Benny Johnson's Story
I had a great life.
I was 27 years old, and worked at the Help Center. I used to live with Aunt Clara, but after Aunt Clara Went Away, Vernon got me an apartment right next to the Help Center. Vernon was my Main Man. I really liked Vernon. He was the best black friend I ever had. Noel was my black friend too, but not nearly as nice as Vernon.
I had a great life. By day I rode in the hover van and delivered meals to old people. By night I walked home to my little apartment (which was right next to the Help Center... did I mention that?) and I nuked a stasis dinner and watched Rustabunny. There were exactly 212 episodes of Rustabunny and I had seen each episode an average of 14 times. Some episodes I had seen as few as 12 times; but there was one episode, the one where Rustabunny goes to the planet of the Amazons, which I had seen more than 20 times.
I loved delivering food to old people. The voices inside of them were full of joy and thankfulness. It washed over my like water in the shower. They were so nice, so grateful! And Vernon My Main Man was always thanking me too. The voices inside of him kept saying what a nice guy I was, and how glad he was that he could watch over me like Aunt Clara used to.
Sometimes I helped in other ways. One night I helped get everything set up for White Lesbian Bingo Night at the Help Center and someone forgot to set up the holoprojector. I knew how to set it up because Vernon My Main Man taught me. Noel helped me set it up. Noel was my second favorite black friend at the Help Center. I liked him but he couldn't be my Main Man because Vernon was My Main Man. As we set it up I saw Mr. Anderson coming towards us. I said to Noel, "We'll need the wheelchair for Mrs. Tish at table 14, and the special reader for Mrs. Johnstone at table 16." And then Mr. Anderson came up to me and said, "Benny, can you bring the wheelchair to table 14, and the high mag reader for table 16?"
"Of course, Mr. Anderson," I said.
Noel did something funny with his mouth as Mr. Anderson left us. "Benny, how you know that?"
"How I know what?" I asked.
"About what Mr. Anderson was gonna say? He ever say that to you before?"
I shrugged. "Sometimes. Always different tables, though."
"Benny, how did you know which tables he was going to say this time?"
"It was the voice," I said, as I pulled the neck up on the holoprojector. It was stuck. It was always getting stuck!
"What voice?" Noel asked.
"The voice inside him," I said.
**********
The next day, Noel came up to me at lunchtime and asked me if I'd like to meet a special friend of his.
"All right, where is he?" I asked, looking around.
"He's not here, Benny," said Noel. "He's across town."
"I can't walk that far," I said. Kenny drove the hover van which delivered food to old people, and I got out at every address and made the delivery, but I didn't drive myself. I started to move away, but Noel grabbed my arm. "Wait, Benny. I can drive you, in my grav car."
"When?"
"Around 6. Right after work."
"I don't know. Rustabunny is on at 7."
"I'll have you back in plenty of time for Rustabunny."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
*********
We drove to a place I had never been before. It was called the Happy Fun Entertainment Center. It sounded like a nice place. It was filled with fancy round tables and funny lights and bright carpets. Noel took me to a back office where a big man sat behind a desk. The little voice inside of him said his name was Mario Carlo, and the little voice asked if I could really be the one that Noel had been talking about.
"He the one?" said Carlo.
"Yes, sir," said Noel.
"What's your name, son?"
"Benny. Benny Johnson," I said.
"Benny, can you read minds?" Carlo asked.
I looked confused. "I can read holobooks, sir."
Is he for real?
Carlo's inside voice asked.
"He, he can do it, sir," said Noel. "Benny, I'm going to think of a number. I'm thinking of it now. Can you tell me what number I'm thinking of?"
"No."
Carlo's eyebrows started to come together. It was an odd look. His little voice started to talk about people named Vito and Carmine hurting Noel. I didn't like hearing that kind of talk!
"Benny-"
"I don't know what you're thinking Noel," I said.
What an odd question!
"But the little voice inside of you is shouting three, over and over-"
"That's it! Three, that was it!"
Carlo did that thing with his eyebrows again. "Let me try it," he said. "All right Benny, I'm going to think of a number, and I want you to tell me what the little voice inside me is-"
"Twenty three," I said promptly.
Carlo's eyebrows shot up. He looked much happier that way.
*********
Carlo offered me a job at the Happy Fun Entertainment Center.
"But I already have a job!" I protested.
This was a
different
job, for the evening. All he wanted me to do was to tell him what people's little voices were saying. What a silly job! "Why can't you just listen to them?" I asked.
Carlo put an arm around me. "Because I like it when
you
tell me what they say, Benny."
That was nice! Carlo was being friendly now.
"And it pays five credits an hour."
Five credits!
I made three at the Help Center.
I would be rich!
But still... I was used to working for Vernon My Main Man. I had never worked for anyone else. I really wasn't sure about this....
Carlo snapped his fingers. "Savannah."
A woman with bright yellow hair wearing a dress with showed her Big Floppy Things came walking over. She didn't just walk over, she kind of
swam over
. "Benny, this is Savannah. You two will be working closely together."
"Hello, Benny," she said, with a big smile.
I was floored! Savannah was so beautiful. And her Big Floppy Things were just almost hanging out there, waiting for anyone to see! I loved Big Floppy Things. I polished my armor to thoughts of Big Floppy Things. And now they wanted to give me a job... where I could see Big Floppy Things all the time?
I was all ready to say yes, when I realized....
There was still one problem.