Bonnie was open-mouthed with excitement. “Lisa,” she exclaimed, “That is amazing!”
“Well, I don’t know…”
“Lisa! You are my hero! You are the queen!”
“Thanks Bonnie,” said Lisa blushing.
“C’mon Lisa, give us a celebratory burp!”
“Is she going to need to chug some soda first?” asked Julia. But before Julia even finished asking that question, Lisa let out a belch so loud and resonant, it seemed you could hear it from the other side of the store.
“I told you she’s my hero,” said Bonnie.
Some distance away, Maria and Nadine were watching the conversation. “Yeah,” said Nadine, “Lisa’s a nice girl.”
“Definitely the best of that group of kids,” agreed Maria.
“Does she realize we saved her butt?”
“Nah. I doubt it. But obviously we did. Great that she did what she did, but it wasn’t enough. After that stunt, she was just going to get herself fired. Denny would probably have gotten away with everything too. You know it worked because we stuck together. You get that, right? That’s what we need here.”
“I know, Maria. I know. I get it, okay? Look, now that it’s over, I’m glad Denny’s gone, but I still have big problems here. Same ol’, same ol’.”
Maria looked at Nadine sidelong. “Who says it’s over?”
Bonnie and Hal’s new relationship was quick gossip for their friends and acquaintances throughout the store. Soon neither one of them could go long without being asked about it. Hal got a particularly hard reception from Teddy.
“What the hell,” he sneered, “Bonnie? I mean, she’s gonna bust you left and right. You can’t be for real.”
“Of course I’m ‘for real’ Teddy, and I really like her.”
“She’s gonna weigh you down. You’re gonna be the one following her everywhere. I see how she bosses you around. If you’re not careful, that’s gonna be for life. C’mon, let’s go out cruising after work, and we’ll find some real babes.”
“You know what? I’m alright. Can you please leave this alone?”
“Alright Hal, your funeral.”
Ahmed had been listening to the conversation, and spoke to Hal after Teddy left. “Don’t worry, man. That guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Bonnie’s a nice girl. I see it. She’s the kind who will look out for you. That Teddy is just immature. One day, maybe he’ll find the right girl, and then he’ll get it.”
Hal then noticed a ring on Ahmed’s finger. “Wait Ahmed, are you married?”
“Sixteen years, with three kids. I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”
“Wow. You’re often here late.”
“I wish I didn’t have to be. I’m a teacher. It’s not exactly paying all the bills. Three kids means a lot of expenses, you know. But that’s what makes this life matter. When you have people who depend on you, whether you’re working a job, or you’re with the kids, or you’re doing the housework, then you know that you mean something. You know, that’s what life’s about.” Then noticing a customer at his register, Ahmed waved and returned to work.
Hal smiled. In no way was he feeling “weighed down.” He was just back from adventures that no other human being could claim. Thanks to Bonnie, he had been to places in outer space far outside human experience. He had also made the video of a lifetime, a unique and exciting piece of work depicting a superhuman battle in space. He had also learned about and experienced dimensional planes that other humans had never guessed existed. Indeed he had even learned enough to operate a spaceship with this knowledge. The mission had nearly demanded the ultimate sacrifice, and he could truly say that he had been ready to give it. He had also contributed to solving a major intergalactic crisis. Hal Holstein was no minor part of the effort to save the Earth. And if hardly anyone knew any of these things, he was fine with that.
And even if they did know, could they really understand? Maybe the likes of Teddy would object to his being behind a female leader, but so what? It was plain to him that he was better off for it in countless ways. He knew a universe that was bigger, stranger, and far more complex than he had ever imagined. He felt braver, wiser, stronger, and altogether greater than he ever had in his life. The possibilities for the future had never seemed more endless. And he was just getting started!
Lisa was particularly welcoming of Bonnie’s new relationship. “Congratulations,” she said to Bonnie, “You two are awesome together. It’s about time you finally did something besides giving him attitude.”
“Funny.”
“Actually I thought that was a pretty weak joke.”
“No Lisa. That’s not what I mean. It’s my mom. She’s still on full-out helicopter mode. Somehow she knew I was steady with Hal before I told her. She managed to figure out where I was and what I was doing with him. Whatever she could be doing now to spy on me, I can’t even imagine.”
“Yeah,” answered Lisa, “I wonder…”
Lisa tried desperately to keep her face from showing her guilt. She had not meant to be a “spy.” In her own mind, she was helping Bonnie’s mother watch out for her. But now that she thought of it, spying was exactly what it was.
Meanwhile, Lisa could not help but feel slighted by something else. It was not hard to put two and two together, and see that Bonnie had now told Hal her secret identity. That made sense, sure. But she had only known him for about a year, and their relationship was just beginning. Lisa had been friends with Bonnie for well over a decade. How could she not trust her best friend?
Lisa was Bonnie’s first friend on Earth. When they first met, Bonnie said her name, and then burped, just as if it was part of the sentence. Lisa loved that, and soon after, she taught Bonnie how to “burp talk.” Since neither had siblings, Bonnie and Lisa were now effectively the sisters that each didn’t have. Over thirteen years and many ups and downs, there was plenty of time for Lisa to discover that her friend was different. It was subtle. She spoke and acted perfectly human, but she was peculiar, in ways that were much more profound than the average “misfit.”
For one thing, in the beginning Bonnie was surprised by some very basic things about the culture. This might not have been so remarkable for an immigrant; Lisa was told that they had come from an obscure country called Merkaz. (Years later, Hal would notice that the word was Hebrew for “Center.”) But Bonnie and Betty spoke like native New Yorkers. Something wasn’t adding up.
Yet the situation had a way of endearing Bonnie to her. A particularly strange and beautiful moment came when she was over Bonnie’s house and the subject of religion came up. Bonnie was completely shocked by the simple fact that there was more than one of them on Earth, and that there was freedom to choose between them, or to choose none at all. At first Lisa thought she was joking, but slowly it became clear that this was very real. As the realization sank in, it was clear that Bonnie was not only fascinated but also deeply moved. Lisa could not help but be strongly affected in turn.
For her part, Lisa was always tolerant and understanding, and Bonnie was more trusting as a result. While Bonnie never exactly told her anything, she did trust her enough to confide her feelings. Nonetheless, it became more and more clear over time that she was holding a lot of things back.
Bonnie also had a horrible time fitting in. There was nothing wrong with her. She was highly intelligent, and obviously good-hearted. Yet somehow, she could not translate it to finding her place among the crowd. She was just too strange, too offbeat, and always seemed to miss the crucial social cues. And yet, this was fine with Lisa, since she was something of an outcast herself. Bonnie was equally understanding of Lisa’s quirks, and her many awkward moments. So effectively the two became self-contained “crowd” of their own.
After some time, Lisa began to notice subtle signs of Bonnie’s powers. She clearly saw and heard things that other people didn’t, and performed feats of strength easily that were very difficult for everyone else—indeed she was clearly holding b
ack. Gym class was a particular case. Lisa would often notice her struggling to keep her feats from superhuman levels. It was clear that this was torture for her, so Lisa did all she could to cover for her friend. There were also a couple of times when she could tell that Bonnie and Betty were speaking to each other when they weren’t even talking. She assumed at this point that they were able to communicate psychically. Together, these things made her wonder about Bonnie’s obsessive comic book habit.
Yet if any one thing made Bonnie stand out, it was the rare instances when she couldn’t do something better than everyone else. Bonnie took these things very hard. She would become extremely upset and even angry. Lisa would have to isolate her from everyone else to talk her down. Besides singing, music in general was an area Bonnie had no particular proficiency in. Her dancing wasn’t spectacular either. Her dance with Hal aboard the ship had seemed impressive due to her flying; her powers had effectively served as a cover up. There was also cooking, though that seemed to be not so much incapability as complete disinterest on Bonnie’s part. But above all, schoolwork was her bane.
Numerous times, Bonnie was on the verge of dropping out. Yet Lisa had a remarkable way of both listening and talking to her. She was patient and understanding, but also brutally honest. Even if Bonnie was having a terrible time, Lisa would remind her that her problems were not worse than others’. She would also remind her that she was obviously very intelligent, so she had no excuse. And not finishing high school would be fatal to her future. It was times like these that showed Betty that Lisa could be trusted. It frustrated her that Bonnie didn’t trust her more.
Things took a particularly strange turn soon after they began working together at The Big Box. One day, Bonnie came home from Comic Con beaming like someone who had just won the lottery. She had clearly had the time of her life, but her expression seemed to convey more than could be explained by that alone. She seemed a little like someone who had fallen in love, but Lisa figured it wasn’t that; Bonnie would have told her of that anyway. It was almost like she had just found religion, or otherwise found a new direction, yet Bonnie could not explain how. She was also wearing a ridiculous costume, but significantly, she was completely comfortable; she almost seemed to wear it like a second skin. At the time, Lisa more or less took it as another of Bonnie’s quirks. But then, just days later, a certain superhero appeared on the scene.
Lisa actually got the same introduction to Ms. Infinity as Hal; she saw her on the news the day that she rescued the school bus. Yet she watched this and her other media appearances carefully. To all obvious appearances, she was a different person with a different body and a more assertive persona. Yet when she watched closely, there was something distinctly familiar about her. When she spoke for any length of time, her mannerisms were distinctly the same as Bonnie, unmistakably so. After a few such appearances, she was sure of it. Bonnie was Ms. Infinity.
For a time, Lisa felt some anger at this discovery. She had known something of Bonnie’s powers, but nothing like this. She could not but feel hurt. Her best friend was a full-out magical superhuman, but had never shared this with her. When she thought about it, the thing that got to her the most was the shape shifting. Lisa hated how she looked, and wished she could change herself as easily as that. Yet before long, these feelings subsided. She also understood that Bonnie faced some unique struggles.
Besides her troubles fitting in, there was also the matter of Bonnie’s past. Neither Bonnie nor Betty told much of anything directly, but there were some telling clues. For one thing, there were things that both Boring women would say that would unwittingly tell the story. They had strange fascinations, as well as unusual fears. Conversations with them could turn to such dark topics as military juntas, families lost to cruel military officers, imprisonment, dangerous refuges, and most darkly of all, tales of children who have had to escape their own fathers. These might not have been proof of anything, however the constant repetition of these themes made for compelling evidence. The stories also made for a convincing explanation for Bonnie’s missing father. Indeed it seemed consistent with other evidence. After all, Bonnie was terrified of domineering men. Denny was hardly the first case she had seen. There had been teachers, school administrators, and others who could easily reduce her to tears.
In the nearly two years since the appearance of Bonnie’s alter-ego, Lisa had tried and tried to get her friend to come out to her, using subtle and not-so-subtle hints. Bonnie seemed to have a mental block about it. However, “Mrs. B” soon caught on. One day, she took Lisa aside, and told her the truth, their powers, their extraterrestrial origin, and Bonnie’s alter ego. “I’m glad you figured it out,” she said, “She needs someone to keep an eye on her, and keep her from getting a swelled head.” Lisa promised to keep Bonnie’s secret better than she did. That seemed to her to be setting the bar relatively low.
For her part, Betty was extremely grateful for Lisa’s help. For many long years, she alone had been faced with the task of looking out for her daughter, from the hostile environment of Center, to the safer, but still complicated situation on Earth. For the first time, there was a trustworthy person who cared about Bonnie nearly as much as she did. And so together, they would effectively become Ms. Infinity’s unacknowledged rear guard. Typically Lisa would alert Betty (usually by text) when Bonnie ran off to transform, and then cover for her disappearances at work or elsewhere. Betty would then appear invisibly on the scene, providing extra strength or other incidental help. In some cases, one or both of them saved her secret identity from her own carelessness.
Lisa was also a willing ear for the rare moments when Betty opened up about her past. She wouldn’t tell anything personal, but she did love to discuss the world they came from. At times, she went into some detail about their heritage, including their religion, language, and philosophy. Lisa was fascinated with tales of a culture on a far distant planet. Meanwhile Betty had someone on Earth who listened with an open mind to the things that her daughter refused to hear.
Yet that communication with “Mrs. B” was now proving to be one secret too many. Lisa had decided that she’d had enough. It was time to come clean.
That night, Lisa stayed over Bonnie’s house. After ordering in for dinner, they watched movies in Bonnie’s room. Lisa laughed at Bonnie for some of her choices, a few of which were surprisingly old.
“My Best Friend’s Wedding, really?” laughed Lisa, “This is almost as old as we are!”
“I like it,” said Bonnie, “I’ve caught my mom watching it late night. C’mon, give it a chance.”
“Alright, Bonnie. Maybe for a little while.”
“Thank you. Lisa, there’s something I’ve been dying to tell you. I can’t keep this to myself anymore. It’s been building up for a long time. I’m finally going to say it out loud.”
“Really?”
“Lisa, I’m finally going to do it. I’m going back to school!”
“Oh.”
“You’re the very first person I’ve told. Hal doesn’t know. Not even my mom knows, unless she read my mind or something. I’m looking at applications for a few different schools. I’ve decided to go for my Bachelors in Social Work. Then, maybe even my Masters. Who knows?”
“Thank you for telling me, Bonnie. That does mean a lot. I think social work is right up your alley. You are all about the public interest. In fact, I’m pretty sure that you of all people could attack any of the world’s problems.”
“Oh I don’t know about that.”
Lisa was silent. This wasn’t the time yet.
“What do you see in this old thing?” snickered Lisa, “I don’t even know why you would sympathize with the lead?”
“Maybe not,” said Bonnie, “But it’s fun watching her screw up. It’s liberating to watch her just do what she feels like. You know, she’s a regular girl like me.”
As ironic as that line might have sounded, Lisa understood it. It wasn’t an effort at disguise. Bonnie really thought of hersel
f that way, and Lisa figured that she had as much right as anyone to such thoughts. Still, it was always time for both friends to pick on each other.
“You mean a crazy weird girl like you!” said Lisa.
“Beats a smelly butt like yours!” said Bonnie.
“Yours smells worse!”
“I just smelled yours. It’s worse!”
“Maybe, but you have B.O.!”
“Yeah, you win,” conceded Bonnie, “I got that one locked up. And I’m proud of it too.”
“Wait a minute,” said Lisa, “I know why you like this movie. It’s the scene where Cameron Diaz tries to sing karaoke. This is probably the only movie where someone sings worse than you.”
Bonnie’s face suddenly went sullen. She sat down and put her face in her hands. “Thanks a lot, Lisa.”
“Come on,” said Lisa, “This can’t still be getting to you. So what? I’m just trying to ride you. You can pick on me for a hundred other things.”
“This isn’t funny to me.”
“Unbelievable! If I got this upset every time I couldn’t do something, I’d never survive the day.”
“Whatever.”
“Bonnie, can I just get on your computer? I want to show you something.”
“Fine.”
“Here Bonnie,” said Lisa as she fiddled with Bonnie’s computer, “I wanted to show you this woman’s You Tube page. This woman does this little cooking show online. Now she’s not the world’s greatest chef, and she’s never claimed to be. Some of the things she cooks are kind of hard. Some aren’t even that. But she’s lots and lots of fun. She loves to crack jokes, especially at her own expense. I absolutely love her show. I’ve seen every single episode.”
Ms. Infinity (Book 1): Earth's Greatest Hero Page 30
