Starring:
Plus Margie Winters
Summary: Another repose from all realms of work; Ben keeps things from his mother, and Church offers some more slivers of insight.
Date It Happened: February 26th, 2008
Use Your Noodle
Downtown, NYC - Noodle Heaven
A cheerful interior greets the hungry sandwich shop patron as they enter Noodle Heaven. The walls are a candlelight off white, warm and creamy. The floors are hard wood, varnished to a high oaken shine. The counter is a welcoming space with a huge counter showing off their fresh meaty, cheesy, and veggie fare. Noodle Heaven prides itself on being accessible to all dietary needs, and every sandwich is custom made, according to brightly displayed signs within.
To the right is a long counter, behind which employees in nearly spotless uniforms assemble sandwiches in a little line. At the front of the counter, near the door, a little old man behind the register takes money and sends orders down the line. There are several tables filling the restaurant to the left, and all the way to the back, each with four chairs around it. A few booths line the back wall.
The large plate glass window and glass door in the front allows in a lot of light during the day, and affords a view of the street beyond at all hours. The sandwich shop runs 24 hours a day, offering a tiny, bright respite from the bustle of the city—and the best dang cheesesteak you can find on a baguette. Yes, a baguette.
Noodle Heaven does not serve any form of noodles.
Gasp, shock! Benjamin is out in public with a woman who is not is partner! Oh, wait, it's just his mother. Who he has kinda been avoiding lately. Looks like he got cornered or maybe decided to treat her to lunch.
"You look like you did after that incident in the fifth grade where you got beaten up on the playground."
"… mom. Do you /have/ to bring up those memories?"
"I'm just saying," Margie placates with a gesture of her hand. "It's a shame about you and that Alice, I never even got to meet her. But if you're too busy, you're too busy."
"Our schedules kept clashing, and she's constantly gone on business trips. It's for the best. Since I'm now consulting, that keeps things crazy on my end."
At least this kind of cornered won't get him a new black eye. Right? The door to the sandwich shop jingles as it opens; the weather is warmer, and Church already has his suit jacket over one arm instead of over his torso. He'll take what warmth he can get- a real Summer Guy. Luckily the conversation prior passes just seconds before he comes in, immediately gravitating over towards Ben + Mom Table.
"I still don't understand. There are no noodles here."
"What do you want to see next? We haven't been to a Broadway show in awhile, I'll even see if Rose is interested in going." Benjamin has his doubts. He's even more unsure how to relate to his daughter these days than ever before.
"Oh, surprise me. You know I'll see just about anything on sta.. and oh look, it's Lawrence!," Margie practically glows at Church's approach. "Would you just come over here and help me cheer up my boy? I swear he's going into that post-breakup depression. Just look at that face," she even reaches across the table to take Ben's face in her hands, "He's even going after purse snatchers instead of just calling the police!"
"Mooom," Benjamin starts, voice sounding more like a whine as his face is grabbed before he can pull away. "Hey Church." Save me! Just kidding. "I think the owner just has a weird sense of humor about what to name his restaurant."
"Purse snatchers, eh?" Is that what he wants to call it? Church claps a hand on the side of Ben's shoulder before pulling up an empty chair, resisting the urge to lean over and schmooze more with his mother- if this were southern Europe, there would probably have been face-kisses by now.
"Post-breakup? The ball finally drops." Lawrence glances aside to Ben for an extra second. "So I hear you need cheering up." Yeah, your mom just said it.
Benjamin gives Church one of those, 'you are not helping' expressions. Besides, what else is he going to tell his mother? Hai, yeah, either you or daddy gave me special powers and now I work for a secret organization. "She was asking about Alice, so I told her we broke up." Or at least it's now more or less official. "Since she's off on another one of her trips." IE, assignment abroad indefinitely. He's also not going to tell his mom that said Company fried his brain and he fought with his friend.
"Well, it's nice to see you have friends and to get to meet them. Especially Lawrence, he's such a nice boy." Margie says as if Church wasn't there. "You'll be coming with us when we go to another show." It's not a request.
Such a nice boy, she says! Church just smiles in what he deems the background, a fat grin aimed at Benjamin. As for the request, he doesn't argue. Just a new nod to Margie, then a squint to her son. "You can find someone else. Someone who's gonna be around instead-" At first, Church is on the fast track to finishing his thought using what Ben has been trying to not tell his mom; he does catch himself.
Benjamin delivers a kick to Church's leg under the table. That's his /mother/. Stop it, Eddie Haskell. "What? Well, you enjoy theater. Rose'll probably squirm the whole time." He's not even going to bring up Meryl, who is a sore point. Just a little. Plus, he can't imagine her being able to sit still for three hours or so.
"Nonesense Lawrence. We want you along. I insist. Benjamin has so few friends as it is."
"I'm right here mom, I'm a grown man. Not a kid anymore."
"Hush dear, I speak the truth. You always were a bit of a loner."
"Ow." Church does give a dramatic wince from the kick at his shin. Stop that! So he kicks Ben back with the toe of his shoe. "Was actually talking about the dating thing- you know I'd go to a show with you two in a heartbeat, Margie." He leans down just enough to rub at the sore spot on his leg. Jeez, are you wearing cleats? "Grown man or not, she's pretty much right." That was for Ben, who gets a half-smile. Oh, our friendless Benjicakes.
Benjamin grimaces at the return kick and shoots a look at Church. "Oh, well, not interested in matters on that front." He's not, and don't you forget it. Even if he did punch Church for schtupping Meryl. He wasn't in his right mind. That's his story and he's sticking to it. Picking up his coke, he takes a drink. End of conversation!
Not so fast. Margie just smiles brightly at Church, "See, he understands perfectly. What a good friend you are to my Benji." Who looks about ready to crawl under the table. Or maybe put his mom to sleep so he can escape. It's a tossup.
That would be horrible, and would also leave Margie alone with Church- and what self-respecting son would do that to his mother?
"Not interested? That's a bucketful if I ever heard one." Lawrence is quick to counter that, looking over at the other man like he might be wearing a stamp of 'Bad Liar' on his forehead. "You just need to find someone you can get along with better. The long distance thing obviously wasn't working either." Church is the master of relationships, did you know?
Benjamin rolls his eyes as he looks at Church. What the Hell are you trying to do? Or get at? "Bad track record here. The marriage thing didn't work out, neither did things with Alice. Besides, I work for an evil organization who's liable to break things up, or God forbid kids are produced. They'll take them."
"Stop being dramatic, Benjamin. Here I thought you weren't interested in being in theater," Margie calmly says as she finishes off her sandwich, clearly not taking Ben seriously. At all.
Looking exasperated, Ben leans back in his seat. "Have you seen 'Wicked' yet, Church? We went some time back, but could see it again." Changing subjects, you bet.
Church laughs, but only when Margie passes Benji off as a Drama Queen. Good choice. "You've got forty more years unless you get hit by a bus." Or you know, go down in the line of duty. But let us ignore that part. "I have, yeah. But I did like it. I've been wanting to see Mamma Mia." Remember, he has only been here less than a year- obviously not enough time to see everything. "But that might end up like when I went to see Enchanted and turned all my ringtones into the movie songs." A cellphone full of ABBA, impending?
Benjamin waves that off. Forty years left. Can't he just work and enjoy it the best he can?
"That settles it then, Mamma Mia. I'll reserve the tickets. Four, just in case Rose will come along. Clearly she takes after her father, being so shy." Margie chides away while Ben chokes. Rose, shy?! There is nothing shy about that girl. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled," Ben says in a dry tone.
"Oh, there's nothing wrong with doing that. If I had one of those cell phones I'd probably do the same thing. But why I have another phone I'm just going to ignore, oh goodness, is that the time? I have to meet up with Golda about the children's theater," Margie states after getting a glimpse of the time on her watch. Standing up, she gives Church a fond smile and clasp on the shoulder, Ben gets a kiss on the cheek who returns that. "Cheer up. Obviously it wasn't mean to be with Alice." Oh so nice she's attributing his odd mood to that before she leaves. "Bye mom. Call you later."
There will soon come a time when Margie won't be able to do that- and who knows how she'll take it. "Later." Church echoes, lifting a hand from the table to wave goodbye. When she is gone, the slightly older of the two runs a hand through his hair.
"How long do you think it'll take before she corners you about not being so nice anymore?" Though he asks a serious question, Lawrence keeps a small smile on his face. "And I totally thought you had given up on small, dark and trigger-happy a while ago." Or maybe Old Ben was just… clingy that way and he never realized.
"What do you mean small, dark and trigger happy? God, you and Meryl both," Benjamin grumbles as he sort of slumps down in his seat and plucks at one of the paper napkins on the table. "I'm trying okay. It just feels like.. someone turned the lights out on me and I'm fumbling my way in the dark. When I think I'm starting to get a handle on things again, I lose it and I don't know how I'm supposed to be." Maybe a lot of his life was erased because the Company wanted him to stay on the inside.
Church holds up a finger, brandishing a second's worth of lesson. "Gotta remember, I've had longer to know everybody. Many times, my nicknames stand correct." Hff. He peters out on that point soon into it. Both forearms lean on the table again, and he peers to the side at Ben. "Maybe it's about time to buy a flashlight. But don't ask me what that means, it just sounds… right." Lawrence can make some light- but that generally also is because he is on fire.
Benjamin frowns as he gives Church a skeptical expression. "Oookay." Sure, Church knows everyone, some better and more intimately than others, but no one's bitter. Not at all. "I'm trying. Meryl got onto me about Niki, I was doing my job. So I went down to see her this morning. Niki that is. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was still like looking at a stranger. I'm trying here, it's just frustrating as Hell."
"You're putting too much of your own expectations by what other people want." Mostly Meryl. "Just cause someone wants you normal right away doesn't mean they'll get it. A new start takes a bit of time." He's said this already, hasn't he? Church lets out a small sigh, unconsciously leaning in Ben's direction. "I don't know if you'll be exactly the same, either. I'm probably not. But people seem to like me anyway, right? I miss Marshmallow Ben as much as anyone- but hey- you're still my pal- just a bit less fluffy." People will learn to like unfluffyBen! Probably.
"Maybe you're right." It's at least one aspect of Benjamin's that hasn't been shaken loose. Giving other people what they want. He's never really gone after what's made him happy before. Now, he's just not so sure what that would be. "This is kinda why I haven't seen mom since. Trying to ease myself back into things." Glancing over at Church, he gives a tight smile. "Thanks, that means a lot. And people like you because you're a kick ass stand up guy with an impressive chin." Appearing ready to relax again, he suddenly gets up from his seat. "I should go finish some paperwork, maybe go home for a change and stay there longer than it takes to grab a few changes of clothes."
"I think it's mostly the chin." And goodness, he even runs his hand over his jaw in mock-thoughtfulness, smirking all the while. "If you get too bored, you know where I live." Ben has always pretty much had an open invitation to Church's place, but it is said just in case he forgot. Lawrence is the master of relaxation in times of stress! Just one more title of his.
Benjamin laughs, and who can't at Church? Or with him, as the case may be. He slaps a hand to the other man's back before leaving. "Will do. Maybe we can go back to Therapy where I won't make an ass of myself." Like putting his coat on the strippers. "Later my friend," he says before departing.