I just took happiness away from my own kid. Again. I could see it in her eyes, the rising disappointment. At 7, she recognized it was wrong but still gave me the chance to take it back. But I didn’t. I took it and swallowed it because insulting her hero was sweeter to me than allowing her her joy.
I feel sick.
“We’re so close,” Mia said, pointing to the signing table, her other hand loosening in mine.
Another spark of jealousy flashed in me. Then I saw the massive crowd still queuing and felt even worse.
I despised this man. He had destroyed the decade-long Diabolique story arc with cheap tropes and made Bucky 6 a cliché, draining him of any nuance. He was a hack! I wanted her to know it, standing in this line of sycophants about to reward mediocrity.
When her turn was called, she dropped my hand like a rock and rushed to him. She slapped the table confidently and exclaimed, “I’m Mia and Glitter is making it too easy for Bucky! You need to make him fight for her! She’s worth it!!”
Her assertiveness threw me, but she beamed, expressing her opinion with an adult’s conviction and a child’s sincerity.
The writer appreciated it, smiled and engaged her, “Wait for Issue #77. Bucky might have a rival!”
Her jaw dropped and she pounced. “No! Mr. Mutant?! Calibasa?!!?”
Finally her idol noticed me. My derision was obvious but he blanked it and with lightning speed erased me from his field of view, turning back to her.
“You should write some of those ideas yourself. You could create a Bucky 6 for YOUR generation!”
She smiled. “I want to!” Then frowned. “But my dad says it’s too hard.”
The man smirked and aimed a light scoff in my direction.
“Not if you don’t give up!”
His cut hit its mark: square at my self-respect.
“Ready for our selfie, Mia?”
“Yeah!”
He took her phone, they smiled at each other and called out Bucky’s catchphrase, “Power! Might! Justice!”, as the camera clicked.
He tousled her hair, gave her a signed photo and she floated away, content. To me, he gave a patronizing grin, a held-out hand and a cold, “That’ll be $100.”