Hi FoLCs
I intended to post this tomorrow, but since I'm afraid I won't be able to join again before Thursday (you know, because of school and all) I'm posting it today.
I hope you enjoy.
AnnaBtG.
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“It must be the pizza boy,” Jimmy said to Clark, hearing the doorbell ring.
“I’ll get it.”
Clark headed to the door and when he opened it, a big surprise awaited him.
“Take your son,” Lois said bitterly, almost pushing Jon towards him.
“But…”
“What? You don’t want him?” she challenged.
“I do, but…” He turned to Jon, who was looking around, in an attempt to understand what had happened. “Jon, go and say hi to Uncle Jimmy and I’ll be with you in a bit.”
Jon walked in without a word.
“What happened?” Clark asked. “I thought you had nowhere to go.” He stared at her in confusion; her black evening dress, her hair, her make-up… everything was perfect... and it made him feel an aching disappointment, as he realized she probably hadn’t dressed up just to drive Jon over.
“Your little boy prefers spending his Saturday evening with *you*,” she spat, “so I thought I’d go out, after all.”
Still confused, Clark tried to decide which question was the safest. “And where are you going?”
“To L’ Étoile, with Terence Fald. Is there a problem?”
He grimaced distrustfully. “I never thought you’d date that man.”
He immediately regretted the moment he said those words. The explosion that followed was one of the worst in the history of their relationship.
“And who do you think you are, telling me who I should go out with? This is none of your business! You’re being too selfish *and* you’re making me look bad in Jon’s eyes!”
“Who, me?!”
“Yeah, you! I can imagine what you told him on the phone! ‘Jon, I’ll be with Uncle Jimmy. We’ll have some pizza and watch TV. Too bad your Mommy won’t let you come’!” she mocked.
“That’s not how it happened…”
“Don’t tell me it’s not! You can’t fool me! And now you’re being jealous, because, instead of going out with you, I’m going out with Terence!”
“Lois, please! Who do you think I am, your jealous husband?”
“Jealous, definitely. Husband, you wish.”
“Is that all you wanted?”
She glared at him angrily. “Yeah.” Then, as she was about to turn around, she remembered something else. “Bring back Jon tomorrow at noon.”
“I won’t forget,” he spat bitterly.
After giving him a last furious glance, she left.
Clark sighed and closed the door. Really, was this fight *that* necessary? Other than making him feel emotionally exhausted, depressed and sad, it didn’t seem to serve any other purpose. And he certainly wasn’t satisfied with how Lois liked to pick on him in order to relax her irritated nerves. She did it without realizing it, of course, but it still annoyed him. Especially when she was being unfair to him... which meant, most of the times. Like now. How could she think he was directing Jon against her? If Jon liked him better, maybe it was because she wasn’t being what Jon wanted her to be...
‘No,’ he mentally stopped himself, ‘don’t go there. She’s trying very hard.’
He had to recognize she was doing her best. Maybe it was just some kind of incompatibility between her and Jon, or maybe Jon just felt closer to his male parent. There was no reason to be cruel.
“CK, is everything okay?”
Jimmy’s voice made Clark realize he’d been standing at the open door for a while.
“Yeah…” He turned around. “As usual.”
Jimmy breathed heavily. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand what had just happened. Yet another fight. When were these two going to work out their problems, instead of hiding under these weak façades?
“Jon,” he said to the boy who was sitting on his lap, watching religiously the TV commercials, “I think I’ve left my cell phone in the pocket of my coat, in your dad’s bedroom. Can you go get it for me?”
“Okay, Uncle Jimmy,” Jon said unwittingly. He got up and headed to the bedroom.
“And don’t come back without it!”
“It’s in your pocket,” Clark commented, when the boy had left the room.
“I know. But we have to talk.” Jimmy stretched his head, grabbed the TV control and lowered the volume. If his friend couldn’t see what was right under his nose, perhaps he just had to show it to him himself.
Clark quietly sat on the couch. He knew what was going to follow.
“Why do you keep on torturing yourself?”
“Jimmy…” Clark tried to explain.
“I’m serious,” Jimmy ignored him. “Why don’t you talk to her? Why don’t you tell her how much you miss her, how much you want you and her to be together again?”
Clark sighed heavily. He didn’t like discussing this, and Jimmy usually respected it. What was the point of questioning his - *their*, both he and Lois had agreed a divorce was the best choice – decision once again? He questioned it himself on a daily basis anyway.
“It would be pointless,” he finally said, boringly. “*She’s* the one who wanted a divorce. If she wanted us back together, she’d say so.”
“And I thought you knew Lois,” Jimmy scorned.
Clark gave him a questioning look.
“Seriously, CK. When was the last time you heard her admit she was wrong? I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this miracle.”
Clark grimaced, still denying to see any point in this conversation. “Jimmy, I don’t want to talk about this, okay?”
“You have to, CK!” Jimmy persisted, in spite of Clark’s moodiness. “Listen to me! You don’t get to see her every day in the office anymore, like I do. She’s become a neurotic, she’s locked inside herself, she doesn’t go out, she has no friends…”
“Still, by now she’ll be ordering dinner at ‘L’ Étoile’ with Terence Fald,” he snorted.
“This means nothing. She probably agreed to that date just to get rid of him. Three years now, since he joined the Planet, he’s been flirting her. I wonder why she hasn’t beaten him up yet. Or, I’d wonder that, before. Now I find it natural. She’s given up on everything, she finds it all boring. Even her work is almost a burden for her.”
“She doesn’t find arguing with me boring,” Clark rolled his eyes.
“Of course not, since that’s what it takes to make you believe she’s all right! Come on, CK, you know how stubborn she is. She’d rather die than let you see how much your divorce has affected her.”
Clark stared at Jimmy, wondering if he could be right. Sure, he knew Lois was stubborn. But... would she be able to fool him that much?
“I think you should give it a shot,” Jimmy insisted.
“Dunno, Jimmy… We’ll see.”
“Okay,” Jimmy shrugged and rolled his eyes. “I tried.”
Clark fell back on the couch, emotionally exhausted by the discussion.
“Jon, come here, I finally found my cell phone!” Jimmy called to the kid.
Jon came back and fell into Jimmy’s arms.
“Can I play ‘snake’?” Jon asked, looking around in an attempt to locate Jimmy’s cell phone.
“Don’t you wanna watch the game? It starts in a couple of minutes.”
“Oh, yeah, I do.”
They all made themselves comfortable on the couch and Clark turned up the volume.
-End of part 2-
