Gentle Ben?

As the beginning of another glorious fall semester is upon us, allow me to reflect upon the beginning of fall semester 2008. I had just moved in to Liberty Square, Lafayette 21. Every guy I met had just returned home from his mission. Every girl had just concluded her freshman year. The legend of Liberty Square was true! Was I terrified to be socially active? Of course. A whole summer of watching "Coach" DVDs with my parents had done nothing to encourage me to talk to...girls. Luckily, BYU plans for situations like this. Our apartment of guys was paired up with an apartment of girls, and we were supposed to be an FHE family and do something every Monday night. Our first night of meeting the girls? I thought they were cool girls and that maybe, just maybe, I would make it. One of the girls and I became fast friends, and I recall one time when were were talking, she asked me if I knew the one word she would use to describe me?

Handsome? Come on now, give me a hard one.

No? Ok, looks aren't everything.

Charming? "Sorry, did I spit when I said that?"

No again? That's okay, I was never good with words.

Athletic?

Well, I mean she has never seen me throw my Peyton Manning spiral.

Nice? Friendly? Smart? Funny? Nothing?! I was confused.

After seeing my confusion, she smiled (she was clearly enjoying this) and responded in a soft voice, "Gentle."

Gentle?!!! Was I a brand of soap with those commercials where there is always a toddler's bare bum on full display?! Gentle?!!! Obviously, she did not see me tear through those cookies she brought over the other night. There was nothing "gentle" about that! To say the least, I did not agree with the one adjective chosen to describe the person I had become after 21 years. Allow me to explain.

I broke my best friend's thumb twice while playing football growing up. During a high school basketball game, I dislocated the shoulder of the other team's best player, causing him to pass out in the middle of the floor. While playing night games during the last week of freshman year, I flat-backed one of my best friends so cleanly Dwight Freeney would have been proud. She showed me her neckbrace and arm sling as soon as she left the hospital the next day. In fear of my friends not wanting to associate with me anymore, I will stop the list there.

I kept trying to explain to her that "gentle" was really not the proper word to describe me. Once again, adjectives like dashing, stoic, and intelligent kept coming to mind. She wasn't buying it. Well, on a warm, beautiful Friday afternoon in sunny North Carolina, I proved to her once-and-for-all, that I was not as "gentle" as she had once thought.

We were in the pool, enjoying pleasant converation with the fam and enjoying my sisters' synchronized pool routine. (Good extension with the legs. Nice touch with the pointed toes.) After performing our own pool routine, we moved to the shallow end. I can't remember what we were doing, but I put my head under water, waiting for her to jump on my back. She didn't. I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, but I didn't respond. I felt another tap. Before I knew it, my head had quickly shot out of the water, and I felt like I hit something. It felt kind of soft. Almost...fluffy :) I looked and saw her holding her nose. (If you have to sneeze just let it go!) I could tell she was in pain. That's when I realized my not-so-gentle side had come out. I had smacked her in the face with my forehead! What an unpleasant way to take a shot to the nose! She wasn't crying and her nose wasn't bleeding (for which I was grateful), but I could tell she was hurting much more than she was letting on. On our way back to the house, she told me she thought something "popped." (Great. I had broken this girl's nose. I knew it. I told her I wasn't gentle!) I felt terrible! For the most part she was good-natured about what I feel must be plainly clarified as an ACCIDENT (please don't glare at me). That is, except for when I "strongly encouraged" her to continue icing her nose every 20 mintues for the next couple of hours. I hoped her parents would be understanding, but she did promise to call me the second she got home and found her father gone and a printed-out flight itinerary to Indianapolis, Indiana. She was a tough, tough girl and didn't complain about it the rest of the night.

Fast forward a couple of days and a couple of x-rays later. Her nose was not broken. Thank goodness! However, the cartilage in the part of her nose where my forehead not-so-gently collided was completely crushed! Crushed! Luckily, no permanent damage was done and the cartilage will heal itself. I told her that I was just leaving my mark :) This experience just provides further evidence that maybe "gentle" doesn't quite hit the mark.

Gentle Ben? Really?