by Deb McEwan
The birthday song finished and the cake dished out which signalled the end of the party. Parents arrived soon after to collect their children. Phil, Caroline and their helpers wrapped the leftover pieces of cake in pirate napkins, and gave them to the other parents to take home.
Mr Steele had threatened to sue the Gibsons for negligence but a quick call to Mrs Steele, explaining the situation had put paid to that. Mrs Steele seemed to be a lovely well adjusted person and Caroline wondered, not for the first time, what she had done to end up with a challenging individual like Mr Steele.
They said goodbye to the last guests and helpers and cleared up.
‘Well I think Jack enjoyed himself, but I’m not sure I could go through all that again next year. What do you think, love?’
Phil agreed ‘A fast food outlet next year I think; whether we can afford it or not, we should let someone else do the hard work for a change.’
They both slumped onto the settee, exhausted.
Max spoke into the microphone. ‘You may be wondering about fast food and fast food outlets. Fast food is prepared in quantity by a standardized method and can be dispensed quickly at inexpensive eating places, for eating there or elsewhere. Fish and chips, pies, pizza, hamburgers or fried chicken are some examples, but not insects in this part of the world. A lot of them eat fast food only occasionally so that they don’t get too fat or have to do a lot of exercise.’
‘That’s it for now, Vic. Let’s get back to the Cutting Room.’
The editing complete, they returned to the house to finish recording.
Jack was shattered after his birthday party and went to bed without any fuss. He gave his parents a big hug and even kissed his sister’s sleeping head. He carefully placed his first baby tooth under the pillow and smiled at his mother.
‘Nighty night.’
‘Night night, my dashing little pirate.’ Caroline pulled the quilt up to Jack’s chin knowing that he’d fling it off during the night. As soon as his head hit the pillow Jack was sound asleep.
Caroline didn’t want to risk moving the tooth too early in case Jack stirred. Just before Phil and Caroline retired for the night she popped her head round her son’s bedroom door. He was dead to the world and Caroline covered his body with the quilt and gently lifted one side of the pillow. Her son moaned and there was no sign of the tooth. She lifted the other side of the pillow and Jack turned over making his mother’s task easier. Caroline replaced the tooth with a shiny silver coin and crept out of the room.
Jack woke the next morning and rushed to the toilet. In the bathroom he remembered that he hadn’t checked under the pillow. In the rush to finish what he was doing and get back to his room Jack peed over the bathroom floor and dribbled into his pyjama trousers. Hardly noticing he ran back into the bedroom and grabbed his pillow. The silver gleamed brightly against the dark blue of his sheet.
Jack grabbed the money and ran downstairs. His family were in the kitchen.
‘She’s been and left me money, yippee!’ Jack ran round the kitchen and living room then back into the kitchen. He smiled and sat down.
‘Can I get some juice please?’
‘Certainly, son.’ Caroline took the orange juice out of the fridge and poured a glass for her son.
‘I’m gonna get that remote control bike.’ Jack had wanted the red motorbike with its little rider for ages and had been encouraged to save for it from his pocket money and by helping his parents with chores. Phil had resisted the urge to buy it for his birthday; he’d had lots of other presents and his parents wanted to teach him the value of money.
‘You’ve a bit of a way to go yet, Jack before you have enough for that.’ Jack smiled and ate his cereal.
‘So sadly, fairies aren’t real.’ Max told the viewers.
*****
The excitement of his birthday over, Jack went to school as usual the following week. When he arrived home he showed his mother another tooth that had fallen out. Caroline was a little concerned as none of his teeth had appeared loose when she’d checked earlier. ‘What happened, Jack?’
‘It just fell out, Mam can I get a biscuit please.’ Caroline went to the biscuit tin and gave Jack a chocolate biscuit bar and also a tangerine.
‘You can have the bar if you eat this first.’ It did the trick and after Caroline peeled the tangerine, Jack wolfed it down and the biscuit soon followed.
The following morning another coin appeared under the pillow.
‘Yeeeessssss.’ It wouldn’t be long before Jack could afford the remote controlled red bike and its cool rider dressed in matching leathers.
Two days later on his return home from school Jack opened his hand and showed his mother the tooth. His face looked a bit swollen.
‘Oh another one, what happened this time?’ Caroline went to get Jack his after school treats.
‘Nothing, it just came out all on its own.’ Jack studied the fridge door.
Caroline suspected foul play. ‘Your face looks red and swollen, Jack, did you bump into something?’
Jack looked at the floor.
‘Did you pull your own tooth out, Jack?’ Still nothing from her son.
‘How much do you want that little motorbike, Jack?’
Suddenly Jack was animated.
‘It’s great, Mam. You can even use the remote to do wheelies. Jason’s got the Mark II and everyone wants the Mark III, even Sophie Byrne and she’s a girl but she’s like me and Jason.’
Caroline was gutted that they hadn’t bought the bike for Jack’s birthday when he’d wanted it so much.
‘OK I’ll make a deal with you. We’ll buy you the bike and you stop pulling your teeth out, how does that sound?’ Caroline bent down and looked her son in the eyes.
Jack was expecting to get into big trouble and was totally surprised.
‘Pulling your teeth out is so wrong, Jack, no matter how much you want something. You could have really hurt yourself. Come here.’
Caroline pulled her son into a big hug but he wriggled and just wanted to go straight to the shop and buy the bike.
‘We’ll wait until the weekend and we’ll all go and get it.’ Caroline could see the look in her son’s eyes.
‘You’ve waited this long, Jack. I tell you what, I’ll phone the shop and give them a deposit. That way it’ll have your name on it when we pick it up on Saturday.’
Jack couldn’t believe his luck. He’d get his shiny red motorbike, keep his teeth for now and get even more money when they eventually fell out. Perhaps there were fairies after all.
Phil was initially upset when Caroline explained what had happened. He was 100 per cent behind Caroline’s solution though and agreed that it was their fault that Jack had resorted to such extreme measures.
‘This parenting lark’s a steep learning curve, eh?’ Phil laughed and dunked his jammy dodger in his tea.
‘At least we stopped it before it was too late.’ Caroline breathed a relieved sigh. You could only control your kids’ behaviour to a certain degree and this was very worrying, especially if you were a control freak yourself.
Max. ‘So Jack got his shiny new toy at the weekend and had plenty of fun out of it, unlike lots of his other toys which were thrown forgotten in the cupboard within days of being bought.’
And that’s where we end this episode. Don’t forget to watch next week when Phil and Caroline decide that Jack and Jemima can have a pet. And remember, don’t try any of this at home.’
In homes all over Largo, the Terries chanted. ‘Don’t try this at home.’ And waited in anticipation for the next show, curious to know more about pets.
Chapter 16
Max and some colleagues were on location in Graylesford Park for the opening of the next show.
Max. ‘Tonight’s show could be called a guide to the human species and their animals. Humans often offer their homes to animals and these animals are called pets. They’re kept for companionship and enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or livestock
which are generally eaten or used by them. Pets are looked after by humans from the time they take them home until the time that they expire. They generally have dogs, cats or birds as pets, and sometimes if they’re really rich, horses or ponies. The stranger people might have what are called exotic pets such as snakes or lizards.’
‘The most popular pets are usually playful or attractive in appearance, but what is attractive to one person, may not be to another.’
It was a Saturday afternoon in the summer, not long after Jack’s birthday party. Phil and Caroline were in Graylesford Park with Jack and Jemima. Jemima had been playing with other young children on the roundabout and slide, and had worn herself out. She was uncharacteristically quiet and her father laid her on the blanket in the shade of an old oak tree for a little nap. In a moment of quiet the birds could be heard chattering away and all was well in the Gibsons’ world.
The family were people watching on the path near the grassed area and Phil spoke to Jack.
‘Look, son, how do you fancy one of those dogs?’
Jack stopped playing with the blade of grass in his hand and looked up. A lady with long hair in a short skirt and high heels was walking along the path, carrying a little bundle. On closer inspection the bundle appeared to have a screwed-up face and was dressed in a tartan coat that had sleeves for each of its legs.
‘Nooooooo!’
‘How about a little Yorkshire Terrier, Jack?’ It was Caroline’s turn to tease their son.
‘Nooooooo!’
‘Perhaps a Chihuahua or maybe a little pussy cat?’ Said Phil. Chihuahuas were the smallest breed of dog and Jack wanted a big dog and didn’t want a cat.
He’d had enough of this teasing and was not amused.
‘Nooooooo way. I want a proper dog that I can play football with.’ And off he stomped in a strop.
Max. ‘Jack had wanted a pet for a long time and had become obsessed with the idea of having a dog since his birthday party. When Jack was younger, Phil told him he could have a dog when he was six and Jack remembered.’
‘Sometimes adult humans make promises to children and then promptly forget these promises. Luckily, children remember most promises and Jack reminded his father about the dog.’
‘Pets appear to be good for the health of humans and being around a pet has been shown to help relieve stress in humans. Caroline would not have agreed with this though when it was decided to pick and rear a pet.’
A week later the family visited the local dog rescue centre.
Max and Vicky were in the car boot. The family were chatting and listening to music so Max put on a pair of head phones to cut out the background noise, and spoke quietly.
‘Some humans are unkind to animals, or can’t afford them, so the animals have to be rescued and looked after by other kinder humans. The Gibsons have decided to try and get a dog from a rescue centre, rather than pick a certain type of dog that has mated with another one especially to have puppies to sell. These dogs are known as pedigrees or posh dogs. ’
The spiders put on their body armour, ready to enter the Rescue Centre.
Max did a quick recce on arrival. ‘Look at all the fur balls. Start filming, Vic.’
Vicky switched on the camera and got to work. It was fascinating seeing all the different dogs, but hard work moving around with the additional weight of the body armour.
There were a number of older puppies at the centre, but no really young ones. Jemima, determined earlier that she wanted a cat, was now beginning to waiver, having seen all the cute dogs in their cages. After the children had been told to be gentle with the puppies, they were allowed to stroke and pet the dogs. They had looked at a number of dogs and Jack had changed his mind about which one he wanted to take home, 4 or 5 times. Then he saw him. They called him Elvis and the lady said that he was 8 months old. Jack heard his tail thumping from 2 cages away and ran to have a look at what was making the noise.
Elvis was mostly black with light brown on his paws and the bottom of his legs and, when Jack stroked his ears, they were soft like silk. Phil thought Elvis was probably a German Shepherd and Labrador cross. He also had two different coloured eyes, one brown and one blue, and the lady said that this was genetic and there wasn’t anything wrong with him. It was love at first sight for Jack and Elvis, and Jemima solemnly agreed that she would be happy to have Elvis as a pet instead of a cat.
Max. ‘The Gibsons weren’t allowed to take Elvis home straight away as they had to be taught how to look after him. The Rescue Centre also had to be sure that Elvis would be happy with the Gibsons, so a training programme for both the family and the dog began.’
Two months later on the way to the Rescue Centre, Jack was sitting in the back seat and jumping up and down, as much as he could with the restraint strap on. He was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. Jemima was singing to herself and giggling and although Phil and Caroline were looking forward to bringing Elvis home, they were quite nervous about what they’d let themselves in for.
Vicky took Junior along to film the dog scene. They’d assessed that the Rescue Centre was perfectly safe so didn’t wear the body armour this time. Julian was working on the Mark II model as the Mark I was too cumbersome, heavy and impractical.
Elvis was in his cage and was so excited to see Jack. Caroline completed the paperwork and paid the cheque and Elvis was taken out of his cage. It was as if he knew he was coming home with them today. He was normally quite a calm puppy but he sensed that something exciting was happening and jumped up into Jack’s arms. Jack was so surprised that he barely managed to hang on to Elvis while the dog covered his face in licks. Everyone laughed and Caroline was thankful that Jemina didn’t make a scene like she usually did when she was not the centre of attention. When everyone had calmed down the Gibsons were ready to leave the Rescue Centre with the newest member of their family in his cage in the boot of the car.
Max was on a day off the day Elvis arrived, although like most commanders, he was never really totally off duty. Taking advantage of the rare sunshine, Max was relaxing in a spider hidey-hole in the garden, listening to his favourite music, when all hell broke loose. The first thing he heard was loud barking, then excited screams and shouts from the children. This was followed by Phil’s voice telling the children and dog to calm down and Caroline shouting,
‘Oh no, not my washing.’ Then a crashing sound and Max took a peek. Something was wriggling under a pile of washing and then the dog’s face appeared from under it all. He looked very pleased with himself and started pulling at a sheet with his teeth and growling at it. Phil and the kids started laughing and even Caroline joined in although it meant she’d have to re-wash everything. Phil would have to make the line more secure and this would be the ideal time for him to get the rotary line that Caroline had been nagging him about for months.
Despite Caroline’s initial concerns after the garden incident, Elvis soon settled into Gibson family life. He was an intelligent animal and picked up the daily routine within a few weeks. These first few weeks were quite traumatic for the Phoenix spiders.
The puppy explored the house and found the hiding places of almost every one of Max’s team. Life in the Gibson house had changed forever for the spiders, but their initial fears that the dog would harm them didn’t transpire.
*****
Jack’s 7th birthday celebrations came and went and he was involved in many after school hobbies. The children were in bed and Caroline was trying to coordinate the family calendar.
‘So Jack’s off to karate on a Monday now as well as rugby on Thursdays and football on Fridays and he might also play football at the weekend is that right, Phil?’ Caroline wrote each event on the calendar so that she wouldn’t forget any of them.
‘Yup.’
‘Fishing on a Tuesday and deep sea diving on Sundays is it?’
‘Sorry, darling, what?’
‘So I can buy it then, you don’t have a problem even if it is very expensive?’
That did the trick.
‘Ummm, I didn’t hear what you said, sweetheart.’ Phil turned the TV down. ‘Can we discuss it before we spend too much money?’
‘Good, I’ve got your full attention now. I was trying to get my head around Jack’s hobbies and trying to work out how we’re going to get Jemima to ballet on Thursdays when Jack has to go to rugby? Perhaps you can finish work on time and pick Jemima up, then I can drop Jack off in time, otherwise he’s going to be late. We’ll also have to get a weekly calendar otherwise we’re bound to forget something.’
‘Slow down, sweetheart.’ Phil started drumming his fingers on his leg, considering what Caroline had said. No, Thursdays wouldn’t work. ‘You know I play squash on Thursdays.’
‘Phil, I don’t have the opportunity to play anything at all except for duty driver. I’m either working, looking after the kids or trying to catch up with some dreaded domestic chore.’
Phil couldn’t really see what the problem was.
Caroline continued, exasperated. ‘I adore you all but I feel as if I’m mother or wife and I’m losing my own identity. I need a little bit of time for me as well.’
‘Well, darling, my mother seemed to manage OK with me and my brother.’ Phil didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
Silence from Caroline.
‘Get ready for fireworks.’ Vicky whispered to Max and he nodded in agreement.
Caroline took a deep breath and gave her husband a look. A really bad look. He instantly regretted his last comment but knew his wife well and realised it was too late.
‘Your mother didn’t go out to work, Phil because she didn’t want to and didn’t have to. Maybe if she had and not spoiled you so much, you’d try and be more understanding.’