Read Spud for Free Online Page B

more batter into the pan. “I can shape these pancakes to look
however you want. Name something.”
    “How about a guitar?” asks Spud, stuffing what’s left on his plate into his mouth
and reaching for the syrup, as we’ll need it again.
    “Of course,” says Ma and starts to carefully pour batter into the pan. “How about
you, Jack? What shape pancakes?”
    “Um, how about an easy one, a baseball, for the White Sox?”
    “A ball? A round pancake? Oh my! How ever will I do that?” she kids. My mom can be
so much fun. Spud’s mom is never like this. She’s always bitching for him to pick
this up, clean that, watch his language, take off his shoes, be nice to Jerry, yadda
yadda yadda. No wonder he likes it here!
    All my life, Mom has been there for us, making even the most boring days fun. She’s
always up for Scrabble or Monopoly, always used to take us for walks, to the pool,
and tossed us the baseball. She’s never missed a school play or conference, a spelling
bee, anything. She’s great and has quite a sense of humor. Unfortunately, my dad
is so much the opposite. The rain to her sunshine. Usually quiet, he never takes
part in anything, never even sits at the kitchen table for a meal together, always
watches TV and goes on solo car rides. Or, he listens to the radio and takes long
naps in his room. I think I’d be dumbfounded if he sat at the table or showed up
to a school event, I’m so used to him not being there. I’d probably get an uncontrollable
fit of the giggles. Well, at lest we lucked out with one of our parents. Mom is like
two anyway, all the work she does.
    As I scarf down my baseball pancakes and Spud devours his very cool looking guitar
and the music note mom was able to make, I think, this was the best breakfast ever!
    Following, in order to avoid the heat, and to let our stomachs settle, we have a
long morning of lying around in the AC and watching Growing Pains episodes (Kirk
Cameron is so cool! Who doesn’t want to be like Mike Seaver or his hilarious pal,
Boner? I mean, Boner? What a freaking name!) Then I toss into the VCR the prized
copy of Ernest Goes to Camp for more laughs . This is my favorite movie, simply because
it’s the first one Dad ever rented when we got this VCR. I’ll always remember me
and Zoe giggling with excitement when we learned about the purchase and then that
we would be a part of the technological world, actually watching a movie in our own
home on a VCR! And a funny one! I love Ernest. You so have to rent it if you’ve never
seen it! Perfect summer movie.
    Anyway, this beats the news, as nobody wants to hear more depressing heat and illness
stories, and the Sox game was cancelled because it got too hot. I, myself, have always
played the infield and usually bitch about the hot sweaty clothing we wear as part
of the uniform, but you need sweatpants to slide into bases, and my point is I couldn’t
imagine being the catcher on a ball team, all those pads and helmet in this heat?
While still trying to play the game? That would really suck! So, I guess I get why
the game was called off.
    “You know,” Spud says from his stiff position in Dad’s chair, massaging his neck
to get a kink out, “maybe joining the ball team will be kinda cool. Different for
me, but as long as you say so…”
    We’ve been planning to join the school baseball team together when practices start
up next month. My mom thought it would be a great idea for Spud and me to get more
involved and keep us busy in a safe place. She could have probably convinced me anyway,
as this is my first summer without a town-sponsored team. I’m too old now. So I’ll
be itching to play by then, but I think her idea was more geared toward Spud. Keep
him active and involved. Safe. Out of trouble.
    “Sure, well, I’ve played all my life, as you know. Never for a school team, though,
just the summer leagues. I just hope we get to play a lot, instead of sitting on
the dumb bench, but it will certainly