Spiderman 3 by Peter David Read Free Book Online

twice, discreetly covering it with the back of her hand. Peter chalked that up to her being so interested in what he was saying that she was making the effort to stay awake. After all, scientifically, that's what yawning was: the body's attempt to intake a sizable portion of oxygen all at once to refresh the brain lest fatigue set in. Peter felt that no one should ever be insulted if someone yawned in his or her presence. It's actually a compliment: it meant one was worth the effort of trying to stay awake for, as opposed to nodding off.
    Peter finally ran out of things to say and realized that he had "presented his case." He paused, waiting for Aunt May's opinion.
    She added a bit more hot water to refresh her tea and stirred it thoughtfully, composing her thoughts.
    Then, as if her mind were a million miles away, she looked at the engagement ring on her finger and smiled wistfully. "You know, the day your uncle Ben asked me to marry him, we were both scared and excited and"—she laughed at the recollection—"
very
young. And I loved him so fiercely." She added that last with a touch of fiery pride.
    "And you said yes, right?"
    "No," she replied, which startled Peter. "I wanted to say yes, but I said no. I wasn't ready. Neither was he. So we took our time. Looked forward to it. Didn't want to run into something with nothing to count on but love." She rested a liver-spotted hand atop his and said gently, as if delivering bad news that he wouldn't want to hear, "Love is not enough, Peter. There's so much more beyond it that has to be considered."
    "Come on," he said with an uncomfortable laugh. "I know that."
    "When Uncle Ben and I were married, we had a little more security."
    So that's what this was about. Here all of his concerns and doubts stemmed from uncertainty over his feelings. Trust Aunt May to approach the question from the most pragmatic aspects. "I have security. I have a job," he reminded her.
    "You need a steady job. With benefits."
    He had to admit that much was true. There were wider aspects to consider. If Peter was single, whatever happened to him was really his own lookout. If he was married, then his problems became Mary Jane's problems. What if he was seriously injured in a battle? A broken limb… a stray bullet that got lucky? Yes, he healed quickly, but you couldn't heal a bullet. He couldn't be in need of hospitalization or a doctor's care and have no medical insurance. Plus what about more everyday considerations? What if they were married and Mary Jane became pregnant? It could happen. Happened every day. The cost of a pregnancy and hospital stay without medical coverage… it could break them.
Would
break them.
    As all this raced through his mind, Aunt May looked fixedly into his eyes and continued, "A husband has to be understanding and put his wife before himself. Can you do that, Peter?"
    With this question, at least, Peter felt confident. "Of course I can," he said with utter conviction.
    She smiled. Apparently, as far as Aunt May was concerned, if Peter was on solid ground with that aspect of it, everything else would fall into place. "Then you have my blessing," she said, and he hadn't realized until that moment he was actually looking for it. Once she gave it, though, it felt right. It felt good. "And," she said, "I hope you've considered a proper proposal." Again she looked at her engagement ring, reminiscing, and when she spoke, she could have been describing something that had transpired just yesterday. "Uncle Ben had it all planned. We went for a walk, and he laid me down under a juniper tree, and he said…"
    She paused, then deepened her voice to sound like Ben's. "Close your eyes and make a wish." She chuckled and continued, "And I did. And he said, 'Open them,' and I did. And he was holding this ring."
    It wasn't especially large. Quite the opposite, actually. Then again, May Parker was never the showiest of women and would have considered a large, gleaming rock too gaudy. Plus,