Beaver reached puberty with a bang……as did his friends.
For fun, they would go to the local supermarket and steal things. Nothing big, of course; just things they ‘wanted’ and did not have the money for at the time. Beaver wanted to fit in so badly with his friends, he was often the one sent to get the items.
June was very surprised when she received a telephone call from Mr. Whipple, the owner of the grocery store, saying that Beaver was there for stealing a pack of gum and “would she please come and pick him up and sign some papers?” Needless to say, June was very embarrassed and angry at Beaver. How could he do these things? Didn’t he know better? Didn’t she teach him better? Wasn’t he a scout?
June drove to the store in her jet van, and went inside to speak with Mr. Whipple.
She was ushered into the ‘inner sanctum’, where it was dark, cool, and smelled a bit like spoiled cabbage. June had to sign a paper that stated Beaver was not permitted back into the store unless his parent accompanied him. Beaver had his picture taken and placed on the ‘wall of shame’, so all employees would be on the lookout for his criminal face.
After these things were completed, June and Beaver left the store and entered the car. Beaver was deeply upset, both by being caught and doing the deed in the first place. June asked Beaver to explain what led up to the incident and he (unfortunately) did.
June drove down the road and listened to the story pouring out of Beaver’s mouth. Instead of going home, she drove to the police station. Beaver was not thrilled when June pulled into the police station parking lot, and even less when she told him to get out of the car and come with her inside.
Once inside, June requested to speak with an officer. The officer did not understand why June was there, even after she explained that her son was just caught stealing gum and wanted her son told in exact terms what would happen to him if he were charged with the crime vs. the store handling it themselves.
The officer did the job, but frankly - between you and I – the lesson June was trying to get across could have been achieved by him writing “I will not steal” 500 times, for the little the officer told Beaver.
June had wanted a retired Marine and instead got Mother Theresa in a uniform.
June has found out that being a single parent is not the easiest thing when faced with a situation like this. There is no one to turn to and ask, “Well, what do you think we should do?”
This especially is the case when the child's other parent feels that you are the cause of everything that goes wrong in the world. This was exactly what June heard from Dick when she told him what little Beaver had done.
Dick was even angrier when he heard that June had taken Beaver to the police station for a little dose of reality.
Afterward, at home lying in bed, sleepless; being a single parent is a crushing reality. You can always call your friends and talk out issues, but the bottom line is you are alone with your problem(s). It is very difficult to just “put your big girl pants on” and get on with it.
In the next room, Beaver sleeps the deep sleep of a child. How can that be, June wonders?
Not for the first time, June wishes she were a child again. It seems so much easier than being a parent.
Little did June know that the fun was just beginning...
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