Chapter Nine
Lara flew onto her balcony and opened the door. Once inside, she spun out of her suit then she padded into the bathroom where she washed her face to remove her makeup. Back in her bedroom, she pulled out her softest sleep set and dressed at a normal pace. It was too early for bed, so she went to her kitchen and made some Lapsang souchong tea, and settled on her couch with her legs tucked under her.
In between sips of the hot sweet beverage, Lara thought about what her father had said. She now felt as if she knew Lois a little better, though that knowledge wasn’t helping her decide, at least not yet.
‘How can I forgive her?’ Lara thought. ‘She refused to be my mother!” Over and over she returned to the last thing her father said. He still loved Lois Lane!
‘How can he love her?’ Lara shook her head with disgust. ‘She almost aborted his child. She treated him shabbily. She’s snubbed every opportunity he gave her to open communication between them, but when I asked him, he said he’d forgive her if she would only ask.’
After going in circles for over two hours Lara realized she wasn’t getting anywhere, so she went to bed.
**********
The next night after work, Lara was still no closer to a decision than she had been the night before. She had listened to her father and had learned a lot about the woman who had given her life. Now she needed a woman’s perspective on the situation.
Lara picked up her phone. “Grandma? Can I come over? I need to talk to you.”
“Of course. Can you stay for dinner?”
“Sure. See you in a bit.”
Lara changed into her suit and was in the air in seconds. After changing back to her casual clothes, Lara entered the kitchen.
Martha’s face lit up when Lara entered the room. “Sit down, dear. Everything’s ready.”
Dinner with her family was a silent affair for Lara. Her thoughts occupied her mind such that she barely contributed to the conversation. After the meal, Lara looked over at her dad.
“Dad, I need to talk to Grandma. Could you clean up?”
Clark nodded his head. “Of course, Pumpkin.”
“Come on, Grandma.”
As they exited the kitchen Lara led Martha outside, but when Martha headed for the front porch Lara stopped her.
“Not here, Grandma. I want to talk to you in private.” Lara spun into her suit, then slid her arm around Martha’s shoulders. “Hang on.”
At first, Lara rose slowly into the air then she sped up. Minutes later she landed in the same meadow as the night before and pulled off her cape. After she spread it on the grass and sat down, Martha joined her.
Lara gazed out over the sylvan setting of the meadow and sighed. “You know, Grandma, this was where Dad told me about the birds and the bees.”
“I knew he’d had the talk with you but I never knew where he did it. He was so nervous. I heard him practicing night after night in his bedroom after you went to bed.”
Lara smiled as she remembered just how nervous her father was. “He was so cute I didn’t have the heart to stop him. The tops of his ears and his cheeks were bright pink and I think his hands were shaking.”
Martha chuckled, “Sounds like your father.”
“Of course I knew about human reproduction. We’d had classes on it ever since fifth grade, but once he got past the mechanics, he gave me a lot of good advice.” Lara’s thoughts turned to that evening so long ago.
**********
“I know you’re a very responsible girl, Pumpkin, but you need to understand the seriousness of the situation.”
Lara sighed with frustration. “I know, Dad.”
“I don’t think you do. I was young once. I know that’s hard to believe but I was,” Clark said with a self-deprecating grin. “I saw the consequences of having sex first hand. A good friend of mine, Jody, had a boyfriend. They thought they were in love and according to her things went a little too far one night and they had unprotected sex. It was only the one time but she fell pregnant.”
“That’s awful,” Lara said sympathetically.
“That’s not the awful part. When Jody told her boyfriend that she was pregnant he told her he didn’t love her and wasn’t going to be saddled with a kid at seventeen.”
Lara swallowed nervously, “What did she do?”
“She agonized over what to do for a while. She talked and I listened, mostly. I wanted to support her but, ultimately it was her decision. She… decided on an abortion,” Clark said as he hung his head.
“That’s so sad.”
“It was. I know a lot of women choose abortion but I, personally, feel it’s not a good choice. I suggested adoption since I was adopted and I know there are a lot of families who can’t conceive and would love her child but she couldn’t face going to school pregnant. Of course she and her boyfriend never spoke to one another again.”
“Is she okay now, Dad?”
“Yes. Jody is married now and they live in Olathe. They have three healthy children. I’m telling you this because as a girl you are the one who will bear the brunt of an unplanned pregnancy. I understand how, in the heat of the moment things can get out of hand, but you need to be aware and not let that happen. I knew guys who would tell their girlfriends that, if they loved him, they would do it. Don’t fall for that. Anyone who tells you that doesn’t love you. If they really loved you they wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on you. Any boy or man worthy of you should never use emotional blackmail against you.”
Lara gazed into Clark’s eyes and saw the love and concern displayed there. “Thanks Dad. I appreciate you telling me this. They never covered anything like this is Sex-Ed class at school.”
“I’m glad you understand. If something happened, we’d love you and support you, of course, but it’s better not to get into trouble if you can.”
**********
“I knew Dad was right then and now that I know about him and Lois, I can see why he feels the way he does about abortion.” Lara sighed and turned to face Martha.
“So what’s the problem, sweetie?”
“I’ve learned that Lois has a sister named Lucy.”
Martha’s eyes grew wide but she said nothing.
“I went to see Lucy a few days ago.”
Martha nodded. “Did you have a good time?”
“She invited us for Thanksgiving.”
Martha smiled. “That sounds like fun. Are you going to accept?”
Lara returned a shy smile of her own. “I was until Dad mentioned that Lois might be there too.”
Martha grasped Lara’s hand. “I see. How do you feel about that?”
Lara’s eyes teared up with frustration. “That’s the problem, Grandma. I don’t know how I feel about it! I want us to go. I want to meet Lucy’s husband and her two sons. I think we’d have fun and it would allow me to get to know relatives I’ve never met.”
Martha seemed sympathetic. “But you’re worried that if Lois is there you might not react well?”
“That’s it in a nutshell, Grandma. I’ve met Lois twice—”
Martha gasped. “I didn’t know that.”
“The first time was the day after we completed my suit. I’d found a picture of her and Dad in the cellar. I confronted him, and he finally told me my mother’s name. You know how angry I’ve been because of her absence, so I flew to Metropolis and let her have it!”
Martha’s hand rose to her chest. “Oh, dear!”
“Yeah, oh dear is right,” Lara said sarcastically. “I told her that I hoped she was happy and that I hadn’t needed her in my life.”
“How did she take it?”
“She tried to object but I leaned in and glared at her. That sure shut her up! I left soon after because I’d said my piece and I wasn’t going to get in a shouting match.”
“That’s was smart, sweetie. When was the second time?”
“When Dad helped me move into my apartment. We got to talking and that’s when I found out that Lois has a sister. I wanted to find her but Dad didn’t know where she lived. I put aside my anger for the moment and went to Lois’s office and asked for Lucy’s address. Lois was cool to me at first, and I can’t blame her. She probably thought I was back for round two because this time I came dressed as Superwoman, so the intimidation factor had to be high. You could have knocked me over with a feather when she called me Lara.”
Martha’s jaw dropped in surprise. “She knew who you are?”
“Oh yeah. But it makes sense. From what I’ve been able to glean from talking to Dad, Lois is very sharp. When I left her office that first time I had to get out of there quickly and I made a sonic boom. She knew Dad’s secret so she wouldn’t be the person he knew if she didn’t put Lara Kent and superpowers together after that.”
Martha nodded in agreement. “I can only imagine.”
“I asked Lois what Lucy knew about me. She said that all Lucy knew was that she’d had a child and Dad was the father. She gave me Lucy’s address and I left.”
Lara fidgeted, picking at a nonexistent speck of lint on her cape. “When I told Dad about the offer, he seemed pleased and so was I, right up until he mentioned that Lois might be there!”
Martha gave Lara’s hand a supportive squeeze. “So how can I help?”
“I need another opinion, Grandma. Dad told me a lot last night and I’ve done nothing but think over what he said. What do you think?”
Martha paused for a long time and stared off into the distance.
“How did you feel after you unloaded on Lois?”
“Unsatisfied. I thought that once I’d gotten my anger out, I’d feel good, you know? The problem was, I didn’t. I felt empty somehow. All the anger I’d had since I was old enough to know my mother didn’t want to be with me came out, but it didn’t settle anything. I’m not as angry at Lois now. Dad told me a lot, both when he helped me move and again last night. I can see how Lois’s experiences affected the choices she made. I don’t agree with them, obviously, but objectively I think I can see why she made them.”
“How does your dad feel about Lois?”
“That’s the weirdest part, Grandma. I asked him point-blank if he still loved Lois. Without the slightest hesitation, he said that he loved her then and he loves her now. He said he’d forgive her everything if she’d just ask.”
The tears Lara had been holding back now ran slowly down her cheeks. She wiped them away frantically with the back of her hand. “How can he feel that way, Grandma?” she wailed plaintively. “She hurt him as badly as she hurt me, in some ways even worse. I just can’t understand it!”
Martha leaned over and drew Lara into a hug and rubbed her back while she cried. “Love is a funny thing, sweetie. I knew Clark was in love with Lois from the moment he first started at the Planet. He told us about this stubborn, pigheaded, infuriating woman he’d partnered with, but he was smiling the whole time. You haven’t met the man for you yet, but maybe when you do, you’ll understand. I only met Lois one time, but even then, I could see that she was the woman for him. It’s a shame how things worked out the way they did, though. I think they’d have made a wonderful couple.”
“So what should I do?”
“Only you can decide that dear. If you want my opinion, I think you should seriously consider forgiving Lois. I know she hurt you. I heard you crying at night, and I didn’t need super hearing. Hearing you cry tore my heart out, and I resolved to do everything I could to take that hurt away.”
“You did, Grandma!” Lara exclaimed. She raised her head until their eyes met. “You made me feel loved, all of you did, your love was and is special to me. I can’t thank you enough for everything you did.”
“Thanks aren’t needed, sweetie. It’s what family does, love each other!”
“What about you, Grandma?”
Martha looked confused. “What about me, dear?”
“Can you forgive Lois?”
Martha once again stared off into the distance. “Jonathan and I have talked a lot about this. At first, we were furious with her, the way she’d treated our boy. She kept your father in agony while she decided if she was going to keep his child and then she made him take you and leave the job he loved, forever!”
Martha looked at her hands and sighed. “When we heard you crying, we knew how hurt you were and it hurt us too. Over the years we didn’t talk as much about it because there was no way to change the situation. Lois rebuffed all of Clark’s efforts to reconnect so, while we felt bad for him, there was nothing we could do.”
Martha turned and reached over to grasp Lara’s hand. “Now though, there is the possibility of Lois reentering our lives. When Clark came home last night, he told us what you wanted to talk to him about. Jonathan and I discussed it well into the night, and we came to the decision that, if Lois is truly sorry, then we think she deserves a second chance. As Christians, we believe in forgiveness so yes, we can forgive her.
Lara wiped her tears again and dried her face with a corner of her cape. “You think I should forgive her?”
“Yes, I do. But you need to decide on your own. I’ll support whatever decision you make.”
Lara hugged Martha once more, then she stood up and offered her hand. “Thanks for the advice. We should be heading back.”
Lara put her cape back on and grasped Martha around the shoulders. In seconds, they were in the air on the way back to Smallville.
**********
Back in Chicago Lara spent the next two days considering everything her father and grandmother had said. Gradually, after much soul searching, she came to a decision.
**********
The next night after work Lara was in the air headed to the white farmhouse that had been her home for years. She scanned the area and saw that it was clear, so she landed just off the porch, spun into her casual clothes, and entered the kitchen.
“Hi, everybody!” Lara exclaimed as she sat down.
“I’ve made a decision.” Lara looked around the table and saw everyone looking at her expectantly.
Martha asked the question on everyone’s mind. “And what did you decide, dear?”
Lara paused for a moment, then she replied, “I’m going to forgive Lois.”
There was a collective sigh of relief and everyone smiled.
“I’m proud of you, Pumpkin,” Clark said. He drew Lara into a one-armed hug and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“Me too, sweetie,” Martha said. “If you don’t mind my asking, was there one thing that led to your decision?”
Lara gazed lovingly at her father. “Dad and Grandma gave me wonderful advice, but it was when Dad said that he still loves Lois and would forgive her, that cinched it for me. If my father, who I love and respect, can forgive Lois, then she must not be the evil witch I’d made her out to be. She’s a flawed person, like all of us, who made some bad decisions, and I believe she deserves a second chance.”
“That’s my girl!” Jonathan exclaimed. “So when are you going to tell Lucy that we’d love to have Thanksgiving with her family?”
Lara grinned and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Hi, Aunt Lucy… Yes, we were just talking about that. We’d love to come for Thanksgiving! … Great, I’ll call you later to finalize the details. By the way, will Lois be there? … Yes. We’d love to see her. Okay, we’ll talk again. Bye.” Lara disconnected the call and slipped the phone into her pocket.
“We’re all set!” Lara smiled. “What are we going to do tonight?”
Jonathan rubbed his hands together eagerly, “So who’s up for some Texas Hold’em?”
**********
Continued in Chapter Ten
