All day long, my mind was on Meg and her poetry reading. I was so excited to get to talk to her again and hear what she’d been writing. Whenever I saw her, I could tell that she was searching for faces or voices that might match to mine, and I could tell that it drove her crazy.
I emptied my backpack and then put my costume in it. I texted Luke, “can you give me a ride into the city?” I got my reply quickly, “i’m outside.”
I walked past my dad in the kitchen, screaming orders into the phone to one of his employees. He didn’t see me walk out the door. Well, he never really saw me anyway.
Luke was outside in the Flukemobile, windows down and Blik 182 blaring. “Get in, Mike-Ro-Wave.” He popped open the door for me and I hopped in.
"Thanks for the ride,"I closed the door behind me.
"No worries," He pulled away from my house. "We fighting crime tonight?"
"Maybe after I go to the reading. I’ll text you guys." I hugged my bag to my chest. "You got any plans light?"
"I might see Bri," He smiled a little.
"Oh, yeah, how did Chris act towards you today?"
"I don’t think he knows yet, actually." He turned away from our neighborhood. The city was close, but still too far to walk.
'Well, good luck with that.”
Luke dropped me off in front of the cafe that the reading was at. Cafe Homage was pretty small. I went inside and ordered a coffee, then went to a little table near the back. There was a small stage with a stool where I guessed she was going to read.
Mina came out of the back with a tack of papers. She looked like she was scanning the crowd.
She sat down on the stool, “Hi, I’m Meg, I’m really excited to share some of my newest poetry with you all tonight.” Some of her poetry friends from school sat at the front tables.
"So, I guess I’ll just get started." She smiled.
Meg read a few deep poems about family, some about her past, and then she was already on her last poem. She was an amazing writer, and I was getting lost in her words.
"This last one I actually wrote today," She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "This one is called ‘Hero’.
The world is loud below.
But up,
It is quiet
Because we are alone.
He is a mystery,
But he still keeps me from falling.
And even though
I have never seen his face,
Or been able to place his name
With his beautiful personality,
He is my hero.
And mystery or not,
He saved me.
And he continues to save me every day.”
When she finished the poem, it looked like she’d snapped out of a trance, like she was no longer hypnotized by her own words. I had been still since the moment I’d heard the namer of the poem. She could put me under a spell just as good as Ashton would carry something heavy.
"Thank you," She said into the microphone, then left the stage fairly quickly and went ingot the back again. I bussed my table fat, then changed into my costume. I waited on top of the shop, behind the sign for her to come out (Weird, I know.)
She left soon after. As she stepped out the door, I swung down and landed in front of her on the pavement. “Oh my God!” She exclaimed, I’d obviously scared her.
"Sorry," I chuckled, a little embarrassed.
She enveloped me into a hug, “It’s okay. I’m glad you came.”
I put my arms around her then, “Me too.” I left my arm around her as we started walking.
"So, what are you taking me to do tonight?" She asked.
"Well, I actually have somewhere I want to take you." And that was true, I did, but I had no idea how I was going to pull it off. Because frankly, the only you could was if you were literally Spiderman.
"You do?" She looked surprised.
I nodded, and pulled out a strip of cloth I had tied around my belt. “And I’m blindfolding you until we get there.”
"That’s not how dates I’ve been on go, but I like it. It’s different." She let me tie it on her face.
"Date, eh?" I was glad she couldn’t see my cheeks getting red underneath my mask.
"Well, that’s what it feels like," She giggled.
"And I’m totally okay with that," I shot my electric rope just like Spiderman shot web. "Hold on tight."
She held onto me and I held onto her. We swung through the streets like Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. She kept gasping as we dropped, and then snuggling closer when I shot out another rope. And soon enough, we were at the top of the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Okay," I said to her. "You can take off the blindfold off now."
She took if off slowly, still in my arms. She handed it to me and then got closer, “Oh my God… This is so amazing.”
"Don’t worry," I rubbed her arm, "I won’t let you fall."
We sat down on the bridge next to each other, high up on the top beams.
"How did you like the reading?" She asked.
"You are an amazing writer. Better than Robert Frost or any of those schmucks." I replied.
"Schmucks?" She giggled. "He was an artist.”
"Well, you’re better. And ‘Hero’ was by far my favorite." I said. "Even though I wish that I knew who it was about."
She just laughed, “Actually, I think you know him.”
"I had a hunch."
She interlaced her fingers with mine and then put her head in the crook of my neck. We fit together like pieces of a puzzle. “Mike-Ro-Wave?”
"Yes, Meg." I smiled.
"I think I’m falling for you."
"But you don’t even know who I am."
"It doesn’t matter." She slid out of neck, "Please take off the mask."
"I don’t think I can," I said. "At least not yet."
"but how will I know who you are ever then?"
"You won’t, but some day you will."
And without warning, she kissed me. And I will admit, her kiss was my favorite kind.
