“So that’s what you wanted to show me?”
“Yes, Bonnie. I have a point. This is about you. You don’t have to be perfect at everything to be special to me.
“Look Bonnie, Everyone we know thinks you’re a goofball. That’s your persona. But I know you better. There’s much, much more to you than that. You are a perfectionist, even a control freak. I love you for both of those things. And I get it too. You would be. It’s why you don’t fit in. You can do things that nobody else can, amazing things, impossible things. It frustrates you to no end that you can’t be yourself around people. But inside, you have a need to do something else that you can’t do around others. There’s a huge vitality inside you that is dying to get out.
“That’s you, and I love you for that. But even you can’t do everything. Even you have weak spots. And I love you for that too. It’s all you. All you have to do is be my friend. We can talk about guys, movies, farting, whatever! No matter what, you are my best friend. That’s whether you succeed or fail.”
Bonnie’s eyes and mouth were wide open in an expression of complete shock. Lisa had not explicitly broken the taboo, but there was no escape from the suggestion. For a few seconds, there was a deafening and unbreakable silence.
Then they heard the news break in on the TV from Betty’s room. There was a fire in an 80-story building in midtown. An unknown number of people were trapped on the top floor. Ms. Infinity was obviously about to go into action. Shaking her head, Lisa felt there was little choice but to make an excuse for Bonnie.
“Damnit, Bonnie!” shouted Lisa, in a voice that could hardly contain her disappointment, “Go to the bathroom already! I can’t take it when you just let them out like that…”
“Stop,” said Bonnie. She got up, and motioned for Lisa to get up, then she hugged her warmly. “Thank you, Lisa.”
Pulling away, Bonnie started to transform. “I’m sorry if I’ve closed myself off to you. You’ve been on to me for a long time.”
It was a strange thing to behold. Bonnie’s body and clothes were morphing before Lisa’s eyes—even her voice was changing, but she continued talking as casually as if she were changing clothes in the locker room.
“I guess this thing is just a lot of baggage for me,” continued Bonnie, “I like to forget about it when I’m with you, but I guess that isn’t fair to you.”
“I’m your best friend,” said Lisa, “I’ll help you share the burden.”
Bonnie was now fully transformed into Ms. Infinity. “I would love that. I have to go. Could you please stay here? I should be back in a little while. We have a lot to talk about.”
“Of course I will.”
Ms. Infinity stepped into her closet, where she had an escape hatch built in. “You know Lisa,” she said, “I meant it when I said that you’re my hero.”
“That’s sweet, but really…”
“No. You really are. You’ve done something I only wish I could have done.”
“And what’s that?”
“Lisa, you have overthrown a tyrant! You have no idea how much that means to me. Look, I have to go, but we’ll talk when I get back.”
Ms. Infinity flew into the sky. She felt a tremendous sense of relief, and hope for the future. Now she had not only her mother, but also a boyfriend and her best friend fully in the loop. For the first time in her life, she felt that she really had people she could trust. And within her small circle, there was at last a place where she truly belonged, and it felt wonderful.
“Wow,” said Lisa to herself, “Those boots are awesome! She has to hook me up.”
“I heard,” said Betty as she approached from the stairs.
“Of course you did. You hear like everything.”
“I know Lisa. I’m sorry too. I used you to spy, and that was wrong. There is nothing worse than an abuse of power.”
“Well, it’s nothing worse than my own parents would have done. By the way, don’t think I don’t know when you’re active, Guerrilla Public Servant. I know that was you getting Denny arrested.”
“Can’t hide from you, Lisa.”
“I can only wonder what part you might have played this last week or so. I mean, I can guess at what I was around for…”
“Lisa! What fun is it being an invisible hand when you’re exposed?”
“Well, at least spill on the Denny thing. What was it this time? Super senses? Shape shifting?”
“Dear Lisa, I do not give away my trade secrets. I’ve been at this far longer than you know.”
“Yeah Mrs. B. So long you can’t stop. I didn’t even need you. I had this one.”
“Forgive me for overstepping. My daughter was out of town, and I needed a hero to shadow.”
“Wow. When you put it that way.”
“Here, Lisa. I’ll put on the news. Let’s watch Ms. Infinity’s latest adventure.”
“And you’re not joining her?”
“You know it’s killing me, right?”
“Aw Mrs. B, you know she can handle this.”
On the TV, they watched their girl in action. She did not disappoint. She flew into the building faster than the cameras could catch her. She had everyone saved almost instantly. It was a dizzying scene. One by one, each person appeared on the sidewalk by the emergency crew, with Ms. Infinity showing up briefly each time as a blur. It was perhaps thirty seconds before all of the nearly two hundred people were rescued. Then the fire was put out seconds later. It was hard to tell how, but it seemed like she must have sucked up the air from the building with her super breath.
As the crowd looked on, there was confusion, but much gratitude. Before long, there was thunderous applause. Yet Ms. Infinity did not stay for an interview. She had a more important engagement. But before she flew away, she faced a line of cameras. With a smile and a wave, she called her tag line, Never forget the power you have inside you!
Ms. Infinity
Bonnie Boring
Lisa Lin
Hal Holstein
Professor Betty Boring
Misery
Ms. Infinity (Book 1): Earth's Greatest Hero Page 31
