Deep Thoughts

The moment you have all been waiting for!! The second chapter to my first novel Untamed & Restless. If this is your first time hearing about the novel, go back to the previous post of chapter 1 and catch up. I'm telling you, don't miss it! Get a comfortable place and enjoy. The drama and suspense is killing the readers and even me the writer...I make it up as I go. And plus, the chapters aren't long at all. So, here it is for your enjoyment...

Untamed & Restless
Chapter 2

"Blake’s eyes skimmed the audience. There sat his 3^rd grade teacher. She said he’d never become a man. Oh! And there was the local pharmacist smirking at him. And in the back row sat Judge Berman, Blake’s archrival ever since high school. Judge Berman got all the girls, convicted and innocent, literally, because he was a judge. He got all the girls.

All his enemies sat in one room rooting for him to fail. But unbeknownst to Blake, his biggest enemy was sitting right under his nose on the front row. Benjie’s smile was so big, it would have been awkward to look at him. He was not showing any teeth, so you know it was one of those weird smiles. He had been holding the smile for about 10 minutes straight. A record in Wisconsin, but the family lived in Delaware.

Blake opened his mouth to speak from the Torah. The words flowed eloquently from his lips. He danced with verbs and cradled nouns. No preposition could stand in opposition. An English teacher would have married him that second if he wasn’t still a boy.

Blake had been looking down during the entire reading. He glanced upwards. Faces of shock, awe, and disgust looked back. He ended the chapter with a final Amen and peered toward his father for approval. His father had his hand on his forehead and was looking down. Mother McConnell was crying. Benjie was wearing a golden crown. Where did he get that?

Benjie thought to himself. He had won. His brother was an utter failure. This crown represented his victory over his brother this Sunday morn. He stood and started the “slow clap.” The clapping echoed throughout the crowded synagogue. No one joined in. So Benjie stopped after about the sixth clap and sat back down. He was satisfied. Many people agreed this had been the oddest Bar Mitzvah.

Apparently before the whole Bar Mitzvah had taken place, Benjie rewrote the whole Torah. Since Hebrew was Benjie’s forte, he matched the Torah’s flavor of writing precisely. Blake had obliviously read about prancing unicorns, the color purple, rainbows, and everything feminine. He even had a lisp out of nowhere. Everything would have been fine since it was in Hebrew, but this year Rabbi McConnell decided to have the translated words put up on screen so the audience could enjoy the reading as well.

As the crowd exited the building, Mr. McConnell came up to Blake. He put his hand on his son’s shoulder. But no words came out. He just continued to look down. Recently, the dad received neck surgery. He couldn’t lift his head any higher to look you in the face. It was sad, because he always look dismayed. Even when he won the lottery back in April, he hung his head.

Dad just patted Blake’s shoulder and headed to the car. Mom McConnell didn’t even make eye contact; she just kept crying. As with Mr. McConnell, Jean McConnell had gotten surgery performed as well. To save both eyes, the doctor’s removed the muscle to control her tear ducts. Now, Jean would cry at the most improper times. While entered in the “How long can you go without crying” contest, Jean lost within the first minute.

Both parents weren’t sad at all. Remember, they had been going to Bar Mitzvahs for the past 33 years. The McConnell's were used to Blake’s failings. They just had physical deformities. They wanted to get home quickly so they could catch the tail end of “The Matzo Ball.” The annual Jewish dance show rivaled to compete with “So You Think You Can Dance.” They just danced to Jewish sounding music.

Everyone piled in the car. As the Lincoln cruised at a comfortable 65 mph, Benjie’s evil smile returned. He wasn’t finished with Blake. This first act was just the icing on the cake; and the cake was a wedding cake with layers, so you know there was more to come. Phase two of Benjie’s plan went into place as soon as they stepped foot in the McConnell home. Benjie was acting UNTAMED AND RESTLESS, and only he knew why."