We finally figured out who Marti’s girlfriend is. Her name is CJ. I had a eureka moment as Ben was babbling about it at Marti’s work (and mommy was saying, “Show me where the girlfriend is, Ben. There’s chocolate in it for you.”) He mentioned the same old story — that she had lots of movies, and one about a white horse — but then he said, “and there was a book.” And suddenly I realized what movie it was. It was Never Ending Story.
I used to go to a drama group that met at Marti’s work. This was a long time ago in Ben’s world — I stopped going last October when my life got crazy. But I would take Ben and one of the girls there would bring a little DVD player and a tiny dog, and Ben looked forward to playing with both. He watched “Never Ending Story” multiple times, I think, and today we were hanging out at Marti’s work (and I was interrogating) when I suddenly realized who the girl was with all the movies and that Ben has a memory that makes me look like a decrepit 90-year-old woman. Which some days I feel I am.
Anyway, for those that might worry, CJ has severe health problems and I’m not even sure Marti ever met her. She’s actually an acquaintance of mine, not his. She is sometimes bedridden for multiple days and I doubt she would have the energy to seduce Marti, even if they did ever meet. Besides which nobody, not even her friends, have seen her for six months.
Ben certainly enjoyed the furor he caused over this. He would get a silly grin whenever he brought it up, knowing he was getting daddy in lots of trouble. Ben loves getting daddy in trouble. I suppose this is punishment for us, for joking about daddy’s “girlfriends” all the time. So the mystery is solved. But it’s sort of comforting, knowing that I have a little chaperone (tape recorder). Not that I expect Marti to have any girlfriends, of course. And if he did, I’m sure I would be rational about it, and instead of tearing them limb from limb I would, oh, I don’t know. Leave them a poisoned pie perhaps? Something gentler than decapitation. But of course I have perfect faith in Marti.
Ben. My ally.
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