LAPD Detective Marty Deeks has had many teachers in his lifetime. Yes, there were the ones from school and university. However, as a naturally gifted academic, there was not much more school teachers could really "teach" Marty, once he learned to read. A ferocious reader, he taught himself most things, simply by sitting in the public library reading.
His parents, if that is what you want to call them, were not about to win any "Parent of the Year Award". Though there were a few things they did manage to show him. His mom, a recreational drug user, who tended to suffer from periods of depression, did give parenting a try. There were weeks where she did well. Looking after Marty, the best she could. Preparing him meals, teaching him how to do simple chores, taking him to school, signing him up for baseball, but most importantly protecting him from his father's volatile temper. It was when her depression was bad, and the recreational drug use came into play that Marty's education was required for him to survive. When he was 3 she started teaching him to be observant. To always watch what was going on around him. Watch how people do things, and learn from them. At 4 Marty learned how to spread peanut butter on bread, by watching his mom. It was a skill that came in handy, when his parents were unconscious on the sofa, for the majority of the day. At 5 he taught himself to make toast, use a can opener and to program the microwave by watching his parents use the devices. His mom taught him how to walk to and from school by himself. At 6, with prompting from Marty, she showed him how to use the stove, oven and laundry machines. All skills he required during the long periods his parents tended to be either incapacitated or no where to be found. He was being taught to be independent.
He learned to save money. After all, money is what you seemed to need to buy things at the stores. Many times, not only were his parents unavailable, but there was no food in the home to eat. Marty learned to pick up money left throughout the house and hide it away. In times of need he would use it to purchase food for himself at the local grocery store.
With much whining from Marty, his mom got him a public library card. The library was a sanctuary for Marty. It was a place away from his fathers temper and his mom's problems. He would spend hours there reading or doing homework. The library, not only fed his academic appetite, but inadvertently taught him study skills. The librarian started to address him by his first name. Sensing a need, in the young boy, for attention, she decided to spend time with him. She taught him, what she knew, she taught him about books. It was the librarian who introduced him to the world of comic books and super heroes. After all, it was, until then, an entire section of the library he had been ignoring. Comic books became a love that would follow him into adulthood.
His mother's death, when he was 9, left Marty to be raised by his only living relative, his father. Marty's mother's death was devastating, but he managed to keep going, by becoming emotionally numb.
From his father, he learned how to deal with someone with anger issues and how to throw a punch. His father's temper flared up easily. Marty learned at a young age to be obedient when his father gave him an order, to keep quiet and to stay out of the way. Even all of this did not prevent the usual weekly beating. His father taught him how to make a fist, to throw a punch and how to read an opponent. Marty now knew which way to duck in order to avoid an impending fist. Inadvertently, he had taught the boy how to avoid many a punch he himself threw at him. It resulted in his father having the ability to release his anger, without Marty being beaten badly. Marty would later discover these skills useful when he became an undercover cop.
At 10 he met his friend Ray. Both boys came from similar backgrounds, in respect that each was a product of a bad marriage, and an ill tempered father. From Ray he learned how to "BS" his way out of any situation, how to swoon girls and how to handle a gun. They were growing up in a neighbourhood with a high crime rate. Together Marty and Ray learned how to stay "safe". Marty's keen observation skills accompanied with Ray's ability to fast talk them out of any situation with a straight face, kept the two boys out of trouble. Marty knew by "watching" which ally ways and buildings to avoid. If they did get into a situation Ray would always fast talk them out of harm. They learned together, that if they did happen to witness something, to keep their mouths shut. Certain things were just never spoken of, even to each other. Ray taught him girls were easy to converse with. Tell them they are pretty, that they look good, and most importantly they are special. It seemed to work for the young Marty Deeks. At 11 Ray gave him a gun, and showed him how to use it. A few evenings later Marty used it to save his own life. Ironically, it was his father's teachings, on how to read your opponent that told Marty to shoot if you want to live. The incident left him feeling numb as well as a ward of the state.
Foster homes were mostly just a blur that left him independent and even more emotionally numb. One foster mother did teach Marty the importance of humour. She enjoyed laughing. Humour could lighten any situation. She told him that to receive laughter in response to a joke or punch line was the best reward you could ever receive. Humour, he discovered, worked well on the ladies.
His high intelligence level, his independence, his knowledge of the streets, his keen observation skills, his ability to not hesitate in using a fire arm, his lack of any family ties, and his ability to walk away from people he felt any emotional connection to all made him the perfect undercover cop. He had, in his own way, built walls around his heart and soul. The emotional numbness, he forced upon himself, insured he would never be hurt again. He would be safe from experiencing the pain of love or loss.
Then one day, while working deep undercover for the LAPD, he met a tall beautiful brunette.