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“I don’t know what to do, Connie,” Karen said, sipping from her chocolate malted.
Sitting across from her, the hugely muscular woman also known as the superhero Brick shrugged her mighty shoulders. In her massive hand, the coffee cup looked like a tiny toy, but she managed to sip from it as daintily as if it were the finest china.
“I mean,” Karen continued, toying with her straw in the chocolate of her drink, “I’m sure she has a crush on me? I think. That is, it sure seems that way? And she’s cute and sweet and so smart, smarter than she thinks, even. And lately it’s been so great to see her happy, you know, after being so moody for so long after Tony broke up with her?”
Concretia, Connie to her friends, made an appreciative noise, a rumble, really, from deep in her chest.
“But what can I do? She’s way too young. I mean, I know it’s only four years and when I’m twenty five she’ll be twenty one and no one would even blink then, but right now I’m not twenty five and she’s definitely not twenty one and that means she’s a minor and even if it weren’t illegal it’s definitely immoral.”
Karen gave her malted one last sip then pushed it dejectedly to one side, slumping back in her booth bench and gazing forlornly out the window. It had begun to rain, and Karen sighed. As if on cue, Del Shannon’s “Rhythm of the Rain” began to play on the jukebox.
“Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain
Telling me just what a fool I've been
I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain
And let me be alone again…”
“But if she weren’t only fifteen… Would it be so wrong? I mean, how amazing would that be? Not just a girlfriend, but a super, too? Someone who can really understand what we’ve been through? Growing up super, having to hide our powers, having to hide ourselves, everything that makes us unique? Special? And she’s so great, I mean, so fun and funny and pretty… No. I can’t lead her on, or let her know that I might feel the same, even though I… I do feel the same. I have to be the responsible one. I’m nineteen, and she’s only fifteen. For both our sakes, I have to nip this in the bud. Even if it makes us both miserable.”
Connie’s slab-like hand reached across the table and covered Karen’s slender hand, patting it gently, drawing her attention away from the rain rippling down the diner’s window.
Karen smiled sadly at her friend, tears spilling down her cheeks. She sniffed.
“Thanks, Connie. You always know just what to say.”
Meanwhile, just outside of Municiberg, at the Parr residence, a light knock drew Helen Parr’s attention away from the report she was trying to finish. The superhero the world knew as Elasti-Girl said, “Just a second.”
Reading from her notes, she finished typing her sentence into the secret computer in her vanity night table, the letters appearing on the oval mirror. She logged out, flipped the hidden switch under the pot of concealer, and watched the tabletop flip away the keyboard and return to the vanity setting. She frowned at her notepad as she tossed it into the lockable drawer. If she’d ever thought she’d be using shorthand so much, she would have paid more attention to her classes in school.
It had been easier then, when all she wanted to do was save the world. Shorthand had been for the girls who wanted office jobs, but not for Helen. She wanted a life of adventure. Well, she’d certainly gotten that!
“Come in, Violet,” she called.
A pair of tan capris and a blue t-shirt opened the door timidly. “How’d you know it was me?”
“Dash and Jack-Jack don’t knock,” Helen answered with a wry smile. “Though Dash is getting better about it. You’re invisible, hon.”
“Oh.” Violet reappeared slowly, half her face hidden behind a fall of deep, dark, violet hair, so dark most people thought it was black. “That hasn’t happened in a while.”
It didn’t take Helen advanced mom training to know something was bothering her daughter. She moved to the bed and sat on the edge, patting beside her for Violet to join her. “What is it, sweetie?”
Violet took a deep breath and hooked her hair over her ear. “Mom… Have you ever known anyone who liked someone who was the same as them?”
Helen blinked. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Like… a guy who likes guys, or a girl who likes girls.” Violet had been staring at her hands, forcing herself to stay visible, even though she wanted nothing more than to disappear. Now she looked up at her mother, afraid of what her reaction might be.
But she needn’t have worried.
Though surprise registered on her mom’s face, it quickly gave way to a comforting smile. “Oh! Yes, sure!”
“Really?”
“Absolutely,” Helen said. “They aren’t as rare as you think. I know people don’t really talk about it all that much, but a lot changed since supers started showing up. Why worry about who wants to love who when your neighbor could turn into a giant tornado-woman or suddenly grow octopus arms? I mean, we’re pretty lucky that our powers didn’t change our looks - except for your hair, and Karen’s too come to think of it. Jack-Jack’s demon or metal or fire form could have been his only form, how would we have explained that to the general public? Like skin colors, people used to be bigoted against black people or Asians, but when there are blue or green or glowing pink people to attract the attention of bigots, well, at least black people and Asians are ‘normal’. At least that’s what they think. Me, I feel that what matters most is what a person does - are they a good person? But yes, I’ve known people who like - even loved - people like themselves.”
Violet thought about it for a while. No one had ever bugged her about her hair, probably because it looked black. But with a redhead and a blond as her parents, where did that black hair come from? No one had ever asked that, either. But when she had been in second grade, there had been a boy with shockingly green hair, and some of the other kids had teased him about it. Kids could be such jerks sometimes. But then something her mother had said sunk in.
“Wait, who?”
Helen looked away. “Well… Your Dad’s old friend, Gazerbeam, for one.”
“That guy Syndrome killed? He liked men?
“Yes, that guy Syndrome killed. He did. His boyfriend was very upset to find out what had happened to him. They were very much in love.”
“Oh. That’s really sad.”
“Yes, it was. And I’ve known other men and women who were that way.” Helen hesitated, they made a decision. “Well, you’re old enough to ask about it so you’re old enough to know. One time, during the War, my co-pilot and I were on a resupply run and we were shot down in the Pacific. A Japanese Zero came out of nowhere and tore us to shreds. We were the only ones of my crew to survive the crash. She and I spent three months on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, and… well, while we were there we were intimate with each other.”
“Oh. Um, Mom?”
“I thought it might be love, but when we were rescued and returned to duty, she acted like it had never happened. I don’t know why. But I respected her wishes and authorized it when she requested a transfer to a different crew. I never saw her again after that.”
“Oh,” Violet sighed with relief. “I thought you were going to go into detail.”
They shared an awkward laugh, then Helen asked, “I’m guessing you didn’t come in here to ask about my old War stories.”
“No…”
“I’m guessing you want to tell me something.”
Violet swallowed nervously and said, “There’s someone I like.”
“But it’s not a boy.”
“No.”
“Okay.”
Violet stared at her mother in disbelief. “That’s it? Okay?”
“Sweetie,” Helen said, reaching out to press a hand against Violet’s cheek. “I love you. Your father loves you. Nothing will ever change that. Not who you like or love, not who you decide to spend your life with. You’re a good person, Violet. And I know that anyone you like, is worth liking.”
“What about Tony? I liked him and it didn’t work out.”
“Just because we like people doesn’t mean we’ll be with them forever. I liked my co-pilot but she didn’t want more and she left. People will come and go in your life, you’ll see. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to meet the person of your dreams early, and maybe it will happen later. But whoever that person is, we will always love you.”
“Oh Mom,” Violet wailed, throwing herself into her mother’s arms, weeping.
“Shh, shh…” Helen said, patting Violet’s head and smoothing her hair. When had her little girl grown so big? Not a little girl any longer, not when she was coming to her mother with relationship problems. At least, if Violet wound up dating a girl, they wouldn’t have to have a talk about that new Pill everyone was suddenly taking. The idea that a woman could prevent pregnancy with just one pill a day seemed like something out of a science fiction movie to Helen.
She helped Violet dry her eyes and got her some tissues from her bedside table. “Now, this person… Does she know how you feel?”
Violet shook her head as she blew her nose.
“You should tell her.”
Suddenly the soiled tissue was floating in mid-air. Violet forced herself to reappear. “But what if she doesn’t feel the same way?”
“Well, sweetie, that is a risk you’ll have to take,” Helen said, standing, indicating with a tilt of her head that Violet should follow her. “But you owe it to yourself to be true to yourself, and your feelings.”
Violet followed her mother down to the kitchen, where Helen went to freezer and pulled out a tub of ice cream. She scooped some into two bowls, and they enjoyed the snack in silence. When they were done, Violet said, “Thanks Mom,” and hugged her mother.
“Thanks for what?” asked Dash, zipping into the room. “Hey how come I don’t get any ice cream?”
“The last thing you need is more sugar,” Helen said, handing her son an apple. Dash took it sullenly and began to eat it as Violet went back to her room. Soon ‘Be My Baby’ began to play…
“The night we met I knew I needed you so.
And if I had the chance I’d never let you go.
So won’t you say you love me?
I’ll make you so proud of me.
We’ll make them turn their heads, everywhere we go…”