Thursday, July 15, 2004

26. Dick

Holy... Ah, fuck it. I'm still in shock; too hard to find the words right now.

But I feel like I need to write down what happened last night in as much detail as possible, so I'll try:

It was raining when Batman picked me up on the usual corner. I headed straight to the rear passenger door, slipped the waiting blindfold over my eyes, and stretched out on the seat once again. The trip to his "batcave" was shorter this time--fewer twists and turns, a more direct route. I took this as a sign he was starting to take me into his confidence.

And how. When we pulled into the garage of the cave, I heard him open his door, then there was a longer than usual wait before he opened mine.

No matter what else happens to me in the years to come, I'll never forget the shock I felt when I could see at last. There, less than a foot away from me, stood Batman. Unmasked.

He looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place him. Where had I seen that face before?

"I think you know my family business," he said in a tone that almost sounded playful. He gestured to a nearby table, where I saw the flier for the most recent demo against WayneTech Enterprises.

Strangely enough, the first thought that popped into my head was: He's been digging through my stuff when I wasn't looking! And the second thought, the one I actually blurted out loud, was: "You're ..."

"Bruce Wayne," he said, after I appeared incapable of completing my own sentence. "Pleased to meet you."