This first story is a rather sappy one about an overbearing mother, her slightly peculiar daughter and how a five minute conversation with a certain webhead changed their lives. If you don't want a sappy story do not read this. XP
A Mother and Daughter
In an undisclosed apartment building, on an average day in the heart of New York City...
McKayla looked up from her homework when she heard a soft thud outside her window. Deciding anything was better than trying to memorize the Law of Independent Assortment, the 3rd grader climbed off her bed and wandered over to the window. With much difficulty the child managed to wrench open the aged glass and poke her head out into the warm New York air. At first glance nothing appeared out of the ordinary but looking to her right, she noticed a familiar figure in red and blue spandex sitting against the wall, stories above the street, arms resting on his knees, lost in his own thoughts.
At first the child could only stare at this strange man that had failed to notice her, but eventually a smile started to creep its way across her young face.
Hi Spider-Man!
Dianna Sullivan unlocked her apartment door and heaved her briefcase inside. Of all the lousy assignments her editor had given her, this had to be the worst.
Write an editorial about overbearing parents. Are these parents helping or hurting their child by having such high standards. Are they giving their children the social and emotional requirements they need? Are these parents even making an attempt at understanding their children and blah, blah, blah...
"There's no such thing as an overbearing parent." she thought to herself."There are either good parents. The ones that make sure their children are in the best classes, participate in as many extra curricular activities as possible and stomp out any childish nonsense. Or there are bad parents who let the kid make all the decisions in the house. What utter rubbish!"
"That would not be the case with her child. She was going to make sure McKayla was a proper young woman even if it took some effort on her daughter's part."
Dianna would have continued her inward rant if the high-pitched voice McKayla had not interrupted her train of thought.
-"What are you doing here?"-
"Is she talking to someone?" Mrs. Sullivan questioned to herself." Who on earth could she be talking to?
Dianna opened the door to her daughter's bedroom to find the child hanging her head out the window. She smiled to herself with just the slightest hint of worry.
"McKayla is simply using her imagination. That's perfectly normal for someone her age...I suppose." With that thought the mother left the room before she could hear the non-imaginary man outside her daughter's window reply.
-" You know, just... hanging around." -
Though few in years, McKayla had a knack for reading people's emotions. She could tell the man that sat beside her was having a pitiful day.
Not only that, but without even looking the masked celebrity in the eye, the child new she had nothing to fear of him. The papers Mommy brought home might say that he was a dangerous criminal, but McKayla could only see a kind man that enjoyed wearing his pajamas outside.
Besides, what did the paper people know, they were just a bunch of dumb grown-ups.
"You're not having a good day are you?" asked the spirited youth.
Spider-Man turned to gaze at his young visitor. "How'd you guess that?"
She looked back at him with an Innocent smile. "You're all slumped over."
"How do you know I just don't sit like this normally." he asked in a lighter tone.
The child looked back at him as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Mommy says good people don't slump. Only dumb people with no jobs and that have been in jail slump."
Spider-Man couldn't help but crook his head slightly at the little girl's remark.
He sighed. "And how do you know I'm a good guy?"
"Because unlike dumb grown-ups, kids can see the goodness in people. They way they talk, and laugh,..." she paused "and how they respond to our stupid questions." She said the word "stupid" with visible dislike, then sighed and looked down.
The wall crawler stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"I don't think your questions are stupid. Who told you that?"
She looked back up at him, the grin once again returning to her youthful face. "Mommy, Mr. Brown, Principal Calvin, Mrs. Vickers, the FedEx guy, and some woman I meet at Mommy's hair dresser." She laughed, "But like I said, they're just a bunch of dumb grown-ups."
McKayla could tell by the way his masked pulled that Spider-Man was grinning.
"Dumb grown-ups eh? Wait! Are you saying that I'm a dumb grown-up."
"Ya, but you're pretty smart for one." the child let out a small giggle.
"No, no my daughter is in the 3rd grade. It is well time enough that she start taking advanced piano lessons." Dianna paced up and down her living room, ranting into her cellphone.
"Well then put her in her own class. It's not like I don't have the money to..." she was interrupted by the sudden entrance of McKayla.
"Mommy"
Mrs. Sullivan sighed, "What is it darling?"
"I want you to meet my new friend." the child said blankly
"New friend?" the mother asked apprehensively
"Yep, he's outside my window and he slouches."
The woman starred at her child with nothing less than horror.
"Ohhh...does he now? Hold on one second honey."
She turned around and quickly dialed a new number into her cell phone.
"Yes, Parental Guidance Hot line, My daughter is... well... pretending she has friends outside her window!" she said in a harsh whisper. "No! We're 13 floors up! What do I do!"
Dianna did not notice her daughter walk back into her room for a moment before returning.
"Umm mom..."
"Hold on sweety."
"But Mom!"
-"uh hu.. so I should just go along with it?"
"MOM!"
Dianna rubbed her temples "What is it honey?"
The child looked up at her some what grudgingly. "He left already."
The mother hung up and turned her full attention to her daughter.
"What?"
"He said he probably shouldn't see you but he said to give you this." the child held up a folded piece of paper.
Dianna looked down at the 3rd grader and slowly took the note from her small hand.
At first the mother assumed her daughter had written it as part of her imaginary friend charade but when she opened it she noticed in one glance that it was clearly not her daughter's scrawled handwriting.
Face falling and eyes widening, Dianna read the note:
Dear McKayla's mom,
The 3rd grade is WAY to early to start advanced piano lessons.
Your Friendly Neighborhood, Spider-Man
Several days later Dianna Sullivan was working silently in her cubical.
"Mrs. Sullivan!" barked a middle aged news editor.
Dianna looked up from her desk to face her boss. "yes?"
"Dianna, I don't know what to say. You're editorial is brilliant!"
Dianna smiled.
The editor continued, "I mean, overbearing parents who don't even realize it! This stuff is fantastic! How'd you come up with this!"
Dianna's smile grew. "Oh you know, all it took was for a wanted criminal to sit outside my seven year old daughter's window and listen to me talk on the phone."
"...uhh...ummm...What?"
Satisfied with the look of utter confusion on her editor's face, Mrs. Sullivan returned to her newest assignment.
"Yah," she thought to herself. "That's all it took for me to realize that maybe I was being a little to demanding on McKayla. Advanced science and mathematics classes, after school piano lessons, girl scouts, ballet, beauty pageants. I mean, what was I thinking."
She exhaled deeply.
"Well, things were going to be different."
She still wasn't sure whether Spider-Man was a friend to society or a criminal, but he had become her hero and not because he rescued her from a flamming building or from an approching mugger. No, he had become her hero because with 12 words he helped her realize that she was wrong about how to raise her child. That note had caused her stop an actually ask McKayla if she wanted piano lessons. One thing led to another and soon she and her daughter were, for the first time having an actual discussion about what her daughter wanted and felt. Not only that but Spider-Man became McKayla's first ever friend. He even stopped by every so often.
Coming out of her thoughts Dianna returned to writting her newest assignment:
An editorial about whether small acts of kindness can change lives.
This series will hopefully continue based on whether people hate it. The next story, with any luck will be about a Spidey fan club. Much less sappy. :)