The Pushover

Chris: Hi, this is Chris. Welcome to Adventures in Odyssey.
Whit: Oh, hi there. Welcome to Odyssey. I'm John Avery Whittaker. Most folks around here call me Whit. Why don't you get the whole family together and join us for another exciting Adventures in Odyssey.
Doug: Okay, what have we got so far? Salami, two slices of tomato, mayonnaise...
Stewart: Peanut butter.
Doug: Oh yeah, peanut butter, carrots, a few green beans. Looks pretty good, huh Cody?
Cody: Not really.
Doug: Oh don't worry, we'll spice it up for you. Does anyone have anything to add to Cody's super sandwich? Anything slimy leftover in your lunch bag today?
Stewart: Here, I got something.
Doug: Oh yeah, a rotten banana peel.
Cody: I'm allergic to some type of...
Stewart: I got some more stuff.
Doug: Great! Look, Cody, Doug brought you some things to add to your sandwich. What do we have here? Wow, it looks like you hit the jackpot! Broccoli spears, liverwurst... and oh, I think we've got the icing on the cake. Pickled pigs' feet! Smash it all together nicely. Kind of messy there. Now go ahead, take a bite.
Cody: Well...
Doug: Come on, we know you can do it. We're counting on you. You don't want to let us down, do you? Take a bite.
Crowd: Eat it, Cody! Eat it!
Doug: Big bite now. You don't want to disappoint all these people, do you?
Cody: Okay.
Crowd: Yes! He did it!
Stewart: Whoa, I'm going to be sick.
Mrs. Johnson: Boys, is there a problem over here?
Doug: No, Mrs. Johnson, we're just having a little fun. But we're just leaving. Lunch period is over.
Stewart: Yeah, gotta get to class. See you, Mrs. Johnson.
Mrs. Johnson: Cody, what's going on?
Cody: Nothing, Mrs. Johnson. Will you excuse me for a minute?
Mrs. Johnson: Wait a minute, Cody. Interesting sandwich.
Sarah: Mr. Whittaker, Jared won't let me play with the things in the Bible room.
Whit: He won't? Why not? What's he doing?
Jared: He's doing everything wrong, Mr. Whittaker.
Sarah: I am not! You just want to boss everybody around.
Whit: Okay, hold on.
Jared: If you'd listen to me a minute, you'd see...
Sarah: I'm not listening to you! You're just a big bully, and I don't want you anywhere near me.
Jared: Great! Because I don't want you near me either.
Sarah: Well, at least I have other friends I can play with. Nobody even wants to talk to you.
Whit: Okay, timeout. That's enough.
Sarah: But you know how he is, Mr. Whittaker.
Whit: Just calm down, Sarah. I'll handle this. Now why don't you go back up to the Bible room and do whatever it is you wanted to do? I'd like to talk to Jared for a minute.
Sarah: Anything so I don't have to be in the same room with him.
Whit: Well, you and I will have to talk about that attitude later. Now go on.
Sarah: Yes, sir.
Jared: She's such a tattletale. She was doing the Tower of Babel game all wrong. I was just trying to help her do it right.
Whit: Well, maybe she didn't want any help.
Jared: But she was doing it all wrong!
Whit: So? Doing it wrong isn't the worst thing that can happen, and I'm sure she would have figured it out on her own after a while.
Jared: But it drives me crazy to see people doing things the wrong way!
Whit: Well, then maybe you need to learn to have more patience. Or in any case, try to hold back. Let people learn for themselves until they ask you for help. Understand?
Jared: Yes, sir. Hey, Marty! You're going to drop those books if you carry them that way!
Whit: Well, then again, maybe he didn't understand.
Richard: Whit.
Whit: Oh, hello Richard. How are you?
Richard: Fine. Just came to pick up Cody.
Whit: Oh yeah, the last time I saw him he was upstairs looking at the Bible maps.
Richard: Oh yeah, he loves maps. Whit, does Cody spend a lot of time alone when he comes here?
Whit: Well, come to think of it, yes he does. Why do you ask?
Richard: Well, I'm a little bit worried about him. Ever since we moved to Odyssey, he's had trouble making friends. And then there was an incident at school yesterday.
Whit: Incident?
Richard: Yes, a teacher called me and told me a couple of guys forced him to eat a rather unpleasant sandwich. And apparently Cody went right along with it. It's not the first time something like this has happened. A couple of weeks ago, he got in trouble for throwing spitballs at another kid. It's not like him to misbehave. I found out later that he did it because somebody told him to do it.
Whit: Well, is he usually so easy to influence?
Richard: You mean, is he usually a pushover? Well, he's always been a compliant child, but he generally uses good sense in what he goes along with. But ever since we moved here, I think he's trying extra hard to be accepted.
Whit: Maybe he just needs some confidence building.
Richard: Maybe. Look, if there's anything you can do for him here, introducing him to the other kids or whatever, I'd really appreciate it.
Whit: Oh sure, I'll do whatever I can.
Richard: Thanks. And if anybody offers him a sandwich with pepper and banana peels on it, stop him.
Whit: What?
Stewart: I told him to meet us here. I don't see him.
Doug: Maybe he got the wrong tree.
Cody: Stewart! Doug! Over here!
Doug: Wait, there he is. He's got something with him. I can't believe it. What a loser.
Stewart: Hi. How's it going, Cody?
Cody: Okay.
Stewart: So, I guess you want to join our club.
Cody: Yeah, I do.
Stewart: So what do you have for us?
Cody: This is a remote control car. I got it last Christmas.
Stewart: Kind of lame, but I could always sell it. Anything else?
Cody: You want more?
Stewart: This is all you brought? A car?
Cody: Well, no. I brought some other stuff in case you didn't like that one, but...
Stewart: So let's see it.
Cody: I thought you only wanted one thing.
Stewart: Listen, if you don't want to be in the club, that's fine. I don't think he wants in.
Cody: No, wait! I do want in. Here.
Stewart: A baseball bat. Nice.
Cody: It's a Louisville Slugger.
Doug: We could always use it for our club's Little League team.
Stewart: Good idea. You know what, Cody? I think you can join our club.
Cody: Really?
Stewart: Sure. What do you think, Doug? He might even be Vice President material.
Doug: Definitely.
Cody: Cool!
Stewart: That's if you show up to all the meetings. So this is what you need to do. We meet in a house. The address is 422 Crestwood Avenue. Be there at 6:30 sharp.
Cody: Okay!
Stewart: And don't bother knocking. Just go right in the front door.
Cody: Alright, thanks!
Stewart: No problem. We'll see you there.
Doug: 6:30 sharp. See you there.
Cody: 422... 422 Crestwood Avenue. There it is. Sounds like a party. Cool. 6:20. Hope they don't mind I'm a little early.
Guest (Female): And up, and down, and up, and down. Other leg, up and down.
Cody: Excuse me. Wait, hold it.
Guest (Female): Oh, thank you! A break! Well hi, cutie. What's your name?
Cody: Is there a club that meets here?
Guest (Female): Well sure, that's us! The Low Impact Aerobics Club!
Guest (Female): Maybe I should have joined the no impact aerobics club.
Cody: No, I was looking for...
Guest (Female): Is there an aerobics club that involves a recliner?
Guest (Female): Hey, why don't you join us, honey? Show us a thing or two about what it's like to have energy.
Cody: I'm sorry, I'm...
Guest (Female): Over here, I need somebody to lean on every now and then.
Cody: But I... you see...
Guest (Female): What's your name?
Cody: Cody.
Guest (Female): Well come on, Cody. Let's see you kick those legs! Here we go again! And up, and down, and up... Left leg! A little higher, Cody! Up and down, and up and down, and up and down... Other leg, and up and down.
Jared: My brother can't color at all. He's terrible.
Whit: Uh-huh.
Jared: I've told him like a hundred times to color inside the lines, but he doesn't listen to me.
Whit: How old is your brother?
Jared: Almost two.
Whit: I see. Well Jared, this goes back to what I told you earlier. You know, you're... well, you're... are you alright, Cody?
Cody: I'm okay, Mr. Whittaker.
Whit: But what's the matter? You're walking like the Tin Man.
Cody: Just a muscle pull or two. Or six. Oh, why are these stools so high? Can I have an extra large milkshake? I think I worked off too much unwanted flab.
Whit: What were you doing?
Cody: Aerobics.
Whit: What?
Cody: I thought I was going to a club meeting, but it turned out to be a bunch of really big women dancing around to Jamaican music. They made me join them.
Whit: You thought it was a club meeting?
Cody: Well, that's what Stewart and Doug said. I think maybe they were playing a trick on me. They made me give them my car and bat.
Jared: Do we have muscles in our lips?
Whit: Jared, could I speak with Cody alone, please?
Jared: And miss the rest of this story? You gotta be kidding.
Whit: Go on, Jared.
Jared: Maybe I'll just wait over here.
Whit: Thank you.
Cody: Maybe Stewart and Doug got the address wrong.
Whit: Well, maybe, but I doubt it. Now help me to understand what happened, Cody. Why did you give Stewart and Doug your things?
Cody: I wanted to be in their club.
Whit: Why?
Cody: Well, because in a club you have fun and get to go to meetings and do things together and be friends.
Whit: Friends? Do you really think this is the best way to get friends? To buy them by giving away a car and a bat?
Cody: Well...
Whit: Well?
Cody: It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Whit: And how about now?
Cody: I think Stewart and Doug tricked me.
Whit: Well, did they trick you, or were you ready to believe them no matter what they said?
Cody: What's the difference?
Whit: One is when you're deceived. The other is when you're gullible. Do you know what gullible is?
Cody: Isn't that a kind of fish?
Whit: No, it's when you let people take advantage of you over and over again, even when you should know better.
Cody: You mean like being a pushover? That's what my dad says I am.
Whit: I guess pushover is one way to describe it, yes. What do you think?
Cody: I think I'm too sore to think about it right now. I need to take a hot bath. You better forget that milkshake, Mr. Whittaker. Thanks anyway.
Whit: Cody, you need to have more confidence in yourself. People who are willing to do anything to make friends usually don't get the kind of friends they really want.
Cody: I think my dad said something like that too. Oh! I'll see you later.
Whit: I'll see you, Cody.
Jared: Now I wasn't spying or anything, but why does Cody let people do that? If somebody did that to me, I'd tell them to go take a hike.
Whit: You probably would, wouldn't you? And give them directions too. Hmm, not a bad idea.
Jared: What?
Whit: You may be onto something, Jared. Are you coming in here tomorrow?
Jared: Sure, why?
Whit: Never mind. You just gave me an idea.
Jared: Hi, Mr. Whittaker.
Whit: Hello, Jared. Thanks for coming back.
Jared: I'm dying to know what your idea is.
Whit: Oh, you'll find out just as soon as... oh, here he comes.
Cody: Hi, Mr. Whittaker. Connie told me you were looking for me.
Whit: I was. I'd like the two of you to run an errand for me.
Jared: Is it going to be long?
Whit: Oh, not too long. I need you to run this box over to Tom Riley's house.
Cody: I don't know where he lives.
Jared: Neither do I.
Whit: I figured as much, and that's why I have this map.
Cody: Oh, I'm not very good at maps. Whenever I try to use the one at the mall, I always end up at the pregnant woman's clothing store.
Jared: I'm pretty good with maps.
Whit: Oh, good. You should be just fine then. Tom will bring you home when you get there.
Cody: But why can't you just drive it over?
Whit: I didn't bring my car to work today. Oh, didn't I mention that I'm willing to pay you to run this errand for me?
Jared: Really? How much?
Whit: One of these for each of you.
Jared: I'm in!
Cody: Maybe I should call my parents.
Whit: Oh, I've already cleared it with your parents.
Cody: Alright then, sure.
Whit: Just follow the map exactly, and there shouldn't be any problem. Okay? Here's the box.
Jared: Okay, let's go!
Connie: Where'd Jared and Cody go?
Whit: Tom Riley's farm. They're running a little errand for me.
Connie: What's in the box?
Whit: Some old soda pop cans for Tom's collection.
Connie: But Mr. Riley was here a little while ago. Why didn't you give them to him then?
Whit: Oh, so the boys will learn something about themselves.
Connie: By delivering soda pop cans?
Whit: By being forced to do something they're not used to doing. You see, the follower is going to have to lead, and the leader is going to have to follow.
Connie: I don't get it.
Whit: That's alright, Connie. Just so they do.
Cody: Why do we both have to do this?
Jared: I don't know. One of us to hold the box, one to hold the map.
Cody: It's like a five-ounce box and a two-ounce map. I'm just doing what I was told.
Jared: Alright, your motto. Hold up a second. There's a fork in the trail. I'm going left.
Cody: Wait, I gotta look at the map. We're supposed to go right.
Jared: What? Get out of here! Let me see that. You're wrong. We have to go left. Trickle Lake is to the right. Tom Riley doesn't live on a houseboat, does he?
Cody: I don't think so, but Mr. Whittaker said to follow the map exactly.
Jared: Look, I may not be good with maps, but I can find my way around. Okay? Just follow me.
Cody: You're just going right through the trees?
Jared: Sure. There's probably another trail right over... ouch!
Cody: What happened?
Jared: I scratched my hand.
Cody: You okay?
Jared: Yeah.
Cody: What'd you scratch it on?
Jared: I don't know. Oh, it's a barbed wire fence.
Cody: See, I told you we went the wrong way. There wouldn't be a barbed wire fence in the middle of the trail.
Jared: Oh yeah? Well look, there's an open field on the other side. It's gotta be Tom Riley's farm.
Cody: I don't think so. Look on the map. It shows a fence over here. We're going in the wrong direction.
Jared: Would you stop looking at that thing? I found the farm, okay? Now let's hop the fence and get rid of this box.
Whit: Hello, Tom? Yeah, it's me. Have the kids gotten there yet? They haven't? They should have been there a long time ago. It's getting late. I better go after them. Do you have my cell phone number? Good. I'm going to take the trail, and you stay there and call me if you see them. Yeah, I'm on my way.
Cody: It's getting dark, Jared. Maybe we should go back to Whit's End.
Jared: Are you crazy? It'll be midnight by the time we get back there.
Cody: But I don't think Mr. Riley's farm is this big. We've been walking this field for a long time.
Jared: And you've been panicking for a lot longer. Would you clam up for just a second? What was that?
Cody: I don't know. I can't see anything. There's something moving. Maybe it's just the wind. I've heard that there's bears that live around here.
Jared: Bears?
Cody: I think I see something. It's crawling towards us.
Jared: What is it?
Cody: I can't tell. If it's a bear, I think we're supposed to lie real still. Or was that for dinosaurs?
Jared: I see it too! It's coming closer!
Cody: I think it sees us! It's a bear! Aah!
Jared: Aah! Ow! Ow! Get off of me!
Cody: Here he comes! Get us! What was that?
Jared: A sheep.
Cody: A sheep? Like Mary had a little sheep?
Jared: No, that was a lamb. This is a sheep. Lamb, sheep... just get off me.
Cody: Thanks. Now if you don't mind... ow!
Jared: What's the matter?
Cody: I think I twisted my ankle when I fell.
Jared: Can you walk on it?
Cody: Ow! Just give me a minute. I think I see some more sheep. We must be on a farm. So that's it! We made it!
Jared: But Mr. Riley doesn't have any sheep. He has some horses and a big orchard. Ow, I think I sprained it.
Cody: I'm telling you, we're in the wrong place! I knew it! Mr. Whittaker and Mr. Riley are probably out looking for us right now, maybe our parents too. What a mess! What was that? Here, put your arm on my shoulder. I'll carry you. We're going back.
Jared: Back?
Cody: Yes, back! I never should have listened to you in the first place. I've got the map. We're following it all the way back to the trail. Got it?
Jared: Well, I guess we can try that.
Whit: Cody? Jared?
Cody: Mr. Whittaker!
Whit: Cody, Jared, are you okay?
Cody: Yeah, we're fine. Jared got a sore ankle.
Jared: I'm alright.
Whit: What happened?
Cody: We kind of got lost.
Jared: Yeah, that map must be old. Got us lost.
Whit: I just drew it yesterday.
Jared: Well, I guess I have to look at it again.
Whit: I was getting worried about you two. We ended up on the wrong farm.
Cody: How? I thought the map was clear enough.
Jared: We didn't exactly stick to the map. One of us thought he knew better.
Whit: So what happened?
Cody: I followed the map and got us back here.
Whit: Really? You let Cody lead you here, Jared?
Jared: Yeah, but it's only because I hurt my ankle.
Cody: And because he got us so lost.
Whit: Step into the light, Cody.
Cody: Okay. Why?
Whit: Hmm. No bruises, no broken bones.
Cody: No, I'm okay.
Whit: Imagine that. So taking the lead when you knew what you were doing didn't hurt you after all.
Cody: No, I guess not.
Jared: I'm hurt.
Whit: Because you didn't follow directions. But you followed Cody, and now you'll be alright.
Cody: So you did this whole thing as a lesson, didn't you?
Whit: Oh, come on. Tom's house is...