#23--May 6, 2019
When Peter Parker was two months shy of his fifth birthday, he went to his Aunt and Uncle's house for the week.
"Have fun with your Aunt May and Uncle Ben!" his mother shouted as she jumped into the car where his father sat behind the wheel. "I love you, sweetie!" Peter fiddled with the sleeves of his sweatshirt. He was pretty small for an almost five-year-old and due to this his clothes were a little bigger on him than other kids his age.
"I love you, Mama," Peter said, standing in front of his Aunt and Uncle. "Love you, Daddy!" His father sent him a grin.
"See you soon, buddy," the man told him, sounding as if he'd said it hundreds of times beforehand. "Remember, it'll only be for a week. We'll be back by Saturday." Peter nodded his head solemnly, watching as his parents prepared to drive to the airport where their plane sat waiting. Peter didn't know much about his mom and dad's work, he just knew that they did a lot of complicated science stuff and that they had to leave a lot.
This wasn't the first time that he'd had to stay with his Aunt and Uncle. It was always just a little harder to say goodbye to them, that's all. But this time, it felt different. Peter's stomach felt heavy.
His mother looked at the car dash before looking at him. "I'm sorry, baby, but we gotta go now or we'll miss our flight. Be good for your Aunt and Uncle, Peter," she told him, making the boy run toward the car that sat a few feet away. Peter latched onto the side of the car where the window had been rolled down, staring at his mom and dad with anxious and teary eyes.
"I don't want you to go," the four-year-old said, obviously upset.
Richard ruffled his son's hair, looking down at him warmly. "Don't worry, bud, we'll be back before you know it!" Peter pouted, still holding onto the door.
"C'mon, Pete," Uncle Ben said from behind him. He crouched down beside Peter. "Your parents are gonna miss their flight. They'll be back in a week, kiddo." Peter turned his worried pout from his mother's and father's eyes to his only and favorite Uncle.
"I don't want them to go!" he whined. The four adults shared a look. Peter had mild separation anxiety but he had never whined this much about his parents leaving.
"Oh, sweetheart," his mom said softly, making him look at her. "It's okay. We'll be home soon and then you'll get all the ice cream you want! How does that sound?" Peter frowned for a few moments as if thinking it over before he nodded his head.
"Okay, Mama," Peter said, removing his hands from the door. "I love you." The heavy feeling in his stomach lessened a little but it was still there.
"Love you, too, buddy," she told, smiling over at her son. "Bye, baby. We'll be back soon."
"See you soon, buddy," his dad said. "We love you."
Peter frowned at them for a few moments. They had never said 'I love you' this much before and that heavy feeling came back heavier than before. Despite that, Peter told them one last I love you. He watched on the sidewalk as his parents started up the car and drove off, not removing his eyes until he could no longer see it.
That heavy feeling didn't go away for the next three days.
It was three days later when they got the call. "There was an accident," his Aunt May had said, tears in her eyes and voice shaky. "The plane crashed." Peter didn't want to understand. He didn't want to listen to his Aunt and Uncle, his now official guardians, tell him that his parents weren't coming home.
"Where's mommy and daddy?" Peter had asked them, his hands clenched around the fabric of his sweater. His glasses had been slipping down his nose but he didn't seem to care due to the current circumstances. "Where are they, Aunt May?" He had turned to his uncle. "Uncle Ben?"
A man in a suit had shown up a day later with a packet. Peter had been hiding behind the kitchen counter. He heard words like 'sole guardians' and 'will' thrown around but he didn't understand. He didn't understand any of it. He just wanted his mommy and daddy back. They had said that they would come home!
"Mom and Dad got hurt," Uncle Ben had explained to him after they all sat down in the living room. Aunt May's and Uncle Ben's eyes had been red and their cheeks were shiny. "Peter... They're not coming back."
On Sunday, when they were supposed to be back, Peter went to the cemetery. He watched as his mom and dad, his parents, the people he loved most, were buried in the ground. He didn't remember crying, but he did remember holding his Aunt's and Uncle's hand.
"What do you mean?" Peter had asked, his heart thudding and tears welling in his eyes. He knew what they mean. He knew. That heavy feeling from when his parents were leaving had come back to him. "What do you mean they're not coming back?"
When Peter was supposed to be getting ice cream with his mom and dad, he fully understood what had happened.
"Peter, sweetheart," May had told him, pulling him into a hug. "Mom and Dad are gone. They're never coming back. I'm so sorry, sweetie."
Peter had burst into tears on the way to his Aunt and Uncle's apartment, his new home. His face was buried in his knees and his body was shaking in sobs. He finally understood what Aunt May and Uncle Ben said when his parents weren't coming back. They're dead. They're gone. They're not coming back.
When Peter Parker was two months shy of his fifth birthday, his parents died.
When Peter Parker was two months shy... series