The Tricryptogon

Banny And Lissa
by Dave Lerner

Sorry about the absence. I hope to be back by September 15 October 6, with a full explanation. Or, at least, a decent excuse.


Chuckie: Damn! What are you, Banner, the Incredible Hulk?
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Part 2: New Friends And Old
Chapter 51 : Banny And His Father

One look at the two men, and you knew they were father and son.

The father had darker hair, with a touch of grey. That, and he was a hawk, watching constantly, missing nothing. The son was more like a sloth. He had no idea what was going on, nor would he understand it if he did.

Elizabeth Panderson, the third person at the table, was growing desperate. Neither side wanted to give an inch. Neither side appreciated what was at stake here. Well, she'd had tougher sells. "Desmond, Banny, you wouldn't be here if this wasn't important to you, right?"

"Right," Desmond said. "But I'm wasting my time. Son, I know don't what to do. I mean, I know you're lazy and all, but I don't hold that against you. I swear I don't. You're trying to distance yourself from me. And I don't know why."

"Is that a fair statement, Banny? Are you trying to distance yourself from your father? Why?"

Banny said "I dunno" and Lizzie kept pursuing. Was he ashamed of his father? Was he afraid? Jealous? Did Dad make things too difficult? Too easy?

Bingo! "When I..." Banny said slowly. "When I was about sixteen or so, I was thinking, hey, maybe my friends and I'll start a band. You know, like everybody thinks. Only I realized, as soon as we got together, Dad would get us a recording contract. And we'd be like Milli Vanilli or the Spice Girls, instant fame, a corporate band, a corporate brand, instead of something real that we'd earned, like the Beatles or the Monkees."

"If you didn't want my help-"

"I was sixteen! How could I have said no? It's a good thing we didn't start that band, I guess."

Good, thought Elizabeth. They're talking. Keep it up. "But that was years ago."

"That's not the point. It's just... I knew anything I want, I could get."

"You're not spoiled, son. I've seen spoiled. You may be lazy, but you're not spoiled."

"I could get anything I want. And now I don't want anything." Banny stopped. Major realization. "I have Lissa, I have my friends, I have... well I had the job you gave me, now I got another one. I don't need anything I don't have. In the other job I knew I'd get promotions and raises no matter what, and in this job... I don't need anything."

"Not even me?" Desmond asked. "Are you saying you don't need your father?"

"Let's hear him out, Desmond. Banny, do you need your father?" A nod. "From the way you stressed 'I'... what does your father need?"

"More and more. I'm sorry, Dad, but it's true. You need more money, more power, more women. It scares me Dad, because it'll never be enough. I'm sorry." Tears formed in Banny's eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"He did hurt you, though, didn't he, Desmond? Because it's true, isn't it? Desmond, Banny wasn't attacking you. I know it feels like an attack, but Banny is just trying to say what he feels as best as he can."

Desmond said angrily, "Well, he can talk about more and more! He never had to..." Dammit! thought Desmond. His father had been a cop. Desmond might not have been super-wealthy as a child, but he wasn't really poor. His father, an impoverished immigrant, he knew what poor meant, but Desmond didn't. "All I ever tried to do is to give you and your sister Moira a good life!"

"And you have, okay? But now..."

Elizabeth piped in. "Now you need to figure out what to do with the life he gave you. Without the safety net. Desmond, do you trust yourself to have been a good enough father to let your son make his own way? Banny, do you trust your own strength enough to ask your father's help when you need it, and only when you need it? Good. Okay. Well, we're all still talking to each other. Desmond, say one nice thing about Banny. No back-handed compliments, no hedging, one nice thing."

Desmond paused for a very long time. "You always do the right thing. You're a good person."

"Now, Banny," said Elizabeth.

"I alway floss."

"I meant say something nice about your father."

"Oh. Dad, you have always been good to Moira and me. We've always known you love us. I only hope I can be as good to my kids someday. And that they'll always floss."

Go to Chapter 50 : The Naked Truth

Go to Chapter 52: A Glimmer Of Hope

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