Simon Says

Simon was only four years old when his mama had to explain that his daddy had gone to heaven. Confused, he smiled up at her and said, "WOW, daddy always said if we were good, we would go to heaven one day. He must have been really good, right mama?" His mama ran out of the room crying.

Simon hated to see his mama cry.

Since the passing of his daddy, everything in Simon's world changed. His mama went days, never leaving her room, and it had been weeks since she last left the house. Simon's nana moved into the room next to his and began doing everything his mama used to do with him.

Simon decided it was his job to cheer her up. He tried making her smile by cleaning his room and washing the dishes without being asked.

Last Saturday he surprised her by making her breakfast in bed, but she never even took a bite.

He decided to pull out all of the stops. Dressing up, he revived her favorite stand-up comedy routine that he and his daddy used to perform for her. All the antics that used to send her rolling on the floor, the ones that his daddy described as his "superpower." His ultimate "go to" that got him out of trouble.

Just as it seemed to have no effect on her, he pulled out the pièces de résistance...

Crumpled in the bottom of the box was the old suit jacket his daddy used to wear during their routine, he knew there was no way she could resist the power of "the suit."

As he slipped his tiny arms into the oversized jacket and turned to say "ta-da, " her tears magically turned into a smile.

"Look mama, he cried, I'm superhero daddy!"