“Hmmm. That’s a hard one. I’d have to think about it. What about you? Who would you be?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be Spiderman, because no one would know it was me, and I would want the glory. I wouldn’t be Batman, because he doesn’t have any real abilities; he just has cool gadgets. I think I identify most with Superman. Everyone underestimates him, thinks he’s nothing but nerdy Clark Kent, and then Wham! He’s flyin’ around savin’ shit.”
Maggie laughed, and they sat reflecting on the various pros and cons of being this or that super hero.
“Okay. So you don’t know which super hero you’d be. But what if you could pick any power, like mind-reading or seeing the future or…”
“The ability to eat whatever I wanted and never get fat?” Maggie cut it.
“That’s such a girl thing to say. NO! You have to pick a genuine super power. I’ve got the ‘never get fat’ one already, and it ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, trust me.”
“Such a typical boy thing to say.”
“Come on, Mags! What would it be?”
“I would love to be able to fly…but what good what that do me, really? I guess I’d save on gas, or maybe I could fly to New York, but then I’d have to carry my bags….”
“Mags! Focus. This is serious.” Shad looked very perturbed.
“It is?” Maggie was a little surprised at his intensity. “Okay. I guess I would wish….to stop time, or even better, to time travel.” Then she could go back and stop Johnny from ever going into the school that terrible night, and she would just stay in the fifties with him. She and Irene could be young together, and she would never let her marry Roger.
“That’d be cool….” Shad nodded thoughtfully. “‘Course, I’m a black man, you know, and the farther you go back in time, the worse it gets for us. I think I’ll stay right here.”
“So what would your pick be? Super strength, right? No… super speed!”
Shad shook his head soberly at both of her guesses. “Nope. I think I may have those already, too.” Maggie elbowed him in his skinny ribs, and he giggled like the old Shad.
“So what would it be?”
“Sometimes…I just wish I could disappear.” Shad said quietly, all traces of laughter gone from his voice.
Maggie was stunned into silence.
Shad continued, a faraway look stealing across his face. “Then I could come and go as I please. Nobody could ever stop me or tell me I don’t belong. I could walk in to any restaurant,” Shad started ticking things off on his fingers, “any night club, movie set, NFL game, NBA game, airplane, or country in the world, and nobody would be the wiser. Complete freedom, Mags. I wouldn’t have to have money or things. I would just take what I needed. I wouldn’t be greedy or take from people who couldn’t afford it.”
“That’s not freedom. “ Maggie thought of Johnny, with all his mind-blowing abilities and absolutely no freedom. “Being invisible would come with a lot of difficulties and limitations. What about when you fell in love, or got tired of being invisible and wanted good conversation or a friend, but nobody knew you existed?”
“Heck, Maggie. Nobody knows I exist now! The only time anybody notices me is when they want somebody to pick on or embarrass.”
Maggie sighed, understanding completely.
“Maybe invisibility isn’t what I’d choose,’” Shad said, reconsidering. “Maybe I would just wish to be somebody else – like…maybe, I could pick a life and just jump in. Do you think Kobe or LeBron would mind me taking over their life?”
“Probably…and I would miss you.”
“Really…you would?” Shad’s voice was so hopeful, it made Maggie ache.
“Yes Shad, I would. Why don’t you just make your life the best it can be? There are so many possibilities out there. You live in a great country, you are healthy, young, smart – heck, you already have super speed and super strength.” Maggie grinned at Shad. “Nothing is holding you back. Why would you want to disappear or be anyone else?”
“Because…then….maybe you would love me the way I love you.”
Not this again! Striving for patience, Maggie chose her words very carefully.
“I do love you, Shad. But you’re fourteen, and you have a lot of life ahead of you before you need to shackle yourself to one woman. You’re probably going to fall in love a million times. Someday, someone is definitely going to fall head over heels in love with you, Shadrach Jasper, and then you won’t want to trade places with anyone else. You won’t even remember me, then. It will be like I just disappeared.”
Shad stood up abruptly, making the swing shake from side to side. Maggie let out a surprised “eek!” and gripped the chains supporting the swing to prevent herself from being dumped on the porch. Shad looked down at her, his expression fierce and his voice vehement. He shook his scrawny finger in her face as he scolded her.
Slow Dance in Purgatory
Amy Harmon's books
- Slow No Wake
- Dance Upon the Air
- Dance With Me
- Tap Dance (Dance Series)
- THE BILLIONAIRE’S DANCE(Billionaire Bachelors Book_Two)
- Carnal Innocence
- Holding the Dream
- Sacred Sins
- Illusion(The Vampire Destiny Book 2)
- Fated(The Vampire Destiny Book 1)
- Midnight rainbow(Rescues (Kell Sabin) series #1)
- Loving Evangeline(Patterson-Cannon Family series #1)
- A Changing Land
- A Clandestine Corporate Affair
- A Daring Liaison
- At Last (The Idle Point, Maine Stories)
- An Inheritance of Shame
- A Wedding In Springtime
- Anything but Vanilla
- Anything for Her
- Anything You Can Do
- Awakening Book One of the Trust Series
- An Unsinkable Love
- Barefoot in the Sun (Barefoot Bay)
- Beauty in Breeches
- Behind the Courtesan
- Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager
- Bewitching You
- Bidding Wars (Love Strikes)
- Breaking the Rules
- Breaking Her Rules
- Bluffing the Devil
- Captain Durant's Countess
- Chasing Shadows
- Chasing the Sunset
- Cheapskate in Love
- Checking It Twice
- Cinderella and the Sheikh
- Cinderella in Overalls
- Cinderella in Skates
- Covered In Lace
- Confessing to the Cowboy
- Daddy in the Making
- Destined to Change
- Destiny's Embrace
- Dicing with the Dangerous Lord
- Driving Her Crazy
- Ein Mann fur alle Lagen
- Emancipating Andie
- Falling for Heaven (Four Winds)
- Falling for Jack (Falling In Love)
- Falling into Forever (Falling into You)
- Finally Found
- Find Wonder in All Things
- Galveston Between Wind and Water
- Getting Real
- Guarding the Princess
- Heartstrings (A Rock Star Romance Novel)
- Hummingbird Lake
- In the Market for Love
- In the Rancher's Arms
- Inspire
- Intaglio Dragons All The Way Down
- Into This River I Drown
- Keeping Secrets in Seattle
- King Cobra (Hot Rods)
- Kissing Under the Mistletoe
- Lightning and Lace
- Living London
- Lost in You
- Loving Again
- Marriage in Name Only
- Midnight Special Coming on Strong
- Mountain Moonlight
- Murder in the Smokies
- Coming On Strong
- Northern Rebel Daring in the Dark
- NYC Angels Flirting with Danger
- Once Again a Bride
- Passing as Elias
- Platinum (Facets of Passion)
- Playing at Forever
- Playing Patience
- Prince of Wolves
- Princess in the Iron Mask
- Quinn's Undying Rose
- Racing for Freedom
- Reflection Point
- Rocky Mountain Lawman
- Roses in Moonlight
- Running Barefoot
- Searching For Treasure
- Selling Scarlett
- She's Having the Boss's Baby
- Sins and Scarlet Lace
- Sins of a Ruthless Rogue
- Something of a Kind
- Splintered Memory
- Stealing Home
- Straddling the Line