Ann, I love your insights and your almost surgical analysis of this story. It's almost as if you have an "in" with Shayne that the rest of us don't.
I'd like to clarify something, if I may. Ann wrote:
The way I remember the story (sorry for not going back and rereading it, Shayne), Clark seemed to be a rather good boy at the time when he met Lois and had sex with her. Terry might not think he seemed like a relatively good boy at that time, but I did.
It's not that I think he was a "bad boy" when he met Lois, but he did father a child. Yes, he was under the influence of red K at the time, and yes, Lois was drunk too, and yes, she's the one who came on to him first, and yes, he didn't know about Lisa, but even though I don't think he was a "bad boy" then, he still has a responsibility now to his daughter. He can't be blamed for not taking care of her before now, because he didn't know she existed, nor did he even suspect that she could exist. And he didn't even remember Lois's name! It's a difficult situation to face, but a person's true character only shows up when the pressure is on. That's when the choices we make are the most important, and that's when our true priorities are revealed.
I'm rooting for both of them, Shayne. I just think there might be a little too much negative history for them to be more than friends. Of course, it's your story, so you tell us what happens and we'll cheer and sigh with each turn of the screw.
