Spider-Man: Finding a New Home [Andrew Garfield]

16

16.

Change of Heart

Adalia

          The next morning, I woke up to my mother suffocating me with her embrace. At first I jolted upright, frightened by her cries of relief. Still half asleep, though, I return her warm embrace, feeling relaxed to wake up to an easier greeting than being yelled at for leaving the house without saying a word to my parents for two days. As I blink away my hazy, blurred vision, I scan my room for any sign of the boy who brought me home last night, but I don't. I glance at my window, which is closed, and I'm relieved to have come home safe and sound. Yesterday's events nearly killed me, and the thought of my death makes me hug my mother tighter. I tear up in her hold, and she senses me becoming upset. My mother pulls away from me, and wipes the lone tear cascading down my cheek.

She smiles at me, and with a bit of an accent, in English, she says, "I thought you were dead, mija."

I swallow the lump in my throat, then shake my head at her for believing such a thing. I cup her face with my hands, and with a smile, I say, "No, mamá, you can't get rid of me that easily."

Although she gives me a reproachful look for making a joke of my near death, she playfully rolls her eyes, and grips my hands that cup her face. My hands rest in her lap, and I've missed our healthy dynamic from before. For weeks, my relationship with my parents was strained for several reasons; my superhero identity was exposed to the world, my academic career took a turn for the worst, and my future, in their eyes, hadn't a hint of lasting success. There's a turn in the tide of our relationship. "That's not very funny, Adalia, I was scared for you. I was watching the news, and I saw you..."

I sit up straighter, then ask, "What? You saw me? On the news?"

"Sí," she says, with a gulp. "Tu papá changed the channels on the T.V., and we saw the breaking news. Aunt May... she passed away—que lástima. We saw you, Peter, Ned, MJ, y Doctor Strange. And they were saying there was a fight. We were scared for you."

I wonder what else they captured on camera. I had no idea we were being filmed. I did have a feeling, though, that the city wouldn't miss a chance to see Spider-Man in action. Peter tipped the Daily Bugle about the fight, and I should've known people would travel to see us.

"Then," says my mother. She pauses for a second, struggling to say what she saw. She grips my hands harder, and caresses her thumb against my skin. "We saw you... falling, and Peter tried to catch you, but someone took him away. I didn't want to watch the T.V. anymore, knowing that something bad was going to happen. But, your father, he was brave enough to keep watching, and he said someone saved you. Mija, please, tell me what happened."

I didn't want to tell her. I didn't want to tell her because she may get angry with me all over again. But I've put her through so much, and I can't keep lying to her. She needs to know. So, I tell her everything. I explain to her the day of my leave, I went straight to the Sanctum Sanctorum to meet Peter, and Doctor Stephen Strange. I tell her about the botched spell, which opened a sliver of the multiverse. I tell her about the visitors from other universes coming to our world—some good, some bad. I tell her about curing them, but mention the grave consequences: Aunt May died, I almost died, and the visitors, who have been cured, do not have a universe to go back to.

To my surprise, I don't see any sign of anger, or disappointment on my mother's face. Instead, a smile forms. "Listen," she says, "I'm sorry for thinking that you being a superhero was bad. I still think it's dangerous, but I know you can handle yourself. And, I want you to know that I'll support you every step of the way. We're proud of you for sticking to what you believe is best for you. Oh, and one more thing, the administrators from MIT and Juilliard called, and they're reconsidering you to get into school."