A Reluctant Superhero

Seth did not know how it happened. One morning, he just woke up and he could do it.  

It was a miracle! Apparently, he no longer needed the wheelchair beside his bed. The feeling in his legs returned and his toes even twitched! He wiggled his legs while he was still in the bed. They moved and he was moved to the point of tears.  

Three years after a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed and after doctors told him the severity of his injuries would never allow him to walk again, Seth was walking. He was somewhat wobbly, but he there he was, putting one foot in front of the other, walking around his bed. 

Surely it was a fluke. He was not supposed to walk, the doctors told him that time and time again. But maybe they just got it wrong. At this point, he didn’t care about the reason. He could walk!  

Emily, his full-time caregiver, was preparing breakfast. Soon, she would come to his room to let him know that it was time to eat.   

Maybe I should surprise her and walk into the kitchen, he thought to himself. No, he decided it would not be a good idea to freak her out. 

Instead, he walked around his bed again, making it for the first time in a long time while standing up, and eased his way into his wheelchair when he was finished. Eventually, he’ll share that he can walk, once he figures out if this ability actually lasts. 

“Seth? Are you decent?” Emily said as she knocked on the door. She always asked this before she entered his room. His answer was almost always the same. 

“Yeah, I think I’m a pretty good guy. You can come on in,” he said. Then, the door flung open, which seemed to startle both him and Emily. 

“Using a little extra force to open the door, huh?” he said. Emily looked perplexed and shook her head. 

“I was about to say the same thing to you. I didn’t touch the door. I thought you had opened it,” she said.

Seth looked at the door again. “I wasn’t even near it. Odd. Oh well. What are we having for breakfast today?” 

“Scrambled eggs, pancakes and turkey bacon.” she said. 

“Yuck. I hate turkey bacon. Tastes like air when you eat it. I don’t care how good a cook you are. You can’t make turkey bacon taste like anything other than air,” he said as he wheeled himself out of the room. 

“Do you want me to go back and close your door?” she said.  

“No, I’ll close it--,” he said and surprisingly, the door slammed shut before he could finish his sentence. 

“Guess the door has a mind of its own this morning,” he said.  

The strangeness of the door almost made him forget he could walk again. They reached the kitchen and to his surprise, Emily had not cooked turkey bacon. She smiled at him and placed his plate in front of him. 

“Hey, have you ever heard of anyone spontaneously recovering from paralysis?” he said. 

“I have not heard of anyone personally, but I am sure there are instances where that has happened. Maybe you can bring it up to your physical therapist later this week. She may know of some cases. How is your food?” 

“It’s delicious, especially since you didn’t fix that awful turkey bacon. I hope there isn’t any in the house,” he said. 

They both laughed.  

“It’s a nice day today. After you get ready, I was thinking that we could go to the park. We’ll have to start your laundry before we leave, though.” 

Seth nodded. He was grateful for Emily’s company, even if it was her job to keep him company and help him out during the day while his brother was at work.  

A year after his accident, his girlfriend of two years jumped ship. The very next year, his mother died. He hoped this year would be a whole lot better. Emily was there when his mother died and listened to him whenever he would talk about his ex-girlfriend. He would try to get her to talk about herself, but she wouldn’t budge. He respected that though he was a little disappointed that she didn’t feel the same level of comfort confiding in him.  

As they finished eating, he put his plate on his lap. He felt it! So far, this was not a dream. He wheeled himself around the kitchen as he helped her clean up. 

He was amazed at his restraint. He fought the urge to jump out of his chair and show Emily he could walk. This was an excellent turn of luck for him, but he still needed to be cautious. 

Their walk was initially uneventful. Emily underestimated her allergies and began sneezing almost as soon as they left the house. 

“Are you sure you want to walk now? I think tomorrow will be pretty stellar too, and with a lower pollen count, "Seth said. 

“Stupid allergies. I forgot to take my allergy pill. I'll be better once we move from out from under these trees,” she said. 

When he was first paralyzed, he hated going outside. He hated seeing people do all the things he used to do. Every now and then, he'd get pangs of sadness, but he learned to cope and once he got used to traveling in his wheelchair, he stopped looking at it like a hindrance. 

Emily screamed.  

Seth looked around, trying to figure out what was happening. 

“Ma’am, get your kid!” Emily ran out into the street.  

A little boy had wandered off the sidewalk and found his way onto the street. A car was about to cross the intersection and would hit him in the crosswalk if he didn’t get out of the way in time. 

“Hey! Get out of the street!” Seth said. As he said those words, the boy appeared to be lifted up into the air just as the driver slammed on the brakes. The boy floated safely towards the sidewalk and into the arms of a hysterical woman, who Seth assumed was the boy's mother. 

No one could explain what they had just witnessed. A small crowd had formed, cars were stopped at the intersection even though the light was green.  

How did the boy get away in time? He must have superpowers! It was nothing short of a miracle! Eventually people returned to what they were doing. 

The second miracle of the day, Seth thought.  

Their walk back to Seth’s home was quiet. It wasn’t until they got to the door that Seth realized that Emily had been crying. 

“I’m sorry, Seth,” she said as she dabbed her eyes with tissue.  

“That was a pretty intense scene out there. You’re quite the superhero. You sprang into action to save that boy!” Seth said.

Unfortunately, his words only made her cry harder.

“Excuse me,” she said as she ran to the bathroom. He didn’t peg Emily as the sensitive type, but he assumed seeing that boy almost getting hit was quite emotional for her. It kind of was for him too. 

While she was in the bathroom, Seth kicked out his right leg. He did this three more times and then he did the same with his left leg. Then he held both legs out in the air for a few seconds.  

When he heard the bathroom door shut, he immediately put his legs down. 

“Seth, you must think I am a basket case,” she said as she rejoined him in the living room and sat on the couch. 

“No more than usual,” he joked. She cracked a tiny smile. 

“Those situations always get to me,” she said. 

“It’s understandable, since something similar happened to your brother.” Seth said.  

“What did you say?”  

“When? I didn’t say anything just now,” Seth had taken out his cellphone to check if his brother Mike responded to his text about getting a drill. Nothing yet. He wasn’t sure why her demeanor changed. 

“Yes, you did. Don’t play with me. Why would you even say that about my brother? I never told you what happened to him.”  

Shaking, Emily got up and stood by the bookshelf, holding on to its edge. 

Seth was confused. He doesn’t know anything about her brother. 

“I’m just as confused as you are. I couldn’t have said anything because I don’t know anything.” 

Emily took a deep breath.  

“This has been a strange day. We forgot about your clothes. I’m going to put your clothes in the dryer. I'll be back.”  

Seth knew he made the right decision by not telling Emily he could walk. She was very upset after their outing. She wasn’t just upset about the little boy, but something about her brother too. 

He felt like he had put his foot in his mouth, but how? She keeps her personal life to herself; she never mentioned siblings. He was 100 percent sure he didn’t say anything about Malcolm. 

Whoa. Who was Malcolm?  

A little boy, probably no more than 8-years-old, popped into his head. He looked like a younger version of Emily, but with browner skin and short black hair. For some reason, he ran out into the street.

He didn’t see the car and the driver did not see him.  

He heard a woman shriek. 

“Emily! Why weren’t you watching him?! Oh God, Malcolm? Malcolm! Please someone call 9-1-1!” 

Seth sees a woman in the street with the unconscious little boy and Emily on the sidewalk with a look of horror on her face.  

“Please tell Emily I’m OK, now. It wasn’t her fault. Mommy was just upset. I shouldn’t have run out into the street. I was trying to get my bouncy ball,” a little boy’s voice said. It had to have been Malcolm. 

Seth shook his head as if to shake Malcolm from his thoughts. This was all too much. Where did that come from? Emily never told him any of this. Should he share with her the vision and the voice of her brother? He shook his head again. Heck no! 

She would quit and never come back.  

Emily returned from the laundry room, much more composed than when she left.  

They acted like everything wasn’t strange. Emily was straightening up the house, organizing his calendar, and getting his medicine ready for the evening.  

Mike got home just as Emily was preparing to go home for the day. 

“Hey Emily! I’m making tacos tonight. Would you like to stay for dinner?” Mike always asks Emily to stay for dinner, especially if he cooks something. She always says no, but that doesn’t stop him from asking.  

“That sounds good, but I won’t be able to this evening. I’ve got Seth’s medicine ready and the laundry is done. I will be here at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I’ll see y’all tomorrow,” she said as she gathered her purse and headed out the door. 

Shortly after dinner, Seth went to his room. Now that he was alone again, he wanted to test out his legs. Gingerly, he lifted himself up from the chair, holding most of his weight in his arms. He flipped up the foot rests with his feet and placed his feet onto the floor. He purposely parked his wheelchair just far enough from the bed so that he could practice taking a few steps, but not too far if he fell and needed to get back into his chair. 

He walked to his bed. He walked back to his chair and pushed it closer to the bed. Satisfied with the steps he took, he got in the bed. 

But sleep eluded him. 

“Seth, can you hear me?” a voice said. It sounded like his mother, a voice he hadn’t heard in two years.  

“Mom?” He sat up in bed and looked around. 

“Seth, you have been given a gift. I’m so proud of you!” 

“What are you talking about? Where are you? Why can’t I see you?” 

“You can walk! You can save lives, just like you did this afternoon!”

“I didn’t save anyone. I can’t save anyone. Can I see you?” 

“You saved that little boy and you will save others! Just trust the process! Everything will work out the way it is supposed to.” 

“Mom? Why can’t I see you? What you’re saying doesn’t make sense.” 

“You’ve been given a second chance and with this opportunity you’ve been gifted with abilities beyond your imagination. In time, you will be able to see me. I love you.”  

“Mom!”  

It’s just my mind trying to explain the weirdness that happened today,” he thought. The rest of the night was filled with restless sleep.  

His new “abilities” did not seem like gifts he needed or wanted, especially since they befuddled him. 

Dead people talk to me and somehow, I saved a boy from getting hit by a car. How was I doing these things? 

He hoped being able to walk was not included in the “Superhero Package,” but he was pretty sure it was. 

Why was he chosen for this particular burden? He had no clue what he even did to save the boy. With these "gifts" he managed to freak out Emily and she’s one of the few people he actually considered a friend.

If being able to walk meant saving lives and being friendless, two things he didn't want to happen in his life, then he didn’t want to walk.  

“I don’t want this life! Choose someone else!” he said.

He rubbed his legs. He felt nothing. He tried to lift them; they wouldn’t budge. He was disappointed, but hopeful that the superhero gift-giver removed all of his “abilities.” 

“Hey, are you decent?” Emily was at the door. It was finally time to get the day started.

“Yeah, I’m practically a model citizen. Come on in!” Seth was glad this day seemed to be starting out in the way he was used to. 

“I want to show you something. They interviewed the little boy and his mother last night. Someone got footage of him flying in the air! It’s unreal,” she gave him her cell phone to watch the video.  

Sure enough, there was evidence that the flying boy was real. The reporter also interviewed eye witnesses as well as the family. The words of the last eye witness struck him. And she sounded a lot like his mother.

“Everything worked out the way it was supposed to. Being a hero is a gift. Seth, you’ll see, it’s your second chance!”