The Hero

He lived as though he was the star in his own life. He was the hero who managed to avoid almost certain death. He defeated the baddies in a last-ditch stand, foiled the plot and – of course – in the end he got the girl.

After that, though, he didn’t know what to do. He'd assumed that he and the girl would live, if not exactly happy every after, then they would live some sort of romantic-comedy life where their foolish misunderstandings could always be resolved by a last-minute kiss in the pouring rain.

Then, maybe, as they grew older they would somehow segue into a family-based sitcom where their kids would infuriate them, but by the end of the programme everything would be resolved as they sat down together in the main room of their surprisingly spacious house for some kind of reconciliation.

Then the kids would grow up and go away, leaving him and the girl living a cantankerous old age, taking arms against a hostile, indifferent world, and often each other, but – as always - in the end with everything somehow – against the odds – coming out right.

Whatever, it was – however – his life turned out, and as long as he kept the girl by his side, he knew that – in the end – it would all turn out all right. At least, it would as long as the script was all right.