Benny's All-American Day
by Shannon McKinnon

Ray stood in the middle of the Vecchio kitchen, both watching and participating in the hubbub going on all around him. Even on a normal morning the kitchen was bursting with activity, and this was a holiday, which only increased the excitement.

It was Independence Day, and the family was getting ready for the day’s festivities. Rosa was packing the picnic basket, Ray and Tony were putting the last few items into the cooler, and Maria was trying to get the children to sit still long enough to tie their sneakers. The only one not present was Frannie, who was still upstairs in the bathroom, primping.

A knock sounded at the front door, and Ray looked up with a happy smile. “I’ll get it,” he said, hurrying from the room. He opened the door to find his lover standing on the other side. “Happy Independence Day, Benny!” Ray drew him into a kiss.

“The same to you, Ray.”

“Hey Dief, you ready for the big day?”

Diefenbaker responded with an enthusiastic bark, and Ray laughed.

Ben shook his head. “He has somehow managed to grasp the idea that there will be many different varieties of junk food available today. I’ll have to keep a close eye on him, I’m afraid.”

Dief whined unhappily and looked up at Ray.

“Don’t worry about it, boy. I’ll be looking out for you.”

“Ray!” Ray looked at Ben with such an unrepentant, boyish grin that Ben found it impossible to stay annoyed. “All right, but when he’s having stomach problems this evening, you’ll be the one looking out for him.”

Dief snorted and turned his back on Benny.

“Hey, I’ve got something for you, Dief!” Ray exclaimed, hurrying from the room. In a few moments he was back, carrying a bandana adorned with stars and stripes.

Dief sat patiently and quietly while Ray tied the bandana around his neck, and Ben sighed and shook his head, knowing Diefenbaker would never have endured such treatment from him. Sometimes he felt as though his wolf and his lover were teamed up against him.

“There,” Ray said proudly, stepping back to admire his handiwork. “Now you’re dressed for the occasion.”

“What about me, Ray?” Ben asked with a teasing grin. “Do I look properly American?”

Ray eyed his lover carefully. “You’ll do. After all, the blue of that t-shirt is almost the exact color of the blue in the flag.”

“Yes, I know,” Ben nodded.

“And it turns your eyes a gorgeous shade of blue, Benny.”

“Does it?” Ben asked innocently.

“You know it does, you tease. You’re just hoping that you’ll be driving me wild all day.”

Ben just smiled and batted his eyes at him; and Ray grabbed Ben and drew him into a kiss.

“Would the two of you for God’s sake knock it off and help us get the car loaded?” An irritated Maria asked from the doorway.

“Absolutely,” Ray said happily. “We’re on our way.”

Even though it was still fairly early in the morning, the park was already getting crowded. Ray and Rosa led the group quickly and unerringly to a spot under the shade of some trees, and they spread out their blankets and the picnic basket and cooler.

“This is the perfect spot, Ray,” Ben said admiringly. It’s nice and shady so we can stay cool, and it’s close to all the activities.”

“Yup,” Ray said proudly. “It comes from years and years of practice.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. We’ve been coming to this park for the Fourth ever since I was born. And mom and pop came here together even before that.”

“Your family’s been coming to the same park for the holiday for all these years?” Ben asked.

“Mmm hmm.”

“That’s nice, Ray,” Ben said quietly.

Ray caught an undertone in Ben’s voice and cursed silently. He had brought Benny to the celebration to have a good time; not to make him feel homesick and depressed. “Benny…”

Ben looked up at him with a smile, shaking off his momentary blue mood. “It’s all right Ray. My family had traditions, too. It’s just that our traditions moved around a lot.”

“Yeah. You probably never had a big blow out like this in the Territories, did you?”

Ben shook his head. “No Ray. That wouldn’t have been feasible.”

“Well I’m glad you finally have a chance to come here. I can’t believe it took you three years before you were able to get July fourth off.”

“Come on everyone, time to go to the parade,” Rosa called, and the group headed over to the parade route.

“So Benny, how did you celebrate Canada Day in the great white north?”

“We would hold a prayer meeting in my grandmother’s living room.”

Ray stopped dead in his tracks. “You’re joking with me, right, Benny?”

“Yes Ray. I’m joking with you.”

“Well it wasn’t funny!”

Ben just laughed.

They found very good seats for the parade, spread out on the sidewalk around Rosa, who was sitting in a comfortable lawn chair that Ray had insisted she bring along.

As the time for the start of the parade drew near, Ray was amused and touched to notice Benny glancing up the street towards the start of the parade route with just as much excitement and eagerness as the children.

Finally, the beginning of the parade was signaled by the spectators rising to their feet as the American flag passed by, borne proudly by a United States Marine in full dress uniform.

Ray leaned over to Ben and whispered into his ear. “Wow, his dress uniform’s even nicer than yours, Benny.”

Ben stiffened and raised his head slightly, and Ray grinned.

The parade went on for over an hour, with the usual assortment of marching bands and fire engine companies and police units and horseback riders- the entries which drew Benny’s greatest interest.

When the parade ended, the family went their separate ways. Frannie headed off to meet some girlfriends, and Tony and Maria were dragged off by the children, who were clamoring to go on the rides.

Ray and Benny accompanied Rosa back to the blankets, Benny carrying Rosa’s chair for her. After they got Rosa comfortably settled in the shade with a good book and a cold drink, they decided to go check out the food stands. Diefenbaker stayed behind, happily curled up on the blanket at the feet of the woman he loved.

As Ray and Benny walked through the park, the sound of music and voices and laughter got louder and louder. “Wow,” Ben blinked as they walked onto the midway.

“Yeah, it’s great, isn’t it? Come on, what do you want to eat? You can get anything here.”

“So it would appear,” Ben replied, eyeing the rows of different food concessions.

“So, what’ll it be? Sausage and peppers?”

“They couldn’t possibly be as good as your mother’s.”

“That’s true. How about a nice kielbasa?”

Ben wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “No thank you, Ray. I don’t like to eat Polish.”

“Well then, what…” Suddenly Ray broke off and grinned. “I know! The perfect American July Fourth meal!”

Grabbing Benny’s hand, he led him over to one of the booths, and after a few minutes the two men went to sit under a tree with plates laden with cheeseburgers, potato chips, and corn on the cob.

“This is wonderful, Ray,” Ben said, taking a sip of what Ray had proclaimed the “All-American beverage”, lemonade.

“Oh yeah. A great meal in the great outdoors. Doesn’t this beat being stuck inside that stuffy Consulate all day?”

“Absolutely.” Ben said around a mouthful of burger.

Ray laughed.

After they were done eating they relaxed in the shade for a while, then Benny scrambled to his feet. “Come on Ray, let’s go look around.” He pulled Ray to his feet as well, and Ray followed after Benny without a word of complaint. He loved seeing Benny this happy and relaxed and carefree. He was very glad- againthat Benny had come along today.

Suddenly, Ray stopped walking and his face lit up. “Oh boy, Benny! The perfect Fourth of July treat! Wait here!” He hurried over to an ice-cream truck and was soon back, a paper-wrapped frozen treat in each hand.

“Thank you, Ray,” Ben said, taking his dessert and unwrapping it. He frowned slightly as he saw a Popsicle in the shape of a rocket divided into three sections, one red, white, and blue. “What is it?”

“It’s a bomb pop, Benny! The best Popsicle ever!”

“Ah.” Ben tasted the frozen treat and smiled. It is rather refreshing.”

“It’s more than that, Benny.”

Ben smiled at his lover as Ray happily ate the Popsicle. No doubt the treat brought back many happy summertime memories for Ray.

The two men slowly roamed through the midway as they ate, eyeing the different stands and rides and games. When they were done and had thrown the Popsicle sticks in the trash, Ben headed back up the midway. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’m going to win you a teddy bear, Ray.”

“You’re what?” Ray asked in complete surprise.

“I’m going to win a stuffed toy for you. That’s part of the tradition at these things, isn’t it? A man wins a toy for the object of his affections?”

“Yeah. How did you…”

“Oh please, Ray. I watch movies.”

“Benny, you don’t need to do this.”

“Oh, but I want to.”

Ray didn’t know whether to be flattered or embarrassed, but it was obvious that Benny had his mind set, and there would be no talking him out of it. With a sigh, he trailed after his lover. “So, how you gonna win this thing?”

“There,” Ben said pointing.

Ray looked where Benny was pointing, and he grinned. Ben walked up to the target shooting game and placed a bill on the table. “Excuse me, sir, I’d like to have a try at this if you please.”

The man behind the booth looked Ben up and down and smiled the smile of a man who had just reeled in a sucker. “Go right ahead, son.”

“Thank you kindly.” Ben picked up the rifle and settled it on his shoulder. After making a few adjustments, he fired off six quick rounds, knocking over six milk bottles.

The man behind the counter gaped at Ben in surprise, and Ray smiled smugly.

“Beginners luck,” the man said.

“Perhaps,” Ben placed another bill on the counter, picked up another gun and shot six more rounds. Six more bottles went down.

Ben placed the gun down and smiled at the barker. “How many shots does it take to win that bear?” He asked, pointing at a light brown bear adorned with a green bow.

“You’ve won it,” the man said, taking the bear down and handing it to Ben. “Game’s over, I’m closing for lunch.”

“Thank you.” Ben took the bear from the man, then turned to Ray. “Here you are.”

Ray took the toy. “Thank you Benny. I’ll treasure it forever,” he grinned. Even though he had spoken the words teasingly, and even though he was rather embarrassed to be carrying a stuffed toy down the midway; Ray knew he would indeed keep the bear, probably for a very long time. It would be a wonderful reminder of the day, and he was pleased that Benny had won the prize for him, joking or not.

‘Oh God,’ Ray thought to himself, ‘when did I get to be such a sap?’

The two men left the midway and walked through the park back over to the blankets. Rosa was still reading, with Dief’s head now resting in her lap. She was absently stroking the wolf’s head as she read. She looked up with a smile as the two men approached. “What a lovely bear, Caro!”

“Thanks, Ma. Benny won it for me.”

“That was very nice, Benton.”

Ben just shrugged, looking embarrassed. Ray and Benny sat down next to each other on the blanket, and Ray leaned over and opened up the cooler and handed Benny a damp washcloth that had been stored inside a plastic bag. “Here you go, Benny.”

“Thank you,” Ben said gratefully. He took the cloth out of the bag and wiped it over his face and the back of his neck, then ran it over his arms before returning the cloth to the bag. He lay down on the blanket with a perfectly contented sigh.

When Ray had finished sponging himself off, he lay down next to Benny, and Ben looked over at him with a smile. The sunlight was shining through the leaves of the tree, and Ray was covered with little flecks of sunlight. Ben raised up onto one elbow to better enjoy the view.

“What?” Ray asked when he saw Benny smiling down at him.

“Nothing.” Ben shook his head, mindful of Ray’s mother close by.

“Whatever, Benny.” He tugged gently on Ben’s arm, and Ben lay back down again. “It’s time for another great American tradition- the afternoon nap.”

Ray and Benny were awakened by the return of the rest of the family, and the remainder of the afternoon was taken up with a round of card games. For dinner Rosa served cold fried chicken and her homemade potato salad, and everyone ate heartily, including Dief. Ben pretended not to notice all the scraps of food his wolf was being fed by various members of the Vecchio family.

Just when Ben was sure he couldn’t eat another bite, Rosa brought out dessert- homemade apple pie- and Ben found he had room after all. “I’m getting as bad as Diefenbaker,” he muttered, and Ray laughed.

After they had thrown away their dirty plates and cups and packed up the picnic basket it was time to head over to get a choice seat for the fireworks. Carrying the blankets and Rosa’s chair, they found a good spot and sat down and waited for darkness to fall.

As the sky started to darken, a band took its place on the stage that had been erected for the day’s events and started to warm up. “What is the band for?” Ben asked Ray.

“These fireworks have musical accompaniment.” Ray told him.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s great.”

Just a few minutes later, an announcement was made over the public address system that the display would begin with the National Anthem.

The crowd rose to its feet and hands were placed over hearts as the band played the “Star Spangled Banner.” As the closing bars sounded, an American Eagle flew over the crowd and down to the stage, coming to rest on the arm of its trainer.

“Wow,” Ben whispered.

“It’s pretty spectacular, isn’t it?” Ray whispered back.

Ben nodded.

As the Anthem concluded, the crowd broke into applause and wild cheers, then they slowly sat back down and waited for the fireworks to begin. They didn’t have to wait long, and after just a few minutes had passed, the band started playing a series of patriotic songs to accompany the spectacular light show taking place in the sky.

About halfway through the show, Ben looked over at Ray, a smile of perfect happiness on his face. “Ray?”

“Yeah Benny?” Ray asked, still looking up at the sky.

“Thanks for bringing me here today.”

Ray looked at him with a smile. “My pleasure. So, do you think you can get the day off again next year?”

“I think that can be arranged.”

“Good.” Ray leaned over and gave his lover a kiss as the bright colors lit up the night sky above them.

THE END

Rated PG

This is my answer to Jeannie’s Independence Day Challenge. The story doesn’t have much of a plot at all, just lots of Ray and Benny being sickeningly sappy. You have been warned.

Alliance legally owns the rights to these characters, and I make no claim to them. This story is written for entertainment purposes only, and no profit will be made.

BENNY’S ALL-AMERICAN DAY