文字难度：★★
How was I supposed to know he collected comics? I know, many people learn surprising things about their partners after the wedding. But comics? I suppose, I should have been glad he didn’t read picture books of another kind—the kind most women, myself included, wouldn’t appreciate at all. And, yeah, I should have been glad he was reading something. But, I wasn’t anticipating deep literary conversations about the 1)antics of his favourite superhero. I also didn’t expect his passion to grow, much by my own hand.
Everyone should have a hobby, and in my opinion reading is right up there with higher callings. So, when I tried to interest him in reading other, better books, the reception was more than chilly. He was 2)stubborn, I figured. I also learned it took him more than a week to finish one comic. At first I thought he liked to 3)savour the story, to make it last. Then he made a 4)startling confession to me. He couldn’t read. He liked the comics because he could figure out the story by studying the pictures and from the few words he did know.
As I’d grown up with books and reading, this news shocked me. I simply took for granted the fact that all grown-up adults are literate. So, how could this happen? How could his family have ignored, what I considered to be a basic human need? The story behind his illiteracy is too long to share here. It’s enough to say he’d survived by his own 5)ingenuity and the generosity of strangers. Once I knew this, I made it a priority to buy a comic book weekly. I 6)reckoned he should have plenty of comic material to read. That was fine with him, as long as I made sure it was 7)The Phantom.
The Phantom comic collection grew. I 8)stacked them on bench tops, in the reading room, on his bedside table, anywhere he could get his hands on them. And he did. Whenever I read a book, he’d pick up a Phantom and immerse himself in the simple story. I was glad. It was a 9)commendable activity, and he was reading something. Soon he was reading Phantoms at a faster pace. He also began reading his Bible. No—more than just reading it! He began to study it, learn it and discover its truths.
Humour, hope and 10)a dash of love have inspired my husband to learn reading, as an adult. Although, as far as education goes, my children have probably attained a higher level of literacy than my husband, these days he is an adequate reader. The number of Phantom comics 11)strewn about the house made sure that my family became fans of the purple-suited hero. I’ll admit to one day finally lowering my intellectual pride, and reading a Phantom comic. I was pleasantly surprised! This wasn’t simply kids’ stuff. I laughed in delight as I turned the pages. The Phantom held the basic ingredients to what makes reading so enjoyable in the first place. It was just pure good fun, plain and simple.
