by Anne
Captain Wonder
Anne & Ed Kolaczyk
Loveswept 89
To our own Kari and Megan
for all the wonder they've
brought into our lives
One
Sara Delaney held up two pairs of beaded moccasins. "How about these, girls?"
Her two eight-year-old twin daughters exchanged glances, then shook their heads in unison.
"Come on, Mom," Kari said. "You told us it was our money. Why can't we buy what we want?"
"And what's that?" Sara was almost afraid to ask.
Kari and Megan both reached for the T-shirt at the same time, but Kari got it first and held it up. Sara groaned when she saw the stern black and red clad figure staring back at her, his muscular arms akimbo, his eyes flashing with the help of some glitter, and that distinctive single blond curl dipping down over his forehead.
'Not Captain Wonder!" she cried. "I've finally saved enough money to bring us to the Grand Canyon and you girls manage to find something with his picture on it. What's wrong with Indian moccasins?"
"They're just not awesome. Mom," Megan tried to explain.
"And Captain Wonder is?" She did not wait for an answer because she knew it all too well. Didn"t Captain Wonder's heroic form protect Megan's lunchbox and adorn Kari's knitted ski cap and gloves? Wasn't it even on the nightshirt the girls had given her for her birthday last month? 'I just wish you'd choose a souvenir that would remind you of our vacation, not something you could buy at home."
'But this will remind us of our vacation," Karl pointed out. "because he's here."
Sara stared in frustration at her daughters, tiny replicas of herself. The same dark hair, the same green eyes, and the same stubborn nature. Why in the world were they enamored of that muscle-bound creep? Why hadn't they inherited any of her good sense?
But the crowded gift shop was no place for a long discussion and the girls were right. It was their money. They had earned it weeding the garden and feeding the cats. They had the right to waste it on a dumb T-shirt if they wanted.
She picked out two medium-sized Captain Wonder shirts from the rack and carried them to the counter along with a pair of Indian moccasins for herself. The girls trailed behind, pointing wistfully to the Captain Wonder posters on the wall. Sara decided it would be wisest to pay quickly and leave, before they realized there were two posters they didn't have yet.
"Ooh, Captain Wonder. Isn't he the greatest?" The gum-chewing salesgirl sighed. "I mean, totally awesome."
Sara just smiled as the girls carefully counted out their money.
"Have you seen him?" the salesgirl went on, but this time recognizing the girls as her audience, not Sara. "I just missed him yesterday. He left the cafeteria about an hour before I got there, but I did get to sit at the same table he sat at. Maybe even in the same chair."
Kari and Megan sighed respectfully while Sara tried hard not to gag. Captain Wonder might be the hottest thing to have hit the television screen in the last ten years, He might have the power in his intense blue eyes to make women faint and evildoers tremble, but she was fed up with him.
It wasn't enough that the girls had to watch his show every Sunday night. Now their first vacation ever had to be spoiled by him. This would have to be the week he chose to save the Grand Canyon from destruction. The whole place was swarming with his crew, his fans, and rumors of him. Just for once, she wished the bad guys would win. The world would be a more peaceful place without Captain Wonder, she thought. She took their packages and herded the girls out of the gift shop.
"I'm thirsty," Kari said as they passed the entrance to the cafeteria.
"There's a water fountain," Sara pointed out.
Megan frowned. "Mom."
Sara stopped walking and looked at her twin daughters. "I don't care if Captain Wonder did eat in the cafeteria yesterday. We do not have to hang around until he makes an appearance today. We must have hiked ten miles and I'm tired. I want to tjo back to the camper and rest." She saw the girls exchange glances. "And, no, you may not stay here by yourselves."
The girls sighed in disappointment, but followed their mother back out into the hot August afternoon. It was about a half mile from the lodge to the parking lot where their rented camper was waiting, and no one said a word the whole way. The longer the silence continued, the guiltier Sara felt. She couldn't have allowed the girls to stay there alone, but maybe she was forgetting that this was their vacation just as much as hers. It ought to be fun for all of them, no matter how she felt.
She unlocked the side door of the camper and pulled it open. "Instead of driving back to the campground now, why don't we stay here and eat at the lodge tonight? We can drive back after dinner, " she suggested.
"Could we?" the girls asked together.
They immediately began planning what they would say to Captain Wonder when they saw him, for they were certain he would be sitting at the table next to theirs. Sara decided not to burst their bubble with reality, and went into the bathroom.
Had she ever been that young and romantic? It seemed impossible, but she supposed she had. Most girls went through a stage like that, dreaming constantly of their heroes. She couldn't remember mooning over some television hero when she was eight, but she suspected she had done a lot of dreaming about Tom. At least the girls could claim youth as their excuse: she'd had none. She'd been twenty when she married Tom, old enough to have known better, but she hadn't. She'd been forced to gain her wisdom the hard way. When she had divorced him a year and a half later, she'd felt like an old lady—worn-out and tired and highly suspicious of heroes.
Sara washed her face and hands and went out into the camper, In the little galley she found a bag of Snickers bars and offered them around. As she munched, she took her new moccasins out of the bag. They were soft buckskin with tiny beadwork nestled among the long fringes that ran around the top. She slipped one on and wiggled her toes comfortably. Then she slipped her foot into the other one. Or tried to, for It wouldn't go on. She peered inside and groaned when she read the tiny print. How had she done that? The left shoe was too full sizes smaller than the right. She'd have to go back and exchange it.
She looked over at the girls, but Megan seemed ready to fall asleep and Karl was trying to braid her hair. Neither showed any interest in walking back to the lodge, and Sara was relieved. She could go and come back a lot quicker on her own. So, after issuing strict instructions to the girls that they were not to leave the camper, she took off toward the lodge.
Michael Nathaniel Taylor tossed the black ttghts onto the pile of clothes with a sigh of relief. "My grandfather must be turning over in his grave every time I put those things on," he said wryly.
Norm, his manager, looked up from the pile of papers he was studying. "Why? He have something against being a millionaire?"
"No, he had a thing against men wearing tights." Mike pulled a robe around his body. "Besides, 1 always pictured myself as the rugged type."
"Millions of screaming teenage darlings all can't be wrong."
Mike grimaced. "I'm taking a shower. Captain Wonder is through for the day."
"Actually, he's through for the rest of the week," a voice called from the doorway.
Mike looked over at the woman who had just come into the room,
"We won't need to reshoot that fight scene after all. Everyone was satisfied with it, so you're through with all your scenes, You can spend the next few days signing autographs for all those teenyboppers."
"Just what I've always wanted to d
"Hey. don't knock it,1' Norm called after him. "You're thirty-four, remember? Pretty soon those sweet young things are going to notice your gray hairs a
nd wrinkles. Then, when you're sitting alone in your rocking chair and gumming your oatmeal, you'll wish a few of those lovelies were still around."
Mike chose not to answer and closed the bathroom door. The role was easy and fun, and the money was certainly good, but he still felt stupid wearing those tights. Why couldn't he be a cowboy hero and wear blue jeans and boots? His father had done very well in westerns.
After his shower. Mike put on a pair of cutoffs and a plain T-shirt. Then he combed his blond hair in front of the mirror, trying to mash down that telltale Captain Wonder front curl so that it stayed with the rest of his hair. He frowned slightly at the less than hoped-for results, but gave up and jammed the comb Into his pocket. It was the best he could do since his hair was deliberately cut to produce the effect.
He'd like to take a walk and see a little of the place, he thought. It was only Thursday and they weren't going back to Los Angeles until Saturday, but he wasn't eager to share the time with the hordes of adolescent girls swarming all over the place. Could he pass as an ordinary tourist without his tights and cape?
Mike stared thoughtfully at his image. His clothes were unexceptional and so was he. Out of his tights and with his curl disguised, he looked just like everybody else. He turned away, satisfied that he could blend into the crowds.
After putting on a pair of tennis shoes, he let himself out the back door of the trailer and hurried along the path behind the lodge. Two kitchen boys were tying up plastic garbage bags and looked up as he passed, but paid no attention to him. He put on his sunglasses, growing more confident with each step.
The area around the canyon itself was too crowded, so he chose a path that led away from it. A walk in the woods, away from the damsels in distress and threatening villains, would be relaxing.
He passed some people heading toward the lodge, but no one gave him a second glance. He straightened up from his unconscious slouch and walked more briskly.
Since he'd grown up and lived most of his life in Los Angeles, long walks in the woods were a rarity for him. Actually, any kind of long walk was a rarity for him these days. Since Captain Wonder's origin two years ago, he had become an instantly recognized figure and found his freedom restricted. Maybe that was why he had been so restless lately. Maybe Sylvia was wrong when she said he subconsciously wanted to marry her.
He shook her from his mind. It was good to be out on his own for a change. A late afternoon breeze ruffled his damp hair and he felt like running.
"That's him!" a young female voice shrieked.
Irritated that his peace and solitude had been suddenly shattered, Mike began to run. He had had enough of the fawning and pandering and just wanted to be left alone for a few hours. Damn. Was that asking for so much?
The path wove In among the trees, but the forest was not thick enough to hide him. Across the parking lot ahead, the woods seemed denser. If he could reach them before his fans reached him, he might have a chance to hide. He left the path and darted in among the bushes and trees. A branch scratched his cheek as he came out into the parking lot.
The squeals and shrieks were growing louder and closer. He felt as if the girls were hunters and he their prey. It was stupid of him to have run, it only made them more determined. He darted around a camper, hoping to find a path into the woods, then stopped abruptly. The camper door was open and two little dark-haired girls were beckoning him inside.
Mike didn't stop to think. He darted in and one of the girls slammed the door shut. Then the three of them sat on the floor, their backs against the door. They held their breath as they listened to the conversation of his pursuers.
"Where'd he go?"
"He's got to be here somewhere. He couldn't have disappeared."
"Maybe he flew away."
The little gtrl with short hair giggled, but the one with long hair gave her a stern glance. Miss Short Hair became very quiet.
"Maybe he went into the camper."
Miss Long Hair leaned close to him. "You'd better hide in the bathroom." She pointed to a narrow door in a back corner of the camper.
It seemed like a good Idea since he was in plain sight of the campers numerous windows. He hurried into the tiny room and closed the door. A Captain Wonder nightshirt hung from the hook on the back and he frowned at it. Hiding in the bathroom suddenly seemed cowardly. What if the door wasn't locked and those kids got in? He had left those two little girls without much protection.
Before he had a chance to act, though, there was a timid knock on the door, and he opened it. The two little girls peered in. Their green eyes were wide and curious.
"They're gone," Miss Long Hair said. Miss Short Hair nodded.
"I certainly appreciate your help." He held out his hand. "My name's Mike."
The two faces fell as if they were one. "You're not Captain Wonder?"
He smiled. "Only when 1 wear my tights."
They looked relieved. "I'm Karl." Miss Long Hair said. "And that's Megan."
"You're twins."
"We know."
They looked so solemn, and he tried not to laugh.
"You hurt yourself," Megan told him.
He looked in the mirror and saw the scratch across his cheek. There was dried blood on it, but he barely felt it.
"Do you want a Band-Aid?"
He was about to refuse, but noticed their concerned faces. "If you have one," he said.
"Ill get it," Megan cried as she ran off.
Kari handed him a clean washcloth. "Mommy says you have to wash off your cuts."
"Good idea." He was carefully washing the dried blood off when Megan appeared with one Band-Aid. He smiled when he saw Snoopy on it, "What? No Captain Wonder Band-Aids?"
"Mommy said 'Absolutely not,' " Megan mimicked in a "grown-up" voice. " I will not have that man on everything in our house.' "
Kari looked worried that her sister might have offended him. "But she did let us buy Captain Wonder T-shirts Instead of moccasins today."
"That was nice of her." Mike stared at his reflection in the mirror. With the orange slash bearing Snoopy across his cheek, he looked definitely unlike Captain Wonder.
"And she has a Captain Wonder nightshirt." Kari went on. 'We gave it to her for her birthday last month. She was thirty."
"Auntie Jane says she should wear it inside out so that Captain Wonder will be closer to her heart," Megan confided. "But Mommy said—"
" Absolutely not.' " he finished for her with a laugh. "I can see why your mother didn't buy Captain Wonder Band-Aids. She has enough of him in her life already. Your father might think she likes Captain Wonder better than him."
"Oh, she does," Megan assured him.
Mike was not sure from the way she said it that It was a compliment.
"Yeah, she hates Daddy," Kari agreed. "She just doesn't like you.'
"Oh." A small distinction, to be sure. "Well, I certainly do appreciate all your help, but I'd better be on my way." The sound of knocking on the door stopped them all.
"Kari! Megan! Open up, its Mom!"
The girls exchanged worried glances. Then, without a word, Kari pulled the bathroom door shut In Mike's face, leaving him to stare at the Captain Wonder nightshirt It was, he noted with growing curiosity, stretched out in all the right places.
Sara was in no mood to be friendly or even polite when she got back to the camper. She had not been able to get the moccasins she had wanted and had had to settle for her second choice. And because they were not the same price, she'd had to wait forever in line behind a herd of Captain Wonder fans. She'd had enough of teenage girls for one day and was not thrilled to see them hanging around the camper,
"Are you going In there?" one asked her as Sara knocked on the door.
Before Sara could ask her what business it was of hers, another sighed. "He's in there."
"He? He who?"
Their collective sigh was answer enough. "He certainly is not in there," Sara announced. "This is my camper and there are no ties here at all
."
She turned to frown at the closed door. Where were the girls? "Kari! Megan! Open up, it's Mom." She knocked again, and suddenly Kari opened the door.
"Oh, hi. Mom."
She sounded strange, but Sara was more interested in shutting out the curious faces of the girls outside. "Lord, I cant believe this place," she said, putting her packages on the table and closing the drapes across the window above it. 'Can you believe it? They actually think Captain Wonders in here."
The girls exchanged worried glances and Megan suddenly became interested in her mother's shoes. "Did you get the ones that fit this time?"
"Yes, I did."
"Can we see them?" Kari asked, and looked into the bag. "Boy, they're really pretty. How do they look on you?"
"Like moccasins." Sara said dryly, looking from one girt to the other. Something was going on. What kind of plot had they hatched for dinner? "I made -six-thirty reservations at the dining room. That sound okay?"
"Oh, sure. It sounds fine. Do you think those girls will still be outside then?" Kari asked.
"Does it matter?"
"No, I guess not."
Sara picked up her moccasins and her purse. "I think I'll wash up and then read a little before we go to dinner."
"Wash up?" Megan gulped. "Now?"
"Why not?"
"Well, we were just going to wash up, weren't we, Meg?" Kari nudged her sister.
"Yeah, we were."
Sara's eyes narrowed as she stared at her daughters. "You two, the grimy twins, were going to wash up without being told? Just what is going on? Have you girls been into my makeup again?"
They shook their heads silently, but Sara did not miss the glance they exchanged. If It wasn't her makeup, then what? She looked around the eating area of the camper. Nothing seemed out of place.
"You girls want to tell me what's going on? Did you leave the camper while I was gone?'
"Oh, no. Mom."
Sara pulled open the cabinets, but everything was fine. The closet seemed undisturbed, so that left only the bathroom. She pulled open the door and found a man sitting on the edge of the sink. There was something terribly familiar about that curl dipping down over his forehead.