Me, Batman and Father's Day

I’ve published this text before, on different occasions, but this is the first time I’m signing it.

I spent most of my English course at CNA Campo Limpo, and in my last 2 years, I transferred to CNA Sócrates after moving to a different neighborhood, Interlagos and all.

During one of those group activities, I was responsible for a group of kids. Around Father’s Day, I had to hand out a slip of paper so each one could write a little card for their dad and make a cardboard tie to stick on a package.

When I handed them to the students, one of them kept fiddling with the paper on the desk and did nothing while the others did theirs.

I ended up asking:

Pedrinho, why aren't you making your card? Do you need help with anything?

He got grumpy, put his head down on the desk and went quiet. The other two little troublemakers in the room quickly mocked the situation I knew nothing about:

Hey, Miss Laura, Pedrinho doesn't have a dad! Hahahahaha, what a loser.

I swallowed hard at the boy’s words, then knelt down next to the kid’s chair and said:

Hey, really? That's so cool!

The other boys were confused, and the kid was also a bit startled by what I said. So I continued:

You know who else doesn't have a dad? Batman! Don't you like Batman? I know! How about writing a letter to Batman?

The other two quickly got a twinge of envy and said:

Hey miss, I want to write a letter to Batman too! No. You have dads, so you're writing letters to your dads.

They handed in their little cards and left. I stayed after class with the little boy and we cut out the bat with cardboard and for the first time I shared a “motherly” moment in my life. He left smiling, gave the letter to his mom and asked her to deliver the letter to Batman.

That same night his mom called the school and ended up reaching me, asking about the situation. I explained what had happened, she cried a little and then was happy. She then asked me what I would do on Father’s Day. I said:

Well... I think I'm also going to write a little letter to Batman...

I cried a little that night.

On Father’s Day weekend, she invited me to go out with her and her son at Ibirapuera Park. It was an excellent weekend.

Only someone who grew up without a father by their side and suffered through sadness during their entire childhood knows what that feeling is like.

At least I changed one child’s destiny and made him a little happier. Today he probably doesn’t even care about Father’s Day anymore.

I wish I had had an English class monitor.

Happy Father’s Day.