Justice(117)

The speaker, an old friend of J.T.’s, finishes his tale and the audience applauds. The mayor steps onto the stage to introduce me. I hand Harry my water and fluff my hair. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” Harry says with a proud smile. “Absolutely beautiful.”

I give him a quick kiss before walking toward the stage. The photographers go nuts and reporters shout questions. V waves and I wave back. She’s been getting scoops and exclusives from me for two weeks. I take care of my friends.

“…the woman who put this day together, Joanna Fallon.”

The audience roars with applause. I smile graciously as I step onto the stage, waving. “Thank you!” I say into the microphone. “Thank you everyone!” The applause continues for a few more seconds then dies down. “I want to, um, thank you all for being here today. This is an amazing turn out. And I want to thank all the people who shared their stories today. It really…means a lot.” The audience applauds again and I nod. Harry beams up at me as Dobbs joins him. I smile back before continuing.

“We’re all here today to honor a man, well rather a family of men, who gave their lives for this city. By now you are all aware of who I am speaking of. J.J., J.T., and Justin Pendergast IV, Justice.” They go wild again. “Now, I never had the honor of meeting the others, but they touched my life regardless, as they have all of yours. Like many of you, I grew up worshiping the man who called himself Justice. I’m sure I’m not alone in having an old box filled with t-shirts, posters, and action figures of Justice tucked away in my closet. You know who you are.” The people chuckle with me. “I wish I had known them. They were honorable, brave, and helped make this great city what it is today.”

I hold for applause again, and then take a deep breath. I have one goal today. To get through this without crying. “Like all of the other speakers today, I have a story about our hero to share. When I was twelve and he was just thirteen, Justin Pendergast saved my life. He didn’t do it with brute force or super-speed or any type of superpower. You see, my father had just been murdered. My father was my best friend, my protector, the best man I’ve ever known. And his death, the unfairness of it, the hole it left in my life was just…too much. I found myself alone in the dead of winter, icicles forming on my cheeks from my tears, looking over the side of Pendergast Bridge willing myself to jump.” I meet Harry’s eyes and give a small smile. I’ve never told him this story. His visage is pained, but he garners a reassuring smile. I can continue now. “I didn’t hear him approach. I was too busy working the odds of breaking through the ice versus crashing onto it like concrete.

“’Do you need help?’ was the first thing he said to me. I turned around, not all together happy with the presence of another human being, and more than willing to let him know this. But the moment I set eyes on him, I was speechless. For those of you who don’t know me, I should tell you this was an unprecedented occurrence.” The audience laughs along with me. “Here was this gorgeous thirteen-year-old boy coming to my rescue, in a limo no less. It took me a moment, but I reminded myself what I was there to do. No raging hormones or angelic boy was going to stop Joanna Fallon from doing what she wanted to do. I told him to go away in a not very nice way. He just stood there and said, ‘I can’t do that.’ That…did not go over well with me. I will not repeat the litany of abuse that followed because it would make a sailor blush.” More laughs.

I gaze at the audience and shrug my shoulders. “He still wouldn’t go. ‘What kind of person would I be if I left you here?’ he asked me. So he didn’t leave. He stood on that bridge with a total stranger freezing his butt off, shivering next to me, for an hour just talking. That was it, he just talked to me…until there was nothing left to say. He took my hand and we walked off that bridge together. You’re looking at the first person Justin Pendergast IV saved, and he did it with a smile, some conversation, and just—showing—up,” I say, my voice cracking.

I pause to collect myself. I’m going to cry, I know it. I can’t do this without breaking down. I can’t. An errant tear leaks out and slides down my cheek. I don’t have the strength. The audience murmurs about me. I’m about to step off the stage when I see him. Off in the distance, standing alone underneath a tree, I see a tall man, hair rimmed gold by the sun, smiling at me with such love and pride. All fear vanishes and grace washes through my soul. I smile back before he gallantly nods, tipping his imaginary hat, and vanishes before my eyes. I look down at the podium, breathless. A newfound strength settles into my bones, and I look up at the concerned audience, and hold my head held high.