Here's a longer part, and since I am posting it today, as opposed to tomorrow, I'll be back on Wednesday to post part six.
Part 5
The morning after Clark started working in Smallville for their newspaper, a handsome new photographer walked into the Daily Planet building in order to apply for a job. He rode up to the newsroom and walked through it, stopping only for a moment at Lois Lane’s desk. Lois had come to work early and was concentrating on the rough draft of one of the stories she had been assigned to work with Monica on.
“Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could tell me how to find Perry White's office,” the man spoke, causing Lois to immediately look up and into a pair of compassionate green eyes.
“Right over there,” she pointed to a glass door and returned her attention to the notes in front of her.
“Thank you,” he said with a smile and walked over to the door, knocked and when he heard the voice on the other side saying ‘come in’, he opened the door and went inside. “Good morning, Mr. White?”
“Yes, and you're?” Perry asked.
“My name is Andrew,” came the response and as the angel looked across the desk at the editor, he realized that it would be prudent to supply a surname. “Andrew Halo,” he quickly supplied all the while smiling at the nickname Tess had given to him.
Perry nodded. “You're a photographer, right?”
“Yes,” he smiled.
As the editor looked outside into the newsroom he could see that Jimmy was sitting at his desk, his elbows on the desk, his hands practically holding his chin up. He was staring at the computer screen and Perry sighed deeply as he tried to look at Andrew instead of at the young man who had not been himself since Clark Kent had left Metropolis.
“Mr. White?” Andrew spoke, but instead of waiting for an answer, he turned around and followed the gaze of the older man.
“Call me Perry, almost everyone around here does,” came the almost automatic response, but the man was still staring at Jimmy through the blinds that separated the glass encased office from the outer sanctions of the newsroom.
Once Andrew could also see Jimmy, he nodded as though he understood, Perry was worried, and perhaps for good reason. “You're worried about him, aren't you?”
Sensing the sincerity in Andrew’s words, the editor nodded as he tried to refocus his attention on the man who was applying to work there. “Yes, I suppose I am. You see, Andrew, I tend to look out for people who work here. I guess you could say I'm like an overprotective mother hen or something, but that's just how things are here. We're kind of like family here, and a few days ago, one of our family members decided to fly the coop, so to speak.”
“I'm sorry,” Andrew said.
“No reason, anyway, if you want a job here, it's yours, just do me a favor and fill out this paperwork and give it back to me by the end of the day. Once you do that, we'll see what we can do to get you processed into the system and get you out there in the field. Incidentally, it's a nice coincidence that you came in when you did because we're a few photographers short right now.”
“I don't believe in coincidences, Perry, I'm just glad to be here,” Andrew said.
“Whatever, so I imagine with that huge chunk of equipment you're carrying that you know which end to look through in order to take a picture?” Perry asked through an almost forced smile.
“Absolutely,” Andrew smiled.
“OK, I'll let you go to work with Jimmy for now, at least until you learn the ropes around here. Jimmy is kind of young, but he knows his way around here, and I figure that he can put you on the fast track as to how things are here,” he said smiling, but he did not add that he was concerned with Jimmy's mental state so soon after his best friend had left the paper and gone back to Smallville. For some reason, he hoped that the kind-hearted, green-eyed photographer would be able to help Jimmy not feel so upset about Clark's abrupt disappearance. The editor also figured that he could always put Andrew elsewhere if or when Clark was to come back.
Andrew stood up to leave the office, “Thank you.”
With a wave of his hand, Perry dismissed his newest photographer.
Outside in the newsroom, Andrew went over to Jimmy's desk. “Jimmy Olsen?”
The younger man looked up. “Yeah, what can I do for you?”
“Hi, my name's Andrew, I'm new here and Perry said that once I fill out all this paperwork, I could work with you a little bit, and that maybe you could show me around,” he smiled at the younger man.
“Sure,” Jimmy stood up and ran his hand through his dark brown hair. Once Andrew had filled in the paperwork, he returned it to Perry and then came back out into the newsroom. As he stood next to the desk, Jimmy smiled weakly. “You can drop your stuff here if you want. I was just going downstairs to get something to drink.”
Andrew smiled and did as the younger man suggested. “So, how long have you been working here?”
“Awhile, seems almost like forever,” came the unenthusiastic answer.
“Is there something wrong?” Andrew asked noticing this.
“No, it's nothing,” Jimmy said.
“If you need a friend, I'll listen,” Andrew offered.
“Look, it's no big deal, I just have been having a rough few days is all,” Jimmy said shrugging his shoulders as they got into the elevator and rode down to the lobby. “You ever wonder if the world is going to take you seriously?” He muttered to himself all the while hoping that Andrew had not heard the soft utterances he had spoken. He knew that the only reason he had said them was to vent his frustrations, but not with the expectations of an answer.
“Sometimes, people feel like they have to prove themselves a lot, I suppose,” Andrew said, “but there's really no reason to.”
“Maybe not, but the only person around here who actually treated me as an equal is gone and I'm left here to muddle through alone,” Jimmy said as they came outside and walked towards the small coffee wagon that was located down the street from the building where they worked.
“You're not alone, Jimmy,” Andrew said softly. “You still have friends here.”
“Yeah, well, that's all fine and good, but new friends can't replace the old ones,” he said.
“No, they can't but new friends can help you to accept what has happened, and help you to make the best of it,” Andrew said. “I'm new here, completely new to Metropolis, I don't know anyone in this town, I have only been a photographer for a short time, and I don't have very much experience when it comes to the newspaper business. Maybe that's why Perry decided to let me work with you; maybe he has more confidence in you then you realized.”
“Really?” Jimmy asked looking up as Andrew's words somehow struck a chord with him. “You mean it?”
“Why would I say this if I didn't?” Andrew challenged him with one of his own. “Sometimes it's nice to have someone to talk to who understands these kinds of things. It's nice to have a friend to go to bat for you, so to speak.”
“Yeah, you're right, it is.” Jimmy placed his order and paid when he was given a cup filled with cola and ice. He took a drink as Andrew paid for his order and the two of them walked back in the direction of the building.
“It's a nice day, isn't it?” Andrew asked as he looked towards the heavens, the sun was high in the sky and he could feel the warmth of it on his face. Across the street, he could see that Monica was walking towards the door of the building.
“Yeah,” he said, but instead of commenting further, he started to quicken his step and ran to catch up with Monica. Andrew followed and by the time they reached the lobby of the building, they had managed to catch up with her. “Hey, Monica.”
“Hi Jimmy,” Monica smiled.
“This is Andrew, he just started today,” Jimmy introduced the two angels and pressed the button that would summon the elevator. “This is Monica, she's fairly new here too.”
“Hello,” Monica said and Andrew could detect a sense of relief on the face of his friend and fellow angel. She looked completely frazzled, and although he had tried to help her with this particular case, he knew that his efforts had been unsuccessful.
“Hi,” Andrew smiled. “Jimmy's been showing me around, we went first to the coffee cart and got a hot decaffeinated mocha latte.”
“Oh, that's my favorite,” Monica said smiling.
“Do you want this one?” He offered. “I haven't had any of it yet, so if you want it, you're more than welcome to it.”
“Thank you,” Monica smiled and accepted the cup. “I’m running a little late today. I set my alarm for seven, but for some reason it didn't go off.”
“That happens to me a lot,” Jimmy said smiling ever so slightly as he took a drink of his cola. “I sometimes wonder what would happen if Perry wasn't the boss around here, I'd probably have been fired at least a dozen times.”
Monica laughed as she took a sip of the coffee.
As they reached the floor to the newsroom and stepped out of the elevator, Perry approached them. “Jimmy, I want you and Andrew to hightail it over to the fairgrounds, there's a rodeo that is going on, and you guys need to get some pictures for the morning edition. Can you handle that, Son?”
“Yeah, Chief, no problem,” Jimmy responded and once he and Andrew retrieved their cameras, the two of them left the newsroom.
*****
Once they were gone, Monica made her way over to where Lois was sitting. “Good morning, Lois,” Monica offered.
“Where have you been, Miss Sunshine?” Lois asked.
“Strange thing, my alarm didn't go off this morning,” Monica said honestly and shrugged her shoulders as thought she was simply uncertain what was going on.
“You meet Blondie?” Lois asked as she continued typing.
“You mean Andrew?” Monica asked and once Lois nodded, she continued. “Yes, we met downstairs, he's very nice, and he bought me a mocha latte.”
“How to win friends and influence people, through coffee beans and oversleeping,” Lois said sarcastically noticing the smile on her partner’s pretty face. “So, do you like him?”
“He seems like a nice guy,” Monica offered freely wondering all the while where the conversation was actually going.
“He’s cute, but that’s only on the surface,” Lois said. “Take it from me, getting involved with another pretty face will only lead to heartache.”
Monica sat down next to Lois’ desk without saying a word.
After a few minutes, Monica looked over at the article Lois was working on and began to read.
As the morning faded into the afternoon, Lois continued giving Monica the silent treatment until eventually Perry came out of his office and noticed that Andrew and Jimmy had returned from their assignment. It was obvious that the new photographer and Jimmy were getting along rather well and after watching them go over to Jimmy's desk, he approached Lois and Monica.
“I just got a call Lois, and you and Monica need to get to the museum, the mayor is supposed to give a speech at the opening. We’re going to need a report, as well as some photos, so you can take Jimmy and Andrew with you.”
Lois looked up. “Maybe this can be done without me, I have to get this drug ring story finished.”
“That story's not going anywhere, Lois, and based on the report you handed in yesterday, this story is still on ice until next week,” Perry said. “Go ahead, you look as though a little fresh air will do you some good.”
Lois nodded, and rather than argue the point with him, she grabbed for her purse and motioned for Monica to follow her. The two of them walked over to Jimmy's desk. “Grab your stuff, you guys,” she began, “we’ve got an assignment to get to.”
Jimmy nodded, but he looked as though he wanted to run out of the room. Shrugging his shoulders, he picked up his camera and began to follow the two reporters towards the elevator. Andrew followed and once they reached the elevator, the young photographer looked at Andrew. “Did you catch the baseball game on TV last night?” His question emerged with more optimism than he seemed to carry.
“No, can't say I have,” Andrew offered as Lois impatiently pressed the button and the elevator carried the four of them down to the ground level.
“I saw it,” Monica said.
“You're a sports fan?” Jimmy asked looking at Monica with new interest.
“Yes, it was quite a good game,” she said. “Maybe you can explain some of this to me, I haven't watched too many baseball games, but they are quite exciting, aren't they?”
Lois looked at Andrew her eyebrows arching, but no words emerged. Deep inside, she could not help but sense the amusement in this, her new partner could talk baseball with Jimmy, and Andrew seemed to be totally in the dark with anything sports related. She shook her head as the elevator doors opened and the four of them walked through the lobby and out into the bright spring sunshine.
“It's a beautiful day, isn't it?” Andrew asked no one in particular, but his eyes were on Lois. When she did not answer, he glanced skyward, his thoughts drifting up to the heavens. Father, she is really a tough nut to crack.
Yes, My angel, but don't give up, Lois has to learn to trust, The Father's voice resonated in his conscious and he glanced over towards Monica who was now in conversation with Jimmy about the intricacies of baseball. He looked at Lois; the reporter seemed to have an impatient look on her face, and he wondered why it was that she seemed to not only dislike him, but that she was so reluctant about being friends with Monica. The more he thought about this, the more confused he became.
*****
Back in Smallville, Clark was experiencing his own brand of confusion. He had not spoken to his parents about the dream or about the lady in the cafeteria as of yet. At the same time, he could not help but notice that whenever he would go into the small cafeteria to buy cappuccinos or snacks, that Tess was always there, and she would often be looking over at him, with a warmth, which was strange but also unsettling.
On this particular day, Raphael had gone out on another assignment and Clark had other things to do, so the two had parted company for the day. It had been almost a week since going to work for the Smallville Press, and even though he had become friends with Raphael, and he was happy at home, there was something very intense that was missing for him. It seemed to happen every time he went as Superman to take a look at how things were shaping up in Metropolis, yet, right after he would come back, he would only feel a greater sense of emptiness enveloping him than he had experienced before actually going.
He walked with weighted steps in the direction of the cafeteria and pulled the door open. Just as before, when he had come to this place, it was practically empty. Tess was standing at the counter, and she offered him another of her, now familiar, smiles.
Instead of going to a table, he went and took a seat on one of the circular stools in front of the counter, which extended from one side of the small cafeteria to the other. He took a deep breath as Tess came over and placed his usual cappuccino in front of him. “I had a funny feeling that you would be back in here today, baby,” she said, the final word hanging in the air like a pendulum almost enticing him to speak to her or ask if he actually knew her from somewhere.
As he reached for the sugar bowl and began to stir in generous portions to the cup, Tess came over as he was supplying the fourth spoonful. As she watched him, she arched her eyebrows. “Would like a fork for that?”
“Huh?” Clark looked up to see that she was staring at the cup in front of him, and rather than respond to her inquiry, he shrugged his shoulders.
“I asked if you would like a fork for that, or do you want some cappuccino to have with that sugar?” Tess asked.
“I like it sweet,” Clark said remembering how his mother, and even Lois for that matter, would say that he had the diet of an eight-year-old.
“Obviously,” Tess said as she removed the apron she was wearing and came out from behind the counter to sit down next to him. “I have a friend who loves coffee, she would drink twenty a day if she was given the chance. Of course, that's what some people would call ‘excessive’.”
Clark nodded but continued to stir the drink even after the sugar had dissolved in the cup and the angel could tell that this seemed more of a reflex to him than a task that needed to be completed.
“You OK, honey?” She finally asked after about two minutes had passed and he was still sitting there listlessly stirring the drink and not even bringing the cup to his lips. She took a deep breath as she watched him; he was not even moving, and she could not help but look at him with concern in her dark eyes.
“Sure, I'm fine,” he said softly, his eyes constantly on the cup, which sat before him.
“If that's fine, than I'm Miss America,” Tess said sarcastically, thus causing Clark to look at her. Tess was not what one would call a ‘beauty queen’, but her beauty seemed to emerge more in her words and actions than in her outward appearance. On the surface, she was heavyset, with mahogany colored skin and gray hair. She looked to be in her mid to late sixties, but Clark thought she was pretty, simply because her words and actions seemed to emanate a caring and loving disposition. In fact, whenever he thought about her, in the back of his mind, he would also think about his parents.
“You know, a person can only carry so much burden around before it literally collapses on them and they start to loose track of everything,” Tess continued breaking him out of his reverie, thus causing him to look up.
“Who are you, really?” Clark finally managed to ask after her words had literally doused him like a cold shower.
“My name is Tess,” she began.
“Well, I know that much, and I know that you started working here about a week before I came, but something strange is going on here, and I can't even begin to explain it,” he began once he managed to bring the steaming cup to his lips. After he had taken a long drink of the chocolaty coffee and sugar, he looked over at Tess. “Have we met before? I mean, before Raphael and I came in here. I feel like I know you, but this was before I even started working here.”
Tess smiled, but did not reply.
“Well?” Clark pressed.
“Why do you ask?” She asked.
Clark shook his head, his confusion mounting with each breath. “I don't know.”
“Well, I can't help you if you don't know, but if you happen to remember, then I'm always here,” she said and stood up to return behind the counter.
“Wait, this just doesn't make sense to me. I mean; I remember something, but it was very strange, and probably no big deal,” he offered honestly. He did not know why he had said this, but something about Tess’ mannerisms made him wonder if Raphael had been right about her and if he really could talk to her about what he had experienced. After a few minutes he looked over at her. “I had a strange dream the other night.”
Tess sat back down on the stool and smiled at him. “And?”
Clark exhaled the breath he was holding. “Yeah, it was just one of those out of the ordinary kinds of things. Anyway, it's kind of hard to explain, but there was a woman, and she called me ‘baby’. I guess that stood out in my mind, because when I was in here with Raphael the morning after that, you called me that as well. I guess it kind of stood out because not even my mother calls me ‘baby’ anymore. What I mean is; I guess she called me that once upon a time, but that was when I was little. Today, she just calls me ‘Clark’ or if she's really worried and playing ‘mom’; she might call me ‘honey’.”
“I tend to call a lot of people ‘baby’,” Tess said shrugging it off.
“Yes, but you have to admit, even around here, you really have an unusual style, Tess,” he offered weakly, not sure where this was going to go, or how much he was going to actually tell her. “You make people relax somehow, but this is all very strange to me. In my experience, whenever people appear to be too good and kind, it's because there was something in it for them. It's hard to explain, but it's uncanny for me to meet someone who is so nice, that it makes it seem almost too good to be true.”
“You know, some things do not bear explanations, Clark, they just are,” she began, but she could see the look of apt contemplation on his face. “You don't see excessive kindness very much in people, do you?” She reached over and touched his hand. “You have a lot of people worrying about you, but instead of worrying about them, it seems to me that you spend too much time worrying about them in their relationship with you.”
“Yeah,” Clark said softly as the image of Lois filtered across his mind, but ironically, the words of the woman seated next to him did not cause him to immediately go on the defensive.
Something in him believed that on the surface, Tess was a trustworthy person. He smiled slightly as he thought about Lois' neighbor, Star, and how he considered her to be a nice person as well. Yet, whenever he would have to deal with her, he had to get beyond the eccentric personality she had. Somewhere in his heart, he knew that Star, in her own way, cared for Lois and for him.
Sighing deeply, he looked over at Tess, and could almost detect this same sense of kindness and understanding in her. All the while, he realized that this was a woman who seemed to be older and wiser to the ways of the world than Star was, thus the personalities of the two were completely contradictory. He could not help but admit that Tess’ words did make more sense to him than anything else he had been told.
“You can't make all things right, all the time,” Tess said breaking him once again out of his reverie. When he finally looked up, he could see her dark brown eyes string intently into his own, but they were filled with a wisdom that he had never seen before when looking at anyone and waited for her to continue speaking. “There is only one who can really do that, and that's God.”
Clark’s eyes subconsciously rolled, the last thing he wanted to do was get into a discussion with someone about religion and that seemed to be the direction this was going in. Without thinking, he began to drag his feet in this regard. “I’m honestly not interested in a religious discussion right now. I have too much on my mind.”
“Clark, I'm not talking about religion, I'm talking about God, a universal truth that has nothing to do with religion whatsoever,” Tess said emphatically.
“OK, but that’s a personal thing with a lot of people, and when someone mentions God, it becomes almost like taboo. I guess, I always figured that if I live a good life and fight for what's right, then I'm doing just fine.”
“And you are, but honey, God is not something to drag your feet about; He is real and unconditionally loving,” Tess said. “That’s all you really need to know about Him, the rest is defined by mankind, and all the churches and all the religions of this world, strive to do two things; offer their followers an understanding as well as some logical explanation about God. Some succeed and some fail, but that’s all a matter for the individual to determine for him or herself.”
“You're not trying to get me to join some kind of church, sect, or something, are you?” He asked; his voice still etched in disbelief.
“No, I'm just telling you that regardless of what you can do or how many people you can help, you can only do so much to help them. You cannot save any one person any better than someone who knocks on your front door professing to know the ‘complete truth about God’ is able to. You can help people until the cows come home, baby, but you cannot be the ‘key to salvation’ for another person. The only person that you can be fully responsible for is Clark Kent. If that is what your definition of a ‘religious debate’ is, then it is because you, yourself chose to make it one.”
He nodded numbly, not really certain what to say to the blunt words of the angel. “It's strange, but I always thought I had to use my abilities to help people and protect the ones I love.”
Tess shook her head. “There's a perfectly beautiful linguistic expression for that kind of feeling, Clark, it's called ‘empathy’; that means you show compassion and understanding for your fellow man by trying to put yourself into their shoes, but that’s not always possible, even today.” She stood up in order to go back behind the counter, but rather than doing so, she reached over and touched his shoulder before leaving him alone. Once she was on the other side of the counter, she looked back at him, her eyes intent. “It's a beautiful emotion to carry, and no one should hinder you from using it in order to help others, but at the same time, no one should expect you to fill God's shoes either. Just think about this, baby, after what you just said about using your abilities to help people and protect the ones you love. Is it possible that you are subconsciously trying to do this and feel yourself a disappointment when you fail?”
Clark did not respond, but once Tess had gone back to work, he silently finished his coffee, her words, instead of easing the tension that he felt in his heart, he could feel them becoming all the more empowering and this, if anything, brought even more questions to his conscience.
As he stood up to leave, he said nothing further to the angel, and once he was gone, she took a deep breath and watched from the window as he walked out onto the street and disappeared in the distance.
TBC
