Name: Benjamin ‘Ben’ O’Dell Age: 30 Birthday: August 3rd, 1991 Gender/Pronouns: Cis Male He/Him Hometown: Salem, Massachusetts Length of time in Salem: 25 years Occupation: Waiter at Rockafellas
Biography: Under the cut
trigger warnings: Drug use, Violence, Alcohol abuse
The O’Dell family was a pretty comfortable family. The family settled into Salem when Ben was just about to turn five years old, with a younger O’Dell sibling on the way. Ben had one older sibling as well which made him the middle child. Ben was a wild child, he was always running around getting into things he shouldn’t. He kept his mom constantly on her toes. As he grew older that energy turned more aggressive. In middle school, and even high school, he would always find himself getting into fist fights with the other guys. He was constantly in and out of detentions and suspensions.
Freshman year of high school Ben met Heather. God, was she beautiful. She was his opposite: shy, into art, non-confrontational. Something about her drew Ben in. Ben knew he needed to talk to her, so he signed up for a few art classes. His friends teased him for weeks on end for joining a silly little art class but he didn’t care, it’s what he had to do.
The week of their homecoming dance Ben finally got Heather’s attention. In the clay and ceramics portion of their art class Ben insisted on making bong for his project. Heather thought it was funny and they began talking. By the end of the day Ben finally worked up some courage to ask Heather to their homecoming dance. It was short notice but they had so much fun. By the end of the month they were nearly inseparable, and they remained that way for years to come.
The couple had an interesting dynamic. They would go to parties together, and she would always keep an eye on him to make sure he wouldn’t do anything too crazy. When Heather was with Ben he was good, he never used drugs heavier than weed, never drank too much, and didn’t get into fights. During the parties that Heather didn’t attend he was completely different. He got into any drugs available, and drank until he couldn’t see straight, all while he started fights with random party goers.
It didn’t take long before Ben was breaking into his parents liquor cabinet before school. He would secretly put shots of whatever he could find into his morning coffee. By lunch he would already be tipsy. Ben was a mess and Heather knew this. She didn’t want to leave him, but she didn’t want to stay with someone who was on a slippery slope to becoming an alcoholic. By the end of their senior year Heather told Ben that he needed to get sober or she would leave. Ben’s love for Heather outweighed his love for liquor. Graduation came, and he was sober. Graduation seemed to mark a turn in their relationship, they were closer than ever, and ready to start their futures.
Ben wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, he heard that he could make pretty decent money waiting tables so he picked up a job at Rockafellas. It was a crappy job, but management liked him. He was friendly, and surprisingly he cleaned up nicely. Tips were decent enough, and he enjoyed seeing the live entertainment. Plus it passed the time when Heather was away at college. Heather stayed somewhat local for college, she was just 45 minutes away studying to be an art teacher at Lesley University. Ben knew he could see her every weekend, but going from being in school together, to only seeing each other once a week was a challenge. He missed her.
Once Heather had finished her second year of college she informed Ben that she would be living off campus, in her own apartment in the city, she invited him to stay with her. Ben hopped on the opportunity, and by fall semester he was living in Boston waiting tables, working overtime to help make ends meet. Soon enough they were engaged. Ben popped the question with a paper ring, promising that once he had saved enough he would get her a real ring, with real diamonds. He just knew that Heather was his soulmate.
The end of that school year Ben and Heather were expecting their first child. It was scary to say the least. They were only 21, and Ben had almost no experience caring for children. Nine months later on March 10th, 2013, right before senior spring break, their baby girl was born. She was perfect. They named her Charlotte Mae O’Dell. Ben was amazed to see Heather graduate college on time. He admired that she bounced back so quickly after having a baby. She was an amazing woman. The two were so in love they rushed to the courthouse to finally tie the knot, and Ben had surprised Heather with a real ring.
The pair moved back to Salem with their baby girl. Heather finished her masters at Salem State University, and Ben went back to working at Rockafellas. It was hard making ends meet with an additional tiny human, but they made it work in a shoebox apartment. Ben had no idea that the entire time Heather wanted to leave. She had lined up a teaching job at a fancy private school in New Hampshire, nearly two hours north of Salem. Ben felt blindsided when she had filed for a divorce. It was seemingly out of leftfield. Turns out Heather had met another man who also had a job lined up in New Hampshire, except he was going to be an engineer, and he had promised Heather a comfortable life for both her and Charlotte. Ben took the breakup hard. He had a tiny family starting to blossom and soon it was taken away and he was left alone in the once full apartment.
Life had remained static since Heather left even though she’s been gone for six years now. Ben doesn’t have a full grip on how to be an adult. When he doesn’t have Charlotte with him he goes out to bars and guzzles down beers like water. He has a hard time caring for himself, but he takes care of a cat that his sister gave to him a few years ago when she saw how bad Ben was doing. He wishes he could have Charlotte full time, but he knows she is better off in New Hampshire with her mother. They live in a big house with Heather’s engineer husband. Ben couldn’t afford to give Charlotte the life she deserves as he still works at Rockafellas. Ben makes the drive nearly every weekend to bring Charlotte to Salem to stay with him. He still thinks about what could’ve been if they had stayed a family, but he knows it better not to dwell.
