Superhero

I grew up thinking my dad was some sort of Mormon superhero. I never heard him utter one swear word or forget to read his daily scriptures or miss a church meeting or GOD FORBID turn down a church calling, that would be akin to insubordination. He was self disciplined and fastidious. Me, not so much, especially with my high school grades.

I remember getting a big fat hideous "D" in 11th grade accounting and dreading nay, wanting to die, thinking about my dad's reaction to my horrific grade. I would have gladly taken a Guantanamo water board torture or the Spanish Inquisition than face him. I often wondered if my dad was ever an impetuous teenager, or if by superpowers bestowed upon him through a Starfleet command of the brethren, he popped down to earth like Capt. Kirk being beamed through a transporter, in full adult form. He was not human to me.

Growing up, I realized dad was not a superhero after all, he apparently did endure high school and was not beamed to earth by Starfleet Command or the brethren. I found the evidence, in a small document tucked away in an old yellowed envelope. As I scanned over the grades, musing to myself that he really didn't do much better than me, I saw it there at the top--2nd term physics--a beautiful hideous "D" and I just smiled.