Part 4
That evening Clark arrived in Smallville and immediately went to the home of his parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent. The small farmhouse where he had grown up was a welcome sight for the weary reporter and as soon as he came into the house, he knew that his parents were going to be expecting a viable sort of explanation from him as to why he had abruptly left Metropolis. As he came into the kitchen, he could see that his mother was hard at work cooking dinner.
“Mom, you don't have to go through so much trouble for me,” he offered as he sat down at the kitchen table, thus causing her to turn around.
“Don't you worry yourself about that, Clark, it's perfectly obvious that you're tired,” she offered. She and her husband had just returned from their anniversary trip to Italy, and her face was flushed with happiness, but when she saw the unhappy look on her son's face, this newfound joy melted away and her expression altered, the concern so evident, that she eventually sat down at the table and looked at him. The expression on her face was a cross between fear and worry for his welfare. “What is it?”
“Mom, Lois knows the truth, but now she hates me,” Clark said softly. “The weird thing is, I tried to tell her the truth before, but every time I tried the phone would ring, or Jimmy would come into the conference room where we were talking, and I never got the chance. I mean it feels like fate has something against me even telling her the truth.”
Martha shook her head. “I don't think it was fate, honey, it was just bad timing is all.”
“OK, maybe so, but Mom, you didn't hear her last night; she absolutely hates me,” Clark said miserably.
“I don't think so, Clark,” Martha patted her son's hand gently, and her eyes met his. “I have the feeling that she’s just angry, maybe her pride is just a little bit hurt, but I honestly think that she'll come around. Now, tell me, was this the reason you came home, or is there something else?” Martha smiled gently at him; her eyes filled with all the love only a mother could carry.
“I just wanted to come and see you and Dad,” Clark said sadly. “I was thinking about quitting at the Planet, but Perry told me to take three weeks off and see if I can come back after a little bit of time has passed. I suppose he figures that I will change my mind.”
“Rather smart of him, time tends to have an effect on decisions, especially rash ones,” Martha said smiling at her son. “So you're home for three weeks?” She asked as Clark’s father came inside, his eyes brightening considerably when he saw his son seated at the kitchen table.
“What brings you home, Clark?” He asked, not expecting to see his son there, especially in the middle of the week. He smiled warmly as he ran his hand through his gray hair as he sat down at the table as well.
“Perry gave me three weeks off,” Clark said, deciding it best not to elaborate too much. “I've got a few things to think about here, but if I just sit around here the whole time, I think I'll go nuts. I can't just sit here and do nothing but think about what has happened in my life.”
Jonathan nodded. “We're glad you're home, aren't we Martha?”
She nodded and rested a reassuring hand on Clark's shoulder.
“Well, if I could, I'd like to stay here for awhile, maybe get a job in town,” Clark said weakly.
“I have a friend who works for the Smallville Press, maybe she can help you get some part-time hours in over there, but you need rest, Clark, you've got circles around your eyes,” Martha said. “It wouldn't hurt to take a little bit of time off for yourself, and I think your father would be just a little bit skeptical of you sitting around here moping.” She looked at Jonathan and received a reciprocating nod.
“OK, Mom, I'll work part-time,” he conceded. “I'll go by there tomorrow morning and see if there's any openings there. At this stage of the game, I'll even work in the mailroom if I have to. I guess since I may have a job to go to tomorrow then I should get some sleep, it’s late and it's been a very long day.”
“Maybe you should, but I’d suggest that you do so after you have eaten a good meal,” she said and smiled as she stood up and retrieved a bowl from the cabinet, filled it with homemade chicken and noodles, and placed it on the table in front of him.
Using super speed, he ate the food his mother had prepared, and stood up to go down the hall to his room. Once he was gone, Martha looked at Jonathan all the while shaking her head. “You ever notice how our friends would complain about how quickly their children inhaled their food? If any of them could see how quickly Clark sometimes eats, they would immediately stop their complaining.”
Jonathan chuckled, but in the recesses of his mind, there was a matching concern dwelling there. “Sometimes things look a little bit better after someone has gotten a good night's sleep,” he offered trying to lighten his wife's mood, but as he looked at Clark's empty plate, he shook his head, barely able to believe those words.
*****
By this time, Clark had gone down the hall and went into his old room. Once he closed the door, he looked around the familiar room and smiled only slightly. His parents had kept the room as it was in case he was to come back to Smallville to visit. He was still unsure as to whether or not he would ever go back to Metropolis, but something told him that he would not really want to go back until the three weeks Perry had insisted on were behind him.
Sighing deeply, he sat down on the bed, his thoughts literally encasing him. He knew that Monica was in Metropolis working with Lois, so maybe the pretty auburn headed woman would help curtail her endless quest to get into trouble. As his mind drifted to that topic, he sighed deeply. It was at that instance that he understood that he would have to show up there periodically in order to protect his secret. Even with this knowledge, he realized that Superman was not always going to be around to bail Lois out and this made his heart literally ache.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and slowly removed his glasses. Once he laid them on the nightstand next to the bed, he began to rub his face with his hands. He was tired, but he was not sure if he would even be able to sleep. Lois' angry words from the night before still stabbed at his conscience and he shook his head in denial as he contemplated what she had said to him.
He continued to ponder the decision he had made to leave Metropolis. Not only was there Lois to consider, but then there was also the Planet. He had friends there, Perry and Jimmy, to name a few. He really liked Jimmy, the young man was more like the younger brother he never had, and Perry was more like an adopted father than a boss. Clark continued to reflect on how Perry even called him ‘son’ now and again. This made a difference to him, even though he had the most wonderful parents in the world.
After a few more minutes of mulling over his complicating life, he stood up and finished getting ready for bed. This secret identity stuff was not what it was cracked up to be, he thought sadly. Sometimes, he felt as though he was split in two, and the worst part about it was the person he loved more than anything, was one he had hurt the most because of this secret.
Releasing another pent up sigh, he laid down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, his eyes refusing to close, but all the while he hoped that he would eventually be able to sleep. He lightly punched his pillow, hoping that he would be able to fluff it without sending the feathers flying because of the usual force sustained with his super-strength. This had often happened to him when he was younger. Today, he had lost count as to how many pillows he had unintentionally destroyed because during his teen years, he did not know his own strength sometimes.
As he continued to stare at the ceiling, the realization dawned on him how nice it was to actually be back home, how the sounds of nature had replaced the sounds of police sirens, alley cats, and the hustle and bustle of the life in the big city. He inhaled slowly and could smell the freshness of the air around him, the scent of honeysuckle and hay filling his nostrils.
“Maybe in all of this, I can actually find some peace,” he whispered to himself as he closed his eyes and rested his hands comfortingly behind his head.
Beside his bed, Tess stood in angelic form, all the while; she was shaking her head sadly. “You will find your peace, baby,” she said softly, her voice filled with motherly compassion. “But, you will have to go back to Metropolis and face some very hard truths before you will find that peace, which you desperately need. I am here and I have every intention of helping you do that, but it is going to be very difficult.” Without another word, the angel disappeared and Clark sat bolt upright in bed and abruptly opened his eyes.
“Who's there?” He asked the stillness, all the while, he was completely certain that his super-hearing had detected a soft and gentle utterance. It was a comforting and loving voice, which literally enfolded him, and the resonance of it, seemed to be coming from a spot right next to his bed. He looked around the room for a few minutes, and when he noticed in the direction of his bedroom door; he could see that the lights in the rest of the house were out, an indication that his parents had already gone to bed.
He looked around the room one last time, but when he could see that he was still alone in this room, he shook his head, bewilderment shadowing his handsome face, but eventually, he laid back down against the pillow, pulled the comforter up to his chin and on his back, he stared at the ceiling until sleep eventually overcame him.
*****
The following morning Clark woke up bright and early and got dressed to go into town. He had been told that he would be able to go to the Smallville Press and that he was assured that because of his reputation back in Metropolis that he would be able to secure his old job there. He hadn't been back to the small town newspaper since leaving for Metropolis, but none of that seemed to matter because everyone there seemed to know him anyway. Although he could not stop thinking about Lois, he was really glad to be back in the swing of reporting, even if what he was reporting were things that were small and insignificant compared to the action of the big city.
After getting his assignment, he met the young Hispanic man who was to become his working associate. The youth was a photographer named Raphael, who reminded him a lot of Jimmy, although there was absolutely nothing similar in their behavior whatsoever. Raphael was a sort of 'in your face' personality, and oddly enough, the only thing he shared with Jimmy was an uncanny enthusiasm for work, as well as appearing to be around the same age.
“So you've been living in Metropolis for the last two years?” Raphael asked trying to get Clark to start talking as they were leaving the PTA meeting that was taking place on the other side of town. As they were walking back through the old fashioned town in the direction of the offices, Clark seemed to have his head in the clouds, but a nudge from the young man brought him back down to earth, and he looked at Raphael, suddenly realizing that the photographer had spoken.
“Yeah I was there for awhile, but something came up and I had to come back home,” he offered freely as they walked through the square. “Sometimes coming home is the best thing for a person. It kind of puts their situation into a proper perspective.”
Raphael nodded as he, too, began to think about home. “I know what you mean, Amigo.”
“Listen, I'm going to go and have a cappuccino, want to come along?” Clark asked. “I remember they used to have the best cappuccinos around here, well next to Italy, of course.”
“Sounds great,” Raphael said smiling broadly.
Once the two of them went through a small doorway on one side of the Smallville Press’ leased out office space. There, they entered a cafeteria and they approached the counter. On the opposite side, stood Tess, a caring smile on her face and her brown eyes were filled with compassion. “Hello there, what can I get for you two today?” She asked warmly as she took a towel and wiped it across the counter.
“Can one still get a cappuccino here?” Clark asked.
“Yes, is that what you would like?” She asked; her alto voice filled with warmth and kindness. “You can get it with whipped cream or condensed milk on top, so what's your preference?”
“Condensed milk for me,” Clark said as Tess looked at Raphael her eyebrow raised in expectation of what he was going to order.
“I'll have a caffeine free cola, and a bag of chips,” Raphael said and once Tess tossed a bag of chips at him she went over to retrieve the bottle of cola for him.
“The cappuccino is going to take a few minutes to make, but I'll bring it to you when it's done,” she said as Clark went over to an empty table and sat down. A copy of the newspaper was on the table, so he reached for it and opened it as Raphael looked at Tess.
“What's his story?” Raphael asked softly, trying to keep his voice low.
“None of us know yet, baby,” Tess said.
“Andrew and Monica are in Metropolis?” Raphael asked.
Tess nodded. “Our job is going to be helping Clark get back there and face his past, but I don't know anything else, I'm afraid. Did you find out anything about why he came here?”
“Nothing, he's really quiet about his life, it's like he has a secret or something and doesn't really know how to deal with it,” Raphael said as he took a sip of his drink.
“I know, I'd better get his cappuccino done, why don't you go over and try to get him to talk about himself?” Tess suggested, but before he had completely walked away, she looked up. “Angel Child?”
“Yes, Tess?”
“It's a hard case right now, Monica's been having some problems with her end of it, but the Father has the utmost faith in you,” she smiled and watched as he picked up the bag of chips and the bottle of cola and walked over to the table where Clark was sitting.
“What are you reading?” Raphael asked as he sat down next to Clark and watched as he mulled over the newspaper that was in front of him.
“Someone left a copy of the 'Metropolis Star' here and I was just checking out what was happening back there,” he said shrugging his shoulders.
“Did you work for the Star?” Raphael asked.
“No, I was working at the Daily Planet,” he offered freely.
“Really, that must have been awesome, I mean; the Planet is big time, not like here where people are just getting their feet wet. So you did big time reporting there?”
“I don't know about that,” he said shrugging his shoulders. “I enjoyed the work.”
Raphael shook his head in disbelief. “I heard about the Kerth award you got earlier this year for your reporting, Clark. The deal is; if you were so successful there, why did you come back here? I mean; most of the people around here would give their right eye to work for Perry White and hang around the Daily Planet. Most people here would love it if you came back and just did a workshop on reporting here, not actually work here.”
“I'd just like to forget about it, Raphael,” Clark said softly, but something told him that the enthusiastic young photographer was not about to give it a rest, in fact, he seemed just the type that would savor the flavors of the big city.
“Why? I mean; you're one of the best reporters around, and when I was told that I would be working with you, I thought that was the greatest privilege that I could have been given.”
“Look, in this game, we're equals, and nobody is better or worse than anyone else,” Clark said softly.
“Oh man, I know you're right, but still.” As he spoke, Tess brought over Clark's cappuccino and sat it on the table in front of him.
“You need anything else, baby?” Tess asked, thus causing Clark to snap his head up and look at her with a mixed expression on his face, one was bewilderment, the other anxiety. After a few seconds had passed, he shook his head indicating that he was OK and she walked away.
“What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost?” Raphael asked as Clark began to put spoonfuls of sugar into his drink.
“There's something just different about her, I can't put my finger on it, but something unusual,” he said shrugging his shoulders, but opted to keep his thoughts about the dream to himself. Strangely enough, he could not get the events of the night before out of his mind. He had heard someone speaking to him while he was lying in bed, he just knew it, but there was no one there. The words that the woman had said to him had emerged as clear as crystal. Specifically, the word ‘baby’ seemed to vividly stand out in his mind. Oddly enough, as Tess had brought his cappuccino, she had used the same word.
He shook his head, almost as though he was in denial, but then he had come into this cafeteria and Tess had said this word to him, the cadence of it practically the same and he could almost feel the essence of the word literally leaping out at him. To add to his confusion, he could not remember if last night had only been a dream, but there was a subconscious impression of familiarity, and this, if anything, added to his confusion.
Part of his abilities included a nearly flawless memory, and yet, even though he could remember every single person he had rescued since becoming Superman, he could not remember ever having rescued or seen the warmhearted woman standing at the counter in the cafeteria. Although she was a stranger to him, he realized that she seemed oddly familiar, his instincts telling him that she was someone he could trust, but the reason behind this was still unknown and rather spooky to him.
“Maybe you should talk to her about these weird feelings,” Raphael was saying, and the words seemed to abruptly break Clark out of his reverie. When he saw the expression on his new colleague's face, he thought better of it. “Listen, Tess has been working here for only a few days now, and she's really nice, very wise to the ways of the world. In fact, there is probably nothing that you could say that would surprise her; so why don't you try?”
Clark smiled ironically, the last question causing him to shake his head slowly. As he sat and stared down at the cappuccino in front of him, he wondered what was happening in Metropolis, and how Lois was faring now that he was not around to make things complicating.
TBC
