Superhero

"I can fly! I can fly!" I was singing at the top of my voice. 

"Oh really?!" SH raised his eyebrows in mock amazement. I grinned sheepishly. 

"You are getting heavier by the day," SH complained. I was sitting on his back and he was flying through the sky. 

I was ten, and I met SH four years ago. We became good friends and since then he comes to visit me whenever he gets time off his busy schedule. He gives me a ride on his back too. It was exhilarating to fly over the city, watching the buildings fly past and gliding over the clouds with wind messing up my hair. 

"How can you do it SH? How can you fly?" I asked him for the umpteenth time. 

He shrugged his shoulders, "I'm a superhero, so I have some powers. Flying is one of them. And remember...."

"I remember SH, I shouldn't try to fly," I said, imitating him. He smiled, and slowly descended on the roof of a random building. The weather was pleasant. SH would always have some treats in his pocket. Today he got a sandwich. As we sat there munching on it, I asked him a question that has been troubling me a lot.

"Tell me SH, can a person, without any powers, be a superhero? It's not possible, isn't it?"

 SH would never jump to conclusions without finding out the entire matter. He asked me to explain. 

"We were talking of superheroes and Rohit said that his favourite superhero is his mom. Now, Rohit's mom doesn't have any superpower. She can't fly, she doesn't have laser eye, she has no elastic power, nothing else. She's not a superhero. Yet Rohit was arguing that she is. How is it possible?"

SH gave it a moment's thought. "Rohit is not wrong."

"He is!" I insisted. "His mom is not a superhero."

"Who is a superhero?" SH flung this question at me. 

I took some time, trying to arrange my thoughts. "Someone who can fly, who can see through walls, who can lift a truck with one hand, who can hear things a mile away..." I would have said more, but ran out of breath.

"Can you rephrase it?" SH asked. 

I strained my brow in deep thought, "Umhhh.... Superhero is one who has abilities....special abilities..."

SH nodded his head in agreement. "Superhero is one who has abilities and powers that he uses to help others. Now, let's talk of Rohit's mom. What abilities that she have?"

"Nothing," I said in a matter of fact manner. "She doesn't have any of the abilities and powers that you or the other superheroes have. But still Rohit was being so adamant. He said she single handedly takes care of the family, works in the day, takes tuitions in the evening, and that's all. He went on and on about how she keeps the whole family together and that no one can replace her... But how does this make her a superhero?" I shook my head in disbelief.

SH smiled. He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Anyone who does extraordinary things in their everyday life is a superhero. He or she helps others and tries their best to bring happiness in the life of others. If you take Rohit's mom, she works day and night so that her family is provided for. She tries her best to make them happy in whichever way possible. She does extraordinary things, each day, everyday. Indeed she is a superhero."

Light dawned on me. I began to understand. "My mom too is a superhero? My dad and my teacher too?"

"Definitely," SH was quick to answer.

"Me too?"

SH gave me the widest smile ever, "You are getting there."

Now I could comprehend what making-a-difference actually meant. Every person is a superhero. Everyone who does their job with full sincerity tries their best and brings a smile on someone's face. 

"Let's go, it's time to do homework," SH got up. We flew back.