Train Wreck

five

BENJI POV

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Benji...

And he loved his sissy so, so, so much... but sometimes she got very scared.

So when she was scared, she needed to make sure she could tell his heart was still beating just so she knew he was okay...  it wasn't much, but it always helped.  Sometimes all it took was something little to make her feel better.  Benji learned he was the same way, too!  He didn't need big presents or huge parades to be happy.  All it took was simple cars or cake to make his day better...

I was only eight when our parents died. She was sixteen.

We sat on a couch at the hospital, adults running all around while I laid with my head in her lap.  Lissy played with my hair and told me stories, just holding my wrist with one hand while she quietly counted my pulse.  She scratched my head like a dog, over and over.

It felt good.  My sister had no idea how to help, but this story will probably always be my favorite.

I didn't want to move away from her lap then.

I think she knows I'd never want to be away from her. She fought to keep us together once we were on our own.  I don't know how, but it doesn't matter.

Now all that matters is our big move.

Atlanta was so exciting, especially since we lived so close to the College Football Hall of Fame.  We got to go to the park all the time, plus would ride our bikes every single day unless it snowed.

My best friend Jason lived a couple of streets away from us so we got to play on the same recreational baseball team. Lissy even let me go over to his house when she had tutor sessions or worked at the coffee shop. His dad was a manager at the Hall of Fame and got us in all the time so I learned about all the different players and why they were honored.

That's why I love sports.

Regular people can do cool things and get their names known by everyone in the whole world.

You don't have to be born to someone special.  It can be someone normal but if you try really hard, you can be someone who has dreams and does something important and is remembered.

Lissy was so busy with school and work but made time for me anyway.  She would make big meals and then trade food with my friends' moms.  That was always fun, especially since she made it feel like we were really a family.  

I never felt like I was missing out on what my friends had.

Lissy said that our job was to just make it a day at a time, so that's what we did.

Do the next right thing.

Now I am glad we made a new friend who could help us get out of that train before it was too late.  I had no idea what to do, and could not have gotten Lissy out by myself.

Remington saved her life... and mine.

The explosion was so big I just kept my eyes shut for a while. Remington hugged us tight and made me feel safe. He walked Alice and me back so it wasn't as hot, too, and by the time I opened my eyes all I could see was a really big forest in front of me.

Even when I was on the train and asking for water, I knew he would help me.

In Atlanta, I always knew when people were safe.  Lissy and I call it my Spidey-Sense.  I have a good radar for whether someone is a good person.  Mommy taught me to lead with kindness but never forget to be wise.  My sister is the same way.