Notebook Prompt: Ben and "the other boy"

Ben, the older narrator of Benji's teenage adventures and mishaps in Sag Harbor, concludes the chapter "The Gangsters" with the following passage, referring to the copper BB that is lodged in his eye socket: "It's still there. Under the skin. It's good for a story, something to shock people with after I've known them for years and feel a need to surprise them with the other boy. It's not a scar that people notice even though it's right there. I asked a doctor about it once, about blood poisoning over time. He shook his head. Then he shrugged. 'It hasn't killed you yet'" (191).

What do you make of the fact that Ben still has the BB in his eye? What does this particular story about "ill shit going down on a Thursday" have to do with the older man telling the story? How does Ben seem to view the episode in hindsight? Why does he refer to his younger self as "the other boy," and why might he assume people would be "shocked" to hear this story?

Take 5 minutes now to contemplate these questions in your Notebook.