinkled his eyebrows. “I’ll grab a sandwich later.”
Without waiting for a reply, he jumped up and rushed through the house and out the front door. The next thing he knew he was walking cheerfully down the sidewalk toward a destination yet unknown. As he sauntered along, he nodded in response to a wave from old Mrs. Pennington, who was enthusiastically clipping her hedge and stooped to pet Mr. Henson’s shaggy brown dog.
About halfway down the block, he became aware of a figure moving down the other side of the street. Glancing over to get a better look, he saw a tall, long-legged girl about his age, long blonde hair and wearing a baggy white blouse with tails that hung over a pair of cutoff jeans.
He slowed down a bit, and then quickened his pace, but the girl was still exactly opposite him. When he crossed the street at the end of the block, the girl crossed over and was soon walking at his side.
“Hiya,” she said. “Where you goin’?”
Ryan smiled. “Nowhere special,” he replied. “Just out for a walk.”
The girl nodded. “I’m Jennifer,” she said cheerfully. “You’re Ryan Bennett, right?”
Ryan was surprised. “Yes, I am. Do we know each other?”
Jennifer laughed. “I’ve seen you around. Listen, we don’t have much time so we’ll have to talk fast. I get the impression you really don’t want to take Mary Parker to the dance tonight. Am I right?”
Ryan stopped walking. “How’d you know about that?”
“I was there,” Jennifer replied. “You looked very uncomfortable when you were asking her. I have a feeling you really didn’t want to. Am I right?”
Ryan nodded. “I don’t know why I asked her. I don’t even know her. I’ve been trying to think of a good excuse not to go.”
The girl smiled broadly. “It’s simple. Just say you don’t want to go. It’s a free country, right?”
Ryan frowned. “I tried to tell my mom that I was getting sick but I couldn’t get the words to come out right.”
“It’s pretty hard until you break free,” Jennifer replied. “Try thinking of something else, and then talk real fast. Keep it short and simple. Just say, ‘I don’t want to go’, then stop talking.”
“I don’t know. My parents wouldn’t like it. My mom is real excited about me and Mary going to that dance.”
Jennifer gently squeezed his shoulder. “Who’s living your life – you or your parents? They’ll get over it. Mary will get over it too. I’ve seen her. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to go. She never talks to anyone. She’d feel out of place in a noisy crowd.”
Ryan considered it. It did make sense. What could they do to him? If they grounded him, he wouldn’t have to go anyway.
“I guess you’re right. I’ll just say I don’t feel like going. I’d better get going so I can call Mary before it gets any later. Like you said, she probably doesn’t want to go either.”
He turned to go, and then paused. “Thanks a lot. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“I can guarantee it. Sooner than you think.”
When he got back to his own yard, his father was pushing a mower across the lawn. They exchanged waves as Ryan made his way to the front door. He found his mother still sitting at the kitchen table, mug in hand.
“You’re back! Did you pick up your jacket?”
Ryan shook his head. “Not yet.” He dropped into the chair opposite his mother. He closed his eyes and formed an image of Jennifer in his mind, spending a few long moments thinking about her cute little upturned nose and the way her hair fell in curves around her face. Then, before anything else could force its way into his consciousness, he blurted, “I don’t want to go to the dance.” He pressed his lips tightly together to keep anything more from coming out of his mouth.
His mother’s jaw dropped. “Uh, but … you have to go. You can’t disappoint that poor girl.” Her eyes started darting around the kitchen, not settling on any one place for more than a second. “I don’t know what to say,” she added.
Suddenly, he heard a low rumbling sound that seemed to come from just outside the house. As Ryan looked at his mother with an expression of puzzlement, the far wall of the kitchen faded to a misty gray. A moment later, a short bald man with a clipboard stepped out of the gray, his teeth clenched and his eyes on fire.
What the hell is going on here?” he shouted.
His mother’s entire body was trembling. “I’m sorry, Director,” she stammered. “I didn’t know what to say. I just didn’t know what to say.”
The Director shook his head. “It isn’t your fault, Marion. What wrong with this boy?” He turned to Ryan. “What do you mean ‘you don’t want to go to the dance’? You have to go to the dance. It’s what gives Mary the confidence to run for student council.”
Ryan, confused and bewildered at this strange turn of events, looked back and forth between his mother and the
little man, trying to make sense of the situation. He then realized that the only words drifting out of his conscious mind toward his mouth were his own. He wondered if this was what Jennifer meant by ‘breaking free’. Suddenly feeling very confident, he said, “I just don’t want to go. It’s a free country, isn’t it?”
The Director stomped his foot soundly against the floor. “No, it isn’t. Nothing is free around here. You have a job to do.” The little man started to pace back and forth across the floor. “This is bad, very bad. The Edit Gods are going to be furious. If you don’t get it together, I swear I’ll have you wiped.”
Just then, the back door burst open and Jennifer rushed into the room.
“Leave him alone!” she yelled.
The Director smiled weakly. “Ah, Jennifer, you have returned to make my life miserable once more. I should have known you had something to do with this. I should have had you wiped when I had the chance. But one of these days I’m going to find out where you’ve been hiding and you’ll