Liam looked up at me, hesitation in his eyes, and I gave him a slight nod of encouragement.
“Yeah!” He exclaimed. “He’s my favorite superhero!”
“Spider-Man is awesome! But I have to say, Wolverine’s my favorite.” She gestured proudly to her costume. “Did you know Ben Parks, the actor who played Spider-Man in the last movie, is here signing autographs? You should totally get that comic signed by him!”
The boy’s eyes went impossibly wider.
“Really?” He gasped, spinning to face me, pleading with his expression. “Can we please go, Mom? Please?”
How could I say no to that face?
I chuckled, reaching for the comic.
“Of course, baby. Let me see that.” Flipping it over, I checked the price tag (reasonable enough, thank God!) and quickly pulled a couple of bills from my purse. I handed the money to the Wolverine girl, who promptly rang it up.
“Good luck, little one.” She said and gave him a cheerful pat on the head before moving on to helping another customer.
Carol wandered off to the next booth, and we caught up with her in time to spot the line. It stretched all the way to the back of the convention center. Everywhere I looked, people were wearing Spider-Man shirts, hats, and costumes. People of all ages waited for a moment with the man himself, Mr. Parks.
Couldn’t think of one single thing in life that would make me willingly face…that.But being a mom is about sacrifices, right?
Right?
Could I fake a headache and go home?
I sighed, rubbing my forehead as the reality of the situation sank in. Before I could say a word, Liam tugged at my arm.
“Come on, Mom, come on!” He urged, already pulling me toward the crowd.
With a defeated smile, I let him pull me toward the mayhem. We got in line, and time immediately slowed down. We shuffled forward, inch by inch, Liam peeking ahead every so often, but the queue seemed to stretch on endlessly.
Carol sighed loudly enough for me to side-eye her. She was already scrolling through her phone, with exhaustion written all over her face. Meanwhile, I distracted myself by people-watching. I couldn’t help it, the costumes were so good. I spotted everything from a flawless Cat Woman to a very creative homemade Doctor Octopus. Some cosplayers posed for pictures, and others seemed as tired as the rest of us mortals waiting in line.
Suddenly, the air changed. The noise level shot up, and people craned their necks, looking in the same direction.
“Wow…” Carol said as she glanced around. “Looks like someone else famous showed up.”
I held Liam’s hand tightly as the horde pressed in, bodies squeezing us from all sides. I thought it couldn’t get worse. But it did. Fast. And that panic attack was knocking at my door again.
Liam’s voice was small and trembled with fear. “Mom?”
“It’s okay, honey. I’m right here.” I wanted to reassure him, but how could I? I was a mess myself. All I wanted was to get the hell out of there. So, I took a deep breath and decided it was time to cut our losses. “Maybe we should go…” I steered us out, pushing gently through the throng of people, keeping Liam and Carol close.
As we managed to get through a particularly tight cluster,a large security guard came barreling past, nearly knocking us over with the force of his push.
“Whatthe fuckis wrong with you?” The adrenaline and anger mixed, and I snapped.
The guard turned, his expression hidden behind dark sunglasses, and I wondered if I was in the middle of shooting yet another annoying Men in Black movie.
What pompous fuck made their security guards wear sunglasses inside? No wonder he was bumping into people.
“There are kids here,” I shot back. “I’m sure Mr. Famous can stroke his ego without trampling children.”
Note to self: never go to an event with famous peopleever again.
The guard hesitated, surprised by my outburst. His face softened with regret.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I just—” Before he could finish, a voice cut through the noise. Sharp, irritated, and unmistakably familiar.
