Fortunately, before we had to evacuate I had most of this written. It just needed a few little parts in between the main ones and some general fine tuning, so here's the next part.
Nan
Second Choice: 7/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
She looked doubtfully into his face. "Do you know the statistics for teen marriages?" she asked unexpectedly. "More of them fail than succeed."
"It figures you'd know that," he said with a wry grin. "Statistics don't mean anything for individual cases. And I'll bet you know that, too."
She nodded. "Yeah." She hesitated. "Suppose I go along with this. How am I going to go to school? If I show up pregnant, won't Social Services get involved? And if they find out about Mom and Lucy -- I guess," she added, "I could wait until after the baby's born."
"You don't have to," Clark said. "You can handle night school, can't you?" He hadn't released her hands. "We'll work it all out; I promise. Together the two of us can do anything."
"You seem awfully sure," she said, but he could see her resistance was weakening.
"Of course I'm sure," he said, squeezing her hands. "I'm talking to the woman who taught me to fly."
And now, Part 7:
**********
Wayne Irig watched meditatively as Clark scaled the ladder with the boxful of shingles. The roof of the old Kent farmhouse was in dire need of repair after the eight years that it had stood empty. "You're plannin' on fixin' up the place all of a sudden?" he asked. "Ain't you goin' to college this fall?"
"Sure," Clark said, "but it's only about sixty miles from here. I'm going to schedule my classes so I only have to drive it about three times a week. I'll be working part time at Maisie's and weekends at the theater."
"And live at the farmhouse," Wayne said.
"That's right."
The old farmer chewed slowly and thoughtfully on a straw. "Well, you always knew your own mind," he remarked. "You're so much like your mom and pop that I think I'm talkin' to Jonathan sometimes. If'n you need any help around here you just ask me -- and if you got any other problems that I can help you with, you do the same. You understand me, son?"
It was the longest speech he'd ever heard Wayne Irig make in one conversation. Clark set the shingles on the roof and slid down the ladder again.
"I will." He smiled at his father's friend. "I'm getting married," he said quietly. "I can't tell you all the details but --"
Irig held up a hand. "Then don't," he said. "If it's who I think it is, you're marryin' a stick o' dynamite -- but she's the gal I'd o' picked for you if you'd asked me."
"Lois Lane," Clark said.
"Figured," Irig said. "Congratulations. Just remember; marriage is for better or worse. If she's right for you, even the worse'll be worth it. Just like it's been for me an' my Nettie."
"Thanks," Clark said. "I'll remember that. I won't be farming the property, so if you want to rent the land for your livestock, you're welcome to."
"Might just do that," Wayne said. He gave a one sided smile. "If you need any help with anything, just ask. You never know what's gonna happen. I gotta get back and milk the cows."
"Thanks," Clark said again. "I'll be home in time to make sure all the animals are taken care of tonight."
Irig nodded. "See you later, son." He climbed back into his pickup. Clark turned to ascend the ladder again.
Once Wayne had gone, the repairs to the old farmhouse went quickly. Clark finished within an hour and carefully stored his tools. He checked his watch. Lois would be expecting him in a few minutes. Quickly, he ducked inside the house to shower and give his chin a quick touch up with his heat vision. He had done the internal repairs three nights before and the power and water had come on this morning. The telephone line should be connected by tomorrow.
In the first few days following Clark's proposal, Lois had dithered over the whole idea. Twice she had nearly turned him down, but each time he had pointed out calmly that, not only was her own future at stake over whatever choice she made, but so was Lucy's and equally important, her baby's. The last time they had been by the quarry again, where he had flown on that first occasion. This time they left the small car in Tuttle Park and flown to the area.
Graduation was scheduled for the next day and Clark would give the address as the senior class's top graduating male student. Wayne and Nettie Irig would be seated with Lois and her sister to cheer him on as he accepted his diploma. He had finished first in his class, which hadn't really been a surprise, been accepted by Midwest U and had won five different modest scholarships in the last couple of months. Combined, they should be enough to pay his way through school.
Clark brought them down by the spot from which they had slipped, that day in November, when he had discovered that he could fly, and set Lois on her feet. Today, the sun was warm and in the fields behind them wildflowers grew in wide patches of color. He turned her so she could look out over the quarry, one hand holding hers warmly. "I guess this is a historic spot," he said. "This is where you taught me that my differences weren't something to make me afraid. You opened up the world to me." He put an arm around her waist and began to float upward and out over the quarry.
"I've been everywhere since that day," he continued. "I've flown around the Earth, to the north and south poles. I've crossed every ocean and seen every continent. I've seen wonders that most of us only read about or watch on television -- and I want to share all those things with you. To me, you're what makes them worthwhile." They drifted in the air above the quarry and with his free arm he waved at the wide land all around them. "I lost my family when I was ten," he continued. "Your family has been pretty badly broken, too -- but together you and I -- and our baby, if you marry me -- can be a lot more than either of us alone. I want to give you my new world and my future. Will you be my wife? -- not only for your sake, but the baby's, Lucy's and mine."
She looked around, and he could see tears in her eyes. "You want me that much?" she asked. "Enough that you'll take someone else's baby and be its father?"
"This baby is part of you," Clark said firmly. "And I want it to be my baby too. I can hear its heart beating right now. Who knows if I can ever have children someday? I look human but I'm from another planet. Yes, I want this baby. Its biological father wanted to kill it. I want it to live and grow up and for you to let me be its dad." Slowly, he lowered them back to the ground and dropped to one knee in front of her. "I asked you in the park, and now I'm asking again, Lois. Will you marry me?"
Tears were running down her face and she was nodding. "How can I say no after that? Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."
"Good," Clark said. He took her hand and kissed it. "I'll get you a ring," he promised. "Just as soon as I can."
"Getting me a ring is a waste of money," Lois said. "We'll do without it."
Clark didn't answer. He had an idea but he would have to wait until after graduation in order to accomplish it, so he preferred to keep it to himself.
**********
He and Lois had discussed the idea of using the Kent farmhouse for the first year or two of Clark's university schooling, and after that they would see what they could work out -- but for the immediate future it seemed like the best plan.
"Just as long as you don't expect me to play the farmer's wife," Lois had specified.
"Not a chance," he'd teased her. "I don't want to burn the house down. The kitchen's *my* territory."
"I just wanted to be clear about that," Lois said. They had been sitting on the sofa in the Lane apartment, trying to put together some kind of plan for the immediate future. Ellen Lane had been asleep in her bedroom and Lois had sent Lucy in to brush her teeth and get ready for bed.
"We're definitely clear about it," Clark assured her. "And it'll be a lot harder for your mom to get down to Harkin's Liquor. It's a ten-mile walk to town. Then, once things settle down a little, we'll start working on getting your mom into that rehab facility in Wichita."
Lois had been leaning up against his chest with his arm around her and she glanced up anxiously. "You're still sure you want to do this?" she'd asked. "I'll understand if you change your mind."
He shook his head decisively. "I'm sure," he said. "Day after tomorrow, you and I have a trip to make -- by air. I've already made the arrangements. Judge Grant has promised to issue the license and perform the ceremony as soon as he's seen the lab report. Then we'll come back and I'll help move your things into the farmhouse."
"At least," Lois said, darkly, "Lucy won't be able to get into quite as much trouble out there."
Clark shook his head. "If you ask me, it doesn't matter where a kid her age is -- they can figure out how to get into trouble no matter what," he'd said, out of the fullness of babysitting experience. "But at least it'll be a different sort of trouble."
"Maybe it'll be easier to handle," Lois said.
Lucy's head popped out of the bedroom that she and Lois shared. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"None of your business," Lois said firmly. "If you want to be up in time to go camping at the lake with the rest of your Scout troop tomorrow, you'd better get to bed."
"Well, you'd better tell your *boyfriend* to go home," Lucy said, pouting. She hadn't yet forgiven Clark for showing more interest in her older sister than in her.
"Clark's going home in a little while," Lois said. "And he's not my boyfriend. He's my --" She broke off at a warning squeeze from Clark's hand.
"What?" Lucy asked.
"Best friend," Lois said. "Go to bed."
"Tessa gets to stay up until ten in the summer," Lucy said, a faint whine detectable in her voice. "She's twelve, and so am I. Why can't I stay up too?"
"Because this isn't Tessa's house," Lois said. "Mother and Daddy never let me stay up until ten until after I was thirteen."
"Mom's a drunk!" Lucy stated with contempt. "And Daddy's not here!"
Lois sprang to her feet. "Lucille Marie Lane!" she said, "I don't want to hear you call Mother that again! You head for bed this minute or you *won't* be going to see the Karate Kid when it shows at the theater next week. Now *move*!"
Reluctantly, Lucy pulled her head back into her bedroom. Clark got to his feet with equal reluctance. "I'd better go. I told Wayne I'd make sure all the animals were taken care of for the night."
"All right," Lois said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"You will," Clark said. They walked to the door together and paused out of view of the bedroom door. Lois put her hands on his shoulders. "You know," she said softly, "We're going to be married in a couple of days. You could kiss me good night."
Clark put his arms gently around her. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable," he said, "but I've wanted to kiss you from the day we met."
"I wish you'd told me," Lois said. "Because I wanted you to."
After that, there was no sound in the short hallway for some time. At last, Clark raised his head. "I'm looking forward to our trip," he said.
"So am I," Lois said. "I just wish --"
He put his forefinger across her lips. "No apologies," he said firmly. "If I'd asked you for a date, things would have been different." He turned his head and looked over the top of his glasses. "Lucy's got her ear to the door," he added.
"Little sneak," Lois said. "Good night, Clark."
"Good night," he said.
**********
Two days later, Clark arrived at the Lane apartment at one in the afternoon. Lucy had been safely on her weekend camping trip since the day before and would not be home until seven in the evening, and Ellen Lane had gone to her afternoon bridge club meeting. Hopefully, being that it was early in the day, no drinks would be served except coffee or tea, and, in any case, it would give the two of them time to complete their objective.
Following their plan carefully, they drove out to Porcupine Gulch once more and parked the car in the place provided for visitors who wished to hike in the area. If anyone saw it, its presence would be completely unremarkable to any observer and, more importantly, it would be out of the reach of Ellen Lane. That last was absolutely necessary. The week before, Lois had discovered by accident that her mother had had a set of replacement keys made without her knowledge. She had removed the keys but it was evident that Ellen was not to be trusted to refrain from driving the car, with or without a license. Lois had made certain that the car was not available to her mother, even should she somehow manage to acquire another set of keys.
Lois cut the engine and they stepped out of the car.
"Anyone around?" she asked.
Clark lowered his glasses and glanced in all directions. "Nope," he said.
"Then," Lois said, and he noticed the faint quiver to her voice, "I guess we can go."
"In just a minute," Clark said. He took her hand and an instant later had slid a diamond ring onto the third finger. Lois gasped faintly.
"Clark! I told you an engagement ring was a waste of money!"
"This ring belonged to my mother," he said. "I wasn't able to get it until I graduated from school. You deserve an engagement ring as much as any other woman who's getting married."
Lois examined the ring for a moment and then looked up at him. "Has anyone ever told you you're a romantic doofus, Clark?"
He couldn't help grinning. "Just you," he said. "*Now* we're ready to go see the judge. Got your test results safe?"
She patted the small purse that she clutched in her free hand. "Right here."
He scooped her up neatly in his arms. "All right then, let's go."
**********
Judge Marshall Grant was a tall, stern man with white hair and a white mustache and beard. When Lois had seen him for the first time, she had whispered to Clark that he reminded her of the actor who appeared in all those Southern Fried Chicken ads on television, except that he wasn't fat. The judge examined the medical report that Lois handed him and cleared his throat. "You're certain that this is what you want to do, young lady?" he asked very solemnly. "There are other alternatives, you know."
"I'm sure," Lois replied staunchly. "I won't make my baby pay for my actions."
The judge turned to Clark. "And you're willing to take on this responsibility, young man?"
"Yes sir," Clark answered.
"I trust you know the obstacles ahead of you," the judge said. "The two of you are taking on a great deal of responsibility."
"We know," Clark said. Lois nodded.
"And you're both completely willing to do this?" The judge watched them expressionlessly. Clark looked at Lois and she met his eyes with a little smile. Together, they turned to look back at the judge.
"Yes," they said, together.
For the first time, Judge Grant allowed a smile to soften his expression. "Well, at least you seem to realize what you're getting into," he said. He took off his glasses and polished them with his handkerchief, examined them carefully against the light of a tall lamp and replaced them with careful precision. "My great grandparents left Boston, Massachusetts to move out west," he said. "He was eighteen and his bride was seventeen. They were married for seventy-three years, through twelve children and every sort of hardship that people could face in those days. Both families opposed the move, but they went in spite of it all." Clark found he was holding his breath while the older man spoke. "I see a lot of determination in both of you. If you bring it into your marriage, then you have as good a chance as they did." He turned to the big desk that sat against one wall and opened a drawer to remove a paper. "I've looked over your paperwork and this medical report gives me the right to sign the license." He picked up an old-fashioned fountain pen and affixed his signature to the document. "Now, if you'll come with me --" He went to the door and opened it for them. "My wife and our housekeeper, Mrs. Napier, will be the witnesses."
**********
tbc
