Chapter Seven
Martha stood beside Clark, fussing with the flower in the lapel of his navy blue suit. “Mom, it’s fine. Honest. If it were any straighter, Euclid would roll over in his grave.”
She huffed at him. “It’s not every day my son gets married. I want you to look perfect.”
He smiled. “I’m marrying Lana, Mom. How much better could it be?”
She gave him an odd look. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing, nothing at all, just your mother’s pre-wedding jitters.”
Brent put his hand on Clark’s shoulder. “Last chance to stay free, bud.”
“I don’t think so, Brent. I’ve waited long enough as it is.”
Brent smiled. “Okay, but don’t say I never warned you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“About how tough it is to be married.”
“You mean you wish you hadn’t married Charlene?”
“No way, dude! That gets back to her and I sleep in the front porch hammock for a week! No, man, she’s fantastic, and I wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe I’d want to grow up some more first.”
“Grow up more how?”
Brent’s face became serious. “To be a better husband. Charlene’s low maintenance, she’s real easy on the eyes, she’s a good – “
“Watch it, Brent! My mom’s here, you know!”
“She’s a good kisser, okay? And she thinks I’m the best thing since sliced bread and peanut butter, but that doesn’t mean that being married isn’t work. Your mom will tell you how much trouble it can get you into.”
Martha grinned at Brent and patted Clark’s cheek. “He’s right, Clark, but being married to someone you truly love is better than anything else you could experience on this earth.”
Brent nodded. “Amen to that, bud.”
The door opened at the far side of the chapel. Reverend Matthews motioned to them. “Please come to the altar now and we’ll begin.”
Clark and Martha almost ran to the front. Brent sauntered up behind them, shaking his head. Reverend Matthews grinned at their display of nervous energy. “Clark, your bride is ready. Are you?”
“Yes, sir, Reverend, I’m ready!”
“Good.” He turned and motioned towards the door he’d just come through. Jonathan walked out and held the door for Charlene, then for the bride.
Lana wore a short-sleeved, knee-length white dress with a small, light yellow flower print. She held a bouquet of white orchids before her. Her shoulder-length light brown hair was brushed to a lustrous sheen, and tiny white flowers were woven all through it. For a moment, Clark forgot to breathe.
Lana took her place beside Clark, who was still staring at her in stunned amazement. She looked up and him and grinned, then reached out and poked him in the stomach. “Earth to Clark. You there?”
He panted twice, then nodded. “Yes. Wow. You look – I thought you’d look tired but you look – you’re fantastic, you’re incredible. Wow. You’re – wow.”
She beamed at him, then turned to Reverend Matthews. “I think we’re ready.”
*****
Clark and Lana walked into the hotel carrying their overnight bags, checked in as quickly as possible, and made straight for the elevator. Lana tried to say something to him several times, but she couldn’t quite find the words. She waited as Clark slid the card key into the door slot, then put down her bags and lifted her arms towards him.
Clark looked at her oddly for a moment, then smiled in comprehension. He put their bags just inside the doorway, sitting against the door to hold it open, then lifted her effortlessly and carried her across the threshold.
He put her down gently and kissed her, then embraced her. She returned both the kiss and the embrace, and they were so wrapped up in each other they didn’t hear the maid clear her throat until the second time. They looked up at her, both breathing deeply.
She held out a white card. “I think you’ll need this.”
Clark reached out and took it. There was a cartoon drawing of a delirious man carrying a blushing woman through an open doorway. The caption read, ‘Do Not Disturb – Newlywed Alert!’
She grinned at them. “We won’t even knock to bring in clean towels unless you call down for something.” She took the card from Clark and hung it on the outside doorknob. “See you two in a few days.”
She smiled at them as she pulled the door shut. Clark looked at Lana, and they both broke into laughter.
Lana recovered first. She picked up her overnight bag and skipped into the bathroom. “You go turn down the bed and do whatever else you need to do. I’ll just be a minute.”
“Okay. You know, I think you’re stunningly beautiful already.”
“I know you do, and I appreciate it, but I really will be just a minute. And no peeking!”
Clark smiled to himself. For the first time, it would be okay if he saw her undressed. It would even be a good thing. Strange how a short ceremony like that could change both of their lives so dramatically.
He quickly hung up his clothes and changed into a new pair of short-sleeved silk pajamas. As he did, he thought that maybe it wasn’t so strange. After all, they had both just vowed before God and their families – well, his family – and the community to remain faithful to each other for the rest of their lives. Maybe the key to a good marriage wasn’t just being deeply in love, but both partners being totally committed to each other. He contrasted his parents’ marriage to Lana’s parents’ marriage, and the biggest difference was that Jonathan and Martha Kent were totally committed to each other, while Caroline Lang had been committed to her own personal comfort, which short-changed her commitment to her husband. Clark told himself that he’d never – not ever – short-change Lana for anyone or anything, whether for career or fame or even Superman. And he was certain Lana felt the same about him.
He heard the bathroom door open and he smiled. True to her word, Lana was out of the bathroom in under a minute.
He turned to look at her and his heart stopped.
Then she stepped forward and restarted it for him.
*****
Jonathan and Martha shared a sandwich supper that night. They had ridden the emotional roller coaster all day, and neither one wanted to cook.
“Martha, I can hardly believe our boy is married. And to such a fine young lady! I hope they’re half as happy as we’ve been.”
“Remember what we promised each other? No interference.”
He raised his hands. “I reaffirm my promise. I will not offer unsolicited advice, even when I know I can make things right for them.”
She smiled. “Same here, dear. It’s their life together. We can’t live it for them.”
Martha washed down the last of her chicken salad with the last of her tea. Jonathan asked, “Can I get you some more of anything?”
“No, thanks, dear.” She sat back and stared at the wall.
Jonathan took her plate and glass to the kitchen with his plate and rinsed them. He refilled his own glass and came back. He sat down next to his wife and settled against the back of the sofa. “Okay, let’s have it.”
“What?”
“I know that look. Something’s on your mind and I’m concerned that you’re concerned about it. What is it?”
Martha sighed. “It’s just a lot of little things, Jon. I’m sure Lana loves Clark, and I know Clark thinks Lana hung the moon and all the pretty stars. I’m confident that they’ll be able to work out their problems as they come to them.”
“What little things are we talking about?”
She frowned. “Last night, this morning, actually, when I found her coming out of the basement in the barn, she said something about six hours, and that a noon wedding would be fine.”
“So? Maybe she was figuring out how much time she needed to get everything done. The wedding was at two-thirty, so she had her six hours and more.”
“I got the feeling there was a lot more to it than that. Then there was the way she diverted our conversation away from her conversation with the globe at breakfast. Something happened down there that she didn’t want to talk about.”
“It’s her business, Martha, hers and Clark’s. They’ll work it out together.”
Martha nodded slowly. “Maybe.” She paused. “Did you know the Superman Foundation has a draw account for Superman?”
“What? No, I didn’t. How did you find out about that?”
“I was cleaning Clark’s room after he left for Africa and the latest statement was on top of his desk. Every month, two and a half percent of the net income to the Foundation goes in. That account, as of the most recent closing period, has a little over four hundred thousand dollars in it.”
He whistled long and low. “That’s a lot of souvenirs. But so what? Clark hasn’t taken any of the money out. He would’ve told us.”
“I know. But there were two withdrawals for the previous quarter on the statement, one for about nine thousand dollars and one for just under sixteen thousand. They were made out to El-El Investments.”
“Do you think someone at the Foundation is skimming?”
“No, no. Clark would have called them on it. This is something he’s aware of but didn’t initiate. And I also found out that El-El Investments is owned by another company in the Cayman Islands called Digger Enterprises.”
“What are they using the money for?”
She shrugged. “It looks like they’re backing on-site scientific research. There’s a dinosaur dig in France, another one in Nigeria, an archaeological dig in New Mexico, and a museum in Scotland, all of whom got some of the money from those two withdrawals. Nothing even slightly shady, much less illegal. It’s all clear and aboveboard and totally kosher, no hint of scandal anywhere.”
“How’d you find all this information?”
She grinned slightly. “I told you we needed unlimited access on our Internet account. I’ve been using it. You can find out almost anything online, or at least find out who to call to find it.”
“And did you find out who owns Digger Enterprises?”
“The sole shareholder is Lana Lang.”
He nodded slowly. “So. Lana’s taking a miniscule amount of money from the Superman Foundation to fund scientific research and activities but not using it for her personal benefit. She’s not funding her father’s work, is she?” Martha shook her head ‘no.’ “Well, then I don’t see a problem with anything she’s done.”
“Neither do I, not with the doing of it. But I don’t think Clark knew about the transactions before he got the latest statement. That was the day he was so tight-lipped from the time the mail came until he talked to Lana late that night, a few days before he met her in Africa.”
“Then she must have explained it to him. Martha, he’s the one she has to satisfy, not us. We’re not interfering, remember?”
“I know.” She sighed again. “I just hope she tells him everything, preferably before she does it.”
*****
Clark and Lana slept late the next day, both for the obvious reasons and because they were still sorting out what time zone they were in. It was almost one PM before Lana opened her eyes and looked around.
She reached across the bed for her husband, but instead found a note. She picked it up and squinted until her eyes focused.
‘My lovely bride, you were so beautiful, lying there with your marvelous brown hair fanning out on the pillow, I couldn’t bear to awaken you. I’ll be back by two, if not before, bearing food for us and gifts for you. I love you, I love you, I love you!’
She smiled and shook her head. He’s a hopeless romantic, she thought, and I’m so lucky to have him and to hold him. She slowly got up and made the bed, then stepped into the shower, hoping to wake up enough to enjoy Clark’s company when he returned.
She was rinsing her hair when she heard the bathroom door open. “Who’s there?”
Clark’s voice answered, “It’s a stalker, looking for love in all the beautiful places.”
“Oh, no! A stalker! You’d better leave before my husband gets back.”
“Husband? And here I thought you were a lonely, love-starved young maiden, passionately hoping for a romantic adventure.”
“Hey, pal, I’ve already got about all the passionate adventure I can handle. Besides, you’d have to be out of this world to beat my man.”
The shower door slowly slid open to reveal Clark in all his manly glory. “Well, can I at least stand in for him until he gets back?”
Lana smiled fetchingly, reached out for his hands, and tugged him under the stream of water. “If you think you’re super enough for me, big boy, come on.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her. “Let’s find out, shall we?”
*****
They sat on the couch in their complimentary terrycloth robes, eating dinner. They exchanged shy smiles mixed with passionate glances and electric touches. Lana drained the last of her spice tea and sat back, sighing with contentment.
Clark reached for her and she let out a world-class belch. She was as stunned as he was, and they both laughed out loud. They fell against each other and rolled into a gentle embrace that was both relaxing and invigorating.
Lana touched his cheek and traced the outline of his mouth. “I thought I knew you, Clark Kent. Turns out I didn’t know you at all.”
He kissed her fingertips. “I know. I feel the same way. I didn’t think I could love you more than I already did, but I do.”
She smiled and kissed him gently. “Yeah. That too.” She sat up and faced him. “Have you thought about where we’re going to live?”
He frowned. “Uh. Not a great deal, no. I’ve been kinda distracted.”
She laughed. “Thank you, kind sir. I hope I can distract you in that manner for the rest of our lives together.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, my lady.”
She leaned over and kissed him again. “Me neither. But we need to talk about where we’re gonna stay after your dad’s extremely generous wedding present runs out.”
Clark sat up and frowned in thought. “I suppose we could rent an apartment. We’d have to buy some furniture, and maybe some appliances. That could run into some real money, too. Wow.” He shook his head. “Lana, I love you and I’m beyond thrilled that we’re married, but maybe we should have thought a little more about the time after the honeymoon.”
She grabbed his hands in hers. “Then let me make a suggestion. My dad won’t be back from his dig until mid-November at the earliest. Why don’t we stay at my dad’s house until we find a place of our own? We wouldn’t be there long.” Her eyes sparkled. “I would’ve been there myself by now, except we had a better idea.”
He frowned more deeply. “I’m not sure I like imposing on your dad like that. I’m sure he didn’t intend for both of us to live there, even if we are married. Hey! Does he even know he has a son-in-law?”
“I called him before the ceremony. After he got over the shock, he wished us all the best, and he made me promise that if we had to have an August wedding, we also had to be available in December for a big wedding celebration. And he offered us the use of his house until we find our own place. I didn’t prompt him at all, I promise.” She gazed up into Clark’s eyes, all winsome and vulnerable. “What could I do but agree?”
He looked into her eyes for a moment, then laughed. “All right. Your dad’s house for a very short time, then our own place, and very soon. After all, we’ve only got eighteen days before our senior year starts.”
“Oh, I’ve thought of that, too. You can move your stuff into my bedroom while I go make sure my new name is on all my legal documents. That should take most of a day, actually, what with the driver’s license, social security card, credit card, bank, the school registrar, and mmmph!“
He wrapped her in his arms and stopped her mouth with a kiss. “All this planning is giving me a headache.” He moved down and nibbled on her neck. “Let’s talk about it later.”
She moaned and put her arms around his head. “Okay, ummm, yeah, later, later is good for me, too.”
*****
The bored-looking older man with thin white hair, a thick mustache, and a Santa Claus belly opened his office door and nodded to Lana. “Miss Lang? Please come in.”
Lana smiled to herself. She’d fix the name in a few minutes. “Thank you, Mr. Southerland. I appreciate your seeing me on such short notice.”
“I’m an employee of the state of Kansas. I live to serve.”
“Whoa. You have a moisturizer, don’t you?”
“A moisturizer?” He frowned. “Why would I need one?”
“That comment couldn’t be any drier. It’s liable to suck all the humidity right out of the air.”
His expression blanked out. “I’ll make a note of that. Now, what can I do for you?”
She pulled out a folder and opened it on his desk. “I want my name legally changed. I just got married.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I want my official name to be Lana Lang-Kent. With the hyphen.”
He raised his eyebrows. “State law allows you to do this, of course, but – “
“But what? Is it your job to advise me on such choices?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, ma’am. Let me give you the forms you’ll need.”
She flipped through the papers in her folder. “You mean these?”
He looked, then nodded. “Yes. Let’s see, you have your marriage license, driver’s license, social security card – you’ll have to go to their office to notify them.”
“I know, that’s Federal and not state.”
“Yes. Perhaps they’ll have more of a sense of humor.”
She glared at him. “Just put your mark on the papers, Mr. Southerland. I’d like to make it to my bank before it closes.”
“Of course. I live to serve.”
*****
Clark looked at Lana’s new driver’s license. “Lana? It says your last name is Lang-Kent.” He lifted his eyes. “I didn’t know you wanted to hyphenate your last name.” He looked at the license again. “And you’re using your dad’s address.”
“We don’t have an address yet, Clark.”
He frowned slightly. “You could have waited a couple of days.”
She gently took the license from his hand. “Does it bother you, darling?”
“No. Uh, well, yeah, maybe a little. Mostly because it’s a surprise.”
“Don’t you like surprises?”
He shook his head minutely. “Surprises are my stock in trade, at least in my ‘other job.’ I really prefer to avoid them if at all possible.”
She gave him a soulful look. “Clark, I’m sorry if I surprised you. I really didn’t think it would make that much difference. After all, the Lang name is well known in archaeology circles. I didn’t want to give up what little leverage it gives me in my chosen field. I made it to all the places I needed to register my new name today.” She hugged him apologetically. “But if you really, really feel that strongly about it, darling, I can go back and change my name to Lana Kent as soon as we find our own place.”
He shook his head. “No, that’s not necessary. It was – unexpected, that’s all.” He kissed the top of her head. “It’s one of those things that we both need to adjust to. Something else for us to learn about each other.”
She nodded against his chest. “Thank you, my darling. I love you.”
“I love you too, you impetuous little vixen you.”
She leaned back and grinned. “So, is the house ready for us to occupy yet?”
“Yes. My stuff is now either combined with your stuff or hung up in the guest bedroom. Your closet was pretty full, after all.”
“Great! How’s about I fix us our first dinner as a family? I got a meatloaf recipe from your mother that I haven’t had a chance to try yet.”
He gave her a long, soft kiss. “Sounds great. I’m hungry from all that lifting and carrying today.”
“Mmm. I guess I’d better be gentle with you tonight, then.”
She marked down another victory on her mental scoreboard.
*****
The next morning, they got up early to go hunting for a place of their own.
“Clark, do you have any strong preferences?”
“Something we can afford.”
She giggled as she adjusted her slacks. “I think we can agree on that part.”
“Well, I’ve got almost six thousand dollars in my savings account, and I’m expecting checks on a couple of articles I sold from the dig. I need to use some of that for books and lab fees and such, but the rest of it is available for our place.”
She smiled. “Ooh, I like the sound of that. ‘Our place.’ It sounds so romantic.”
He angled the hand mirror and heat-visioned the last of his morning beard away. “Maybe we should think ‘practical’ first.”
“Hey, I can be as romantically practical as the next girl!”
“I’ll take your word for it, since I have no basis for comparison. Speaking of practical, do you have any preferences?”
“No fair! I asked you first.”
He splashed after-shave onto his face. “I was thinking about an upstairs apartment. It’d be easier for Superman to get in and out of quickly.”
She stepped beside him at the mirror to brush her hair. “Actually, I thought we could go see this realtor I know. You remember Jennifer Allen from the pep squad?”
“Realtor?” He looked at her in the mirror. “Honey, I don’t think we can afford to buy a house right now. We’re poor, struggling college students. It wouldn’t be ethical to use the Superman Foundation money for our house.”
She smiled and worked on a tangle in the back. “I agree with you about the Foundation’s money, and I wasn’t talking about your discretionary fund. Remember that account my dad had for me?”
He nodded. “Sure, but that’s for your education. You still have one more year to go.”
“I know. But I’ve been investing some of that money, too.” She kissed his upper arm and smiled. “You’re married to a financially comfortable woman, Clark.”
He cocked his head to one side. “How comfortable?”
She shrugged. “I’ll have to check to get the exact balance, but it was over forty-seven thousand before I left for Africa.”
His jaw dropped. “What? Forty-seven thousand dollars? Lana, why didn’t you tell me about this?”
She stopped brushing. “Clark, what’s wrong?”
“You’ve got a lot of money that I didn’t know about, that’s what’s wrong!”
“So? Would it have made a difference if you’d known? Would you have refused to marry me?”
“No, of course not! It’s just – Lana, honey, we’ve got to work on our communication skills. You keep surprising me. None of this is deal-breaker stuff, but we’ve got to talk about it! You can’t just sail off by yourself and do things like this any more! We’re a family now! We’ve got to work together on things like this!”
She tossed the brush onto the counter. “What about Superman stuff? Do we talk about that?”
“You know we do!”
“How often? How much? Do you tell me everything?”
“What does Superman have to do with this?”
“Everything! Clark, I love you and we’re married and I wouldn’t change that for all the money in the world, but you can’t run my life! I made that money before we got married! You’ll notice I didn’t ask you to sign a pre-nuptial agreement! I could have, too! I’m worth more than you are!”
She glared at him sharply. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly and calmly. “That doesn’t matter to me. I didn’t marry you for your name, or your father’s influence, or for your money, or your connections. I married you for you. I love you, Lana, not what you can do for me.”
She stamped her foot. “It’s part of the package! Just like Superman is part of your package! What I can do for you – for us – is important to me! If I can make our lives more comfortable by using what I know and who I know I’m gonna do it! I won’t allow us to wallow in poverty just to satisfy your Puritanical ethics! Now are we going house-hunting or not?”
She put her hands on her hips and stared into his eyes. Clark held her gaze for a long breath, then looked around the room. She could see him thinking, and she didn’t like what she saw running through his mind.
A horrifying realization struck her. She put her face in her hands and sobbed. “Oh, no! Clark, no! No!”
She leaned against him and he caught her. “Lana? Honey, I’m here. What is it?”
He put his arms around her and she burrowed into his embrace. “Oh, Clark, I’m so sorry! I’m my mother!”
He stroked her hair. “No, Lana, you aren’t your mother. You’re you, you’re not anyone else.”
She sobbed again and hiccupped. “No! You don’t understand! That’s the kind of horrible, nasty, hateful thing my mother would say to my father before – before she left us! She was always so worried about money and society and what people thought of her and I hated her for it! I hated her! And now I’m acting just like her! Oh, Clark, I’m so sorry, please forgive me!”
Her tears flowed like acid, burning her face and scalding her heart. She’d told herself for years that she’d never be like her mother, never hurt the man she loved, never let possessions or position or perception come between them, and she’d started out her marriage by manipulating her loving, trusting husband into a corner, then attacking him for trying to maneuver out of it.
Clark lifted her and put her on the bed, took her shoes off, covered her with a blanket, and sat beside her. He stroked her hair, told her he loved her and would never leave her, that they’d make everything okay together.
She squeezed his hand yet again and told herself she was the luckiest woman on the face of the earth. She’d married an honest, hard-working, loving man with incredible talents. She told herself she’d be satisfied to live and work with him in a two-room shack with no utilities if that’s what it took for them to be happy. She’d give up anything and everything for him. She loved him truly, madly, deeply, and she’d never do anything to hurt him or drive him away from her.
She thought she’d hated her mother for years for treating her father so badly, but it was nothing next to the loathing she felt for herself at that moment. She wept herself into exhaustion.
She cried until she fell asleep in his arms. They didn’t hunt for houses that day.
*****
Lana slept until late afternoon. When she woke up that afternoon, Clark was in a chair beside the bed. His eyes were closed and he was breathing evenly, but he straightened up as soon as she moved.
“Lana? Are you okay? Do you feel better?”
She looked at him and shook her head. “I really, really need to go to the bathroom.” She struggled out of bed and padded towards the bathroom door. “I’ll be right back.”
Clark made the bed and turned on the ceiling light. When Lana came back, she was rubbing her eyes with a wet washcloth. “Eye makeup. Irritates my eyes if I sleep with it on.”
Clark smiled and touched her shoulder. “Hungry?”
She tossed the washcloth on the vanity and nodded. “What’s for breakfast?”
“If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.”
She squinted at him. “Why? What time is it?” She looked at the clock and gasped. “Wow! Five-forty-six? It’s still the same day, isn’t it?”
“Yes. But I think it’s time well spent. You were obviously wrung out, both physically and emotionally.”
“Yeah, obviously.” She hugged him and kissed his shirt. “What about you? How do you feel?”
He returned her embrace. “I still love you.”
She tightened her grip. “I know that. I mean, how do you feel about – about us?”
“Like we both need to make adjustments to and for each other, just like any other newly married couple.”
She nodded. “Yeah. My dad told me we’d have discussions like this, where you expect one thing and I expect another and neither one of us understands what the other’s thinking. He told me to talk to you a lot, and to listen even more.” She sniffed. “I didn’t think it would be this hard to talk to the man I love.”
He sat down on the bed and tugged her down beside him. “I know. I didn’t think I’d be so prickly about such little things. I’ve been thinking that maybe my manly pride was wounded because you’ve done so well with your money, way better than I have.” He lifted her chin with his finger. “Maybe you should be the family money manager.”
She smiled. “Only if I can make a complete disclosure on a regular basis.”
“Done.” He kissed her. “And expect some dumb questions, especially at first. I’m a journalism major with a sociology minor. You’re a finance minor, and you’ll have to talk baby talk to me until I get up to speed.”
She snuggled against him. “I will. And I won’t get upset about your publishing credits any more.”
He leaned back and looked at her. “My writing bothers you?”
“No, no, not the writing, that’s great! It’s the people who meet us both and find you fascinating and me dry and dusty. Most people prefer the here and now to the distant past. They read your stuff and like it, and most of them don’t even know I’m published, too.” She shook her head and sighed. “My dad warned me about that, too. I’m so glad you have some interest in archaeology, even if you’ll never love it like I do.”
He kissed her forehead. “Please don’t think I enjoy the attention. I’d much rather fade into the background and let you take center stage. You’re better at it than I am, anyway.”
She smiled up at him. “Maybe we should just agree that we compliment each other, that our strengths and weaknesses mesh to form a stronger union.”
“Something like, we are stronger together than either of us is alone?” She nodded. “Corny, but I like it. Can I use it in my next piece?” Lana’s eyes took on a pixyish aspect and she pinched him in the side. “Ow!”
“Don’t pretend you felt that, Superman.”
“Hey, I felt it!”
“It couldn’t have hurt.” She bounced up. “I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten since last night. What would you like?”
“You pick it. I’ll clean up afterwards.”
She threw a grin over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen. “Sounds like a plan to me. It’ll be quick, whatever it is.”
She mentally filed her scoreboard in the back of her mind, way back with the rest of the clutter and trash. No more contests, no more counting wins and losses. She’d be a good team member, every hour of every day. It wouldn’t be easy, but she was sure it would be worth it. She finally realized that winning every battle and losing Clark would make her life futile and hollow.
