Chapter Twenty-Six—Sam and Ellen
A few days after Clark talked to Lois about introducing Lara to her maternal grandparents Lois decided that she should speak with them. She agreed with Clark that Lara deserved to meet her other grandparents, at least once. Lois hoped that, after all these years, her parents would put aside their animosity, at least temporarily, for the good of their granddaughter. So it was with some trepidation that she dialed her mother’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Mother, how are you?”
“Lois! It’s good to hear from you. I’m glad you called, when are we going to have lunch? You’ve missed our last two lunch dates,” Ellen scolded.
“I’m sorry, Mother, but you know how the newspaper business is. I can’t predict when news will break. But that’s not why I called. Ummm… could you come over to my place tomorrow night? I have something to tell you and Daddy.” Lois asked.
“You’re not pregnant again are you?” Ellen accused.
“Pregnant! Wherever would you get that idea?” Lois replied, shocked.
“It may have been over twenty years ago but the last time you wanted your father and me to be at your place you told us you were pregnant. Lois, I thought a woman of your age would know better,” Ellen continued with disdain.
“Mother! I am not pregnant! God, I haven’t even had a date in five years!” Lois replied heatedly. After a deep cleansing breath, Lois continued. “Mother, can you please come over tomorrow night? I really do have something important to discuss with you both.”
Ellen seemed to be contemplating Lois’s request for a moment before she replied.
“All right, what time should I be there?”
“7 o’clock, if that works for you?” Lois said hopefully.
“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll see you then.”
“Thank you, Mother. I’ve got to go now. I’m going to call Daddy.”
“Bye, dear, see you tomorrow night.” Lois sighed when she hung up the phone. She hoped the conversation with her father would go easier.
**********
Lois prepared a carafe with coffee and placed cream and sugar on a tray with cups and some pastries she had purchased from her favorite bakery in preparation for the meeting with her parents. The doorbell rang at 6:55 p.m. and Lois opened the door to find both of her parents standing there.
“Mother, Daddy, thanks for coming,” Lois said excitedly, pleased that they had arrived, seemingly together and that they were showing no signs of having been arguing.
Ellen walked in, kissed Lois on the cheek as they hugged. Sam drew Lois in for a hug.
“Hello, Princess, thanks for inviting me tonight.”
“Please, sit down, I’ve got coffee made, be right back.” Lois poured coffee into three cups, placed the carafe on the tray then she walked back into the living room. Lois was pleased to see Ellen and Sam sitting on the same couch within touching distance of each other. She sat down opposite them and passed cups to her parents. When everyone was relaxed Lois began.
“Thank you both for coming. I have something to tell you and it’s easier for me to be able to say this once.”
“Sounds important, Princess, what’s up?” Sam asked. He took a sip of his coffee and seemed to be looking at Lois for clues.
“Mother, when we talked yesterday you asked if I was pregnant. I’m not of course, but I did want to talk to you both about the baby that I gave up.”
Ellen, thoroughly confused, asked, “What about it?”
“The story I told you about who the father is wasn’t the truth,” Lois said.
“Why would you do that?” Sam asked, seemingly as confused as Ellen.
“At the time I thought it would be easier for me. I was trying to avoid awkward questions.” Lois sighed then continued. “Let me explain.”
Lois recounted the facts of how, after the Luthor fiasco, Mr. Stern had given her six months to prove herself and how she had nearly worked herself to death and how she took every dangerous story available.
“Sorry to interrupt, Princess, but how does this situation lead to you getting pregnant?” Sam asked.
“I’m getting there, please be patient, this is hard enough as it is. One night I was to meet with a “source” who was supposed to give me the evidence I needed for my latest story. It turned out that it was a trap. I thought I was going to die,” Lois paused. She took a deep breath as she fought the memories of so long ago.
“Clark, who had been worried about me for a long time, followed me without my knowledge. He rescued me at the last moment. He saved my life. He took me home and, well, one thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were having sex.”
“I see, but why lie to us? We’d have understood.” Sam looked at Ellen for confirmation as she nodded her agreement.
“I’m sorry but I didn’t think you would. Mother, you always warned me about having relationships with people I work with. So when I turned up pregnant, well, I thought that if I told you the story I did it would be the easiest way to go. I know it was wrong and I’m sorry.” Lois looked down, embarrassed even after all these years. It wasn’t easy telling your parents that you’d lied to them.
“So, if you knew the father, even worked with him, why did you give the baby up for adoption? Didn’t he want to do the right thing?” Ellen asked accusingly.
“Oh, he did. He offered to marry me as soon as he knew I was pregnant. You must understand. I wasn’t ready to get married back then and I certainly didn’t want to have a ready-made family. I never was a house in the suburbs, white picket fence, 2.5 kids type of person.” Lois took a sip of her coffee and found it lukewarm so she set the cup on the table before she continued.
“I told Clark I was going to abort the baby but he begged me not to, he wanted to raise his child. I knew he was sincere but I wasn’t convinced. I knew that he would pester me to get married and make me feel guilty for not doing so.”
“We know you gave up the baby but what happened to make you need to tell us now?” Ellen interrupted. Her expression showed her evident confusion.
“I’ll get to that in a minute, Mother. To avoid all that guilt, I told Clark I would deliver the baby and give it to him but he had to agree to a condition, which he did without even asking what it was.”
“What was the condition?” Sam asked, gently.
“He had to take the baby and leave Metropolis forever,” Lois said softly.
“And he agreed to that?” Ellen asked, aghast.
“Oh yes, even though working at the Planet was his dream job, he wanted that baby even more.”
“So, again, ‘why now’?” Sam asked softly.
“She found me,” Lois replied, her eyes tearing up.
“She found you? What do you mean, she found you?” Ellen asked.
“Another part of the condition was that he would never tell the child who her mother is. I felt she’d be better off without my influence in her life. Clark tried to talk me out of it but I was adamant, so he agreed. I found out recently that she was in the basement of her home one day and found Clark’s old trunk. Being curious like her mother, she dug around and she found Clark’s scrapbook with articles he’d written and others by both of us. She also found a picture of Clark and me at the Kerth award ceremony. It didn’t take an investigative reporter to guess who her mother was, especially as she looks a lot like me when I was her age. She confronted Clark and he, finally, confirmed her suspicions.
“A few days later she walked into my office and I saw myself twenty years younger, standing in front of my desk. She told me, in no uncertain terms, how she felt about me not being in her life, and how she was the only little girl at the Mother-Daughter campout with her grandmother. I saw how deeply my actions had hurt this woman and I immediately regretted my decision, however, before I had a chance to apologize, she left, slamming the door behind her.
“I thought that was the end of it but once she found out who I was she investigated me and found Lucy and her family. She went to California to meet them and Lucy welcomed her with open arms. She also invited her and her family to Thanksgiving dinner and that’s where I had a chance to talk to her and to apologize. We came to an understanding. We’ve agreed to try to be friends and that’s why you’re here tonight.”
“What do you want from us, Lois?” Ellen looked Lois in the eye suspiciously.
“She, her name is Lara by the way, wants to meet her maternal grandparents.”
“Is that all she wants?” Ellen asked suspiciously. “What kind of person is she?”
“Mother! I can’t believe you said that.” Lois exclaimed indignantly. “She doesn’t even know about this conversation. It was Clark who asked if I thought you might like to meet her. Neither of us has mentioned a thing to Lara.”
“I’m sorry, Lois, that was uncalled for,” Ellen said apologetically.
“Thank you, Mother. So, what do you say? Would you like to meet your granddaughter?”
“I don’t know… it’s been over twenty years,” Ellen hedged.
“You really think she wants to meet us?” Sam asked.
“I do. She grew up with the idea that Clark and his parents were the only family she had. Now she knows she has an aunt and uncle and two cousins. She asked me about you but I hesitated. I told her that you didn’t know about her and I would need to prepare you first. She understood but I could tell she wants to meet you. She’s a lovely person, hard-working, loyal to her friends, a good writer, she takes after me,” Lois said with a chuckle. “She’s engaged to a firefighter in Chicago and they plan to marry this June.”
“She does sound delightful,” Sam said. He turned to Ellen to see how she was feeling. “What do you think, Ellen?”
“I think I’d like to meet her,” Ellen said with certainty.
“That’s wonderful! I’m so glad. Let me check with her as to when she’ll be in Metropolis next and we can set a date.”
“How often does she get to Metropolis?” Sam asked, curiously.
“Not often but I remember that she mentioned that she has a conference in the city coming up soon. I thought that we could plan it for when she’s here. Would that work?” Lois asked.
“Yes, that sounds perfect. I’m looking forward to meeting our granddaughter,” Sam said. “Where do you think we should meet?”
“I was thinking we’d do it right here. We can have a nice meal and get to know each other,” Lois said. She was relieved that the hard part was now over.
“Do you want me to help make dinner?” Ellen asked.
“No, Mother, I was planning to order takeout from Café Americana. You know my cooking skills haven't improved one bit in the last twenty years!” Lois said and everyone laughed.
**********
That evening, after Sam and Ellen had left, Lois picked up her phone and called Lara.
“Hi, Lara!” Lois exclaimed once Lara answered.
“Hi, Lois, how are you?”
“I’m fine, thanks for asking. I was wondering, are you available the day after tomorrow?”
“Sure, as long as there are no emergencies, I have no plans, Ken is working nights this week.”
“I talked with my mom and dad and I told them about you,” Lois said happily. “They want to meet you.”
“They do? That’s wonderful! When and where?” Lara asked excitedly.
“6 o’clock at my place. I plan to order takeout and we can all get to know each other.”
“Do you want me to pick something up? What do they like?”
“No, I’m ordering in,” Lois said conspiratorially. “Oh, by the way, you need to come up by the elevator if you know what I mean.”
“Ah, no problem.”
“Also, I told them you were coming to town for a conference so be ready to back me up.”
“You don’t think I should tell them, about me I mean?”
“No, there’s no need. Lucy and her family don’t know and my parents don’t need to either. A few little white lies are the price we have to pay to keep you and your family safe.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow!”
**********
Lara flew slowly towards Metropolis after leaving work early that evening, anxious to meet her new grandparents. While they were her relations, they were virtual strangers. From what Lois and Lucy had told her previously, they didn’t get along well with each other. Lara hoped that tonight would not devolve into arguments as she wasn’t ready for that, at all. The darkened alley near Lois’s building suited her needs so she shot out of the sky and she spun into her business suit, her purse in her left hand, and headed for Lois’s building. The ride up the elevator seemed long and she had to clasp her hands behind her back to stop them from shaking. When the elevator doors opened she knocked on the door of apartment 5105 where she heard Lois’s footsteps.
“Lara! Come in, come in,” Lois exclaimed, smiling widely.
Lara stepped into the living room and saw the other two people in the room. Her grandfather was a tall, thin man, bald on top with white hair and a mustache. Her grandmother was more petite, with a body type like Lois. She had dyed dark blonde hair, cut straight at her shoulders. They both looked to be in their early-70s and appeared to be healthy. When she entered the room, they both stood up, smiling with welcome.
“Lara, this is my father, Dr. Sam Lane, and my mother, Ellen Lane. Mother, Daddy, this is my daughter, Lara Kent.”
Lara broke into a wide smile, happy to have, at last, met her maternal grandparents.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Dr. and Mrs. Lane,” Lara replied as she extended her hand.
“Call me, Sam, please. Is it okay if I hug you?” Sam asked as he opened his arms.
“I’d like that, Sam,” Lara said and she stepped into his embrace. They hugged each other tightly for a moment then Sam stepped back so Ellen could greet her granddaughter.
“Please call me, Ellen.” She also hugged Lara tightly. Lara’s eyes were damp as were everyone else’s.
“Come on, let’s eat before the food gets cold.” Lois escorted everyone to the dining room where the food was already set out in covered dishes. The hearty sausage and broccoli frittata gave off a light, fragrant aroma of oregano and garlic that perfumed the air. It paired nicely with caprese salad, a mixture of heirloom tomatoes, shreds of buffalo mozzarella, freshly cracked black pepper, and tiny leaves of basil. Lara surreptitiously hit the containers with a quick blast of heat vision while everyone was getting seated so that the food was piping hot.
Lara got to know her grandparents quite well over the next hour and a half. She told them all about herself and she learned about them as well. After dinner, they adjourned to the living room for dessert where they each had a large cannolo, delicate shells stuffed with a ricotta mixture of sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and semi-sweet chocolate chips along with strong cups of espresso. Each bite held a tiny bright hint of lemon zest which danced over the tongue. After dessert Lara showed everyone pictures of her family, her fiancé, and from her trip around the world.
“My goodness, you certainly have traveled,” Ellen exclaimed with amazement.
“Yes, after college I wanted to experience life outside the U.S. to get an idea of how others in the world live. I found that, as my dad told me, people are much the same the world over. They want to take care of their family and live the best life they can. It’s too bad governments around the world get in the way instead of helping their people. I loved my year of traveling and I think that experience helps me with my writing.”
“Since Lois told us about you, we’ve read some of your articles,” Ellen said as she grasped Lara’s hand. “Your writing is very powerful. I can see why you love it so much.”
“Thank you, Ellen. It’s nice to see that my writing is making a difference,” Lara said proudly.
“I’m surprised you aren’t working for the Planet?” Sam asked, “I’m sure Lois could use a reporter like you.”
“I wanted to work closer to my home. I’d miss my family terribly if I lived so far away,” Lara replied as she looked at her watch. “Oh, look at the time!” It was now nearly midnight and they’d been talking for almost six hours!
“Oh, do you have to leave so soon? It seems like you just got here,” Ellen said, disappointed.
“I’m very sorry but if I’m going to make my flight tomorrow, I need to get going. Those red-eye flights are murder. You know maybe Ken and I can come in for a weekend visit, after the wedding of course.” Lara looked at her new grandparents hopefully. “Speaking of which, I’d love for you both to come to my wedding.”
“We would love to come, dear.” Ellen smiled happily.
“Thank you, Lara, it’s very nice of you to invite us,” Sam added.
“Great! We should be getting invitations out to all of you soon once we determine the guest list,” Lara said. After another round of hugs and kisses, Lara headed out the door. She ducked between the buildings then Lara spun into her suit and floated into the sky. She peeked into Lois’s apartment for one last glimpse of her new family members. When Lois saw Lara floating there, she smiled. Lara returned it with a wave after which she sped away.
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Continued in Chapter Twenty-Seven
