Thanks for the heads-up about part 5. I had just found it when I saw your IM.
“Mon petit trésor, how are you?”
What is it about the French stereo-typical loverboy that has them using French terms of endearment? You never see a Swedish man do that. Of course, stereotypes become stereotypes because people do them all the time, but it still tends to annoy me when Claude does it because I know he isn't a gentlemen and I know the girls all swoon for the French accent with the sappy French words thrown in.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I am positive that I’ll be able to nail this case. I’ve already got a ton of notes on them all typed up and stashed at my house.”
“Very efficient,” Claude said approvingly. Lois sat down in her armchair, curling her arms around her knees. She was tired of talking about the case. Now she wanted to bring him back to talking about dinner.
That's the thing of it. She gets all distracted by his silky voice and the French accent and she doesn't see what he's really after. I'm glad that Lois is a little naive, because it means that she hasn't been hurt too badly in the past, but I still hate to see how it pans out for her.
In fact, my distrust for him runs so deeply that I wonder why he meets with his boss after the regular workday. It makes me wonder where he's really going in the early evening.
I love how Lois falls into character immediately when Clark shows up... err... I mean when Mr. Kent shows up. She feels belligerent, awkward and even a little bit rebellious and it spills out into her actions. I don't think Clark has a clue she isn't a teen, because she falls into the role so beautifully when she's around him.
I also don't think Clark was eavesdropping before he came over. If he had, he would have known that Claude was talking about work and not about classes. He just sees her attire and knows its a date.
“Lois, please, where are your parents? Do they know you’re spending time with an older man?”
“They wouldn’t mind,” Lois murmured, feeling intensely uncomfortable with the situation.
“Lois you look beautiful in that dress,” Lois’ head snapped up at the unexpected compliment, but Clark’s face still looked grim. “And I’m afraid that man you’re with knows it. He’s not expecting anything platonic out of this night, Lois!”
Mr. Kent is trying every argument in the book to talk her into making better choices. He truly believes she's a high school student and the parent card ought to shake her up a little bit. Likewise, he doesn't realize how his compliment will affect her, but instead tries to point out that naivete I was talking about earlier.
I love Lois' reasons for going home with Mr. Kent. She wants to date him, even though she knows thats not what the offer is. She even wants to meet his parents! She's got it bad.
I had to re-read Lois' and Claude's conversation with the idea that Clark might be listening in. It is as delightful on the second read as it was on the first. It gives nothing away, even though nothing is intensionally concealed.
Claude murmured something in return, too low for her to hear.
If he wanted to, Clark could hear it. I'm not sure if he's mad enough to listen, though.
“Mom, Dad, this is Lois Lane, one of the students I was telling you about.”
Of course, he was telling his folks about her.
"Clark, I'm your mother. You can't hide it from me. I can see it in your eyes..."
"I'm really fine. I've been too busy to worry about anything anyway. Did I tell you that I have a new student? She's a sharp one--perfect for the English team I've been putting together. I know I told you about that. Didn't I?"...
His whole life is his teaching now. He has no desire to mourn and doesn't know what else to do with the void, so he works. He talks work and lives work. So, of course, he's told his folks about his work.
Lois glanced at Clark and then back at his parents. He had been talking about her? To his parents?
Still, Lois doesn't know that...
I love how Clark protects Lois' dignity through the whole scene. He doesn't mention Claude to his parents, at least not in Lois' hearing. He keeps his tone low as he threatens Claude. He's the perfect gentleman in a bad situation.
Clark reluctantly let him go.
Hee hee. He's mad, alright. (Probably mad enough to eavesdrop--for Lois' sake, of course.) He's looking forward to a fight, even though it goes against his better principles.
“He’ll find out who you are eventually,” Claude hissed, his façade of calm finally breaking. “And I’d hate to be around to see the fallout.”
This is so ambigious to those who don't know what he's talking about, that I doubt it fuels suspicions. It could easily be interpretted, "He'll find out eventually that you're a @#$%^&*()&^%." I'm sure Mr. Kent here's such sophomoric threats on a regular basis at his workplace.
She looked down at her menu, wishing the night was over. Her expectations had been so high and Claude had changed so quickly. One moment he was charming and suave and the next he was saying those hurtful things. And then Mr. Kent had been there, looking so gosh darned handsome and blocking him from her view and now acting like nothing had been wrong at all.
She's back to comparing the two again, as if Mr. Kent (as she thinks of him) is even available as a suitor. She doesn't realize the situation she's in.
Her thoughts furiously whirled around in her head, and she almost didn’t feel the soft hand that slipped on her back.
She raised her pounding head and saw that Martha Kent had patted her back reassuringly. When her clear blue gaze met her eyes, she simply smiled slightly and pulled her hand from her back. Incredibly, she felt a little better. Mr. Kent hadn’t noticed. He was steadfastly trying to talk about everything but the scene that occurred, but failing miserably. Every few seconds his gaze would flicker back to Lois, as if assuring himself she was still okay and that Claude hadn’t come back.
Sorry for quoting the whole thing, but I love how quickly they fall into their respective roles. Martha does an excellent job of comforting, simply because she's Martha, but also because she's allowed to. Mr. Kent, on the other hand, can only do so much.
I also love Lois' quick decision to direct him to her folk's house. Can't wait to hear what happens there.
Elisabeth
