Jason Deas - Benny James 02 - Pushed Read Online Free Page A

mind, his fingers ran through blond hair. His hands caressed the hips of a brunette and just before he was about to disrobe a red-headed gal, he toppled over across the bed and passed out.
     

Chapter 4
     
    Benny always teased Red that he lived like he only had a couple of bucks in his pocket, when in fact Red had made two pretty significant purchases. The first thing he bought with the money Benny had collected for him was Benny’s house.
    Benny had been kidding himself for years that he really lived there when, in actuality, he spent almost all of his nights and time on his houseboat. Benny’s kind heart and the fact that he did not really need the money, allowed Red to acquire the house for a song. Red did play hardball at the closing and made Benny throw in the cat Jezebel, which Benny was glad to do.
    Benny had treated Jezebel with nothing but the utmost respect, but she would not give him the time of day. She had never let him pet her or even get close to her. The moment Red entered the house she jumped in his lap and the two were inseparable. She followed him around as if he were the pied piper. He had changed her name to Galaxie, which he insisted she requested after hearing a Blind Melon song with the same name.
    At times Benny wondered if he was crazy because he found himself actually thinking that Red and Galaxie could communicate on another level that was terribly abnormal.
    The second purchase Red made was the lot next door. The old folks who had lived there were ready to make a life transition to a retirement village in town but didn’t want the hassle of trying to prepare a house for sale, and they did not want to deal with a slew of people coming to view the property. The house was ancient and beyond fixing up.
    Red knew they were unhappy and, with Benny’s help, made them an offer. They accepted. A week after they moved out, Red had the place bulldozed. In its place and the surrounding area that had been the yard, he created a magnificent garden that was his pride, joy, and his reason for living.
    Ned, the local technology nerd who did research for Benny and had become close friends with Red pulled into Red’s driveway. Ned was Red’s seed dealer and closest confidant with all things gardening. Red had been raised by deaf-mute parents, which explained most of his abnormalities and he knew a strange mutation of sign language that he and Ned used along with speech to communicate.
    As Ned was about to slam his car door shut, he noticed Red asleep in the middle of his massive garden. The first time Ned witnessed this strange sight he almost called 911, when Benny stopped him and informed him that Red liked to sleep among his vegetables, as he thought it enhanced their growth.
    Ned gently shut the door to his car and spied Galaxie lying next to Red. Galaxie spotted Ned and lovingly pawed at Red’s forehead. Red stirred and sat up. He rubbed his face, wiping away the sleep and at the same time smearing dirt all over his tanned face. Benny always said Red looked like a redneck lifeguard. Handsome and country all rolled into one perfect package. Red had brown eyes and brown hair that was longer than most young men his age. His body was lanky but firm and stout like a man who had worked everyday of his life doing something physical. What made it all strange was how he carried himself like a timid monk.
    Ned walked slowly toward Red, giving him a moment to wake up and to figure out where he was in the universe. Ned felt a warmth growing inside him as most people did when graced with Red’s company.
    Red popped up and looked down at Galaxie who was looking at him. “You good, good girl, Galaxie. You take care of Red and Red take care of you.” Galaxie rubbed against Red’s leg and he bent over and scratched the top of her head.
    “Snap out of it buddy!” Ned called as he walked over to Red.
    The two men shook hands and exchanged a warm look.
    “I haven’t seen Benny around town in a few days,” Ned