Chapter 7
Spidey Parker
Saturday 1:50 PMThe old Miller house a nice old-fashioned red brick modest sized family home with white
shutters on the windows that was on the two hundred block of De La Vina Street was
gone. There was just a 'for sale' sign stuck in the ground with a 'pending sale' sticker on
it. When Audrey didn't want to stop the car and just continue on driving to the Colonial
Beach Inn that's when Drake realized where he got some of his personality from. It
wasn't a bad thing on the surface. Audrey didn't want to get out of the car, she said so
before they even saw the vacant lot of where the house used to be, but the fact that she
didn't really comment on the house that she grew up in, proved a point to Drake. He
wasn't going to bring it up in a smart mouthed kid way. He was in enough trouble
already. He just quietly observed the fact.
He must have been in this car for too long because he was starting to miss Megan!
Josh. Not really. You don't tattle on your own brother. No matter what or how pure your
reasons might be. He went against the code.
Was it wrong that he really wasn't thinking about Walter much? Your feelings were like
opinions. You might disagree regarding them but they technically were not something
you could define as being wrong. That's how Drake rationalized it as he threw his
suitcase on the bed by the window of the Colonial Beach Inn. But made sure to carefully
put his guitar case against the back wall by the lamp. He knew he was being punished
and all but couldn't Audrey have purchased two rooms so he could have his privacy? No
teenage boy wants to room with their own mother!
"After you unpack your clothes, how about we go out to lunch?" Audrey asked as she
took out her cell phone from her purse to let Walter know that she and Drake arrived
safely.
"I'm not really hungry."
It was the truth. He really didn't feel like putting his clothes away, but he didn't want his
mother to harp on it so he opened up his suitcase. He couldn't believe that he didn't see
what his mother had packed (which was another thing that bothered him) before they left
the house. He knew Audrey probably did it as a time saver considering he never made
a fuss when she did the laundry, but she still should have let Drake pack his own clothes.
"Drake," Audrey handed the phone to him as he finished putting his clothes in the
drawer, "Josh wants to talk to you."
"Thanks, Mom. I'll take this in the bathroom." He turned on the dual light and the air
conditioner switch.
"Hi, Drake." Josh said
"Goodbye, Josh." Drake hung up the phone as he came back into the room. He put his
mother's phone on the dresser.
"That was quick."
"I think I'll take a nap. It's been a long morning."
"You might to check out that music store before we go out to lunch."
"What music store?"
"Morninglory music at 1014 South State Street."
Drake started to get up and then lie back down on the bed again.
"You can go."
"I thought I was being punished?"
"You are not being punished every minute Drake. We still have much to discuss so go to
the music store while you can."
Drake jumped up. "Okay. See ya later, Mom." He grabbed his guitar and was out the
door within five seconds.
He didn't even want to think about having much more to discuss.
Now this was more like it. Pictures of Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, and
Eddie Van Halen among other guitar greats were on the walls along the various racks of
guitars, bass guitars, complete drum kits, and other various instruments. Drake could
die here and be happy.
"May I help you?" asked the young twenty something guy.
"No, I'm just looking."
"You play?"
Drake could have been a wise ass and said, "No, I just enjoy carrying around my guitar
case." But he didn't. "Yeah."
"You look very familiar."
Drake didn't want to brag but he was going to. "I'm in a band, we usually play school
dances and at the Brew Note in San Diego. I did play with the Zero Gravity once when
Devon Malone broke his hand."
"Really? That's cool, man. But wait here a second." He ran to the counter to get a picture
that was hanging up by the cash register.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Drake."
"You look just like this guy in the picture."
It was a framed picture of a torn out yearbook page. It was taken at some sort of high
school dance. It was the class of 1979. School colors a puke inducing olive and gold.
'The home of the Dons' was on a banner in the gymnasium. The young man was playing
a 1954 Gibson black beauty. He looked like he should have been in the class of 1964
with the gray collarless jacket, A Hard Day's Night era Beatle hair, thin black pants, and
the Cuban heeled boots.
"I should. He's my father."
"You're Spidey's son?"
He was this close on punching the college frat boy when he noticed the signature on the
photo.
Joe,
Elvis is better than Johnny Rotten any day.
Peace,
Spidey Parker
Drake was a feeling of mixed emotions right now but did take the time to chuckle over
the name 'Spidey' because his name was Peter Parker. 'Ha ha, he got it'.
"Do you mind if I take this picture?" Drake asked
"No go ahead. My dad has wanted my mom to get rid of that photo for years."
"Thanks, man."
Drake was able to make a quiet exit just the way he liked it. When a young, eager
encouraging father came in to buy a drum kit for his three-year-old son who showed an
interest and want to encourage his child.
Like any good father would.
Drake felt like an idiot knocking on the door for his mother to let him in but he didn't ask
for a room card key.
"Either I took a short nap or you weren't gone long." Audrey said as she let Drake in.
He put his guitar case on his bed. "I can't believe you, Mom." Drake opened up the
case.
"Excuse me?"
"You set me up."
"Drake, I don't know what you are talking about."
"All music stores have framed photos on the walls but only if you are famous."
Drake put the photo on the bed face down for no special reason. It just fell out of his
hand that way.
"What?"
"You couldn't say what you wanted to say to me your own son and yet you wonder why I
can't do the same! Why did you make me go into the store when you could have just
talked to me?"
Audrey put her hands on Drake's shoulders.
"Calm down, son. I did not set you up. Tell me what happened?" She was almost afraid
to pick up the photograph.
"You really don't know?"
"No."
"The owner's wife went out with Dad and she kept his picture all these years."
Drake didn't know how he was getting all of this out of his mouth without breaking.
"I'm sorry that you had to hear that."
"It's okay," he stood up, "If you want to go to lunch now, I can eat something."
He just wanted to stop this current flow of conversation.
Audrey picked up the picture and couldn't help but choking up.
"You look so much like your father…"
"Mom, please don't do this."
"Josh told me that you sometimes cry at night."
"Damn! Is there anything he hasn't told you?"
"You know your brother loves you."
Drake nodded.
"Come on, let's go out for lunch. I promise we won't talk about your father."
Audrey put the photo on the small table between the two beds. She positioned it so both
her and Drake could look at it.
"Thanks, Mom." Drake replied as he opened the door.
He wished that the good didn't have to die so young.
