I would however point out that it has been less than a week since Lana told him that she was in a relationship with another man and leaving him. He has not really had time to emotionally move beyond the married outlook. So I don't think it is reasonable to expect him to be willing to jump into a relationship with a woman at this point.
Oh, I absolutely agree! Clark is in no way ready to jump into a relationship with another woman right now, even if she's Lois.
I just meant that the fact that they are both married doesn't trouble me one bit as a reader, the way it seems to trouble other commenters. Lois and Clark may not know yet what the extenuating circumstances are in each other's marriages, but
I know that there is more here than meets the eye, so I'm not worried about what it will mean for them in the bigger picture. Even if Corrina were to tell us later in the story that Lana can't finalize the divorce without Clark's signature (heh, would serve her right
), it wouldn't affect my belief that Clark would be doing nothing wrong by undergoing a tribal wedding at some point in the future and living with Lois as man and wife. Based on the backstory that Corrina has developed, the circumstances and intentions mean more to me in this case than any legalities.
As for your other point about why Lois would even describe "Matty" (hee, I love that she has an American pet name for him!) as her husband to Clark, that's definitely a good question. But doesn't she only say it in frustration when he won't let her break quarantine? Kind of like, "That MAN! How dare he order me around just because I haven't taken my permanent mate yet!" No idea if that's where Corrina is taking this, but it's a workable theory, at least until new details come out to contradict it.
If she explained the reasons she and Matymbou had married, was Kent going to feel as if she were trying to coerce him into something before he was ready?
She had to be the one to tell him. She had to do it before the quarantine ended.
And
"Kent," she said. "Please don't feel bad about this."
"We've been together for four days," he said, "and suddenly, you want me to cover up."
"Whatever you're thinking, you must know -"
"I know you're married. I'm married. This isn't right."
"Kent, there's something -"
"I don't want to talk about it." He pushed the shirt into her hand and walked away.
I think this whole chapter has been about telling us that Lois's "marriage" isn't what we or Clark assume when we hear the word. When she realizes that she has fallen in love with him, her response isn't "Oh no, we can't be together because I'm married!", it's "Oh, crap, he thinks I'm MARRIED-married! I need to tell him what's really going on!"
Wheeee! It's a fun ride.
Kathy
