continued inquisitively, “and that I won’t always be here?...alive?”
Bing nodded, frowning.
Bing, honey,” Sam began, “your brother doesn’t deserve to get
the silent treatment from you. He only wants you to understand why
he was gone today. He also wants your input about how to take care
of things. He can’t do it all himself.”
“But,” Bing objected, “I don’t know how to wook. What can I do?”
“I don’t expect you to go out and start working, Bingham,” Ryan
corrected, “I want to know your thoughts on how to trim our
expenses down. What do you want to do?”
Bing bowed his head. He knew what had to be done. Even though
he was mentally challenged, he knew that the only way to save
Ryan and Sam from losing the house was to suggest the very thing
Ryan had promised never to do. Ryan had done his best, but Bing
knew that he had never been meant to be his full-time caretaker.
“Thehew is ownee one ting oo can do,” he responded, “oo hafta
take me to a gwoop home. Oo haf done th’ besht oo coot. Now, I
musht become my own pewsin. Oo hafta go on wiff oor own yife,
Wyan. Is ownee besht.”
“Oh, Bing,” Ryan broke down, “I couldn’t break my promise to
mom and dad! I couldn’t do that to you!”
“But oo musht!” Bing exclaimed, “is ownee way! OO wooten’t be
bweaking pwomise to mum and poppy. I wanna go! I musht go! Oo
hafta have oor own yife!”
“So this is what you want?” Ryan asked, shakily.
“Yesh,” Bing stated, stubbornly.
“Then,” Ryan said, resigned to his brother’s wishes, “
“I will see to it that you go to the best possible facility...and we’ll
be sure to come in and visit you as often as we can.”
“Goot,” Bing stated, relieved and a bit excited, “goot!”
4.
Bing spent the next day packing his things. He knew that he
would miss his brother, but he also knew that this was for the best.