Lynne Schmidt Normal Lynne Schmidt 11 165 2000-04-04T19:12:00Z
2000-05-31T19:26:00Z 9 2374 13536 112 27 16623 9.2720	 Normal        
Alliance owns these characters; I merely wish to borrow them for a while
with the promise of returning them unharmed. Please do not archive
anywhere without my permission.   Title: Wallets and Underwear Author:
Lys, contact me at LysTYKDS@aol.com Rated G No Pairings Spoilers: Part of
the Glimpses of Ben Series     Wallets and Underwear   Seven-year-old
Benton Fraser was excited. He had been saving money from his chores for 6
months. He had a new wallet he had made himself and his Dad was coming for
a visit and had promised to take him shopping. He ate his breakfast
quickly and helped his grandmother clear the table. With a leap and a jump
off the porch, he ran to the outbuildings to do his daily chores.  
Feeding the chickens was not his favorite job. Ben hated standing there
and tossing out the grain to the feathered foul that lived near their
barn. Several of the hens loved to attack his shoelaces while he stood
there throwing feed. Grandmother kept a huge old white goose too as a pet.
Ben was sure that bird hated him. Every chance it got it would chase the
boy flapping its wings and making loud honking noises. Martha Fraser loved
that bird, she'd raised it from a hatchling and the darn thing seemed to
adore her as well. But let Ben show up and the bird would honk and flap
until he removed himself from the area. Ben knew his grandmother always
knew when he was about done feeding the chickens because Henrietta the
goose would be at her loudest then.    Ben loved to water the dogs, and he
took particular pride in keeping the puppy Scamp well groomed and fed.
Scamp was developing well and Ben had no doubt at all that Buck would pick
the pup for his new team. There were 12 huskies on the property and Ben
knew the character of each one well. He spent several minutes with each
animal, making sure that their bedding was clean and their water bowls
filled. His grandfather was proud of the way Ben handled the dogs. He
watched Ben carefully when he was teaching the boy to train Scamp and knew
that Ben's gentleness was well received by his team.    When he had filled
the last water bowl, Ben took off with a run back to the cabin. He was
grimy and sweaty and he wanted to clean up before his father arrived. He
took his shoes off at the cabin door and ran inside only to be pulled up
short by his grandmother's sharp words.   "Benton, you're rushing too
much. Slow down before you hurt yourself. You've got a couple of hours yet
before you father arrives." Martha Fraser smiled at Ben's back as he
disappeared down the cabin hallway.    Ben slid on stockinged feet into
his bedroom and ran over to his dresser. He opened the top drawer and
scooped out fresh underwear. He dropped the things on his bed and went to
pull out a clean pair of jeans and a nice sweater. Picking up his fresh
clothing he retreated to the hallway and entered what passed for the cabin
bathroom. He laughed when he realized that his grandmother had already
filled the old, claw foot bathtub for him and laid out a fresh towel and
washcloth. Divesting himself of his work clothes, he stretched up on his
toes and pulled himself up and over into the water. He began scrubbing
himself until his skin was a rose pink color. He washed his hair and
relaxed in the warm tub for a few minutes before pulling the plug and
climbing out to wrap himself in the towel.    Ben struggled into his
underwear that was much too big. The one-piece long john that his
grandmother insisted he wear in this cooler weather hung on his small
frame. A smaller size would have been much more comfortable for Ben, but
he wore what he was given. His jeans fit better, but his sweater was
starting to show signs of ill fit, the sleeves being way too short.   When
he was finished, Ben dropped his dirty things into the laundry basket next
to the tub and returned to his room, his hair still dripping over his
eyebrows. He pulled open the bottom drawer of his dresser and pulled out
the leather wallet he had made for his father under his grandfather's
watchful eyes. He was proud of it. He had even made a matching one for
himself. Hours of careful work had gone into each wallet and both were
sewn together with great care. Ben had saved and saved and he knew he
finally had enough to buy presents for his grandparents. He wanted to do
something for his grandmother that would make her smile at him.    He put
his wallet in his back pocket and carefully wrapped the one for his father
back in the tissue paper he kept it in. He carried his prize package back
out to the table where he laid it on the kitchen table. Then he walked as
calmly as he could over to the window and climbed up on the chair he kept
there. His feet still didn't reach the floor and he began swinging them
back and forth as he watched out the window with his head resting on the
windowsill on his folded hands.     Robert Fraser pulled into the Fraser
property and drove right up to the front door of his parents cabin. The
front door open and his son rushed out to stand on the porch where he
stood seeming to devour Robert with his eyes. Robert climbed the porch
steps and stood looking down at Benton. "You ready."   "Yes sir." Ben said
hoping for a hug.    "Good, let's go in and say goodbye to your
grandmother."   "Ok" Ben said in a light whisper. He followed his father
into the cabin.   Martha smiled at her son and watched him sit at the
table as he said hello to her. She watched Benton walk in from the porch
to stand watching his father with huge eyes. "Aren't you going to give you
father your present Ben?"   "Yes Mam." Ben moved forward and picked up his
prize package. "This is for you."   Robert took the small package with a
smile and watched Ben staring at it. He slowly opened the tissue packaging
to reveal the beautiful leather wallet inside. His initials were on it and
it was sewn together with sinew that had been softened carefully. "This is
quite a wallet Ben."   "Thank you sir." Ben said his chest rising with
pride. "Grandpa helped me make. I made one just like it for me." He pulled
his own with equal pride and placed it next to his father's.    Robert
swallowed and tried to find his voice that seemed to have gone into hiding
on him. "I think you did a good job Ben. I shall carry mine all the time."
   Martha turned her back on her two boys and smiled. Ben needed
reassurance so badly and got so little of it from Robert. She was pleased
that this time they seemed to have found equal footing.    Robert rose
from his chair and said, "Well mother, we'll be off. I'll bring Ben back
tomorrow morning just as we planned."    Martha put her hand into her
apron pocket and drew out a small envelope she handed to Ben. "Your
grandpa and I have a little bit here for you to spend Ben. Buy a new
sweater, one you like."    Benton reached out and gratefully took the
envelope. He looked inside and his eyes got wide. There was more in there
than he had saved doing his chores. He clutched the envelope in his hand
and hugged his grandmother. "Thank you."   Robert opened the cabin door
and headed out, "Come along Benton. We need to get on the road."       
Several hours later, Ben woke to find their car parked in the shade of a
old tree, his father had a cloth spread out under it and was opening a
basket. Ben crawled out and stretched then walked over to his father's
side.   "Sit down and eat boy. Always take a bit of time on the trail to
stop and relax a few minutes. You can cover more ground that way.
Traveling from one place to another can be a tiring business."   "Yes sir"
Ben plopped down on the cloth to sit cross-legged next to his father. He
reached out and picked up a sandwich.    "We're going to a bigger city
than you've been in before Ben. I need to buy you supplies. You know
clothes that fit. Your grandmother told me you're growing a lot right
now."   "Yes sir"   Robert watched the boy taking a bit out of his
sandwich. He noted the dark curly hair and the pale complexion on his son.
When Ben looked up at him trustingly with his clear, gray-blue eyes,
Robert lost his heart all over again to his son. He cleared his throat and
sounded gruffer than he cared to sound. "Two things about big cities Ben.
One, you can get lost in a big city just as easy as you can in the
wilderness. And two, you have to protect your money and valuables."  
"Why"   "Because not everyone is honest son. Now I know you wouldn't steal
from someone but there are plenty of people out there who would steal from
someone. So it's wise to hold back a bit of your money. You need money in
a city son. It's not like the wilderness where you can survive by living
off the land. No sir. In a city you have to be prepared to pay your way."
Robert smiled.   "I keep my money in my wallet that's what the wallet is
for isn't it?"   "Sure, but where do you keep your wallet?"    "In my
pants pocket." Ben replied and pulled his out of his back pocket.   "For a
guy your age that could be the wrong place to keep that wallet." Robert
considered carefully as he watched the boy. He dug around in his pocket
and found a safety pin amongst his things. "Come here Ben."    Ben stood
up next to his father and waited. He put the last of his sandwich in his
mouth and chewed carefully. "Ben I think we'll pin your wallet inside to
your underwear." He smiled, "If the wallet was smaller I'd say we put it
in your shoe or boot."   Robert carefully opened the safety pin and hooked
it through Ben's wallet. "Ben, you'll have to unzip you jeans so we can
pin the wallet inside."   Ben quickly undid his jeans and lowered the
zipper and watched as his father pinned the wallet at his waist. But the
wallet was heavy and dragged the underwear down a bit. Ben pulled his
jeans closed and zipped them noticing that he felt a little uncomfortable
with the added girth at his waist.    "This is what we'll do Ben. When you
want to buy something, you tell me and I'll pay for it then later you can
pay me back. Deal?"   "Deal."   They cleaned up their picnic site and
returned to the car. They drove for another hour and a half before they
drove into the city. Ben sat in the car marveling at the tall buildings
and heavy traffic. This wasn't a two road town like the one his
grandparents visited. This was a new modern city with more than one
building that was three stories high. They parked their car near a hotel
and went in to register.   Robert Fraser enjoyed watching Ben gap around
him at all the sights. He led Ben on a walk towards the business section
of town. Soon he noticed Ben lagging behind a bit. Then the boy would take
a little run and catch up to him. Robert frowned but didn't ask Ben what
the problem was. They went shopping in several stores and soon Ben was
supplied with new jeans, including some that he would have to grow into as
well as new sweaters and underwear that might just fit right. Robert
carried most of their packages and was surprised when Benton kept walking
slower and slower and seemed to fidget as he moved.    They went in to
several stores that had lovely things for women. Ben kept looking for
something for his grandmother. Robert watched his son eagerly searching
through counters of displayed items. He was surprised when Ben finally
stopped be one counter and didn't move. Ben was looking at a ladies piece
of jewelry that was small white goose with raised wings and a small bow
painted in pink around its neck. Ben craned his neck trying to see a price
on it. The saleslady looked from Robert to Ben and smiled when Robert
indicated that she should bring the pin out.    "That's what I want Dad,
do you think grandmother will like it?" Ben said with excitement in his
voice.   "Yes, I think she will." Robert put his packages down and pulled
out his new wallet and paid the lady. Ben took the small package and held
it tightly in is hands before putting it in his father's jacket pocket.   
"Thank you." Ben said to the lady as he moved away.    "Thank you" The
lady said with a smile to Ben's father as she watched them walk away.   
After some more searching, Ben found a small box with woodworking tools in
it for his grandfather. Again, Robert paid for it and wound up carrying it
in his pocket. They left that store and began heading back to their hotel.
Ben began lagging behind again, but the same as before would eventually
take a few running steps and again be walking evenly with his father.   
By the time the two got back to their hotel, it was well after 4 p.m. and
Ben was looking dreadfully tired. Robert opened the door to their room and
set Ben's packages down on the floor. Ben almost stumbled into the room
and quickly lay down on his bed.    "Tired son." Robert asked.	  "Yes
sir." Ben said, as his face seemed to flush scarlet. He wiggled about on
the bed.    "What's the matter with you Ben. Got ants in your pants boy."
  "No sir, but I think a snake might be in there."    Robert laughed but
leaned over and tickled Ben a bit before opening the boy's jeans. Robert
drew back and sat on the bed. Ben's one piece long johns were stretched
way out of shape. The side where the wallet was pinned was pulled down way
below Benton's waistline. Taking a hold of the hemline of Ben's jeans,
Robert pulled the boy's pants intending to pull them off of Ben.    "Dad,
don't. That hurts." Ben gasped. "The snake is biting me." The boy wiggled
a little more, and then lay still.    Robert carefully slid his hands to
the jeans waist and began inching them down Ben's waist. Suddenly Ben
started crying. "Please Dad. It really hurts."   Robert was beginning to
get a little frightened and couldn't image what was wrong with Ben. He
pulled out his pocketknife and began cutting Ben's jeans open. "Your
grandmother is going to be very mad about this." He slight the jeans open,
straight down the leg and exposed Ben's wallet still connected to Ben's
sagging underwear but the pin was open and digging unmercifully into the
boy's leg.    Carefully Robert pulled the pin away from Ben and noticed
the white long johns had small spots of red on them. He picked Ben up off
the bed and walked into the bathroom with the boy. He filled the bathtub
and helped a very tired Ben climb into the warm water. Once he was certain
that Ben's injuries were only very small pinpricks, Robert relaxed and
watched his son bathe. He marveled at the boy's courage in not whining or
complaining all day.    "Ben, why didn't you tell me that the pin was
hurting you?"   "Wasn't anything you could do about it Dad."   "Next time
say something. I could have done something." Robert hesitated. "Forget
pinning your wallet to your underwear Ben. I'll get you a money belt."	 
"Money belt's have pins in them Dad?"   "No."   "Good."   Hours later,
Robert settled Ben into bed and finally slept himself. Robert wondered
where Ben had learned to hide pain like that. As he fell asleep, Robert
the tiredness ease out of his body.      Martha Fraser sat on the porch
next to her husband as they waited for their son to return home. She was
privately glad that Robert had come to spend some time with Benton. The
boy needed his father badly but right now, there wasn't a thing they could
do to change things. Fate had done that for them.   Robert's car pulled up
to the cabin in mid-morning. They had been on the road since early morning
and Robert was glad to be back in the familiar sites and sounds of the
wilderness. Ben climbed out wearing new jeans and a peacock-blue sweater.
His hair was scrupulously brushed and he carried two small packages.  
Benton hugged his grandmother and placed a package in her hands and then
hugged his grandfather laying another one in his hands.    Martha opened
her package slowly knowing Ben was watching her closely. When the goose
pin was exposed, she laughed in merriment and pinned it right on her shirt
with shaking fingers. "Thank you Ben."	  Watching his father open the
package from Ben, Robert kept an eye on Ben's excited face. When the
woodworking tools were opened Ben stood next to his grandfather and said,
"Will you teach me to carve, Grandpa will you." Ben laid a gentle hand on
his grandfather's arm, "When I get big enough, I want to make a boomerang
just like those I read about in Australia. Will you teach me?"	 And
therein lies another story.