I read last week that Paul Rudd is the latest actor to be cast in a superhero movie. He will be Ant-Man, which apparently is a Marvel Comics character. I’ve never been a huge comic-book reader so Ant-Man was a new one to me. But I enjoy the superhero movies and they make money, so, Ant-Man it is.
Ant-Man, however, has nothing on another superhero I met Saturday. And where does one meet a superhero in Chicago? On an elevator at a CTA station, of course.
My mom was in town over the weekend so we set off Saturday morning to visit the Dreihaus Museum and take in in its holiday festivities. When we got to the Roosevelt station, we had to take the elevator to go down to the platform because the bottom of the escalator was blocked by a woman who had fallen and numerous CTA and EMS workers were attending to her. We got in the elevator and a man wearing a bright red and blue floppy hat with “Puerto Rico” emblazoned on it was commenting about the woman who had fallen. He then looked down and noticed my mother’s purse was wide open. He took it upon himself to forcefully but kindly instruct my mom about how to carry your purse in the city because an open purse like that is easy pickings for someone ready to give himself an early Christmas bonus. My mom took his advice and said, “I’m from Iowa and we don’t know these things.” The man smiled, My mom thanked him. The elevator door opened and he said, “Well, I’m Super Rico and this is my city."
I swear I heard the swell of an orchestra playing the score from "The Dark Knight Rises” as Super Rico confidently strode away.
It gets a little tiring reading news in Chicago day after day after day. Another scandal, another shooting, another fishy political deal. It’s tempting to simply shut my eyes, tune everything out, and keep my head down. But then Super Rico shows up and commits a deed of courage and bravery, advising a tourist about how to keep her valuables safe. It may not seem like much, but it gives me hope. Because, like this superhero, this is my city, too.