The Social Contract

Silver and Gold

After school, Abraham and I went to the Waiting Area to plot. The Waiting Area was this big classroom down by the gyms filled with colorful, squishy futons where the kindergarteners took their naps, and happy posters, and weird looking educational toys, and every board game in the world. It smelled terminally of lemon disinfectant and peanut butter crackers, and I'd never seen it less than packed. I could never spend enough time there when I was little.

Dunmore Elementary was big enough that the parents had to pick us up in shifts; as an Aden County kid I partook in the short but critical social scene that emerged every day from 2:55PM to 3:15PM in the Waiting Area. Some kids hated the waiting but I always thought it was nice to have a few minutes to sit back, play a mindless game and process the events of the day.

“Let's write the contract in JAB code,” Abraham suggested. “That way, no one will be able to steal it and see what it says.”

“I don't know your dumb code,” I said. “I wouldn't be able to see what it said.”

“Well, I'll write it then,” said Abraham, “and then I can teach you.”

“No.”

He shrugged. “You say that a lot, you know?”

Here's what we came up with in the end:

We, Abraham Foellenger and Tyler Freimann, promise to come to each other's aid in the following situations:

– Someone is physically hurting one of us.

– Public teasing that goes on longer than three minutes or the high sign is made, whichever comes first. (The high sign is calling the teaser a 'duckbutt' because that's a pretty good insult anyway.)

– Classroom discussions where Mr. LaFevre is trying to make us look stupid.

– One of us forgot or lost something and needs to borrow it, and the other person has enough of that thing.

– Tyler can stay in Abraham's tunnel if he promises to let him read.

– And Abraham can come in Tyler's tree house sometimes, but he has to ask.

First preference is given to allies in all trading situations. Favors negotiable by giving in trade one of Tyler's four car erasers. We each start out with two starting now. A really big favor might be worth more than one eraser. If you don't have any erasers left you have to do something worth erasers to get them back!

That's all for now. Sincerely,

Abraham Foellenger

Tyler Freimann

“That was kind of fun,” I admitted when we had both signed. “I think maybe I'll be a lawyer when I grow up and make contracts for people all day.”

Abraham had the grace not to point out he'd done all the hard work. “Yeah, that would be a fun job. Well I have to go to band practice now. I'll talk to you the next time I need a favor then?”

“All right,” I agreed.

Shortly after Abraham had gone, Ross, who was also an Aden county resident, looked up from his book. “Want to play checkers?” he asked, as was our usual custom.

“Sure,” I agreed, pleased. I had been afraid Ross would side with Tim and Nathan on the matter of our microfeud, or would object to my new alliance with Abraham, but he genuinely didn't seem to care. He may not have even noticed; he was simple like that. And while he'd shouted 'Popup' with the rest that morning, laughing at the novelty of a joke he didn't get, there was no real malice involved and he showed all signs of having forgotten the matter immediately.