Spider's Choices

Part I

Spider Webster parked his car next to the rickety garage behind his parents’ house.  He entered through the kitchen where the song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” echoed from the darkened living room.  Rolling his eyes, Spider hung his keys on one of the hooks that his mother,  in a fit of creativity, had screwed into an old rolling pin and declared the old rolling pin the family key rack..  

“Spider, is that you?” his mother called from the darkened room.

“Yeah, I’m home, Mom.”

“Come in here.  I want to talk to you.”

Spider trudged into the small living room where Maura and Jeff, his parents, sat cozily on the old couch.  His father paused the movie and the two looked at him expectantly.

“How was your evening?” asked his mother.

“Fine,” answered Spider.

“It can’t be much fun working on a class project on a Friday night.”

Spider shrugged.  “At least it gets it out of the way.  Now I don’t have to think about it til Monday.”

“Come watch the rest of the movie with us,” urged Spider’s father.

Spider winced inwardly.  “No, thanks.  I think I’ll go to the basement and watch tv for a while.”

“You can’t do that,” said his father.

“Why not?”

“Because Tad’s down there playing video games.”

“Then I guess I”ll go to my room and read,” Spider moved toward the stairs.

“What are you reading now, Spider?” asked his father.

“Into The Wild.”

Spider’s Mom shuddered.  “That sounds so primitive.”

“Maura,” said Spider’s father, “ he’s a young man.  He’s not going to read The Boxcar Children anymore.”

“But those books were so nice and it all sounded like so much fun.  Imagine if we had all lived in an old boxcar.”

“If that were the case, Mom,” interrupted Spider, “you wouldn’t be able to watch Mary Poppins whenever you wanted to.”

“I suppose not.”

“I guess I’ll go upstairs now.  Enjoy the rest of the movie.” Spider stepped over several pillows that were lying in the middle of the living room floor and went up the stairs to his room.  

Spider’s bedroom was the bigger of the two rooms that made up the second floor of the small cape cod house in which his family lived.   The house was located in a small, tightly knit neighborhood where all of the cookie-cutter houses shared similar floorplans and looked alike.  The streets in the area lacked sidewalks and most driveways were gravel instead of concrete or asphalt but the yards were always full of beautiful and unusual flowers.   The Websters loved their cozy abode and had spent time fixing it up to meet their needs:  painting rooms, creating gardens, and filling it with the treasures they found at local flea markets and the crafty projects suggested by women’s magazines that his mother created in her cluttered little art nook in the basement.

Alone in his room, Spider rifled through his book until he found the page he had  dog-eared previously . Reading under the lamp next to his bed, Spider soon drifted off, oblivious to everything around him, including the sound of his little brother stomping angrily up the stairs when his parents told him to finish playing his video game and to go to bed.

**********

The next morning at breakfast, Spider laid a piece of paper in front of his parents.

“What’s this?” asked his mother.

“It’s a permission slip you need to sign so I can tour the police academy,” answered Spider. “It’s part of our career week at school.”

“What?” His mother looked surprised.  “I thought you wanted to go into construction.  You seemed so interested in that after you built that Habitat for Humanity house for your civics class.”

“I did enjoy that, Mom.  And I didn’t say I was going to be a cop, but I’m considering it.”

“What about the money we have saved for your college?” asked Spider’s father.

“I could still get a criminology degree to go along with the training.  That way, I’d be totally prepared to fight crime.” Spider grinned at his parents.

Spider’s mother regarded the permission slip thoughtfully, then carefully drew her flowery cursive signature along the bottom of it.  “We can talk about this later.”  She handed him the paper, then waved Spider off.  “Just make sure you keep all your options open.  Don’t settle too quickly.”

“Don’t worry,  I won’t.  Thanks for signing this, Mom.” Spider grabbed the permission slip and stood up, planning on running to his room and slipping it inside his backpack.

“Signing what?” Tad entered the kitchen, interrupting the ongoing conversation.

“That’s between me and Mom.” Spider tried to ignore his little brother,

“You know, Spider,” said Tad, “someday I’m going to be off playing in the major leagues and you’ll be sorry you were mean to me.  You’ll call me up and want some free tickets to a game and I’ll say no.”

“I’ll live.”

“You just wait and see.”

“Boys!  You need to get along.  One day your father and I will be gone and you’ll only have each other,” said Maura.

“Not me, Mom,” chirped Tad.  “I’ll be on the road playing major league baseball.  Spider might need to find himself a girlfriend so he won’t be all alone.”

“At least I’ll be able to get one.  You’ll always be a runt.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Spider’s father ended the squabbling between the brothers.  

Spider left the kitchen while Tad busied himself pouring a bowl of sugary cereal.  At the table, his parents sat quietly.

“So,” said Jeff, “it seems our son wants to be a cop.”

“Might want to,” cautioned Maura.

Jeff shook his head.  “I guess that’s what we get for letting him wear his Spiderman pajamas every night for two years.  The whole crime fighting idea must have been born then.”

Maura rolled her eyes. “I sincerely doubt those pajamas affected his life choices.  If I believed that, I’d be putting Tad into a doctor’s coat every night.”

Jeff sat back and folded his arms, a knowing grin on his face. “And what kind of pajamas did Tad wear as a little tot?”

Maura scowled at her husband.  “Baseball ones,” she answered meekly.

Jeff chuckled as Tad returned to the table.  “Baseball ones what?” Tad asked.

“We’re just talking about the jammies you wore as a kid,” answered Maura.

Tad wrinkled his nose. “That sounds boring.” He proceeded to shovel the cereal into his mouth while Maura got up and filled the sink with hot soapy water and Jeff went out the back door to work in the yard.  

Later that day, Spider came into the small kitchen after spending the afternoon at his part time job at a home improvement store.

“Hi, son,” said his father.  “How was work?”

“Fine.”

“People keeping you busy?”

Spider nodded. “Don’t they always?  But lots of customers make it go quickly.”

Spider grabbed a handful of cookies from the jar on the counter then went up the stairs to his room.  He yanked his sweaty, grimey  work shirt over his head and tossed it into the corner.  

“Hey, Spider.” Tad popped his head into the room.

“What do you want?” demanded Spider.

Tad shrugged.  “Nothing.”

“Then scram.”  Spider stepped quickly and shut the door.  He flopped down on his bed and stared at the sloped ceiling above him, wondering what he should do until dinnertime.   He was just dozing off when the loud growl of his stomach jolted him awake.  He slowly got up and slid a fresh t-shirt over his head, then went back downstairs.

“What’s for dinner?” he asked his father.

“We’re grilling out.  I assume you’ll be joining us?”

“Sure.”

Spider followed his father out the back door and sat down at the weathered picnic table.  “How much longer till dinner? I’m starved.”

Jeff pointed to the grill.  “I just started the charcoal.  I’ll give it a few minutes, then throw the burgers on.  In the meantime,” he pulled out the bench and sat down across from Spider.  “You and I can talk.”

Spider braced himself. “What are we going to talk about?”

“This business of you being a cop.  It seems kinda new.  Where did it come from?”

Spider shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I guess I’ve always liked the excitement of it.  Plus, you get to be a special part of the community.”

Jeff sighed.  “Yes.  But it can also be dangerous.”

“I know.  But I still want to check out the academy.”  

Spider’s father nodded his head thoughtfully.  “That’s probably a smart thing to do.  It’s just your mother and I have always wanted you and Tad to find a better life than we did.”

“Dad, we have a great life with you.  Besides, you followed your heart and devoted your life to teaching.  But why you like a classroom full of kids that are the same age as Tad is beyond me.”

“Come on, Spider. Tad isn’t that bad.  He just knows how to push your buttons. As for teaching, I still love it.  It’s too bad it doesn’t pay more, though.”

“But money isn’t everything.  Isn’t that what you always told us.”

Jeff Webster smiled.  “Yes, I did.”   He poked at the grill, causing sparks to scatter.  “Do you have any plans for tonight?”

“Yeah.  Aaron and I are going fishing after he gets off work.” Aaron was the first person Spider met when he entered kindergarten and the two had been best friends ever since.

“Perfect.  Hope you catch a mess of fish so we can have a delicious Sunday dinner tomorrow.”

The back door opened and Maura Webster stepped out.  “Okay you two.  I’v got the table set.  Here are the burgers.” She handed her husband a plate full of plump beef patties.

Jeff set the plate next to the grill then carefully laid the burgers above the glowing coals.  The meat sizzled and an enticing aroma wafted through the air.  Spider’s stomach growled again, only louder.  A short time later, the family gathered around the kitchen table and filled their plates with the delicious fare Maura had prepared.

“Hey, Spider,” said Tad , his mouth stuffed full of the juicy hamburger.  “Wanna play Battleship after dinner?”

“Not really.  I’m going fishing with Aaron tonight,” answered Spider.

“Can I come?”

“No.”

“Pleeeeaaassse.”

“No.”

“I never get to do anything,” pouted Tad.

“Spider, why do you and Aaron wait until it’s dark to go fishing?  Why not go now?” asked Maura.

“Because, Mom, Aaron doesn’t get off work until nine and, when we fish at night, it seems like the fish are always biting.”

“Please be careful and don’t stay out too late.”

“I’ll be fine.”  Spider took a big bite of his burger then washed it down with  several gulps of milk.  The rest of the dinner was spent with Tad badgering each family member to play with him after dinner. Finally, Maura acquiesced to a game of Monopoly, making the little boy beam while Spider and Jeff breathed a sigh of relief that the incessant pestering had come to an end.

***************

As the sun sank behind the small lake, Spider and Aaron sat down in the long, soft, fragrant grasses along the shore.  They opened their tackle boxes and silently prepared their reels.    Finally, both poles baited, they cast them into the dark, still waters and began to wait for a bite.

“So,” asked Aaron softly, “did you submit your choices for career week?”

“Yeah.”

“What’d you choose?”  Each student was allowed to select three speakers for the annual career week, attending their choice session in lieu of going to their government class.  

“I chose engineering, construction, and law enforcement.”

“Law enforcement!! That’s a surprise,” said Aaron.

Spider nodded in the dark.  “Yeah, I really liked building that Habitat house, so I wanted to check out engineering and construction.  But I’m also intrigued by law enforcement.”

“Really? I bet your parents were surprised.  I am.”

“They were. I was afraid they wouldn’t sign my permission slip so I could go tour the police training facility.”

“You get to tour the training facility?  Cool!  Did they sign it?”

“My mom finally did.”

Aaron sat quietly, adjusting his line in the water.  “You know,” he said, “I can see that.”

“See what?” asked Spider.

“I can see you being a cop.”

“You can?”

“Yeah.”

 “I think being a police officer would be an exciting job.”

“Hey, I’ll be doing something exciting too,” said Aaron defensively.

“Ha.” Spider tossed a small rock toward his friend.  “I don’t think selling insurance will be all that exciting.  But if you think so...”

Aaron shrugged.  “So I’m going to work in my father’s insurance office. My Dad’s happy and I know I’ll be making good money.”

Spider shook his head.  “Man, your sense of adventure is lacking!”

“Don’t you worry about my sense of adventure, old friend. I just prefer to be able to afford my adventures.”

Spider glanced at Aaron, whose pale blond hair stood out in the fading light while his glasses  reflected the glow from the rising moon.  A rustling in the grass behind Spider made him jump.  

“Some cop you’ll make,” laughed Aaron.  “That was just a rabbit.”

Spider nodded.  “I know.  Still, it caught me off guard.”  He adjusted his rod, then sat back.  He noticed that Aaron was rifling through his tacklebox.

“Speaking of adventure, I swiped these from my Dad’s study on the way out the door.”  Aaron held out a cigar.

“Thanks.”  Spider took it and rolled it between his fingers.  

Aaron pulled out a lighter and lit his, then Spider’s cigar. The two sat, puffing and blowing smoke as they fiddled with their poles.

“Hey, look at your line.”  Aaron pointed at the rippling water.

Spider gently reeled in his catch, being careful to move slowly in order to keep the fish on the hook.  “Woo-hoo!  Look at the size of that one,” he announced proudly over the thrashing of the large fish.

“That’s a good one.”  Aaron clamped his cigar between his teeth, reeled in his line, then cast it out again.  

Spider unhooked the fish, dropped it in a bucket he had filled with water earlier, then put bait to his hook and recast his line into the silent waters.  “Yes, indeed,” he said as he settled back against a rock, “this definitely makes all the hassles of the day worthwhile.”

“Ha! Ha! What hassles did you have? Difficult customers?” asked Aaron.

“Nah.  The customers were okay.  But dinner with Tad is always a pain.”

“Why did your parents ever have him?” Aaron reeled in his line, then cast it out again.

Spider shrugged.  “Heck if I know.  But I definitely won’t miss him when I move out of the house.”

The two friends laughed and talked quietly,  their lines draped across the water and their cigar smoke hanging like little clouds above them

When Spider returned to his darkened house that night, he carried a bucket with several large catfish in it.  Stashing the bucket in the garage, he put his gear in the corner then jumped up the steps to the back door.  As he was locking up for the night, he heard his mother call out softly,

“Is that you, Spider?”

“Yes, Mom.  I’m home.”

“Good.  Now I can go to sleep.”

“Night, Mom.”

Spider tiptoed up the stairs to his room where he stripped out of his damp pants and t-shirt, then tumbled into his bed, falling asleep within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.

On Monday morning, Spider turned in his signed permission slip to visit the police academy.  As the day wore on, he thought more and more about the possibility of becoming a police officer.  During his history class, he found himself daydreaming about the academy and how proud his parents would be when they attended his formal graduation.

“Spider Webster, are you listening?” demanded Spider’s history teacher, Mr. Thomas.

“Yes, sir.”  Spider sat up straight in his seat.  

“Then tell me under which presidency did the Teapot Dome Scandal occur.”

Spider sat silent for a moment, then shook his head.  “I don’t know.”

Mr. Thomas snorted. “You’d know if you’d keep your mind focused on the lesson.  Now forget about the girl or the sport game or whatever else that’s distracting you and pay attention.”

Spider nodded and kept his focus on the teacher for the rest of the class, pushing any dreams about the police academy to the back of his mind.

**************

When Spider drove his car into the driveway Wednesday after school, he was so excited he could hardly stand it.  Since he had toured the police training facility that morning, his mind had  raced throughout day with all he had seen.  He was becoming more sure that a career in law enforcement was the right choice.  Entering the back door, he saw his mom standing at the kitchen counter, cutting up potatoes for dinner.

“Hi, Spider.  How was your day?” Maura smiled warmly at her son.

“Great.  And the police academy was even better.”

“Why don’t you tell us about it over dinner,” suggested his mother.

“All right.”  Spider trudged up to his room and threw himself on his bed.  A few minutes later, he sat up, rummaged through his backpack, and pulled out the pamphlet he had received at the academy.  He studied it thoroughly, staring at the pictures of the young cadets battling through the obstacle course, practicing with their firearms, and learning how to control a cruiser during a high speed chase.  He also pulled out the card with the name of the recruiter on it.  Spider had liked that man, especially when the recruiter suggested that if his parents had any concerns or fears, they contact the academy and arrange for a tour.   When Spider heard his father come home, he scrambled off his bed and headed downstairs, shoving the card into his back pocket.

Over dinner, Spider sat patiently while his younger brother droned on and on about some baseball team and its line-up.  Finally, he father turned to him.

“So, how was the field trip today, Spider?”

Spider laid down his fork and told his parents all about the modern facility where officers from many different jurisdictions came together and trained.  He described the new scientific techniques that were being used to solve crimes more quickly and more efficiently. He told his parents about the new computer systems that were being installed in police cruisers all over the country that allowed immediate access to records.

“That sounds great, son,” said Jeff.  “What do you think, Maura?”

Maura hesitated. “I don’t know what to think.”

Spider pulled the recruiter’s card out of his pocket and slid it across the table.  “Here, Mom.  I talked to this man and he was really nice.  He said a lot of parents have concerns when their kids go into law enforcement.  He suggested you come tour the academy so you can see for yourself what training is really like.”

“Can I go?” piped up Tad

“No,” said Jeff

“Not fair,” Tad slid down in his chair and sulked.

“Seriously, Mom,  you should give him a call and you and Dad should go out there.  It’s a really neat place.”

Spider watched his parents exchange a look between themselves.  He hoped that meant they were considering taking a tour and afterward would understand his excitement for law enforcement.

***************

Friday morning, while sitting at the breakfast table, Spider was startled when his mother calmly announced  she had set up an appointment with the police recruiter for  that afternoon.

“Really?” Spider’s mouth hung open in surprise.

“Yes, I have quite a few questions I’d like to ask him.”

“Like what?” asked Spider.

“Like how officers keep themselves safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Spider.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me.  You worry too much.”

“By the way, your father took the morning off so he could come with me.”

“Great!  That way you’ll both see everything for yourselves.  I think Dad will be really impressed.”

Spider finished eating, gathered his books and went out the door.  As he got into his car, he could hear his mother in the house hollering to Tad that he needed to hurry up.  Turning in his seat to back out, Spider shook his head and muttered to himself, “Little brother, if I had my way, you wouldn’t be getting away with half of what you’re getting away with now.  Just another reason to get myself to the police academy and then get on with my life!”

As the day wore on, Spider’s thoughts returned to the experience he had had at the police training facility and hoped his parents were getting the same.  He was optimistic  his parents  would be impressed with the safety aspect of the programs  and be more supportive if he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement.   He couldn’t wait to get home and hear what his parents had to say.  

As Spider bounded up the back steps to the kitchen after school that day, he heard his mother arguing with his little brother.

“Ah, come on, Mom.  I really need a new ball glove.  This year, the kids get to pitch instead of the coaches.  Don’t you want me to be the best I can?”

“Of course I do, Tad.  But didn’t we get you a new glove last year?”

“That glove is old. Besides, I spilled a some coke on it and now it’s all stained.  Please, Mom.  Please?”

“All right.  We can go get one this weekend.”

“Thanks, Mom.”  

Rolling his eyes, Spider listened from outside the back door. “Brat,” he whispered.  When he was sure his brother had left the kitchen, Spider opened the door and went inside.

“Hi, Mom.”  Spider laid his backpack on the floor and went to the refrigerator to get something to drink.  

“Hi, Spider.”

“Is that all you have to say?” Spider looked at his mom quizzically, a cold can of Coke in his hands.

“What else should I say?”

“You went on that tour today.  How did it go?  Did you like it?”

Maura shrugged.  “It was very nice.  And you were right about the recruiter, he was more than willing to answer all my questions.”

“So, what do you think about me being a cop?”

Maura sighed. “I’m still not convinced.  Is construction or engineering entirely off the table?”

“No.  But I’m going to honest with you.  After seeing that training facility, I am leaning more toward law enforcement.”

Spider heard his father’s car in the driveway.  A minute later, Jeff entered the small kitchen.  Maura turned to him and offered him a kiss.  Spider took a long swig of the cold soda and waited for his father to notice him.

“Hey, Spider,” smiled Jeff.  “How was your day?”

“Fine, but how was yours?  What did you think of the academy?”

Jeff cleared his throat.  “It was very impressive. I wasn’t aware of all the technology that is now used in the police force.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty neat.”

Jeff and Maura looked at each other, then at their son.  “Spider, there’s one thing we would like you to consider.”

“What’s that?”

“If you decide  you really want to be a police officer, would you consider starting out in a small town.  That way you’d have the time to get your instincts honed and learn the ropes before being thrust into a dangerous situation.”

Spider took another gulp of his coke.  “Would that make you feel better about the whole thing?”

Jeff and Maura nodded.  

“That seems fair.  Besides, a small town might allow me to play a bigger part in the community.  Yes, I could see how that could work.”

Spider’s parents smiled weakly at their son.  “And in the meantime, we’ll continue to save for college in case you decide you want to do something different.”

“Deal! And don’t forget, I still want to earn at least an associate’s degree in criminology.  So don’t stop saving, please.”  Spider raised his nearly empty coke can toward his parents in a mock toast. After draining the can, he dropped it into the recycling bin by the back door.  Grabbing his backpack, he headed out of the room, but stopped and turned back to his parents.

“Thanks.  I really appreciate your support in this especially since it’s not what you had planned.  And I promise you guys this:  you’ll never get a call from some other policeman telling you that something has happened to me.”  Spider turned and left the room.

“Did we do the right thing?” asked Maura of her husband.

Jeff shrugged.  “Who knows.  But it’s his decision to make.  Besides, this occupation might come in handy if we ever get a speeding ticket.”

Maura laughed.  “Jeff, you drive an old stick shift. How would that ever happen?”

Jeff shrugged.  “Beats me.  But at least I’ll know somebody who will be able to help me out.”

Up in his room, Spider again studied the pamphlet he had received from the police academy.  But this time, he saw himself as the young cadet in the pictures.  “This just might be the real thing,” he whispered.  “It just might.”

Author notes:  This story is for Jixanny17  Writing Project:  write about a secondary character at the age of 17.  Maura, Jeff and Aaron are all original characters.

Mary Poppins -  a 1964 American musical comedy based on the books by P. L. Travers.

Into the Wild - a 1996 non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer.

Battleship - Board game by Milton Bradley where the objective to is to destroy the other player’s fleet.

Habitat for Humanity - an organization that builds houses for the less-fortunate.

Thank you to Katia for reading and offering suggestions and to Judith for her excellent editing. A special “thank you” to Vivian for all the help she has given me with all the technical aspects of posting a story. Word count-4211. Picture from Google images.