Ben Boa Episode 4: How big is your shovel – Benny Boy?

Last time Ben and Tina were on their first date, but things were not going so well for Ben…..

Episode 3 is here if you missed it:

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Tina eventually stopped laughing. “Think,” says Ben under his breath, “you have to climb out of this hole…”

“Sorry about that, Tina. I have to admit I find it hard to think straight when I am around you." (There it is out in the open, go for the jugular), thought Ben to himself.

“What a lovely thing to say, Ben; aren’t you a sweetie!” replied Tina. She called me sweetie! Maybe, all is not lost, Ben thought, feeling excited at the prospect.

“Us sales folks are not too smart when it comes to quality and compliance and all that stuff,” says Ben, making a mental note he must pay more attention to his training.

“No, you just need a good teacher,” says Tina. “I bet if you were in my class, you would soon pick it up and become a real ambassador for quality.”

I don’t think so, Ben thought to himself; I would be too busy thinking about you and how I could get to know you better.

“Do you think I could ever get a job at Laxo?” asks Ben, completely off the wall and thinking of a way to be closer to her.

“Sure, you could," says Tina, "they're always looking for good salespeople!"

Ben drifts off into fantasy land, thinking about how good it would be to work more closely with Tina.  She could teach him about quality if he focused on the slides rather than on her. She could teach him about quality and compliance better than Ima. He never liked her anyway. He couldn’t wait to share his new plan with Ernie when he saw him tomorrow on the train.

“I’d recommend you, Ben, but I’m unsure where I’ll be in the next few months. So, it might not help much,” Tina said, pulling Ben from his daydream.

Ben’s jaw hit the floor. Where was Tina going?  They had only just started to get to know each other, and now she was going somewhere. Ben could not believe it; he knew it was all too good to be true.

“What do you mean?” asks Ben as casually as he can without being obvious and letting his panic show. The bulging jugular in his throat probably gave it away. Suddenly, his tie was awfully tight.

“Well, I have an opportunity to get some experience overseas. Laxo has asked me if I would like to go to China for three months. They have some issues they need to sort out, and I thought I could help.”

China thinks, Ben, that will not do at all; I don’t even like Chinese food, thought Ben, getting way ahead of himself. I need to learn more about this China issue and convince her not to go.

He didn't even have a passport. No, she could not go to China. Ernie will know what to do.

Right now, his head hurts from concentrating so much. He needed some fresh air. Time to go.

“I have a really early start, but I had a fantastic time, Tina! Can we do this again? I would love to know more about China,” he ventured.

“That would be lovely, Ben; I have had a great time as well," said Tina, getting up from the table.

Ben paid the bill. As they said goodbye at the front door, he recalled his first mistake of the night.  “I’ll give you a call, Tina, and next time I will pick you up.”

“You are such a sweetie,” she said, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Ben blushed and almost peed his pants all at the same time. He made a mental note to find out more about this China thing. She was not going, not now!

Stay tuned for the next episode (the conclusion to the pilot series): Episode 5 – “Where is the chicken in my Chinese food?"

Till next time,

Calvin