This is the angst to which I referred in an earlier post.
Sunday evening found her pacing nervously in her apartment. She had convinced Clark to let her call him tonight, because it didn’t seem fair that he should be footing the bill for all their conversations, even if he did insist that he was happy to do so. But now she was inexplicably nervous to dial the numbers.
It made no sense. She knew he was waiting for her call, and she knew how delighted she was to hear her phone ring every Sunday night. There was no reason to be nervous.
What was her problem? She was Lois Lane. She thought nothing about calling presidents and CEOs and celebrities. She dialed those numbers without a second thought. Why was she nervous to call Clark? He was her friend.
She snatched up the receiver and dialed the number written on the notepad beside the phone before she could give it any further thought.
The phone rang only once before she heard the click of a connection and then his voice, warm and cheerful. “There you are. I was beginning to think you changed your mind.”
“Never,” she said with a laugh, refusing to admit how close he was to the truth. “I just wanted to make sure to give you enough time to get home from your parents’.”
And
this:
From: Lois Lane [loislane@metnet.com]
To: Clark Kent [cjkent@aol.com]
Subject: Re: Re: hellooooo
Date: May 19, 1995, 4:27pm
So much for my relaxing morning. I woke up bright and early to the sound of my phone. Another fire. At an office building this time. I’m so confused. I just finished my article, and now I need to rush home and shower and change to get to this town hall. Sorry we’re having such a hard time connecting this week.
She hit send and waited. Her inbox chimed almost immediately, and she smiled for the first time all day.
From: Clark Kent [cjkent@aol.com]
To: Lois Lane [loislane@metnet.com]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: hellooooo
Date: May 19, 1995, 4:29pm
We’ll find a time eventually. Go home and get ready. Maybe you’ll have a few minutes to relax before you have to leave again. We’ll talk soon.
She hesitated for a minute, an unfamiliar ache in her chest. She missed him.
If all that (and more) isn't angst I'll eat my pocket dictionary.
This is great, Kathy and Annie. I love the way you're flipping the POV by chapter and giving us a bit more of each character's backstory and current environment. Like others, I love Lana the Yenta and Cat the Supportive(?) Friend. Their hesitance and care in choosing their written words is truly heart-rending. Each one wants to move forward in a leap and a bound but refuses to pressure the other into any kind of commitment. It's lovely.
And they're each making sacrifices for the other - Lois and her front-page story vs. Clark and his flexible travel plans, especially since he'll either spend a lot on airfare or none at all (and then Lois will find out and wonder why).
This was very promising also.
The conversation had meandered from there, eventually taking a more serious turn. Clark seemed more contemplative than usual, asking her if she thought people had a moral obligation to help their fellow man to whatever degree they were capable, and if so how did one balance that with the obligations of their own lives and families.
She had tried to draw him out, wondering what had prompted this question and whether he was struggling with balancing his obligations to his students, his family, and his community with his own desires. But he had deflected, insisting it was only a theoretical question.
He had impressed her, as always, with his quiet thoughtfulness and insight. She wondered sometimes if she had dreamed him, this farm boy from Kansas who devoted his life to taking care of his family and improving the lives of his students; who talked about justice and equity and systemic change as easily as he discussed crop rotation and classic literature.
Sometimes, when they hadn’t spoken for a few days, she almost convinced herself that he wasn’t who she thought he was. That she had built him up in her imagination to be something special when he was just an ordinary man. A kind and good man, but nothing special. And then he called her and wanted to discuss moral imperatives and she laughed quietly to herself, charmed yet again by his caring, his integrity, his innate goodness.
Psst! Lois! It's not just theoretical!
They're already sharing deep philosophical and strongly-held personal views. On top of that, they're in very close agreement on them. Stuff like this is often a deal-breaker in relationships, and it's thrilling to me to see them cover this ground now instead of later when the physical side can threaten to overwhelm the other aspects.
This is a wonderful story. Please keep up the outstanding work all the way through the second and third seasons of this epic tale. We always need positive romantic role models. Just think of what Clark's example will mean to his students!
I also wonder - will he hint to her (accidentally or intentionally) about his other-worldly origins during his Metropolis layover? Or will she start asking the kinds of questions that would lead to such a revelation? I can hardly wait to find out.
As was mentioned previously, who are these people?