Loved this part! Their returning to the farmhouse was so lovely -- And I think Clark needs it to feel reconnected to something again, so he can eventually really *be* with Lois. I liked the poetry of this part:
Mustiness had replaced the aromas of his mom's cooking.
Staleness had replaced the clean country air.
Neglect had replaced the loving maintenance.
Coldness had replaced the warmth.
Silence had replaced the sound of family.
Abandonment had replaced the love.
But it was still home.
The opposites here are very telling about how far away Clark is from what his home used to be, yet it is still home. And I liked the detail you put in about the wall on the stair that he had banged into -- it is so true that it's imprints like these (well, not like Clark's-- but you know what I mean!) that you remember when you go back to a house or place you lived in. So good detail!
