Chapter Two
“When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name”
The Doors - People Are Strange
***
The rest of the morning at the Daily Planet had been uneventful. Superman had been at the Clinton Bridge for a couple of hours. During the morning staff meeting, Lois didn’t even need to lie this time to explain where Clark had been. She just told Perry that Clark had heard about the pile-up at the bridge and he went to check out the story. It helped now to have another one in on Clark’s secret; to cover for all of his disappearances.
Lois had told Perry that she would be working on the Intergang story with Clark. At twelve-thirty, Clark drove the Jeep as Lois fixed her make-up in the visor mirror. They had to meet Mindy at one.
“Why does meeting with Mindy make me nervous,” Lois asked, as she closed the visor.
“Probably because she thinks she is a beautiful woman that can use her charms on men,” Clark pointed out while glancing at Lois. “Not that I think she is beautiful. She has nothing on you.”
“Good comeback,” Lois retorted, shaking her head and putting her lipstick back in her purse.
“It’s the truth. I just wish we could find out more about her history. Jimmy hasn’t found anything on her background since she started at the hospital over eight months ago,” Clark explained as he parked the car.
“So the thinking is she started the job to cuddle up to Bill Senior,” Lois wondered as she tilted her head sideways and raised an eyebrow.
“We might need to get her fingerprints and send them off to the NRA or the FBI,” Clark recommended. “But why would she want to run Intergang?”
“What woman doesn’t want to be in power? I mean women have been neglected for ages. We have to work twice as hard for half the money,” Lois explained as her muscles tightened and her jaw set.
“I didn’t know that’s how you felt,” Clark commented as he looked over at Lois. “I mean I remember you and my mom talking about women’s rights before when we were working on the Dragon’s Heart bracelets.”
“Oh, you mean when that Men’s Club wouldn’t let me go in,” Lois stated fuming.
“Lois, I know you are just as strong and fearless as a lot of men. The difference between you and Mindy is she uses her femininity to get revenge. You don’t.”
“If you keep this up; I’ll use my femininity on you later,” she laughed as she exited the car.
Clark sat in the driver’s seat for a moment realizing that he hit the lottery when Lois stomped into Perry’s office over two years ago. His powers were nothing compared to the powers Lois had over him.
He quickly got out of the vehicle and caught up to Lois without using his super speed. They had to meet at a new trendy restaurant in downtown Metropolis. As they walked into the restaurant they had to wait a few minutes to be greeted by the hostess. It was very busy on a weekday afternoon.
“Do you have a reservation,” the blond young twentysomething hostess asked.
“We’re here to meet Mindy Church,” Lois stated as the blond flipped her hair back.
“Oh, Ms. Church, yes, she arrived about five minutes ago. Such a nice lady,” the hostess said, “follow me.”
Lois and Clark followed the hostess across the restaurant to a table near the front, but on the other side of the entrance. Mindy’s table had the best view outside of Centennial Park in front of the two large picture windows.
“Ms. Lane, Mr. Kent, it’s so great to see the two of you again,” Mindy said as looked up at the couple. Mindy’s voice was still as high-pitched as before. She was dressed in a low-cut electric blue dress.
Mindy didn’t stand up to greet them, but the waiter came by instantly with water for the two of them and asked for their drink order.
“Are the two of you on better terms since the last time I met with you,” Mindy wondered as she took a sip of her drink.
Clark could smell that Mindy’s drink was alcohol probably some type of Pinot Noir. This woman spent money on only the finest things, Clark realized. So why did she decide to buy a run-down resort? After their drink order had arrived, it was time for business.
“Thank you for meeting with us today,” Lois stated as she took her notebook out of her purse.
“Stop, please, can we please enjoy a very exquisite lunch first,” Mindy replied as her meal arrived. Another waiter came with two more plates, one for Clark and one for Lois.
“We didn’t order this,” Lois responded to the waiter.
“I decided to order for you,” Mindy commented as she took a sip of her stew. “I ordered seafood stew for all three of us. This chilly weather has me remembering the time I spent in New Orleans during the winter of ninety-two. Has either of you ever been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras? Fantastic times.”
“Did you think, maybe I was allergic to seafood,” Lois remarked, irritated. She didn’t like it when men ordered her meal for her. Why would she let some blond-wannabe do the same thing?
“Oh, Miss Lane, I know more about you than you think,” Mindy responded, taking a sip of her wine.
“That’s funny because we barely know anything about you,” Lois stated as she stirred the stew around with her spoon.
“No,” Clark responded as he looked over at Lois. “We haven’t been to New Orleans during the winter.” It was the first time Mindy had ever mentioned life before Metropolis. Now they could start somewhere on finding out Mindy’s background.
“We have a job to do, Mindy,” Lois said as she dipped the bread into the stew. Lois was going to try the stew, but try very little of it first. “Why did you buy the Raven Resort?”
“Oh, that’s easy, I heard it was once a bustling business in this town and I want to make it grand again,” Mindy explained before taking a bite of her stew.
“So the fact that it’s where Bill Senior met his first wife has nothing to do with it,” Lois intervened.
“Of course, it has nothing to do with it. I looked at the history of the property. It’s fascinating to me. I figured why not share that history with everyone else in Metropolis and build upon it,” Mindy shared as she drank the rest of her wine down and held up her glass for more.
“That place has a history of death and despair,” Clark retorted, looking over to Mindy and then to Lois.
“Even better to come back with a vengeance,” Mindy replied.
A couple of minutes went by with silence while the three of them ate their stew. Then, Lois pushed her bowl away and Clark did the same. This meal with Mindy was getting nowhere.
“What is the rush to get the building remodeled by Halloween,” Lois questioned before taking a drink of water.
“Halloween is a night full of the unknown, where you can be whoever you want. So I plan on throwing the biggest reopening of the Raven Resort by throwing a costume ball where you get access to the entire property until the morning,” Mindy announced with a bit of glee in her voice.
“Sort of like a lockdown,” Clark questioned before also taking a sip of water.
“The doors won’t be locked, the guests are free to leave anytime,” Mindy explained in detail, “I’m letting the guests stay at the Raven for free for its grand reopening with a night full of dancing, cocktails, and delicious cuisine. Who wouldn’t want a night full of that?”
“Who is invited to this night to remember if the building is completed by then,” Lois wondered.
“Well, the Daily Planet reporters who always seem to question my motives,” Mindy retorted then snickered a bit. “Also the mayor, Chief of Police, the president of Metropolis Bank & Trust, anyone, really.”
“Anyone who has a significant role in Metropolis, you’re saying,” Lois pointed out.
“Well, no, not just the ones with power and influence. I plan on inviting the Metropolis Tigers, and anyone who wants to come. We will have plenty of room, I’m sure. There were one hundred and forty rooms in the original plan,” Mindy explained after she pushed the bowl of stew away.
Lois looked over at Clark and noticed Mindy didn’t touch the bread or eat half of the stew. Was the woman worried about her figure? Or was it something else?
“Thank you for the meal, Mindy,” Clark stated as he finished his water. “We need to get back to the Planet.”
“Thank you for meeting with me,” Mindy replied with a devious smile. “I do hope the two of you make it to the ball that night. It would be great to see what the two of you would dress up as.”
Lois stood up while Mindy said that. Lois shook her head and wondered why Mindy would be interested to see what they would dress up as. Would Clark and Lois go as a couple? Would they dress accordingly? Was Mindy trying to get into their head?
About ten minutes later, Clark started the Jeep with Lois once again in the passenger seat.
“Clark, do you think she has an agenda to inventing us to that costume party,” Lois asked rubbing her chin.
“As in?”
“As in wondering what we would dress up as? Or wondering if we would go as a couple or as individuals,” Lois questioned as she kept talking with her hands.
“I don’t think Mindy cares about anything but herself,” Clark responded as he pulled out into the street.
“So now we know she was in New Orleans in the winter of ‘93. Do you think she worked there or was there longer,” Lois wondered as she grabbed her notebook from her bag. Lois flipped open the notebook and started writing questions about Mindy. “Maybe Jimmy can start his research in New Orleans now. We need to get a copy of her marriage license to Bill Senior and see what information is on it.”
A few hours later, Clark was in his kitchen making dinner when Lois walked into his apartment. She put the stack of research Jimmy had found on the coffee table. After work, Lois had gone home to change and check her mail. Now she walked up to Clark and wrapped her arms around his waist while he stood at the stove.
“Smells delicious,” she stated as he stirred the alfredo sauce.
“So do you,” he responded while he patted her hands with the one not stirring the sauce.
Lois pulled away from him and grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine rack on Clark’s wall. She put the wine on the table and then got out two plates and silverware. She set the table for just the two of them like she had done so many nights before.
As she sat down on one side of the table, something came to her mind.
“Why does it seem like we always have dinner at your place,” Lois asked as Clark drained the water from the fettuccine noodles. Suddenly he knew where this line of questioning was going, so he put the noodles back on the stove and turned it off.
“Lois, I don’t know how to tell you this,” he said, sitting in the chair next to her. He pulled the chair closer to her and reached for her hands looking into her eyes. “I know I keep suggesting we come over here. There are three reasons why I keep suggesting my place,” Clark answered with sincerity. “First, when an emergency comes up and I have to fly off; it’s easier to leave from my balcony.”
Lois shook her head in agreement. Yes, indeed, she didn’t have an easier access point for him to fly off without someone noticing.
When Clark noticed Lois shake her head in agreement about his balcony being easier to fly off from.
“Next, it’s easier for me to make a homecooked meal here. You don’t even have a colander.”
“A what,” Lois wondered not knowing a colander from a mandoline.
“The strainer,” Clark answered as he pointed to the sink where the noodles had been moments ago.
“Okay, you have a valid point on reason number one and two.”
“And number three,” he started as he ran his hand through his hair. “Lois, I don’t know how to tell you this. But I really hate your couch.”
“What?” she wondered flabbergasted at his admission.
“A few weeks ago we were watching a movie together at your place. When the movie got boring we started doing something else,” he admitted as his cheeks started turning a bit red.
Lois tilted her head slightly trying to recall what he was talking about; then it dawned on her.
“Oh,” Lois sighed as her face also turned a bit red. “Was it the night you went home really frustrated?”
“Lois, I didn’t go home. I flew to the North Pole and took a swim in the ocean,” he replied pulling back from her.
“I love you,” she laughed as she covered his cheek with her palm. “But what does my couch have to do with you taking a cold dip in the ocean.”
“One reason I stopped was your couch. It’s very difficult to make out with you on that couch. I figured if we were here, it would be more comfortable for both of us. I mean the other night you fell asleep on me and I loved that feeling,” he explained, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. “We can’t do that on your couch.”
“Oh, so either I get rid of the couch or we come to your place every night. Clark, what if it’s too late for me to go home? I know I can take care of myself, but your neighborhood isn’t the best at two in the morning.”
“When it’s late and you don’t feel like going home - don’t,” he suggested as his eyes enlarged. “Stay here.”
Lois felt a bit uneasy at his suggestion. She pulled away from him and the table and started pacing.
“You have stayed here before,” Clark replied, noticing how she was uneasy.
“Yeah, but I haven’t done that since we started dating. There is a reason for that,” Lois responded, standing still and pointing over at him.
“I”m irresistible,” he laughed with a straight face.
“We haven’t really talked about taking that next step,” Lois said as she went to the couch and sat down.
“I figured we were just ignoring it like the marriage thing,” Clark replied as he shrugged his shoulder.
“How can we even think about having sex if we can’t talk about it,” Lois wondered looking up at him.
“I -” Clark stammered hesitantly, “the thing is, Lois, I’ve never gone that far.”
Lois turned her head slightly trying to figure out how a man as sexy as Clark had never been with a woman. Yet he knew exactly how to kiss her and how to touch her to feel loved and cherished.
“You know you could say something,” Clark said as he walked closer to her.
“How do you do it,” she questioned as she stood up. “You are amazing, you know that.”
“How? Lois, I’m different than every other man,” he began to say, “I have never crossed that line because of those differences. You are the only other person besides my parents that know I’m not from here.”
“I get it. It’s very noble of you,” Lois replied reaching for him. “I guess we just take it one day at a time then. When the time is right we will take that step together.”
“And believe me, Lois, I’m ready, but I also don’t want to pressure you in any way,” he stated taking her hand. “I know your experiences haven’t been great either. So anytime you say ‘Stop’ I will.”
Lois reached up and kissed him. The kiss started out slowly confirming they were on the same page. Then it became more intense as he deepened the kiss and her hands tickled the back of his neck. She was so in love with him. How did she get so lucky?
After a couple of minutes, they pulled apart out of breath. He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.
“I love you,” he said, “but we better eat dinner before I ask you to skip directly to dessert.”
“And you know how much I love dessert,” she teased as she squeezed his butt for emphasis.
They were on the same page and loved every minute of it.
