Hi Barbara!
Huh. This doesn’t bode well… sounds like … stuff developing …
The night is still warm as I walk Lois home. She looks stunning in her dark-blue dress with the low heels and the shawl slipping from her shoulders as she carries the first award of her life.
Okay, this feels like fifteen? When do girls start with heels?
But Ellen wouldn’t go because Sam insisted that he’d be there, only he got held up by his work.
Poor dear! Couldn’t they stick to separate corners of the audience room?
but also because she takes her parent’s absence like a champ.
LOIS: It will make for a great in-depth piece on the absence of caring parents at private school functions.
But however much I might want that, I don’t belong with Lois.
Yes. She’s much better served with dating in her peer group. That visiting professor on economics, Alexander-Call-Me-Lex, for example. At 35, he’s much more knowledgeable about dating fifteen-year-old girls.
With Lana perhaps, but not Lois.
“You’re so quiet.” Lois grasps my hand lightly, running her thumb across the back of it.
Yeah, she’s so not going to interested once the whole jail-bait situation resolves itself.
“Did anything go wrong while you were out…?” With her other hand she makes a flying motion.
Oh, the Pan is flying already? And did Lois break the story?
Sometimes it’s just too easy to forget she’s only fifteen
/Points at earlier age guess/
Even more so since she’s beginning to look like a woman rather than the child that stole my heart so many years ago.
/Starts wrapping a copy of Lolita for Clark’s birthday/
I pull back and stuff both hands deep into the pockets of my pants. I won’t follow that train of thought.
Yes. But you *are* handling this very well!
Of course she won’t let it drop. That’s just not in her nature. It’s why she’s such an excellent reporter for her school paper.
The cafeteria mystery meat never stood a chance!
Her father might believe she’s just dreaming of a journalism career because she’s got a teenage crush on me.
Oh dear!
SAM: It’s normal!
Lois’ voice pulls me from my thoughts. “Clark, what’s going on? Is it Lana?”
Actually, that’s interesting. We’re now three years later, what is going on with Lana?
As I look at her again, I see the concern in her gaze, the slight dismay that Lana is still an issue.
And I can tell that Lois is jealous. Sam isn’t so wrong about the teenage crush, even if Lois and I are only friends.
Oh deary me!
The best of friends, so much so that I’m almost ready to talk about Lana, because to whom else could I admit the whole disaster?
Did Lana con him into her accepting the wedding proposal he never voiced?
But she’s only fifteen, I remind myself.
Lois can read!
Still, I find myself nodding. “She wants me to propose.”
Yes, it’s about time he made an honest woman out of her. Or touches her.
I know Lana better than anyone, with the exception of Lois, of course.
Maybe if he started with how he loves Lana like a sister…?
“Why not?” Lois asks. “Have you even told her about yourself, yet?”
An estranged sister…
I know I would have to tell her if I were serious about proposing and moving our not quite defined relationship on to the next level.
Maybe if he procrastinates for another two and a half years the problem will resolve itself?
I shrug. “I don’t know how. Not sure she’ll take it well.”
You can prepare by having this discussion in an exclusive restaurant. If that is outside your price range, I recommend first removing easily picked-up breakables from the apartment.
Lois sighs. “Which is why I’m telling you to break up with her. This isn’t fair to either of you.”
You are in trouble when a teenager gives you relevant relationship advice.
I let out a slow breath. “I know. But if I can’t tell Lana, who else could I ever trust enough to share this secret with?”
/Cue crying teenage girl in three…two…/
She’s like a sister to me, the new family that I built up after I lost mine.
Having this mental discussion implies he is not convinced. I also recommend he not inform her of her sibling status in his affections. It might make breaking up with Lana the less stressful option.
If I can’t love Lana and if Lois is off limits, I’d have to find another woman who could accept me as I am.
How about his wife? He’s twenty-eight, so she should only be two solar systems out.
It’s as if I’m suddenly standing on the edge of a plank forced to jump into the water and all the flying in the world won’t save me from drowning.
It’s just a teenage crush.
Someday she’ll wake up and realize that there’s no future for us.
He did see the competition, didn’t he?
She wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a tight hug. I close my eyes and inhale her soft scent of soap and shampoo. Do I ever really need more than that?
Once she’s all grown up, his outlook will change.
Straight till morning!
Michael
