Brent found her break down
hilarious.
His laughter was contagious so she
started laughing too. When they were both breathing normally again the
weirdness was gone. She looked at him appraisingly. “You look good, but you
know—the green lantern wore a mask.” Alyssa pulled out a paint brush and shoved
him into the other chair in front of her booth. When she was finished with him
he had a green eye mask to go with his tee-shirt. This was just in time
because the room was now filling up with kids ready for a good time.
For the next three hours everyone
did have a good time. All the kids and even some of the parents visited the
face painting booth. Brent’s superhero mask was so popular that half the
little boys demanded similar designs; a lot of the girls ended up as cats too.
Alyssa was really enjoying herself. It should have been difficult to see how
sick some of the children were, but all of them were smiling and laughing. It
was actually more difficult, she decided, to feel bad for them. Instead she
found herself admiring a girl pulling an IV stand decorated with pink sparkly
stickers behind her. When a little boy asked her to paint a creepy spider web
across his bald head Alyssa smiled and did just that. These kids didn’t need
her pity.
After packing up her booth and
helping to mop up the mess around the bobbing for apples table Alyssa went
looking for Brent. They’d spent most of the afternoon side by side, but she
hadn’t found a private moment with him to say thank you. He was lounging in a
corner at one of the now empty craft tables with a couple of boys about 12 or
13 years old.
“No way, does Batman beat
Superman! Superman can fly, has super strength, and he has laser vision! All
Batman’s got is a lame utility belt. No way!” One of the boys was arguing
emphatically.
“Don’t underestimate the utility
belt, dude.” Brent replied smiling. “Have you seen the stuff he pulls out of
that thing?” Alyssa stood back for awhile listening to them. Brent looked
more relaxed then she’d seen him in a long while.
“Once a loser, huh Carter?” Pete
sneered when he walked up. Seeing the look on the older football player’s face,
the younger boys dropped their grins.
Alyssa grabbed the chair next to
Brent and sat down. “Hey Brent. You never told me—which Green Lantern are
you?”
Brent offered her a wide smile. “Hard
to say—Hal Jordan was more of a badass, but I always liked Kyle Rayner. He
makes me laugh.”
“Yeah, Rayner’s a good choice. I kinda
dig John Stewart, but Rayner suits you better.” Alyssa nodded.
Both boys and Pete dropped their
jaws. “You know about the Green Lanterns?” One of the boys stammered out.
“Is there more than one?” Beth
pulled up a chair to join the conversation. “I really wanted to see that
movie. Ryan Reynolds is one of my favorite actors.”
“Sure—the movie sucked though.”
Alyssa replied
“I know!” Both boys exclaimed at
once. After a discreet nod from Brent one of the boys launched into an explanation
of the Green Lantern Corp and the Guardians of the Universe. Beth listened
carefully and Pete was left, forgotten, standing next to them. He wandered off
eventually, scowling as he went.
Alyssa dredged her memories to
impress the boys with her comic book trivia. Beth joined in, sighting some of
the cartoons she remembered. Beth thought that maybe Batman could beat
Superman because didn’t he have Robin and Batgirl to back him up? Alyssa sided
with the boys out of sheer good-natured contrariness. Finally Beth and Alyssa
stood up to leave. There was still work to do after all.
“Is she like your girlfriend? The
cat?” Alyssa heard one of the boys ask and she slowed her steps to hear the
rest.
“It’s kind of complicated.” Brent
offered quietly.
“She’s awesome—and so hot.”
“Dude!” His friend slugged him
hilarious.
His laughter was contagious so she
started laughing too. When they were both breathing normally again the
weirdness was gone. She looked at him appraisingly. “You look good, but you
know—the green lantern wore a mask.” Alyssa pulled out a paint brush and shoved
him into the other chair in front of her booth. When she was finished with him
he had a green eye mask to go with his tee-shirt. This was just in time
because the room was now filling up with kids ready for a good time.
For the next three hours everyone
did have a good time. All the kids and even some of the parents visited the
face painting booth. Brent’s superhero mask was so popular that half the
little boys demanded similar designs; a lot of the girls ended up as cats too.
Alyssa was really enjoying herself. It should have been difficult to see how
sick some of the children were, but all of them were smiling and laughing. It
was actually more difficult, she decided, to feel bad for them. Instead she
found herself admiring a girl pulling an IV stand decorated with pink sparkly
stickers behind her. When a little boy asked her to paint a creepy spider web
across his bald head Alyssa smiled and did just that. These kids didn’t need
her pity.
After packing up her booth and
helping to mop up the mess around the bobbing for apples table Alyssa went
looking for Brent. They’d spent most of the afternoon side by side, but she
hadn’t found a private moment with him to say thank you. He was lounging in a
corner at one of the now empty craft tables with a couple of boys about 12 or
13 years old.
“No way, does Batman beat
Superman! Superman can fly, has super strength, and he has laser vision! All
Batman’s got is a lame utility belt. No way!” One of the boys was arguing
emphatically.
“Don’t underestimate the utility
belt, dude.” Brent replied smiling. “Have you seen the stuff he pulls out of
that thing?” Alyssa stood back for awhile listening to them. Brent looked
more relaxed then she’d seen him in a long while.
“Once a loser, huh Carter?” Pete
sneered when he walked up. Seeing the look on the older football player’s face,
the younger boys dropped their grins.
Alyssa grabbed the chair next to
Brent and sat down. “Hey Brent. You never told me—which Green Lantern are
you?”
Brent offered her a wide smile. “Hard
to say—Hal Jordan was more of a badass, but I always liked Kyle Rayner. He
makes me laugh.”
“Yeah, Rayner’s a good choice. I kinda
dig John Stewart, but Rayner suits you better.” Alyssa nodded.
Both boys and Pete dropped their
jaws. “You know about the Green Lanterns?” One of the boys stammered out.
“Is there more than one?” Beth
pulled up a chair to join the conversation. “I really wanted to see that
movie. Ryan Reynolds is one of my favorite actors.”
“Sure—the movie sucked though.”
Alyssa replied
“I know!” Both boys exclaimed at
once. After a discreet nod from Brent one of the boys launched into an explanation
of the Green Lantern Corp and the Guardians of the Universe. Beth listened
carefully and Pete was left, forgotten, standing next to them. He wandered off
eventually, scowling as he went.
Alyssa dredged her memories to
impress the boys with her comic book trivia. Beth joined in, sighting some of
the cartoons she remembered. Beth thought that maybe Batman could beat
Superman because didn’t he have Robin and Batgirl to back him up? Alyssa sided
with the boys out of sheer good-natured contrariness. Finally Beth and Alyssa
stood up to leave. There was still work to do after all.
“Is she like your girlfriend? The
cat?” Alyssa heard one of the boys ask and she slowed her steps to hear the
rest.
“It’s kind of complicated.” Brent
offered quietly.
“She’s awesome—and so hot.”
“Dude!” His friend slugged him
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