"Ben's sister is coming?"
Alex was pleasantly surprised. They all knew that Ben had a sister who was currently in high school and that he was living frugally in university to save money for her to continue her studies.
Every time he called home, he would only tell his family the good news and say not to worry about him. When his roommates heard this and saw him living on instant noodles, they were touched and sad.
Ben's sister was coming. Alex wanted to go and support his friend, so she could see how popular her brother was.
He arrived at the dormitory and greeted his friends. As usual, Joe, who spent a lot of time working out in the gym, teased him a little.
Ben, who didn't usually pay much attention to his appearance, had been to the barbers. He looked very handsome, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, a pair of beige shorts, and white sneakers. He looked much smarter than usual.
He also looked a little uncomfortable.
Carl put his arm around Ben's shoulder and said, "Alex, did you know this kid is hiding something from us? In the last two days, we've caught him buying expensive clothes and paying attention to his appearance. He also lies in bed every day playing with his cell phone. Joe and I have hardly seen him."
He continued, "Today, he got up and showered before dawn and dressed in smart clothes. Joe and I wanted to know what he was up to, so we asked him. He finally told us."
"He told us that his sister is coming to New York to take part in a competition and while she's here, she's coming to visit him. We've seen his sister's picture, and she's really pretty. Apparently, he's getting himself all dressed up like a movie star just to go and meet his sister."
Carl slapped the back of Ben's head.
"Okay, Ben. Don't tell us, but then we won't be able to help you," Alex said as he sat down next to him. He tugged at his friend's clothes and said, "A Brooks Brothers shirt, Tommy Hilfiger shorts, and Puma shoes. How much did you spend on all this?"
Alex let go of his clothes and Ben straightened out the creases. It was the first time he had worn such expensive items, and he felt so good. He didn't want the clothes to be ruined.
He looked at his friends with an embarrassed smile.
"The shirt was two hundred dollars, the shorts two hundred and fifty, and the shoes three hundred." Ben saw Alex and Carl looking at him in surprise and immediately explained, "It's not my own money. Of course, I don't have that kind of money. They're all on credit."
"Buddy, it's great that you want to look good, but how are you going to pay it off? You still need money to live on. And it's not like you're going on a date, you're just meeting your little sister," Alex said. He thought Ben was crazy for buying all those expensive clothes on credit.
"You guys don't understand. Do you think I want to get into debt to buy clothes? Can't you see that I had no choice?" Ben said awkwardly. "I keep telling my family that I'm doing really well. That I earn more than two thousand dollars every month doing part-time work, and that I have plenty of money, so they don't have to worry about me. Now, my sister is coming, and if she sees me dressed in rags, she'll be really disappointed. And she'll go back and tell my parents. It will kill them to hear the truth."
Ben's friends all understood his concerns. Alex said, "It's fine, we were just joking with you. But you'll have to keep up the pretense while she's here. If they all think you're wealthy, if your sister finds out the truth, it'll be even worse."
"I still have a little money on me, around three hundred dollars. I borrowed it from some friends. That should be enough. If it's not, I can get a little bit more on my credit card," Ben said without any confidence.
Alex sighed inwardly, but he didn't say anything. He was sure that Ben was making a mistake.
After chatting for a while, they left to pick up his sister from the airport.
**
While Ben and his friend were leaving the campus, two young ladies were walking out of arrivals at JFK airport. One of them was Ben's younger sister, Tanya. The other was her best friend, Britney Coleman.
"Listen to me, is your brother in New York really as amazing as you said he is?" Britney asked as she held Tanya's arm.
"Of course. Every time he calls me, he says that he's studying hard at Preston University, and he gets a scholarship every semester. In his spare time, he does part-time work for only two to three hours a day, and he gets paid more than two thousand dollars a month. And he's one of the most influential students at the university," Tanya said proudly.
"Hmm, I agree that your brother sounds awesome." Britney smiled and leaned in closer to her. She whispered, "Does he have a girlfriend yet?"
She knew what Britney was thinking. She touched her friend's cheek with her finger and giggled, "You're so embarrassing. What are you thinking? Hee hee."
Britney's face turned as red as a tomato.
"Why isn't your brother here yet?" Britney asked. After waiting in front of arrivals for more than twenty minutes, she was starting to get anxious.
Tanya looked at her and said, "Don't worry, my brother just sent me a WhatsApp message saying that he's rushing here right now. He'll be here any minute."
Just then, two men wearing floral T-shirts walked over to the girls and smiled. One said to Tanya, "Hey gorgeous, are you waiting for me?" He had dyed blonde hair, and his friend had a dragon tattooed on his arm.
"Brit, let's go," Tanya said in a low voice before pulling her away from the men. They looked very dangerous to her.
"Don't go," one of them said.
The two men quickly blocked Tanya's path. They lowered their heads to look at the two girls and one said, "Is this the first time you've been to New York? Come with us, we'll show you around." He had a sinister glint in his eyes.
As they spoke, they both reached out to grab the girls' hands.
"No, what are you doing?" Tanya squealed. She and Britney were afraid. They pulled their hands away and tried to step backwards.
"So, little girl, you want to have some fun—" one of the men said as he grabbed Tanya's arms and pulled her into his embrace.
"Don't—Help—" the girls shouted in panic.
"Let go."
"Get off us."
At that moment, Ben, Alex, and Carl arrived. When they saw what was happening, they were furious. They didn't care who the two men were but instantly rushed forward to help the girls.
Alex kicked one of them over while Carl and Ben smashed into the other man's head, knocking him to the ground.
"Are you okay?" Ben asked Tanya. Seeing her nod, he looked at the two men and said, "Alex, Carl, come on. Let's teach these guys a lesson."
The two men saw the students charging at them ferociously. They didn't know who these guys were, and they were afraid of getting beaten up again, so they ran away.
Ben walked to Tanya's side and said guiltily, "I'm so sorry. Did they scare you? It's all my fault. It wouldn't have happened if we had been on time."
She took his hand and said, "Ben it's fine. We don't blame you at all. You were so awesome just now that you scared those men away."
Noticing that Ben's clothes were all famous brands, Tanya's heart was filled with pride. She looked at Alex and Carl and asked, "Who are your friends?"
Alex and Carl walked over, trying to look cool. They felt like heroes in a movie, saving the beautiful heroines. Tanya and Britney were very impressed with them.
"Oh, they're my roommates. This is Alex, and this is Carl." Ben introduced his friends to Tanya.
She smiled sweetly and said, "Alex, Carl, it's good to meet you. Thank you for saving us just now. You were all so awesome." Then, she introduced Britney to Alex and Carl.
Britney sized Ben up and smiled. "Ben, Tanya's told me how well you're doing at University. Looking at the designer clothes you're wearing, I'm guessing you also earn plenty of money. Tanya and I rarely come to New York, so you must take us everywhere while we're here."
Ben scratched his head in embarrassment and answered, "Really? He he. Well, I guess I'm doing better than most students here—" He looked awkward. Alex and Carl smiled secretly.
"You're too modest. Where are you taking us first?" Britney asked with a smile. She was looking forward to spending time with him in New York. He was rich, so she was sure that he was going to pay for everything her.
"Oh, I'll take you guys to see Times Square and the Empire State Building. They're two of the things you must see in New York City," Ben said.
"Okay, bro, let's go," Tanya said as she took his arm and went to the roadside to call a cab. They quickly found two cabs. One for Ben, Tanya, and Britney, and another for Alex and Carl.
"Ben, what kind of part-time job are you doing that you earn so much money?" Tanya asked as she looked at her brother. She felt warm and happy.
Britney looked at him in anticipation. She said, "Yeah, to only work for three hours a day and earn two thousand dollars a month. That's fifty dollars an hour. That's amazing."
"Um—" Ben looked embarrassed as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Thinking quickly, he said, "I'm a landscape architect, and... I teach people to paint. New York is a big city, and rich people don't care about spending money. Fifty dollars an hour isn't much to them."
"So that's what you're doing. Ben, you're amazing," Tanya laughed.
The more Britney looked at Ben, the more she liked him and wanted to be close to him. She told him, "I also want to study landscape architecture. By the time I graduate, you will be high up in a big company. Then you'll be able to help me with my career."
"Umm—We'll talk about it when the time comes." He knew that if Tanya and Britney found out that he was lying, they would be disappointed in him. He knew that he would die of embarrassment if that happened.
Ben and his friends took Tanya and Britney to Times Square and The Empire State Building. They treated them to snacks in New York coffee shops and bought them souvenirs from the gift shops.
In just a few short hours, Ben had already spent a hundred dollars. He had a little over two hundred dollars left.
He wanted to treat Tanya and Britney to a nice dinner and a fancy hotel room, but he had no idea how he could pay for it.
Britney pursed her lips and said to him, "Let's go, we've been walking for so long, I'm hungry. Ben, are you going to take us somewhere nice for dinner? Let's go."
"Oh—" Ben wasn't sure what to do. He was thinking, we could just take them for a stroll around campus and then for a meal at Beautiful Cuisine, the campus restaurant.
However, when Britney asked him with such anticipation, he couldn't say anything. He felt that taking them to Beautiful Cuisine would seem so disrespectful.
"Ben, what's wrong? Can't you decide which restaurant to take us to tonight? It's okay, take your time to decide on the best one. After all, you've been in New York for two years. You must know loads of great places," said Britney. She continued, "Tanya and I are country bumpkins. When we get to the restaurant, we'll take photos and post them on Instagram. You mustn't laugh at us."
"Don't worry, Brit, my brother won't laugh. When we get there, I'm going to take photos of all the dishes we order and of the inside of the fancy restaurant. Our friends are going to be so jealous of me having such an awesome brother."
So far Ben had been very generous. The girls had already spent a lot of his money since they had been in New York.
Looking at their excited faces, Ben kept smiling, but inside he was panicking. He had no idea what to do next.
Then Carl stepped in to try to help him. He said, "Ben wants to invite you to have a meal at The Seafood Bar."
The Seafood Bar was a small eatery near the campus, and it was very popular with the students. Although it wasn't as busy as Beautiful Cuisine or Coffee Palace, it usually had a good atmosphere.
More importantly, considering the amount of money Ben had left, it was affordable.
"The Seafood Bar? What's that?"
Britney took out her cell phone and searched for a bit. Finally, she read out, "'Fresh seafood to fit everyone's budgets.' From the photo of the front, it looks like a country diner like at home. Carl, I know you're joking with us. Ben wouldn't take us for a meal somewhere like that. He earns over two thousand dollars a month. He would never take us to eat somewhere so cheap."
Ben's face stiffened as he felt even more awkward.
Tanya noticed that something was wrong with him. "Ben," she whispered, wondering what was wrong. She then said, "Actually, this Seafood Bar looks pretty good. We both like fish. Let's go there."
Britney wasn't convinced. She said, "Listen, Ben doesn't need all his money, and we came all this way to New York. I think you should let your brother treat us to a decent meal. And didn't you just say you wanted to take photos to post on Instagram? This Seafood Bar is just like the diners back home. Everyone would laugh at us if we posted photos of that place. We can't waste our time in New York eating somewhere like that."
Tanya replied, "Who cares what everyone thinks? Wherever Ben takes me to eat, I'll eat." Although she was also very puzzled and a bit disappointed, she wanted to stick up for her brother.
Ben, who was standing between the girls, was in turmoil. He wanted to stand up and shout, "Stop arguing, I'll take you guys to the best restaurant in New York to eat," but he knew that he couldn't pay for it.
Alex interrupted his thoughts. "Ben, stop joking with your sister."
He looked at the girls and said, "Before we met you, Ben had already discussed it with us, and we all decided that we're going to treat you guys to dinner at Yellow Garden tonight. What do you think? If you're not happy with that, we can go somewhere else."
"Ah—" Ben and Carl were both shocked.
Yellow Garden was a famous restaurant in New York, and it was very expensive. For five of them to eat there, Ben would need at least six hundred dollars, but he had a little over two hundred left. And he still had to pay for a hotel room for the girls.
He looked helplessly at Alex, thinking, Alex, you must be joking, how can I afford dinner at Yellow Garden?