Thursday, October 3, 2019

My Hero is Batman by Dora Bramden




Dora         ‘If you could be any superhero who would it be?’

Sam          ‘I’m Batman Baby.’ Said without a moment's hesitation.

Dora         Laughs. ‘Why Batman?’

Sam          ‘Because I always wanted to be Batman.’

He didn’t explain further but It made perfect sense to me. Heroes, Super or everyday ones, often hide their strengths behind a normal façade. Unassuming Sam quietly takes on the role of superhero wherever there’s a need.

Batman swoops in to save the day with amazing physical and mental strength. In a similar way Sam, my everyday superhero, is brave, selfless and considerate of the people around him. He says I can do that when I don’t have the strength to do things for myself. He always asks questions about what is wrong and tries to find a way to fix the problem.


When I met Sam, I’d recently come home from an extended stay in hospital. I had a long road to recovery and he was there every step of the way. Many men wouldn't have given me a chance, given my poor health, but not Sam. He said we are all broken in some way and have to be understanding.

In those early days, I struggled with indecision because my brain wasn’t working very well, so when he’d ask what would I like to do on our date, I couldn’t answer him. He wasn’t fazed, ‘That’s okay, I can make that decision for us.’ Then he’d take me somewhere lovely. When I was overwhelmed by the menu he'd say, ‘I think you might like the chicken’ or ‘I think you’d like the pasta,’ and it would be what I wanted. A true superpower if you ask me.

When I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease he was by my side. I put my head in my hands, devastated that I would never be able to enjoy the food I love. He said, ‘No it’s okay, we can do this’. He took me straight to the supermarket where we found the GF section and he purchased chocolate biscuits for me to enjoy. It was consoling to know there were foods I could still enjoy eating.

As I gradually got better, and was able to make my own choices again, Sam valued my opinion. He never stopped asking what I’d want to do when we go out and is still happy to oblige me. We recently had breakfast at a place, called Two Beans and a Farm,  that is able to do a delicious GF meal.

Now married, we are firm supporters of each other. I help him a lot with his work, as a kind of secretary. Sam, supports my writing career, proofreading from time to time and the sweet man always tells me how talented I am. He’s blatantly biased, another superpower that I love about him.

I can’t fault Sam for wishing he had Bruce Wayne’s resources, a mansion with a resident butler, bat-cave and that fabulous car. All that makes it easier for Batman to devote his time to performing superhero activities because he doesn’t have to work at making a living. Sam, is better than Batman. He works hard while still stepping up and a superhero for me.

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3 comments:

Judith Ashley said...

I've tears in m my eyes, Dora. So very happy you found your Super Hero. And if Sam is your Batman, then you must be his Batwoman (or is that Batgirl, I was never really in to Batman so I don't remember all the characters).

Diana McCollum said...

What a beautiful story, and it's your life story, Dora! Sam sounds like an amazing man . so glad you found each other. Great post!

Sarah Raplee said...

I am so glad you and Sam found your Happily-Ever-After! I think it's much harder to be an Everyday Superhero than to be have all sorts of powers/money/brains that make things easier for you. If Clark Kent had been an ordinary foundling, he would have risked his life to do those news stories! As Superman, not so much.