| abstract
| - Patriarch William "Sparkplug" Witwicky and son Spike Witwicky witnessed world history when their oil rig was attacked by the Decepticons. Sparkplug briefly thought about volunteering to help the Autobots, but the fear of losing another family member a mere three years after losing his wife led him to let someone else handle the new alien visitors. This devastated Spike to no end. For a few moments after he and his father were pulled from certain death, Spike envisioned himself not as a "mechanic to be," but as a key player in helping the Autobots not only get familiar with Earth, but to defeat the Decepticons. Just as Sparkplug's decision to help the Autobots led to enormous consequences (both good and bad with his family), Sparkplug's inactions caused a second rift in his family. Carly and Spike never hooked up - and as a result, Daniel never came to be. Instead of having one son idolize his father (Spike) and one son wanting nothing to do with him (Buster), both Witwicky brothers harbored minor resentments toward Sparkplug during their adolescence. Buster still saw Sparkplug as a distant figure, despite his father showing far more interest in his son's interests after returning home following the oil rig attack in 1984. Spike saw his father as someone who singlehandedly crushed his dreams of become something more than a mechanic. The stable family environment did benefit Buster. Living in a stable home with a father who continuously encouraged his son's pursuits enabled Buster to prosper academically. He excelled in English, oftentimes surpassing Spike in reading comprehension despite being Spike's junior by five years. During his pre-teen and early-teen years, Buster relished opportunity to expose Spike's "average" intellectual abilities in front of friends and family. Feeling more and more overshadowed by Buster's accomplishments, Spike began to drift. He routinely daydreamed of helping the Autobots, going so far as to visit the Autobots when they were in a Seattle mall, only to have Bumblebee politely decline Spike's offer to join the Autobots and help them fight the Decepticons. Realizing he would most likely earn a living as a mechanic, he graduated high school with barely a B average and enrolled in technical school. During this time, Sparkplug routinely chastized Spike for his aimlessness. Sparkplug justified his actions by pointing to the fact that Spike may take over his business in the not-too-distant future. Sparkplug's brother, Ron, routinely admonished Sparkplug's treatment of Spike, saying that he and his school rarely focus and nurture "average" students because so much focus goes to either the over-achievers, or the troublemakers. Spike worked at his father's auto repair shop while in high school. For a few years, Spike cared little for the job, making common mistakes such as leaving the oil cap off of the engine during a routne oil change. As Spike moved into his early '20s, his resentment toward his father ebbed. He took on his duties with renewed vigor and by the time he was 21, he was second only to his father in mechanical abilities at Witwicky Auto. In 1995, Sparkplug suffered a major heart attack while at Witwicky Auto. While he made a full recovery, Spike took over general duties at Witwicky Auto, where he remains today. In 2011, Witwicky Auto was awarded Top Marks in Angie's List for places to service your vehicle and the company received its first A+ rating in the Better Business Bureau publication of Most Ethical Small Businesses - much to Sparkplug's delight. Elated that Witwicky Auto was well on its way of entering a second generation, Sparkplug retired (minus the few part-time shifts he continues to work), handing over full administrative duties to his son, Spike. In his 20s, Spike met a woman by the name of Angela Dylan at a bar. While far from the best place to meet someone, Spike and Angela hit it off. In 1996, the two were married and have since had three children: Susan (16), Olivia (14), and David (11). Angela works as an office manager for a hospital and occasionally takes a bartending shift to earn extra money. Between jobs and children, Angela and Spike practically have to schedule date nights. While the two are close, both secretly feel that an essential "spark" between them is missing. It could be because they just never were "quite" the soulmates each had hoped, or it could be that the two have put so much work into their jobs and their family that at the end of the day when it's just the two of them, both have practically nothing left to give one another. In 2016, Angela and Spike made a secret vow - that when their youngest child Olivia turned 18, they would amicably separate.
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