Sponge Ben

Chapter One - See Sponge

No one had heard of Sponge Ben, and he resented his brother greatly. Bob would not even return his calls anymore.

Ben was dry, had been for a week now. It wasn't hard when there was no money to buy even cheap wine. The last he heard from Bob, well, his manager actually, there would be no more money coming his way. Bob said he wouldn't be an enabler any longer. Nice. Did he really not remember? How Ben took the brunt of their father's wrath, how he protected Bob when they were small? Now Bob had this great career, and it was all Ben could do to crawl out of his box in the morning. He left the sea long ago. And tried to forget.

Ben learned to weather the storms of his father's wrath very early. He
couldn't understand, not then, he could only survive. And feel. One
day, maybe, he would be free. That's what he used to think. He didn't
know then, you can leave the past, but the past might not leave you.
He was still wishing for someone to save him when his brother was
born. He was six. His mother, never much more than a ghost, nearly
faded to nothing after Bob was born. But they had each other. And the
sea.