Jeffry's Gift

  Jeffry watched as Lucinda pulled on her sexy tights, twisted her hair into a neat bun, and donned her bright red cape. It was going to be a long, lonely night. Since Lucinda had mysteriously developed her powers the year after graduating college, he had spent a lot of nights alone. Her super speed and strength made it easy for her to help those in need and fight crime, and although he’d initially agreed that wasting such a gift would be a tragedy, he’d regretted it ever since. He’d hoped that he would eventually get his own supernatural talents. They had no idea where it had come from, so it stood to reason it could happen to him too, but six years later, he was still plain old Jeffry, and Lucinda was a super hero.

   Lucinda kissed him goodbye and crept out the door, already focused on her night’s mission of catching purse snatchers, bank robbers, or the occasionally litterbug. Her perfume lingered, and he sighed morosely.

  While Lucinda saved the world, plain old Jeffry watched late night TV. He flipped past old Flash episodes quickly, unwilling to patronize a show that only reminded him of his inadequacies. He paused for a few moments, catching the local news, but when they advertised their top story, Local Superhero Saves Grocery Store Clerk, he threw the remote at the TV and went to bed.

 The next morning, Jeffry woke up and rolled over, feeling for the warmth of Lucinda. The bed next to him was cold and empty, much like most aspects of their life together. His jealousy had become a living thing, eating at his affections, although he had to admit, the tights looked pretty good on her. He got up and took a long, hot shower. He figured she’d had a really late night, and he hoped she was home soon. He tried not to focus on the fact that his girlfriend spent her nights out on the town in search of the definitive “Bad Boys”, many with tough exteriors and handsome physiques. Jeffry was a realist most days, but a pessimist on occasion.

He shaved, lingering as long as he could, hoping to see Lucinda before he had to start his day. Memories of thier younger days flooded his mind. Lucinda joining him in the shower, soaping him up and nearly making him late for class. Weekend mornings when there was no rush and they used up all the hot water before just going back to bed together had been his favorite. Those days had been so much simpler and he wished with everything he had that they could just go back. He wanted for Lucinda to just be plain old Lucinda again; no powers, no crime fighting abilities, no distractions from outside forces. He knew it was selfish of him, but he couldn't help how he felt. He was left out of her new life, unable to fight at her side; unremarkable, plain old Jeffry.

  She didn’t get home until it was nearly time for Jeffry to go to work. He grumpily got into his plain car, wearing his plain suit, and drove his regular route to his boring desk job. Lucinda always tried to placate him, saying that his job was important and without it they couldn’t pay their bills because being a super hero didn’t come with a salary, but he suspected he knew how she really felt about it. It was boring. It was plain, just like him. His greatest fear was that she would outgrow him, finding a lover as special and gifted as she herself was.

  Jeffry made it through yet another uneventful day and drove home, listening to the radio. The news came on and he nearly switched stations when he heard the words “Local Super Hero”, but froze when the next words sunk in “injured foiling robbery attempt”. His blood ran cold and he had to pull over. Whipping out his cell phone, he dialed the hospital. She was there, they confirmed, but being seen by a surgeon and they couldn’t give an update yet. He slung his little car back into traffic and shot off to the hospital, nearly as fast as Lucinda could have run.

 He got to the emergency room but was simply told to wait. Trembling and sweating, he waited for nearly an hour. Finally the doctor came to see him, and Jeffry’s heart stopped for a minute, reminding him of Lucinda’s ability to make it beat nearly out of his chest.

 “How is she, doctor?” he asked fearfully.

“Well, she took a pretty hard hit to the head, but we were able to get the bullet out.”

“Bullet?” Jeffry squeaked.

“Yeah. She was shot in the back of the head by one of the perpetrators. The bullet bounced off her skull and traveled down the back of her neck and lodged in her spine. We got it, though. If she wasn’t a supernatural, she’d be dead, or paralyzed.”

 Jeffry wilted in relief. Her unique physical abilities had put her in harm’s way, but had also saved her life. He had never been more grateful that Lucinda was special. Sure, if she hadn’t been thwarting crime, she might not have been shot at all, but there were plenty of people out there living plain lives, just regular folks, who found themselves in the middle of crime scenes, fighting for their lives with none of the talents and abilities his lover had.

 He had to wait a bit longer, but finally the nurse came to tell him he could go see Lucinda. He’d been doing a lot of thinking about her and their relationship while he waited. This situation brought clarity and redefined his role and hers.

 Jeffry entered Lucinda’s room, and his heart soared to see her sitting up in bed, smiling at him. Smiling for him. And that’s when he realized his good fortune; his own supernatural miracle. Lucinda loved him. As special and talented and wonderful as she was, she could have any man, and she wanted him. For Jeffry, that was more than enough.