Lois loaded her suitcase and carry-on bag into the backseat of Martha’s tan station wagon, and then quickly climbed into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt.
“Thanks again for picking me up. I really appreciate it,” Lois said, turning to face Martha, who was pulling away from the curb and merging into the airport traffic with a wide smile on her face.
“You’re very welcome,” Martha said, glancing at her before focusing her attention back on the road. “How was your flight?”
“Fine,” Lois said automatically. Then she reconsidered and shrugged and gave a little laugh. “Long. I’ve gotten a little spoiled.”
Martha laughed and shook her head. “You really prefer to fly with him?”
Lois nodded immediately. “Oh, yeah, absolutely. Do you think he has any clue that I’m coming? Has he said anything?”
Martha shook her head. “Not to me. But I’ve barely talked to him this week.”
“He’s been really busy and stressed this week,” Lois said. “Not just about the game. It’s like everything hit at once. Midterms. Newspaper stuff. And then yesterday he was working on college recommendations. He came over for dinner after practice and brought a whole stack of them to write. I thought he would just kind of…write a general outline and plug in some details for each kid, but he spent so much time on each one, individualizing them. He cares so much about those kids. He wants to give them the best possible opportunities.”
Martha nodded thoughtfully as she pulled out of the airport and merged onto the highway. “Does he do that often?” she asked curiously.
“Write recommendations?” Lois asked.
“No,” Martha said with a little laugh. “Come for dinner.”
“Oh,” Lois said. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t know. I guess. We’re still figuring that out. And like I said, he’s been really busy. But since he’s been back – since I’ve known – he’s been coming a couple times a week. Sometimes he stays a few hours, and we have dinner and hang out. Sometimes he just comes for a few minutes. Last week he came after the game, to tell me the results in person. And sometimes, if I’m at work or whatever, he just leaves me a note or a little present so I know he was there. He’s so…. He’s so wonderful, Martha. I don’t know what you did… How you… But he’s…amazing. He treats me like…..”
Lois laughed and shrugged, unable to put into words how special he was.
Martha smiled and darted another glance at her. “That makes me so happy,” she said softly.
“I really want to surprise him,” Lois said. “He’s always surprising me. I just want to make him happy.”
“You make him so happy,” Martha said immediately, her voice solemn. “I’ve never seen him this happy. In his whole life.”
Lois smiled, pleased with Martha’s declaration. But Martha was quiet and thoughtful for a moment.
“He was always a sweet child,” she said. “So happy and good natured. As he got older, he was still happy on the surface. He’s always been…well, you know. Everyone loves him. He’s so kind and friendly. He was popular in school. And as an adult, he’s always busy with his friends. He’s the kind of guy who’s been in a dozen weddings. Everyone loves to be around him.”
Lois nodded, recognizing the picture Martha was painting. She had known this about him almost instantly. He lit up every room he was in. He was kind to strangers and a friend to everyone. His students adored him. Her colleagues fell under his spell immediately. He had a natural charm that she could never emulate.
“But…deep down,” Martha said slowly. “He hasn’t always been truly happy. So much of that happiness never went below the surface. Even when he was happy, he wasn’t…. There was something missing. He was always worried. Always an outsider. Always alone.”
Lois’ eyes filled with tears. “He was so scared to tell me,” she said quietly. “So scared it would change how I felt about him.”
Martha nodded. “I think he’s always believed it would change the way everyone feels about him.”
Lois looked out the window and swallowed back tears, remembering his heartbreaking confession that even his closest friends wouldn’t trust him if they knew. She was hit with another wave of love and gratitude for Lana and Pete, whose wholesale rejection of that fear had done so much to ease Clark’s worry.
“I think he’s feeling less certain of that,” Lois said softly. “Knowing that Pete and Lana have known, or suspected, for so long…”
Martha nodded, and Lois could see her eyes sparkle with moisture suddenly, and Lois knew she had similar feelings about Ginny’s knowledge. Lana had been right that her parents had noticed things over the years and had their own suspicions, and Martha and Ginny had spent the last few weeks openly discussing all the secrets they had been dancing around for decades. “That was such a wonderful surprise.”
“Clark was so relieved. I’m sure you must be too. It must be so nice to have someone you trust to talk to.”
“It is,” Martha said, but Lois could hear a thread of doubt in her voice. “I just wonder now if we should have said something years ago. I wonder how different things would have been for Clark if he knew the people he loved most knew the truth about him and loved him just the same.”
“It’s impossible to know,” Lois said. “You were just trying to keep him safe. He knows that.”
“I hope so,” Martha said. “It was so hard to impress on him the importance of keeping the secret for his own safety without making him feel like it was something to be ashamed of. I don’t know how well we walked that line. When he was a baby, I read all the books…but there were no books about how to handle this.”
Lois turned to look at Martha, surprised by her confession. “Clark knows how much you love him,” she said. “He knows you did your best. He adores you. Both of you. That was one of the very first things he ever told me — how wonderful his parents were.”
Martha smiled, glancing over at her with a look of warmth and gratitude. “Thank you,” she said softly. “It’s just been hard to watch him struggle to find his place in this world; to watch him struggle alone. When he was thirteen and just starting to be strong — really, really strong — he made the decision on his own never to tell anyone. And he’s been alone in so many ways ever since.”
“I know,” Lois said. “He told me. But I love him. And he’s not alone anymore.”
“I know,” Martha said with a watery smile, then she reached over and patted Lois on the knee. “When he started talking about you, I could tell by the look on his face that you were special. But seeing the two of you together, it’s…. I’ve never seen him like this. You make him so happy.”
Lois smiled, touched by Martha’s words and the soft, earnest tone of her voice.
“We’re so glad you’re staying for Thanksgiving,” Martha said after a moment of comfortable silence, her voice lighter now. “I hope your parents don’t mind too much.”
Lois hesitated, inclined, as always, to deflect questions about her family or offer a half-truth about busy schedules. But Martha had been so open and vulnerable a moment ago, and Lois wanted to build on that, not shut her down.
“My parents divorced when I was twelve,” she said, watching the prairie grass out the window fade into crop land as they turned off the highway. “We weren’t exactly big on family holidays even before that. After…well, it was kind of a mess. Once my little sister graduated from high school, I stopped even trying. I usually just work on holidays. I’m really looking forward to this.”
“Well, then I’m even more glad you’ll be with us this year,” Martha said, and Lois wanted to hug her for her matter-of-fact acceptance, and the way she moved on without apologizing awkwardly or prying for details.
“Clark says people will be in and out all day. There’s not just one big sit down meal.”
“That’s right,” Martha said cheerfully. “When the kids were little, we used to do just the one big meal. Ginny and I would take turns hosting, but we’d share in the cooking, and we all sat down together. Now there are just too many of us to do that. So we do a big meal at three, plus a leftover buffet at dinner time. And in between there are snacks and appetizers. We get a head count for the big meal and otherwise people just drift in and out.”
“That sounds nice,” Lois said. “Did you grow up with Ginny?”
Martha shook her head. “Tom and Ginny are about ten years older than Jonathan and me. Tom’s family has owned the farm next to ours for three generations, like Jonathan’s, so the two families were familiar and friendly, but I didn’t meet Ginny until I started dating Jonathan seriously. When we got married, she took me under her wing. I didn’t have any sisters, and she was that to me. She helped me settle in, adjust to life as someone’s wife.”
“That must have been so nice,” Lois said, imagining how lonely it could be in a place like this with no extended family.
“And she had a house full of little ones back then,” Martha said with a grin. “And I was baby crazy. I was always happy to come over and rock a baby or chase a toddler while she did chores or started dinner.”
She paused for a moment, her smile faltering. “I suppose Clark told you I couldn’t…. Well, we tried for a long time to conceive a child. And then to adopt. And Ginny’s boys helped me through that time.”
“And then you both wound up with babies at the same time. That must have been so special,” Lois said, understanding more the bond between Clark and Lana.
Martha laughed. “Lord, yes. When Ginny found out she was pregnant with Lana, she about had a heart attack. Teddy was ten by then, and David and Tommy were in middle school. She thought she was done with the baby years. And I think she was worried about how I’d take it. Her having an unplanned fourth baby when I had none. But I was so happy to have a new baby in the family, I didn’t even have time to be jealous. It was only after she was born that it hurt so much; holding her and loving her and having to give her back and come home to an empty house. And then….”
Lois felt a lump form in her throat at the look that came over Martha’s face as she remembered.
“Did he tell you the story?” Martha asked.
“He told me you found him. In a field. In a little spaceship. He said you thought he was an experiment of some sort.”
Martha nodded. “We were in shock. And then…I didn’t care if he was a Russian or a Martian. He was mine. And I wasn’t giving him back to whoever had sent him up into space all on his own.”
Lois laughed, imagining a younger Martha Kent fiercely guarding her long-awaited baby.
“We didn’t tell a soul. Never have. We took him home and told everyone a young cousin of mine up in Idaho got herself in the family way and wasn’t ready to be a mother. Everyone knew how we’d been longing for a baby, so I don’t think anyone was too surprised when we finally turned up with one. They were all too happy for us to ask too many questions. Ginny most of all. She knew, though I’d never said anything, how it pained me to hold Lana and then give her back. Once I had Clark…it was like a miracle. And the babies, they were inseparable from the start. We’d put them in the cradle together like twins, and they’d nap while we did chores or sat at the table and drank tea.”
Lois smiled at the image of those tiny babies curled up together. Then her sweet smile morphed into something more mischievous. “Did you ever hope they’d wind up together? That they’d marry someday?”
Martha laughed, clearly busted. “I won’t lie. We talked about it a good bit back then — in the very beginning when they were just tiny babies. It just seemed like a dream to unite the families through marriage. But before long, their relationship was so much like siblings or cousins, it was hard to imagine. And we realized we didn’t need a marriage to unite our families. We were already a family.”
Lois smiled, absolutely charmed by this family dynamic that was so different from her own. “Is that when you started taking turns hosting Thanksgiving? When Clark and Lana were babies?”
Martha nodded. “By the time Clark and Lana were born, my parents had retired to Florida and Jonathan’s had passed on. So we’d been going to Ginny’s for Thanksgiving for years at that point. Ginny has three sisters who still live nearby and Tom’s parents were still alive back then. So they had a nice sized little crowd. But the year she was pregnant with Lana, she was exhausted and dreading it, so I offered to host at my house. After that, it just became tradition to switch back and forth.”
“And the crowd has grown and grown?” Lois teased.
“Has it ever! Ginny’s kids are all married, and she has twelve grandkids. Tommy will come from Kansas City with his wife and their three kids— the oldest two are in college but they’ll be home for Thanksgiving. You met David at the corn festival — the musician? — he’s got two in high school. His boys are both on Clark’s team. And Teddy’s next door. You know he and Susan have five, including little Emma who’s the youngest of the grandkids. And you know Lana’s kids, of course.”
Lois’ head spun trying to keep track of who had how many kids. Sophie and Caleb were a given. And she knew the little baby born to Teddy’s wife just before the corn festival was the youngest of a bunch. But the rest were a blur.
She spent the next ten minutes quizzing Martha on the everyone who was expected for Thanksgiving — the names and ages of the grandkids, and the marital status and jobs of the adults attending, which included not just Ginny’s kids but everyone from an international student Martha had never met coming with one of Tommy’s college-aged kids to Mrs. Murphy, Clark’s next door neighbor.
Finally Martha laughed and begged for a reprieve, promising Lois there would be no quiz, and she could relax.
They had made the turn off from the state route by that point, and were within walking distance of the Smallville town square. Lois smiled as things began to look familiar, and her smile widened as she saw the giant banner hung across the intersection at Main Street proclaiming, “Tiger Pride City Wide” in navy blue over giant orange paw print and matching navy and orange bows wrapped around all the lampposts.
“Oh! That reminds me!” Lois said suddenly. “Is there somewhere I can get a Tigers sweatshirt or something? I wanted to wear it to the game.”
Martha grinned and laughed softly. “I can do you one better than that. Just wait ‘til we get home. I have just the thing.”
They chatted about the game and the history of the rivalry as they drove north out of town toward the farm. By the time they arrived, Lois was dying to know what Martha had in store for her, and lucky for her, Martha was just as eager to give it to her.
She left her suitcase in the station wagon, and brought in just her carryon with a change of clothes and some toiletries, so she could freshen up before the game, and followed Martha into the house and up the stairs. She lingered on the steps, examining the family photos on the wall, watching Clark age backwards from a college graduate to a tiny baby in his mother’s arms. When she reached the top, Martha was smiling at her indulgently.
“He was so cute,” Lois said with a little laugh.
“I have albums and albums of photos if you want to see more,” Martha teased. “Clark will be thrilled.”
Lois laughed. “He’ll get over it.”
Martha turned and led the way down the short hall, past doors that led to what was clearly the master bedroom, a guest bathroom, and a small bedroom that was set up as an office. The last door on the left led to a bedroom that was frozen in time. Lois took it all in slowly, smiling at the ribbons and Polaroid photos still stuck to the cork board above the small desk.
“He took all the stuff he really cares about years ago,” Martha said. “I keep saying I’m going to donate the rest and redecorate in here, but I never seem to get around to it.”
Lois’ gaze continued sweeping the room, landing on the single bed with the iron headboard and blue quilt as Martha opened the closet and pulled out a cardboard box.
“As soon as you said you were coming, I knew I had to find this,” she said, setting the box on his bed. “I was afraid he had taken it, but it was in this box with all the others.”
Lois crossed the room to stand beside her as Martha untucked the flaps and opened the box. Inside were stacks of jerseys and team t-shirts.
“I saved them all,” she said. “I had some idea of making a memory quilt out of all of them. But I just couldn’t bring myself to cut them up.”
She pulled out a tiny black t-shirt with Kent on the back and the number 7. “His first t-ball team,” Martha said. “He was four.”
Lois shook her head and laughed. It was so tiny. She couldn’t imagine him ever being so small.
“This one’s for you,” Martha said, pulling out a navy blue jersey and handing it to her. Lois looked at the orange paw prints on the sleeves, and then the large white number two on the front. She flipped it over and saw another two, as well as KENT in block letters above.
“Is this his high school jersey?” Lois asked, sure that it was but unclear why Martha was giving it to her.
Martha nodded.
“Clark said…it’s tradition, during the Springfield game, for former players to wear their jerseys.”
Martha nodded again. “It is. But all season long, the current players…their girlfriends wear their jerseys. They always have. It’s…I know it probably sounds silly, but it’s a big deal at the school. The players don’t let just any girl wear their jerseys. It’s a statement. It means the couple is serious. When I was a girl, we used to be so jealous of the girls in the jerseys.”
“And Clark never…” Lois said, beginning to understand.
“No,” Martha said quickly. “Lord knows there were girls who would have loved to wear it, but he never even thought about it, as far as I know.”
Lois was quiet for a minute, contemplating that; thinking about Clark in high school – sure he could never be loved for who he truly was, sure no girl would want him if she knew the truth, choosing to be alone rather than take that risk.
“Thank you,” she said softly, running her fingers along the letters of his name. “This is…. You’re right, this is much better than a sweatshirt.”
Martha looked at the clock on the wall and clucked disapprovingly. It was already nearly five o’clock. The team took the field at six for warmups, and they were planning to meet Lana and her family in the parking lot then and go in together. Lana had emailed her daily over the course of the last week, gushing repeatedly about how excited she was and begging to be there to see his reaction.
Lois followed Martha downstairs and kept her company while she heated up some stew and bread for dinner. Jonathan came in and greeted her with a hug that made her unexpectedly emotional, and they all ate a quick early dinner together. All they could talk about was the fact that both teams were undefeated, and Smallville’s chance for a win, and how surprised Clark would be to see her. And Lois felt the anticipation growing as the clock ticked closer and closer to time to leave.
After she had finished helping Martha tidy up the kitchen, she went upstairs to the hall bathroom and freshened up her makeup and changed into her cutest jeans and ankle boots. She layered a long sleeved t-shirt with a fleece and a snug jacket and then stood, holding Clark’s jersey in her hands.
She was back in high school for a moment, the Senior Class President dating the quarterback, putting on makeup and spirit wear before heading to the game. There was no tradition of wearing jerseys at her high school, but still everyone knew who she was, and that she was the quarterback’s girlfriend.
Her high school boyfriend had been sweet and funny. He never pushed her for more than she was willing to give physically or emotionally. They had known their relationship was just for a season, and both of them were perfectly content with that. There had never been any empty promises between them. They got along well and enjoyed each other’s company. And if she was brutally honest with herself, she could admit that most of the appeal of dating Joe had been the way it made her feel when other girls looked at her enviously and the excitement she felt when she watched him make big plays on the field.
She ran her fingers over the letters of Clark’s name and beamed over the rush of excitement she felt when she imagined wearing his jersey to the game. It was an entirely different thrill than she had felt back then. She loved Clark. Absolutely adored him. Wanted him to know every part of her. Wanted to build a life with him. This was no silly high school infatuation. This was not about social status. This was about showing up to support the man she loved on one of his most important days. This was about building a lifetime of memories with him.
She couldn’t wait to wear his jersey. Not so other people could see it, but so he could see it. She wanted to see the look on his face when he saw her with his name on her back. And yes, she wanted the whole world to see it too. Not so they could envy her, but because she was so unbearably proud to be with him.
She slipped it over her head and turned, looking over her shoulder in the mirror. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his name on her back, and she felt a delicious thrill as she thought about his reaction to seeing that.
When she came downstairs, Martha and Jonathan were waiting in the living room — Jonathan in a jersey of his own — and Lois did an impulsive little twirl and giggled and felt absolutely ridiculous and overwhelmingly happy all at the same time.
Martha gave her a tender look, and Lois grinned and shrugged. “Thank you,” she said.
Martha nodded and gave her a little sideways squeeze, and then they all bundled up with hats and gloves and went out into the night to Martha’s station wagon.
The parking lot at the high school was already full, and the middle school parking lot was filling up fast. Pickup trucks were parked in the grassy fields beside the paved lots, and everywhere Lois looked was a sea of navy blue and orange — shirts and jerseys and pompoms and homemade signs. As they approached the field, she saw a section of parked cars that she realized must belong to the players, all of them painted with “Go Tigers!” and “Beat Springfield!” and “Three in a row!” and their jersey numbers.
All around them, people were waving and shouting greetings, and Lois smiled as she watched Martha and Jonathan greet almost everyone by name. She started to get nervous that someone would recognize her and mention her presence to Clark before she could surprise him, and she had to stop herself from pushing ahead of the crowd.
At the entrance, beside the table where students were selling tickets to the game, Lana and Pete stood waiting with their kids — Sophie up on Pete’s shoulders, and Caleb holding tight to Lana’s hand. They were all wearing matching Tigers jerseys, and she saw that Pete immediately clocked that she was wearing one as well. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, but before he could say anything, Lana stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
“Oh, god,” Lana said, stepping back quickly. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? You not still-”
“I’m fine,” Lois said with a laugh. “I’m completely healed. And so happy to be here.”
Lois could see the second Lana realized what she was wearing. Her eyes lit up, and she reached for Lois’ shoulders, spinning her just far enough that she could confirm what she clearly knew was on the back.
“He is going to freak out! I cannot believe you didn’t tell me about this!”
“I didn’t know!” Lois protested, raising her hands in surrender. “I didn’t even know this was a tradition. Martha gave it to me two hours ago.”
They bought their tickets and went through the gates into the stadium, where the stands on both sides were already filling up. On the field, the players were warming up, jogging the length of the field. She craned her neck, looking for Clark on the other side of the low chain link fence that separated the spectators from the track, but she couldn’t see past the glut of people making their way to the home team bleachers.
She felt a little hand slip into hers, and looked down to see Caleb smiling up at her.
“Hi,” she said tentatively, giving his hand a little squeeze.
“Uncle Clark said you were coming for Thanksgiving. But it’s not Thanksgiving yet,” Caleb informed her solemnly.
They were approaching midfield now, and she could see Clark. Her heart leapt at the sight of him, dressed in tan pants and a navy blue zippered jacket and baseball hat, both with the SHS football logo. He had a clipboard in one hand and was talking seriously with one of his players, gesticulating with the other. Finally, he patted his player on the helmet and sent him out onto the field.
She turned back to Caleb. “Uncle Clark doesn’t know I’m here,” she whispered conspiratorially. “It’s a surprise!”
His eyes widened, clearly excited to be on this side of the surprise, and she lifted a finger to her lips in a universal sign for silence. She glanced around at the adults, all of them slowing as they approached him, the crowd parting around them to pass.
She smiled and shrugged then took a breath and said, in a normal speaking voice, “I heard there was a big game today. But so far-”
His head whipped around, his eyes meeting hers immediately. She stopped talking and just smiled at him. His jaw dropped, his mouth hanging open, and before he could form any words, he was moving. Two quick strides, and then he placed his hand on the top rail of the fence and hopped over, landing in front of her.
“Oh my god,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and spinning her in a circle. She threw her head back and laughed, completely filled with joy, both for this moment and for the memory of the last time, when it had been she who uttered those words before he swung her into his embrace.
He set her back on the ground and reached out a hand, cupping her cheek. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, his voice full of wonder.
“I can’t believe you thought I would miss this,” she said with a laugh.
“How?” he asked, raising his hands, still clearly trying to put the pieces together.
“Magic?” When Clark tripped his head back and laughed appreciatively, Lois grinned and waved an arm at the crowd of his family gathered behind her. “Your mom and Lana and I…we’ve been planning it for weeks.”
His gaze went to them, and she could see him processing the fact that she had been secretly communicating with his family and planning this, and she thought her heart would explode seeing the thrill that clearly brought him.
And then his gaze was back on her, and it was so full of rapture and joy that she felt a lump rise in her throat. He cupped her cheek again, and then he kissed her. Not just a tiny peck of greeting, but a real kiss. A kiss full of all the surprise and awe and ecstasy that he was so clearly feeling. Her heart raced, and she reached for him, her hand on his arm to steady herself. Somewhere in the distant recesses of her brain, she was aware of the gasps and whispers and then the smattering of applause and whoops of joy.
When he pulled away a moment later, her breathing was shallow and unsteady. “Clark!” she admonished him playfully, glancing around and seeing all eyes on them. “Everyone is watching.”
“Yeah,” he said, laughing. “Who cares.” And then he kissed her again, and she brought both hands up to cradle his face, and let him work his magic on her.
She pulled away, stroking his cheek once before stepping back and taking a couple steadying breaths, unable to stifle the laughter that was bubbling up inside her. He laughed too, gazing at her adoringly, both of them obviously reveling in this moment.
His gaze darted to the side and down, and she realized Caleb was standing beside her, tugging at Clark’s pant leg. Clark crouched down to look him in the eye. “Hey, buddy,” he said.
“You said Lois was coming for Thanksgiving,” Caleb said, grinning. “But…surprise!”
Clark laughed and hugged the little boy. “Surprise is right,” Clark said.
He stood, and when he did, she saw his eyes land on the jersey for the first time. “Is that..” he asked, his voice trailing off as he clearly knew exactly what it was.
She twisted, turning her back to him and smiling at him over her shoulder. “Surprise,” she said softly.
He just stared at her, obviously as a loss for words.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she teased. “Your mother gave it to me. I suppose I should have asked you before I wore it-”
“It was always yours,” he whispered. “Even before I knew you, it was always yours.”
Lois inhaled sharply even as she melted at his words, stunned by his ability to render her speechless time and time again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, knowing that only he would be able to hear her above the crowd noise. “For a spaceman, you are the most romantic person I’ve ever known.” She gave a watery laugh. “Earth guys don’t stand a chance against you.” They pulled back and stared into each others’ eyes, love shining through as the rest of the world faded away. Then she laughed again and gave him one last tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Now go win your game, Coach Kent. We’ll celebrate later. I have plans for you.”
It was his turn to inhale sharply, his hands tightening momentarily at her waist. Then she stepped back and watched him wipe the look of desire from his face before turning to his family and greeting everyone, thanking them for coming and giving hugs all around.
When he was finished, he kissed her once more and then hopped back over the fence where his players were waiting expectantly, oohing and awwing and making kissing noises. She heard him threaten to make them run sprints until they threw up, but the boys only laughed.
