“Oh,” said Lisa.
“Please, honey. I need to know the truth.”
“Honestly, Mrs. B, she’s mostly good….”
“Good with everything?”
“Well… I’ve seen her mess up protocol from time to time.”
“By accident? On purpose?”
“Well, you see… She does most things right, but when she thinks something isn’t necessary, she’s reluctant to do it. Like, she doesn’t really like to use the right greeting.”
“She doesn’t?”
“Well it is a little stupid. You’ve heard it, right? ‘From the world to your block at The Big Box.’”
“But it’s required. So she refuses to use it?”
“She’ll do it if they remind her.”
“No. Not good enough. Another thing, dear. I know how she can be presumptuous too. I hope she isn’t overstepping her boundaries. Does she ever step on anyone’s feet?”
“Well no, Mrs. B. I wouldn’t say that. She’s respectful with her coworkers. I mean, she’s a wiseass like always, but no worse.”
“Good,” said Betty, “That’s good to hear.”
“There’s one thing,” said Lisa, “She needs to be more careful.”
“How so?”
“Well, Mrs. B, there’s one more thing about that incident with the man with the M-80….”
“Yes dear?”
“The thing is, Mrs. B, I had to wonder about it. It was just too much of a coincidence. It was weird how the device just fell out of the guy’s sleeve at just the right moment, right in front of the guard. And I talked to Bonnie afterwards…”
“I see,” said Betty, her face showing concern.
“Look,” said Lisa, picking up on Betty’s expression, “I’m sorry. I’m silly about this. I don’t even know…You know what? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“Lisa honey!” said Betty, smiling as calmly as she could, “It’s alright. Thank you for telling me.”
“I didn’t mean anything like…”
“Lisa?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you, honey. That’s all.”
“Alright, Mrs. B.”
Betty put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder. “Remember, you are family to us. We trust you. You can always tell me things like that. Thank you, dear.”
“You know what, Mrs. B? She’s doing great. I’ve never seen her have this easy a time making friends. My mom’s friend’s kid Julia is there now too, and she’s a chatterbox, but she and Bonnie are getting on great. I always see them laughing about nothing.”
“That’s great to hear. Lisa, I thank you always for watching out for Bonnie.”
“No problem, Mrs. B. So…I have a date…”
“Good for you, dear! Have fun!”
After Lisa left, Bonnie and Betty cleaned up after dinner. Betty was washing while Bonnie handed her dishes from the table, at least while she remembered to do so. As often as not, Betty simply fetched things herself. All the while, they spoke heatedly.
“Bonnie dear,” said Betty, “Please. I want more than anything for you to be happy, but I have reasons to be concerned.”
“Mom, really?” said Bonnie, “Is there anything you think I can’t handle?”
“Honey, I don’t think you understand my priorities. It’s great you’ve been protecting the place…”
“You should’ve seen it, Mom! I stopped this guy right in his tracks!”
“Now Bonnie, I hope you understand what’s important here…”
“I promise. Nobody knows it was me.”
“It’s not about that,” said Betty, “It’s other things. For one thing, you need to follow orders.”
“Alright,” said Bonnie, “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about…”
“But it has everything to do with this!” said Betty, “Before you go traipsing around in a costume being super, I want to be certain that you don’t get a swelled head. You are still responsible for your actions, just like everyone else. That means following orders at your job, even things that might seem small, like a greeting.”
“So, what is it that…Wait! What’s going on? Are you like, invisible, watching me from the ceiling?”
“I have my ways, dear. Bonnie, do you understand why this seems frivolous to me? I like your comic books too, but really…”
Bonnie looked at her mother in disgust. She closed her eyes and took a slow breath before continuing, as if trying to prevent herself from speaking crossly. “And do you understand that this is not just fiction for me? I have just had a breakthrough, a pivotal life-changing experience.”
“Bonnie, you went to Comic Con!”
“Go ahead and laugh, but that person in the costume was me, more me than I’ve ever been before. That’s what I can bring to the world.”
“And what is that supposed to do for me? What kind of career choice is this? Do you make money as a superhero?”
“It’s something I have to do!”
“And why?” said Betty, “Why do you have to do it?”
“Mom!” shouted Bonnie, “Damnit! Doesn’t this get through to you? I stick out like a sore thumb! I’m a freak!”
Bonnie stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room. She sat down on the couch and began to sulk. Betty turned off the sink and followed her.
“Honey,” said Betty, “may I sit down next to you?”
“Why not?” said Bonnie, “We can both be freaks together.”
“Now, Bonnie,” said Betty as she sat down, “I wish you wouldn’t say that. You are not a freak. You are a lovely young woman. I’m not the only person who thinks so either. You have some nice friends.”
“Sure,” said Bonnie, now turning to her mother with a pained look on her face, “Sure, I have friends, but you know as well me, I’m not like them. I’m not even human!”
“My baby, I really don’t think that should bother you. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a technicality.”
“You know,” said Bonnie, “They might not think so if they knew who we really were, or saw what we’re capable of! We’re not of this world. We have powers, lots of them! We’re many, many times stronger than the strongest human being. We can fly. And that’s the least of it! I’m sorry. You know how hard it is, having to hide who I really am. Even Lisa has no idea of my powers…”
“About that, Bonnie, I wouldn’t be so sure…”
“…And it kills me. I love Lisa like a sister. She’s like a superhero without a cape. You know what I mean, right? She’s incorruptible. I almost want to call her my girl crush, but that’s not exactly right. I know we’re the same age, but it’s like I want to be like her when I grow up. But that’s also the problem. We think of each other as equals, but we’re not the same.
“I remember what it was like being persecuted because I was a powerful girl. I still have nightmares about it. I feel like kissing the ground here every day because it’s over. But in a way, it’s not over. I’m sorry. Hiding who I am only makes it worse. There’s something inside of me that’s bursting, just dying to come out! I don’t want to be ashamed of my powers anymore. I want to live it!
“Mom, you’ve always instilled in me a concern for justice, and you always believed I would find a use for my powers here on Earth. I believe that this time has come. Tonight, I got a first-hand taste of what that Johnny Gunn is doing to our city. This is supposed to be the land of the free, where all are created equal. I’m not standing by and watching this turn into the place we came from.”
“Bonnie, do you really think the answer is turning into a superhero? If you’re performing superhuman acts in disguise, then you’re not personally taking responsibility for them. Do you understand why that thought concerns me?”
“Mom! Do you really think I would…?”
“Bonnie, I know you are pure of heart, but you must be very careful about the privileges you grab for yourself. Do not ever, ever think yourself better than everyone else!”
“I know. You say
that all the time.”
“Right! Because I never want to see you subject anyone else to what you experienced. Remember, the people around you are important too. The best thing you can do is help them see the power they have inside, but certainly don’t forget it yourself.”
“You know something?” said Bonnie, “I actually really like that. I think there’s a tag line in there. ‘Never forget the power you have inside you.’”
“Just don’t let it become an empty slogan. Look, if it means this much to you, then I will think about this seriously. But if you want my confidence, it would help if you thought about how you do your job. Respect others around you. Listen to everything your supervisor says. Show your customers respect too.”
“Oh yeah. There was a cute guy there today. I never got to introduce myself.”
“Not what I meant. Look honey. We can’t talk too much longer, it’s a holiday…”
“Holiday?” cackled Bonnie, “The Fourth of July passed.”
“No dear,” said Betty, “I’ve been consulting the star charts. It’s the Eve of Empowerment. I hope you will celebrate with me…”
“Forget it! I don’t want to know of any of that voodoo! Bad enough you served that stupid blastoff. Why would you subject poor, unsuspecting Lisa to anything from that planet?”
“It’s just a cake. I buy all the ingredients in the grocery store right in the neighborhood. There are stranger things in an Entenmanns.”
“Whatever. I don’t want to know about it. Nothing from there. No food, no religion, and especially no holidays! I’ll be sure to be as far away as possible when you celebrate.”
“By the way, I have a question, though I’m afraid I already know the answer. How are you going to go without being recognized?”
“Well, you know, Mom. We don’t have to look like this. We can change.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. Bonnie, my love, you are beautiful as you are, and I sure hope you’re not using your shape shifting as a way of becoming some ideal. You cannot improve on your own beautiful and perfect face and body.”
“It’s not about that. Besides, shape shifting has become like a hobby for me lately…”
“It’s disturbing. I never know what kind of creature I’m walking in on.”
“I know, right? I wish werewolves were a thing. I would redefine expectations and be the alpha female! C’mon! Tell me I wasn’t a rocking werewolf!”
“I sure hope that isn’t your proposed alter ego. You don’t want to scare the public.”
“Well, no Mom! You’ll see in a day or two. I’m going to turn into Ms. Infinity.”
Lisa sat with Mike at an outdoor café in Astoria, Queens. The night was warm, if overcast, and the street all around them was bustling, with passerby drifting across from every direction. The two sat on tall stools at a narrow table; Lisa’s feet were several inches above the ground. At first, Lisa enjoyed the sight of her date; he was a looker, with liquid blue eyes, a square jaw, and a tight muscular build. But before long, she grew impatient with him. Twenty minutes in, she had scarcely gotten a word in edgewise.
“This place has excellent seafood,” said Mike, “You’ll see. The squid here is the best in the city. You’ll thank me for ordering it for you. You’re going to love it.”
“I already had dinner,” said Lisa, “and you don’t have to order for me…”
“You don’t have to worry, Lis. I’ll take care of everything tonight. You just needed to ask.”
“You did hear me say we were just getting coffee before the movie…”
“But from now on, I call you. You don’t have to worry. I can take care of you. I’m the boss here…”
“Well, I really don’t see it that…”
“You won’t ever have to work, you know. I won’t let you. I’ll take care of you…”
“That’s not what I…”
“Did you know, I have an IQ of 125? I can do complicated math problems in my head…”
Lisa endured the talk for a time, excusing herself for a long visit to the ladies’ room. When the check came. Mike was about to pay it, but he suddenly noticed that there was a zero balance. “What happened?” he said in dismay, “this can’t be right…”
Lisa finally spoke loud enough to be heard over Mike, “I took care of it before when I went to the ladies’ room.”
“What? You don’t….”
Lisa stopped Mike forcefully. “I did, and I do. Listen, I had fun, but I don’t think this needs to go any farther. Thank you. Good night.”
Mike looked at Lisa in shock and anger, but stopped short of saying or doing anything more. Lisa left him to his thoughts and began to walk on.
“Well,” she said to herself, “I still have my two tickets to the Kaufman Astoria movie theater. I guess it’s just me and two stadium seats. Cool! I can sprawl out with my snacks.”
Bonnie’s bedroom was much like any belonging to a young adult living at home. There were vestiges of her adolescence here and there, particularly the bright pink walls, which boasted superhero posters. She especially treasured the large image of Wonder Woman, which dominated the wall by her bed. The place was in disarray; both the floor and desk were cluttered, though there were a number of pictures of herself and Lisa on her desk which were stood up neatly.
That night, Bonnie sat up in watching TV. She was restless, and could not find relief. She found herself flipping around the channels endlessly, unable to settle. Somehow, even the shows that she normally enjoyed were causing her anguish.
There were shows about families, and shows about friends. There were shows about people at workplaces, and hanging out at favorite spots. But wherever she looked, it seemed that everyone belonged. Even the “misfits” were nowhere near as strange as her. If nothing else, at least they were human.
She tried and tried to relax, to make peace with what she saw and what she felt. But the more she watched, the more anxious she got. Everyone and everything seemed to be exclusive of her, leaving her ever on the outside looking in. Finally, her tension reached a peak. She felt something sharp piercing her within, and soon she could ignore it no more. Her room seemed small, the air stuffy. Her life seemed all wrong, or she was all wrong. Finally, she decided that she’d had enough. She turned off the TV in frustration, got out of her bed, and stepped into her closet. There the ceiling had a secret door, her escape hatch. At super speed, she flew into the sky.
In an instant, she was many miles above New York City. In the powerful winds of the night sky, she floated, a lone figure in the darkness. The vast skyline below her seemed like little more than a flat, distant cluster of lights, a small break in the darkness of North America’s nighttime.
She hovered in the air for a few moments, looking down. She could return home now in another second, but she was still restless. Her mother would be celebrating that holiday soon, that Eve of…Embalming, or Affiliation, or something? She wanted no part of it. That settled it. It was time to go for a fly.
A second later, she flew away from New York, headed west. New Jersey, Pennsylvania., and Ohio passed beneath her in a blur. She scarcely noticed the Mississippi River before she glanced at the prairie lands down below in the darkness. In her speed, the Great Plains were little more than a large empty field.
Within seconds, she was above the Rocky Mountains. Now she floated about the great summits, covered in pine trees in their midsections, but crowned in tundra and ice. She chose the highest peak she could find, and breezed about it before diving into depths beside. Then she found a quiet spot, about halfway up the mountain, and at last she landed. And upon landing, she transformed. Her body morphed rapidly, her face baring a snout, her arms and legs dropping her onto all fours, and with that she had changed into a white wolf.
In that form, she ran up the mountain, a proud and majestic creature. Her four legs shuttled back and forth rapidly, her body moving almost as if she were still flying. And in a flash, she reached the top, where she raised up her head, and le
t out a proud and tremendous howl, conveying the message that she was the queen of the mountain.
Then she looked around her in all directions. When she looked up, she was surprised to see an owl. Were it not for her super senses, she might not have noticed the bird in the darkness. Though it was some distance above her, it seemed to fly around her expressly, almost seeming to spy on her. It alternated between hovering and plunging this way and that. Her curiosity now piqued, she changed once again, taking for herself the form of an owl. She then flew up to where the other owl was, but it was gone.
Hovering there in the dark, she now felt curiosity about the new form she had taken, and how she might use it. Looking down, she decided to explore further. Swiftly she soared down the mountain, to the forest-covered midsection. Then she flew from tree to tree, now stopping to blend in with the nocturnal landscape, now flying away in a sudden burst.
She swooped down to the lowest depression she could find. And then an instant later, changing into a great bald eagle, she flew proudly from mountain to mountain before diving down into the darkness, landing in a peaceful, wooded area.
And soon she changed again, and she was once again a woman, small and lean, alone deep in the wilderness. Had anyone seen the sight, they might have assumed she was lost, vulnerable, and indeed in peril. Yet Earth had few dangers for Bonnie Boring. Small and thin though she was, she was a person possessing of tremendous powers.
And after looking around for one more moment, she flew upwards, so fast she seemed to vanish into thin air, so fast that she did not notice that the owl had been watching her once again. And but a minute or two later, she was in space, a few million miles from Earth. And she looked down upon her world. And she recalled the day she and her mother first landed there, and the words they spoke:
“I picked this planet because it is so far away,” said Bonnie, “I don’t think they can reach us here. But one thing worries me. Human abilities are way below our kind. They are nowhere near as strong as us. Also, they think in only three dimensions. They can’t even fly. Even their space program is pathetic. They’ve never gone anywhere but their own moon. Look at that! I can leap to that thing without trying!”
Ms. Infinity (Book 2): Where Infinity Begins Page 3