‘The green ranger.’ This isn’t okay. How could he forget something so important?
‘Hmm, doesn’t ring a bell…’
I stop at the corner of a street, where an antique furniture shop is closing up for the day.
‘Come on, remember,’ I say. ‘We’d run around outside. You’d be ka-powing as Tommy, and I was Kimberly.’ I karate chop his chest, sure that I’m hurting my hand.
Sam laughs, and my face falls.
‘Of course, I remember playing Power Rangers,’ he says. ‘I just wanted you to tell me about playing pink ranger. And that demonstration was… intimidating.’
‘I’ll have you know, Kimberly was the best ranger, and I suited pink well,’ I say. ‘I still do.’
‘To be fair, sometimes you were Jason.’
‘That’s because red was my favourite colour,’ I say. ‘And he was my sexual awakening.’
My shoulders relax at Sam’s laugh, which is warm, just like him. I beam back at him. He’s so carefree, and he makes me realise how much is missing in my life back home. Other than Alice, it’s rare to find someone who can make me relax, even just for a little.
‘I remember your mum didn’t like us jumping off the bed when we were fighting Rita.’
‘That’s because she was part of Rita’s evil plan, remember?’ I say. ‘The adults were always on the bad side.’
‘Remember when you had nit shampoo in and you were screaming?—’
‘“Power Rangers don’t need nit shampoo!”’ I mock-scream, as Sam bursts out laughing. ‘Yeah, not my finest moment, but it’s true. I embodied red ranger and I was not happy having to wear nit shampoo. Which, by the way, I think was because of you.’
‘You think I gave you nits?’
‘We were inseparable, so, yeah.’
Sam runs a hand through his tangled hair. ‘I think I might have something for you.’
‘You need some shampoo?’
Sam lets his hair fan out. ‘I think I still have my green ranger costume somewhere.’
‘You don’t?’ I gasp. ‘Surely you don’t fit into it anymore.’
‘Not the one I had back home,’ Sam says. ‘A year or two ago I went to a Comic Con and went as him.’
Comic Con? Sam?
‘You’re kidding me.’
‘Hey, Comic Con is cool.’
‘Yes, it is,’ I say.
I mean it. I loved going to Comic Cons in my early adulthood dressed as Nathan Drake to different convention centres around the country. Sometimes I’d be a Hunger Games tribute, or Luke Skywalker. I almost went as Ash Ketchum, but Ollie put an end to that.
Ollie didn’t like Comic Cons. He came with me once, and I had so much fun meeting voice actors, movie stars and artists, but Ollie lingered in the background. When the event finished, he’d told me it was a ‘room of weirdos’, and that we shouldn’t go again.
So, we didn’t.
It was fine. I could live without Comic Con.
We stop at a zebra crossing, a Renault car letting us pass. Despite the evening, many people walk around in loose-fitting shorts, vests, some are even topless. I’m glad I’m wearing my breathable trousers, with the smartest T-shirt I could find tucked at the waist.
