Group Writing Project #5
Good Things Come in Large Packages
By Marsha
November 19th
Ben Riker walked down Jeff Hill towards his dorm on the South Green. He had just finished the last exam of his first quarter at college. He was confident that he had aced the final. As a matter of fact, he was very pleased with how well he had handled the initial adjustment to college life. He had scored very well on the mid-terms and research papers he had completed in his four courses. He had made many friends in the dorm and was enjoying a life typical of most freshmen. It amused Ben to realize that he had, in fact, blended in quite well with the other freshmen at Ohio University.
He grinned to himself as he recalled the shocked looks and strange comments from his friends when he announced that he was going to Ohio University. They did not understand how the son of such a prominent business family could turn down Harvard and Yale for a state college in Ohio. One friend in particular, a girl he had been dating during his senior year at boarding school, was positive that Athens, Ohio was so far removed from New York City that he would suffer permanent damage from cultural and social isolation. Another close friend had warned Ben that he was most likely committing career suicide; did he really expect to run his father’s business without an Ivy League degree?
Ben had not answered their questions or responded to their comments. He had been confident in his decision. He had grown tired of the life of the rich and famous. He was tired of boarding schools and summer camps and society functions. He had wanted to attend college somewhere that he wouldn’t be recognized and he wouldn’t have to play games of social politics. Ben was tired of dating the daughters of the friends of his parents. He was tired of his crowd of snobby so-called friends. He wanted to start his life anew and unknown; Ohio University had seemed the perfect place to do so and Ben’s plan had worked. No one befriended him just because his father was so rich and famous. No one wanted to date him just because their mothers thought they would be a good match. On campus and in the dorms, he was simply known as "Ben from New York" and not "THE Benjamin Riker of Riker Industries." And that was exactly how Ben wanted it.
Ben stopped grinning when he reached South Green and jogged up the broad steps leading to Pickering Hall. Holiday break had just barely started for him and he was nervous about returning to New York. He stopped as he entered the dorm, saying his farewells to a few students in the lobby, and then climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. After unlocking the door, he entered his room and began packing. He wanted to get on the road by early evening and his plan was to drive at least as far as the Pennsylvania border before stopping for the night. If he followed that plan, then he could easily reach Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson the next evening.
Ben wasn’t going home for Thanksgiving; at least not the home where his parents lived. They were on a Mediterranean cruise this year. Last Thanksgiving they had vacationed in Europe and the year before they had been in Mexico. Beyond that, Ben couldn’t remember where they’d been for Thanksgiving. All he knew was that his parents "didn’t do holidays" as his mother often told him. Instead of going home, he was headed to Sleepyside to stay with his cousin Honey Wheeler and her family. Only this year he would be staying with them for six weeks instead of just a few days. Ohio University’s calendar called for Fall Quarter to end just prior to Thanksgiving and Winter Quarter to begin after New Year’s. Ben’s parents had not planned on returning to their New York City home in December and Ben hadn’t wanted to join them for Christmas in Italy. When Honey had phoned to invite him for Thanksgiving, he unabashedly asked her if he could stay with her for the entire Winter Break. Much to Ben’s relief, Honey and her parents had been agreeable to hosting him the entire break, so as in the past, he would be spending the holidays at the Manor House.
It was those past holidays that Ben was thinking about as he finished packing. He had been such a jerk during those previous visits to the Manor House and it pained him to recall how badly he had behaved. It was likely that Honey and her friends would never forget the practical jokes he had pulled on them. They couldn’t know that he only did those stupid stunts to get their attention. They hadn’t seen that Ben wanted more than anything to be a part of their group, the Bob-Whites of the Glen.
When Ben first visited the Manor House, he was unsure of how to interact with the other young people, so he had relied on his school and camp personality of class clown. He filled his days by playing practical jokes such as putting frogs in the maids’ beds and switching the salt and sugar in Cook’s kitchen. What he had wanted to do, so badly, was to join the Bob-Whites on their many adventures, but he didn’t quite know how to ask Honey and her friends if he could join them. He always seemed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and managed to insult a member of the group. Instead of apologizing, like a normal person, he would cover his embarrassment with a sarcastic remark, which would only widen the gap between himself and the Bob-Whites.
Ben finished packing and carried the bags down the stairs to the parking garage. His car, a still new-looking BMW, was the one thing leftover from his "poor little rich boy" days. As he climbed into the car and started the engine, all he could think about was getting to Sleepyside and showing everyone how he had changed. As he backed from the parking garage under the dorm, he silently vowed to himself that he would not fall back into his old habits; he was determined to show the Bob-Whites his true self. If he could be himself in Athens, couldn’t he be himself in Sleepyside? He could only hope that the Bob-Whites would give him a chance…
December 25th
The sounds of laughter and merriment rang from the clubhouse along with the traditional Christmas carols Dan was playing on his guitar. The Bob-Whites, along with Honey’s cousin Ben Riker, had gathered in the clubhouse on Christmas evening for their own party. With all of the holiday activities and family commitments, this was the first opportunity for the group to meet at the Clubhouse and have a "Bob-White Reunion" as Di had called the celebration. The Belden group had just arrived at the clubhouse and were adding their gifts to the small pile of presents under the tree. As always, the Bob-Whites had chosen a theme for their gifts to one another. This year, Trixie had been the one to decree that all gift were to be small enough to fit in a 6 inch by 6 inch by 6 inch box. The other Bob-Whites had agreed and each had fun selecting small, but appropriate gifts for the others.
Along with the small packages, Trixie placed a large brightly wrapped box beneath the tree. The box was much too large to meet the requirements she had set forth, but there was no way the gift inside it could be folded any smaller. She just hoped Ben wouldn’t notice his name on the large gift until later. She stood up and turned around to face the others. Jim caught her eye and motioned for her to join him on the far side of the clubhouse.
As she reached Jim and they embraced, Trixie whispered in his ear, "I can’t wait to see Ben’s face when he opens that gift! Although, as long as I live, I’ll never understand how Honey can make one of those red jackets and cross-stitch BWG on the back so quickly!"
Jim chuckled as he whispered back, "Now that Ben’s officially becoming a Bob-White, maybe he can solve the mystery of why you can’t thread a needle!"
Trixie joined Jim in laughing at herself and as they settled onto the cushioned bench, Trixie couldn’t help thinking how much Ben had changed and how excited he was going to be when he opened the large package. She grinned as she wondered what task Mart and Brian had dreamed up for Ben’s initiation…
The End