Friends and Others

By Jerry Hooten

Ben grows up with a birth defect in a single parent home. It is a lonely childhood and he does what many children in that situation do. He creates an imaginary friend named Theo.
Theo stays with him into his high school years, and then disappears after Ben is hospitalized after a car accident. In his senior year at college, he encounters big problems. Ben is depressed. Then Theo returns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jerry Hooten
• Release date: Jun 5, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452485706

Jerry Hooten

Retired from law-enforcement/security. Resource for mystery writers.

Book preview

Chapter 1

My trouble started when I made up an imaginary friend

My name is Ben Walters. I am an only child. I was born with a deformed foot that curled in at the ankle. It's called a clubfoot. It’s a fairly uncommon defect, about one in a thousand babies, and usually males. George Washington was born with a clubfoot, as was the Roman Emperor Claudius. I had a lot of orthotic treatments, but my ankle and calf of my left leg never developed to the size of my right leg.

I was fitted with a brace as an infant, and had to wear one all through my childhood. My father left my mother shortly after I was born. I suppose he was disgusted with the ugly child with a clubfoot. I never found out.

My mother and I lived in a two-bedroom apartment above a small drug store. Mom worked in the pharmacy as a clerk during the day, and also as a waitress part time in the café next door to the pharmacy at night. I was left with the old lady that lived in the apartment across the hall while she worked. The old lady was nice, but didn’t spend much time with me, preferring to read her bible or watch television.

It was a lonely childhood, I guess, it was the only one I knew. My mother was my only real friend, and she was usually too tired after working long hours to spend much time talking with me.

So I made up Theo.

Chapter 2

A lot of kids have imaginary friends. It was nothing new or exotic. I didn't know that, just as other kids don't know that they aren't the only ones with imaginary friends. It's just something that is done.

It was just before my fifth birthday when I found my friend. I named him Theo, short for Theodore. I had always liked Theodore Roosevelt, still do. I had a picture book of Theodore Roosevelt from which Mom read stories to me. I carried it everywhere. One of my first words was Theo. My Theo was everything I wasn’t. I was puny, skinny, and introverted. He was good looking, strong and easygoing. I always felt safe around Theo; he was my friend and my protector. Theo was special.

As I was growing up, I didn’t have any school friends. Besides the clubfoot, I wasn’t particularly good looking and I was very self-conscious. I was good at my studies, and that, along with my other deficits, made me a pariah with the rest of the kids. I couldn’t play sports, didn’t care for them anyway, and I was more happy reading or studying. Mix it all together, and I was something of an outcast.

In spite of all that, things were fine, as far as I was concerned, through grade school. I made good grades and the other kids left me alone. Theo would wait for me in my room until I got home from school, then we would study together, or play checkers, and as we grew older, chess. I usually won at chess. Theo didn’t seem to mind.

Regardless of my friendship with Theo, my most treasured moments were the one’s I spent with Mom. She was a very pretty woman by any standards. Rather than spend time trying to replenish her own social life, she spent most of her spare time with me, what little there was. We had great times going on picnics, visiting the zoo, and going to movies.

I really enjoyed the movies. Some of the stars on the silver screen had Theo’s qualities. Usually the superheroes, like Superman and Batman. Theo could do anything they could, and sometimes better. Theo even went to some of the movies with us, although Mom didn’t always realize that. Theo got in for free. Sometimes after we were in the theater, I’d tell mom that Theo was there. She always just smiled and said that it was fine with her. She was good about that. I shared my popcorn with Theo. Theo and I were quiet in the movies. I think Theo was comparing himself to the heroes on the screen. I think I was too. Theo and I agreed, Theo was better than most of them.

Chapter 3

When I was a junior in high school I was involved in an accident. Theo and I were still best buddies. I kept Theo a secret, nobody would understand, and I didn’t have anybody to share with anyway. My classes were going good; I was carrying a 4.0 grade point average. My social life was still the same, pretty grim, but academically, I was doing great. I had stayed late to work on a paper for science class in the school library. I wanted to turn it in before the Christmas break. I’d planned to finish it when I got home.

It had snowed off and on all that day. I remember the trees being pretty with their coating of white snow. I also remember other things about that day. There was probably about three inches on the ground, still fresh and clean. The air was brisk, but not terribly cold. Walking was tough; my brace had a tendency to slip where the snow had packed down. The street lights had just come on, it got dark early that time of year. I wanted to get home so I could play Theo a game of chess before dinner.

As I was crossing the corner about a block from home a car came barreling down the street. There wasn’t much traffic, but there was no need for anybody to be driving that fast with the snow. I was already half way across the street. I tried to hurry to get out of the way, but my brace kept slipping. I could see the driver, a young girl. She was talking on a cell phone. I could see her clearly. There was a small crowd of people at the curb, they were yelling for me to watch out. Not much I could do about it.

I don’t think she even saw me. She hit me with her left front fender, knocking me flat. My book bag went flying, all the papers from my science class taking off in the breeze. I felt the tire crushing the brace on my leg, and then everything went black.

Chapter 4

The ankle was broken severely and required complete reconstruction. I spent weeks in the hospital during all of this. The driver of the car claimed I was at fault, that I had crossed the road against the light. The case went to court, and several of the witnesses that were at the scene came forward and testified in my behalf. It was probably the fact that she was still talking on her cell phone after she ran over me that won the case for me. I received a settlement that was large enough to cover the medical bills and help pay most of my college expenses.

The insurance company paid for all of the surgeries and following therapy. Even after that, I still had a lot of pain with my leg, and walked with a slight limp, but after months of treatment, the bulky brace was gone. I could live with the pain. It had been there before.

I graduated as valedictorian from high school and got a scholarship from our local newspaper to state college.

By this time, Theo had faded away. I had talked with him a few times while I was under sedation at the hospital, but by the time I had recovered and was back home, Theo was gone. I didn't know where he went. I really missed him.

Chapter 5

All through college, things went just fine. I was still pretty much a loner, but I had met a girl who was quiet like me, and we shared some of the same interests. She was pretty, and we had some really deep discussions about life in general. Except for Theo. He remained my secret. Even though I hadn’t seen him in years, he remained my best friend.

Between my scholarship and the insurance settlement, I was doing o.k. financially. I did some part time work at a local pharmacy, and had managed to save enough for an old car. It wasn’t much, but it was good enough to get me home once a month to see my mother. Mom hadn’t been doing well since I had left home for college. She had a problem with high blood pressure, and had experienced several mini-strokes while I was in school.

Then I had a week that was shattering. My girlfriend, the quiet one that I thought was just like me, dumped me for a basketball player. My car needed transmission work that took a big chunk out of my savings and then the worse thing of all happened. My mother had a massive stroke at work and died suddenly.

Mother’s death devastated me. She was my big supporter all my life, my only real friend besides Theo. She always bragged about my good grades. She pointed out that making good grades was more important than playing some stupid ball game. She was my mother, my friend, and my support group. Everyone liked her. Theo had thought she was great. I didn't know what I would do without her.

Right after I got the news of her death from our minister I broke down completely. I didn't know what to do. My landlady, Mrs. Gutcher, just happened to stop by shortly after I got the call and she stayed and comforted me. She brought me some homemade soup that night for my dinner. I was lucky to have such a nice woman as a landlady. I really didn’t have any close friends to talk to. Especially since my ex girlfriend had left. I spent a lot of time just thinking about mother and what she had been in my life. My landlady kept me going, she was a big help. She stayed and talked to me that night.

I thought of Theo, I thought I should notify him, and then realized how ridiculous that was. Then it struck me how pathetic my social life really was. Theo was the only close family friend I could think of. I wondered what I would have to do to settle mother’s things. I wouldn’t be going back to the apartment, I couldn’t afford to keep it and stay in college too. I’d have to clear out my things and decide what to do with hers.

Our minister, Reverend Davis, had offered to help. I would call him and see what he suggested. I’d have to make arrangements to be out of school until I got everything squared away. It would be tough being totally alone now. I hadn’t felt this way since I was a kid. At least then, I had Theo to count on.

Chapter 6

As I drove back towards home, I thought of what needed to be done. My phone call to the minister had been a good idea. He said the church would be able to help sort out mother’s things. He had ideas on where I could sell the furniture and offered to make the necessary calls to get things started. I was happy for the help. I felt overwhelmed and unable to handle that undertaking.

Reverend Davis, the pharmacist and several ladies from the church, met me at the apartment when I arrived. The pharmacist gave me a check for my mothers last days at work, and told me to take as long as I needed