OOC
NAME: Lilly
CONTACT: eversoplucky on aim
IC
CHARACTER NAME: Benjamin Rose
PLAYED-BY: Hugh Laurie
AGE: 45
OCCUPATION: high school English teacher at Fredrick Douglass High School, teaching AP English Literature
RESIDENCE: An apartment in Manhattan, a walk up on 92nd street with 1 bedroom, 1 bath.
CONTACT: n/a
BIOGRAPHY/BACKGROUND:
Born in Boston, Benjamin was always called 'Ben', having been named after his grandfather who went by 'Benjamin' so they shortened it to stave off confusion. He lived in a house with his parents and his grandfather-his father's father-and had a decent childhood. Nothing spectacular happened, but nothing terrible, either, his life being the basic life of a kid in Boston. He had a red bike, a dog named 'woof' (named by him when he was five), and in high school he had a girlfriend named 'Kelly' who he broke up with because she licked his tonsils when they kissed. Every time.
When it came to university (Ben had always had good marks), he attended Penn State, taking an arts degree, majoring in English. There he met Marie, who he went out with for two years. A girl from Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, it was her who suggested he attend Memorial University in St.John's, saying he could get his teaching there because it was cheaper. He planned on taking the advise, applying for the program, and just as the summer he was planning to move came along, Marie dumped him, not saying way, just leaving a note on his pillow. She was gone.
After that, Ben went on with his plans, going to Newfoundland and getting his Secondary Education bachelor's. After a practicum at a high school in St.John's, he began to be a substitute, going around the bay and different places before he was offered a job at Lakecrest high school, teaching English. He settled in there until one parent teacher night, something surprised him. Or rather, someone.
Marie had married a man, a man named Frank, after moving home to Cornerbrook and meet Frank in St.John's when she was meeting friends there. Six months after she broke up with Ben, she married Frank, and two months later, a child was born. The math didn't add up, but no one really questioned it. Until, that is, Ben had a young man named Shawn in his class who had his eyes.
Parent teacher came, and when Ben met Shawn's parents, he had a few questions. Marie hadn't thought Ben was ready to have a child, so had left him. She had made the choice to have the child and raise it with Frank without telling Ben. And Shawn waited in the hall while the three adults began to argue until Ben was throwing Frank out of his classroom for saying Shawn was better off without a flake like Ben-admittedly, Ben had been a bit nervous about commitment in university, but he had only been twenty years old at the time-for a father. Marie apologized, and promised to tell Shawn the truth if Ben promised not to try and get involved in the boy's life all of a sudden. They agreed on that.
It was a month later before Shawn stayed after class to speak with Ben, who tried his best not to note what parts of him were in this boy-his snarky attitude certainly was, one of Ben's original complaints to the parents, had it not turned out to run in the family-as they chatted. Soon, Shawn was coming to have lunch with Ben as they got to know one another. They did this from Shawn's grade eleven year on through to his graduation, and Ben helped get Shawn into Memorial, the boy wanting to take English as well. Shawn is now working at finishing his teaching degree, like father, like long-lost son.
Life worked out alright for Ben until the last year. He had never really gotten into dating since Marie, not seeing the point in the fuss, in the worry, in the heartbreak. But he did like meeting people. So he joined a website for people middle aged, alright with admitting he was older than forty. He began to talk with a few people, reconnect with others, but most importantly, he met Frieda. Frieda was a teacher like him, with a sharp mind and clever sense of humour. She was kind, and one night they decided to talk on the phone after she had a cancer-scare. From then on, they just clicked.
They spoke on the phone, exchanging photos online, and got to know one another. Ben felt giddy when he called her, when she called him. And so one night he asked if she was busy New Years. She wasn't, so he was in luck. A plane ticket later, he joined her in Times Square, and everything was perfect. But then he had to go home.
And that wasn't enough for Ben.
So he spent the next month asking around, eager, for a job, for a place, for anything in New York. He thought he was going to have to wait until next semester before a friend pointed him towards Fredrick Douglass, who had a teacher who was leaving on paternity leave in the middle of February. Perfect. He then managed to get an apartment in Manhattan, arrange everything, and without telling Frieda his plans-though calling her more often, often once a day-he up and moved to New York City. His son took over his place in St.John's, and Fox Mulder, Ben's dog, came along for the trek, since the apartment allowed for dogs.
So, now he is arriving in New York, hoping he is welcome not only by his new colleagues and neighbours, but by the person it was all for. Frieda.
NAME: Lilly
CONTACT: eversoplucky on aim
IC
CHARACTER NAME: Benjamin Rose
PLAYED-BY: Hugh Laurie
AGE: 45
OCCUPATION: high school English teacher at Fredrick Douglass High School, teaching AP English Literature
RESIDENCE: An apartment in Manhattan, a walk up on 92nd street with 1 bedroom, 1 bath.
CONTACT: n/a
BIOGRAPHY/BACKGROUND:
Born in Boston, Benjamin was always called 'Ben', having been named after his grandfather who went by 'Benjamin' so they shortened it to stave off confusion. He lived in a house with his parents and his grandfather-his father's father-and had a decent childhood. Nothing spectacular happened, but nothing terrible, either, his life being the basic life of a kid in Boston. He had a red bike, a dog named 'woof' (named by him when he was five), and in high school he had a girlfriend named 'Kelly' who he broke up with because she licked his tonsils when they kissed. Every time.
When it came to university (Ben had always had good marks), he attended Penn State, taking an arts degree, majoring in English. There he met Marie, who he went out with for two years. A girl from Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, it was her who suggested he attend Memorial University in St.John's, saying he could get his teaching there because it was cheaper. He planned on taking the advise, applying for the program, and just as the summer he was planning to move came along, Marie dumped him, not saying way, just leaving a note on his pillow. She was gone.
After that, Ben went on with his plans, going to Newfoundland and getting his Secondary Education bachelor's. After a practicum at a high school in St.John's, he began to be a substitute, going around the bay and different places before he was offered a job at Lakecrest high school, teaching English. He settled in there until one parent teacher night, something surprised him. Or rather, someone.
Marie had married a man, a man named Frank, after moving home to Cornerbrook and meet Frank in St.John's when she was meeting friends there. Six months after she broke up with Ben, she married Frank, and two months later, a child was born. The math didn't add up, but no one really questioned it. Until, that is, Ben had a young man named Shawn in his class who had his eyes.
Parent teacher came, and when Ben met Shawn's parents, he had a few questions. Marie hadn't thought Ben was ready to have a child, so had left him. She had made the choice to have the child and raise it with Frank without telling Ben. And Shawn waited in the hall while the three adults began to argue until Ben was throwing Frank out of his classroom for saying Shawn was better off without a flake like Ben-admittedly, Ben had been a bit nervous about commitment in university, but he had only been twenty years old at the time-for a father. Marie apologized, and promised to tell Shawn the truth if Ben promised not to try and get involved in the boy's life all of a sudden. They agreed on that.
It was a month later before Shawn stayed after class to speak with Ben, who tried his best not to note what parts of him were in this boy-his snarky attitude certainly was, one of Ben's original complaints to the parents, had it not turned out to run in the family-as they chatted. Soon, Shawn was coming to have lunch with Ben as they got to know one another. They did this from Shawn's grade eleven year on through to his graduation, and Ben helped get Shawn into Memorial, the boy wanting to take English as well. Shawn is now working at finishing his teaching degree, like father, like long-lost son.
Life worked out alright for Ben until the last year. He had never really gotten into dating since Marie, not seeing the point in the fuss, in the worry, in the heartbreak. But he did like meeting people. So he joined a website for people middle aged, alright with admitting he was older than forty. He began to talk with a few people, reconnect with others, but most importantly, he met Frieda. Frieda was a teacher like him, with a sharp mind and clever sense of humour. She was kind, and one night they decided to talk on the phone after she had a cancer-scare. From then on, they just clicked.
They spoke on the phone, exchanging photos online, and got to know one another. Ben felt giddy when he called her, when she called him. And so one night he asked if she was busy New Years. She wasn't, so he was in luck. A plane ticket later, he joined her in Times Square, and everything was perfect. But then he had to go home.
And that wasn't enough for Ben.
So he spent the next month asking around, eager, for a job, for a place, for anything in New York. He thought he was going to have to wait until next semester before a friend pointed him towards Fredrick Douglass, who had a teacher who was leaving on paternity leave in the middle of February. Perfect. He then managed to get an apartment in Manhattan, arrange everything, and without telling Frieda his plans-though calling her more often, often once a day-he up and moved to New York City. His son took over his place in St.John's, and Fox Mulder, Ben's dog, came along for the trek, since the apartment allowed for dogs.
So, now he is arriving in New York, hoping he is welcome not only by his new colleagues and neighbours, but by the person it was all for. Frieda.