Page 35 of Cinematic Destinies
Albert nodded.
“Then come on.”
They started walking down Beacon Street and Ryan said, “Everyone thought your art was sick. It made their night.” Albert blushed and he continued, “Why’d you pick Superboy for yourself?”
“I don’t know,” Albert replied with a shrug. “It’s just what popped into my mind.”
“He’s kind of tragic, the son of Superman.”
“All superheroes are kind of tragic. That’s what makes them interesting.”
Ryan huffed. “You have a point. Never thought of it that way.” He paused. “I didn’t want to ask in front of everyone, but I recognized all the superheroes except the one you made for me. I loved it. Just didn’t know who it was.”
“It’s one of my own. I created it just for you.”
“You made me an original?” Ryan asked, his eyebrows raised.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not like anyone else.”
Ryan smiled. “Neither are you.”
After a quiet moment, Albert asked, “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Hang a right up here.” They started walking up the steep road lined with Tudor houses and Ryan said, “There’sthis really cool park. Up on the crest of the hill. When you’re on the swings, you can see all of Boston.”
“How do you know about it?”
“Discovered it my sophomore year. Lucy took me. After that, when I needed to escape, be alone, think, whatever, I’d hop on the T and go there. I haven’t been since we graduated and moved to Cambridge, but we’re nearby and I want you to see it.”
Once they reached the top, Albert noticed a sign saying that the park closed after dusk. “Don’t worry about that,” Ryan said.
Albert followed him to the swings, not a soul in sight.
“You still trust me?” Ryan asked. Albert nodded and Ryan said, “Take a seat, shut your eyes, and I’ll push you.”
Albert obliged.
“Are your eyes shut?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Keep them shut until I tell you to open them,” Ryan instructed as he began pushing the swing.
Albert held onto the ropes on either side as he began to fly in the air. The higher and faster he went, the more boundless he felt. It was exhilarating. He could feel the swing reaching peak height when Ryan said, “Open your eyes.”
Albert opened his eyes to see the sky bursting with stars and the Boston skyline illuminated before him. He was smiling so wide he couldn’t speak as the swing kept taking him down and up, the city sparkling before him.
“Keep up the pace,” Ryan said as he jumped on the swing beside him.
Soon they were swinging in unison. “Woo-hoo!” Ryan shouted.
Albert couldn’t stop smiling. Eventually, they slowed down and dragged their feet on the ground until their swings stopped. They twisted to face each other, and Ryansaid, “I just really wanted you to experience that. To feel like you’re flying in the air, and the city you chose is before you, and you’re so small and so big all at once, and everything is possible.”
“Thank you for taking me here.”
