"On The Mark, Part Two" - An Archie and Chuck Tale

Previously in the story "On The Mark", we met Archie and Chuck's new friend, Mark.  Mark is a budding football star who is also very good at the part-time job where he works alongside Archie and Chuck.  He's even managed to win the Employee of the Month award at the workplace.  But for whatever reason, Mark seems to not really care about that all that much.  In fact, Archie and Chuck have guessed that something just isn't right about Mark.  Perhaps it may have something to do with the fact that he has moved around a lot and he's awkward around people, or maybe it has to do with the fact that he goofs off in school and doesn't do his homework. 

I'm sure that there's a reasonable explanation for this, and we're about to find out what that is when we start part two of this tale.

Archie and Chuck are set to begin their shift at the "Snack Shack", and since it looks like they are doing an opening shift, it's their responsibility to get the ovens started so they can get the food prepared before the lunch rush begins.  I'm thinking this must be a weekend shift.  However, all is not right at the "Snack Shack".  Archie is having trouble with one of the gas ovens.  It's not functioning properly at all, and Archie is worried that they could be in danger if anyone tried to start it up.  Chuck agrees and tells Archie to write a note warning everyone of the potential danger, which Archie does.  He sticks it on the front of the oven so that everybody can see it.  That should be sufficient enough, right?

Well, despite the fact that the note is clearly posted, Mark still approaches the oven with light in hand ready to start up the broken oven! 

At least, he tries to.  See, Chuck spots what Mark is doing, and tackles him to the ground just before Mark can get to the oven.  Mark accidentally burns his hand in the melee, but otherwise is fine.  But Mark is furious with Chuck for tackling him, and claims that he had no right to do so!  To which Chuck replies, "if you lit that pilot light, the whole mall could have gone kablooey".  Seriously, Chuck is angry and when Mark jokes about it, it REALLY sets him off.  He wonders why Mark would even think to light the oven when the note telling him "DON'T DO IT" is clearly there.  It's not like him to be careless, and he certainly should have been able to read it...

...and then the gears click in Chuck's brain, and as Archie arrives to see what all the commotion is about, Chuck makes the connection.  The reason why Mark didn't understand the note is because he COULDN'T read it.  Mark is a functioning illiterate.  He is perfectly capable of doing a lot of things, but for whatever reason Mark never learned how to read.  It's a shocking admission, but not unheard of.  I seem to recall that the 1980s had lots of public service announcements about ending illiteracy, so at the time this story first came out, it was not uncommon a problem.

Mark explains that because he was never able to stay in the same school for more than a few months at a time, he somehow missed out on the lessons in school that would have taught him how to read.  By the time he realized it was a problem, he was already too far ahead in school.  He learned tricks to avoid the problem, like making jokes whenever he was called out on it, or getting friends of his to write book reports, homework assignments, or projects for him to keep passing each grade.  Mark realizes that he has closed so many doors for himself by not reading, but he thinks that he's at the age where it's too late for him to learn to read and that he is too embarrassed or stupid to admit that he can't read.  But Chuck reminds him that he would only be stupid if he didn't do anything about it.  And Archie and Chuck decide that they will help Mark out by teaching him how to read.  It will be their secret.

For what it's worth, Archie and Chuck do a great job teaching Mark how to read.   They start off slowly, using the standard children's books like "See Jane run, run Jane run" thing.  But Mark is a great learner, and soon he graduates to textbooks and novels within a month.  Mark gets his very first library card, finds board games much more fun now that he can read the Chance cards on Monopoly, and by the end of the next month, he's now doing crossword puzzles!

You know, I have to point out that many functioning illiterates are not stupid people.  If they were paired with someone who had the patience and the understanding to help them, they could grasp reading as fast as Mark did.  Illiteracy is a serious issue in the world, and I think that we all have a responsibility to make sure that it is eradicated.

I'm so proud of Archie and Chuck for showing Mark the way.  I'm also proud of Mark for realizing that he needed to fix this problem and worked hard to make it happen.  And I think Mark is eternally grateful to both of them for opening up his eyes to a whole new world. 

This was a great tale.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!