What does Beaver want? All the guys are going ice skating at the rink; and to be a member of the herd, Beaver needs the money for a season pass. Ward cautions him that Beaver will want a new sweater, hat, etc. and especially new skates. No way, Beaver will skate in his old clothes and rent the cheap crummy skates at the rink. Ward gives Beaver the money for the pass, and tells June he knows how this will spiral out if control. June agrees, and reminds Ward how a five-iron turned into a new bag of new clubs and a membership in the country club. I gather we will see if the acorn doesn't fall far from the Callaway Big Bertha.
And two days later, Beaver needs thirteen dollars for new skates. Not to worry, Beaver will just take the money from his bank account. No need for Ward to reach for his wallet. Ward offer to take Beaver to the new sporting goods store. No way, Beaver is too old to have Dad supervise purchases, it's Beaver's own money. We can already anticipate what will happen.
Ouch, Beaver is shopping with Whitey in tow, Beaver must have had a growth spurt: he is a full head taller than Whitey, and pretty close in size to the salesman. Hey, that's Stanley Clements as the salesman: he's Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie from the fading Bowery Boys films, don't trust him, he used to boss Sach around.
Beaver gets his shoe size measured; he's a six. No size six available, but if you turn the ticket size around, a size nine is a size six; and you have room to wear three pair of socks. Beaver is happy (for now); June is thrilled her baby showed responsibly (for now), and Ward, Ward is, it was just a purchase (for now).
Beaver is at the rink, puts his new skates on, and falls over. He is going to have to tell Ward that he was taken; and worse, he still needs a parent with him when he goes shopping. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Wally is looking for Beaver to see if he'd like to walk to the library with him. No, he's at the rink again; at least he's getting his money's worth out of those skates. But no, Wally finds his brother hiding out in the library, too embarrassed to admit his mistake. Wally says he will take the skates back for his brother, but the salesmen points out a sign reading No Refunds. Beaver is stuck. Then Ward reads an article in the paper, the rink had to close for a repair. So, where was Beaver if he wasn't skating? The Sonja Henie is off the ice; and Beaver has to confess the error. But why didn't Beaver go to Ward immediately? He just didn't want to admit the mistake and have his father think he was dumb. That rings true. I recall how I felt at that age; if my dad gave me a chance to show I was "growing up," I didn't want to disappoint him by screwing up the opportunity. I can see Beaver feeling the same way.
Ward did get the money back, so it's back to normal. Beaver is a bit gun shy about taking responsibility, and for now will defer to Ward. Eventually, like the rest of us, Beaver will have to learn how to negotiate through the adult world. Just not this season.
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