Spider Brains: A Love Story (Book One) (19 page)

"He watches us, you know."

"He's a boy. I'm sure he's watching
you
not me."

"Oh! Ick!
Mother
!"

"The doctor called and he adjusted your meds to one full one, every other day, and a half every other day."

"Cool."

She walked my turkey sandwich over to me on a flat white plate and set it down on the table. I grabbed one half and shoved it into my mouth as I continued, "What if he's a serial pig slayer or something like that." The words garbled out between mushy partially-eaten bread, fowl and tart cheese.

"Susie."

"Well, mom." I swallowed. And stopped. "Mmm. Nummy."

"Thanks honey."

"Gah."

"Stop with it, now." She sat down to her own turkey sandwich and bit in. She moved the ort to one cheek and she looked like a mother chipmunk. "He likes you. How great is that? To have a friend. Hmm?"

I took another bite from my lunch. "It bites." And giggled a little.

"You're so, so," She reached over to me and wiped a stringy strand of hair out of my face, "I love your glasses." I rolled my eyes. "They make you look so much like your father." She tipped her head and paused, smiling at me.

I smiled back.

"I love you, honey."

"Okay. Mother. We are SO far off point, now. You're just trying to distract me."

"You want to talk about this? Okay." She set down her sandwich, like adding a big old whoop-dee-doo at the end, "This is what I believe." She slapped at her hands knocking a few bits of crumbs onto the red checkered napkin laying over her lap. "I believe," Now, she pulled at my chin with her hand making me face her, "I
believe
," Like it was of the utmost importance, "that Matthew is a very kind-hearted boy." I rolled my eyes away and pulled my head back, out of her grasp and took another bite of my sandwich. "I believe," Man, this was most definitely being set up as a three-parter, "that he is lonely, living
all alone
with
just
his father now." She pulled my chin back to her. "You know?"

I nodded. But, quietly hoping for her to stop with all of her beliefs, for now. But, she wasn't through. Yep. A three-parter...

"And, I believe, he needs your help, that you're the only friend he has since his move here." Ack the dreaded four-parter! "And. I
believe
you should help him out in his time of need. It's the Christian thing to do." Oh. Man. Cinco tiempos, cinco credos!

I stopped chewing.

For a moment.

"He's weird." Chewing resumed.

"Susie. I don't care if he's an alien. You've been asked to help him and you will help him. He can come over here tonight."

"Gah." Roll eyes. Slam sandwich onto plate. "Mother!"

"His father won't be home until later, after dinner, so he can stay and eat too."

"Oh. Krikey."

But, then, there it was. The intell, this info about his father, about
Paul
, kind of slipped in casually, slapped in there like a pat on the back, so you might miss it.

My cheeks, although full, went red.

"What now?"

I just shoved bite after bite into my mouth until I'd chomped down every last teeny weeny bit of food. I slugged down my goat's milk, grabbed up my backpack full of books, stood and walked to the door but mom stopped me before I could get out.

"You're not going to kiss me goodbye?"

Without turning around to face her, I dropped my backpack onto the floor. Then, I turned with the droopiest of droopy shoulders and rolled my eyes.

"Stop with the attitude, miss."

"Gah."

She walked up to me, placed her arms around me. I did NOT reciprocate. She kissed me on top of the head. "I love you, Susie Speider."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Say it back or else you'll be late for class 'cause I'm not letting you leave until you do."

"Mother!"

"Say it."

"Gah, mother. Okay. I. Love you too. Happy?"

"Ecstatic. Now, go before you miss the bell."

I turned to pick up my books and school stuff. But, I stopped short of opening the door, my hand lying easily on the knob and turned to her. "He watches me."

"Yes. Dear. Now, go to school."

She had the gall to slap me on the rump as I walked out. She never took me seriously anymore, and it made me wonder if she ever had.

THIRTY THREE - Oh, Glorious Days of Teaching

"Math is the only true science, in that math can always be proven." After the words came flooding over the tips of my lips, I actually felt a glimmer of something that could only be described as
enjoyment
.

It was short-lived. Reality set in, like a hammer to my noggin.

Matt nodded his head, the way he always did, chin forward lips turned down, eyes open wide. Which put me back into my not-so-happy mood. I mean, really. Here I was forced to tutor him. I felt like the reluctant monkey trainer or something.

Okay. Let's do this thing. An hour a day, two times a week. In the big picture, the pain only lasted a blink and then off he'd go, back home... across the street. My street.

"Yeah. Whatever." I looked at the list of suggested learning material for Matt.

OMG. We'd have to spend no fewer than one week on each subject equating to seven weeks together. Holy. Realistically, with the brain-power Matt exhibited up to now, it would be twice that time frame.

Holy, Holy Holy Lord God of Power and Might. And, Hosanna!

Good thing it was still the fall. At least, Dumbo the Elephant here would be able to catch up before end of the year.

"Didn't you ever go to school?" I turned sharply to Matt who laid
way
too comfortably across my bed looking at the same list of subjects.

"Yes."

"Didn't they ever teach this stuff at your other school?"

"I dunno know."

"You don't know. You don't..." I jumped up from the bed. "Gah!"

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Maybe? Like you don't remember ever learning about parts of a leaf, or parts of the human eye?"

"No."

"You're not serious, are you?"

"Mom was sick a long time before she died."

"Soooo. What does that have to do with anything?"

"She used to help before."

"Can't
Paul
help you?"

"He works and during the day he sleeps a lot."

"He sleeps... oh, for crying out loud. What do you do? Don't you read your homework, do your homework?"

"I try, but..."

"But what?"

"It doesn't stick."

"Great. How do I help you with that?"

Matt brilliantly shrugged his shoulders.

"Great." I repeated. "Look. Let's just do this and get done with it so we can eat dinner." Then, the thought stopped me, like, what if his dad didn't get home on time. Would I have to be sentenced to studying with dorkawitz the entire rest of the evening? "When does your dad come home tonight?"

"Around seven, he said."

"Oh. Cool. Thank God. You can go right after dinner."

"If you want me to."

"Of course I want you too, freak." I sat in a thump back onto the bed, crumpling my favorite Hannah Montana comforter and making Matt jiggle a bit under the pressure of landing so hard. "This isn't a date. Get it? And, don't get so comfortable. Sit up."

Being a tutor isn't a job for the faint at heart. As it was turning out.

"Mother!" I yelled.

The door flew open like a second after I screamed for her .

"Were you standing outside my door?" Delilah slipped in. She jumped up and curled onto my pillow, then lifted a leg high over her head and started licking her you-know-
hoo
!

"No. Um. No. Dear. No." (guilty titter titter) "Uh, I was just passing by. Perfect timing. Anyway. What is it. Why'd you scream for me."

"I didn't scream."

That's when Matt decided to chime in. "You screamed."

"Did not." I glared at him.

He just nodded, like,
did too
.

Creep. I continued to glare.

"What dear? What do you want?"

My face softened, the way it will when I need something from mom and don't want to do it for myself. "Will you please make us a copy of this subject list on your handy-dandy printer/copier/fax/scanner? Pretty please, mom?" I'd turned all jello-y and sweet by then.

"Of course, honey." She turned to leave but stopped. "You kids want some cookies and a pop?"

NOW, SAY THIS TO YOURSELF, AT THE SAME TIME

Him. "Yes." (grrr) "No." Me.

"Sure thing. Right away." Mom was being so compliant and making me feel queasy in the process.

She left then and I said in a low-tone. "Don't get too cozy, mister."

"Sorry."

"You don't have to speak every time I say something to you, you know."

"All righ..." He nodded after cutting the word short.

I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. "This is so uncool. I could vomit."

"Do it on that side of the bed."

I glared at him again, which seemed to make him go limp to the point of lying back down on his stomach. He rested his head on the tower he'd built out of his fists. "Sorry."

"Look. Pop quiz. What's the gland called that makes us smell?"

"What is the olfactory gland."

My eyes popped open showing pleasure in his answer, showing hope for the future. "All right. Well done." I nodded slowly.

He smiled like he'd just been given the Nobel Peace Prize.

I looked deep into his eyes. "But, Matt?"

"Yes."

"I'm not Alex Trebec and this is NOT Jeopardy. Just answer the questions."

"K."

"Good."

"I like Alex Trebec."

"Fine."

"I like JEO-PAR-DY." He said it the way the announcer said it on TV.

"What-ever."

Right then, mom walked in, the pockets of her sweater bulging, balancing in her hands, two glasses of ice, a plastic baggie full of Costco peanut butter cookies, and copies of Matt's learning list.

Matt rolled to his back and sat up fast. Then, he stood and helped mom by taking the baggie of cookies. Of course.

"Susie? Will you take these?" She pressed the glasses at me. I took them, noticing they only had ice in them. Like, what the? And then set them onto my mouse pad that had a
huge
face of Mickey Mouse, so they wouldn't sweat all over my sweet desk.

"And. Here." She said, when I turned back to face her, she'd magically pulled two cans of Coke out from her pockets. "Cool. Mom. Thanks."

"Here's the original and here's your copies. I made three so you would each have two."

"Cool."

Matt stood with his hands in his pockets, the tip of the cookie bag stuck somewhere just below the edge, hanging from a pocket, as he stared, smiling at mom.