This should solve a few mysteries. And I think the girls are going to like the cat. hehehe!
~.~.~.~
Part 3As Kathryn had picked up the fat tip that had been left her again the next morning, she had been hailed by one of the police inspectors who frequently visited the diner. Everyone knew that this served as a meeting place for all sorts of shady business dealings and so policemen often came to eat here, just on the off chance they could catch someone red-handed.
"You know who they are?" the inspector asked her, tilting his head in the direction of the table she'd just come from.
"Not so much, no," she'd told him in a low voice, careful not to be overheard. "I can tell you exactly what they eat every time they come in here, but that's all I know. I can tell you pretty much what anyone who walks in here will order, actually. But as I've told you a good number of times already, I do not know any of these people. I don't want to know any of these people. I have a son to take care of, as you well know. Listening in to these people's conversation could be hazardous to my health or worse, my son's. I may not have a College degree, but I'm still smart enough to know what's good for me."
With that, she left to go back to the kitchen. As the revolving doors closed behind her, she let out a sigh. Would they ever stop with their questions? How many times would she have to tell them that she didn't know anything before they finally understood and left her alone? It was hard enough working here among all these suspicious looking men, but being harassed by the police half the time was not only getting to be annoying, it was also starting to be dangerous. Surely, they realized that?
~.~.~.~
"What are those?" Lex asked Lois as he rummaged through the plastic bag that was on her desk. He'd come out of nowhere again and was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He had real talent for this sort of thing.
"Leave that alone, Lex. It's none of your business!" she warned him, her cheeks turning slightly more pink than usual.
He pulled out a book and looked at its front and back covers. He noticed that the plastic bag on Lois' desk contained about a dozen similar books. All of them by the same author, it seemed.
"Wow, I guess that makes you his new number one fan or something," he teased. At least, teasing is what he called it. Lois would probably have called it being obnoxious.
"No, Lex. They're not for me," she lied. "It's a present for my sister. Her birthday is coming up and I promised this year I'd send her anything she wanted. I really have no idea what made her ask for all these novels, but a promise is a promise so I got them for her."
"Oh sure, rookie. And I'm supposed to believe that this Clark Kent guy hasn't got you under his spell, just like he has all the other women in the city? Please.... You're single, you have no social life to speak of; of course you spend all your evenings reading his novels and dreaming that you're the female lead. They all do."
"What do you mean 'no social life', Lex? I most certainly do have one!" she barked at him.
He raised an eyebrow before putting the book back in the bag and heading over to his desk. He knew it was pointless to get into a discussion about this with her. She'd just get all fired up as usual. Of course, sometimes it was worth it to see her get into a full-blown rage - she was particularly sexy then! - but now wasn't the time for that. For one thing, he could think of a better use for his time right now. For another, he was going to have to spend the afternoon with her and, sexy or not, spending any length of time with an angry Lois Lane wasn't something Lex particularly enjoyed.
He picked up a file from a pile on his desk and walked back to his partner's.
"Come on, rookie, we're going to meet a source," he informed her. He had to repress a strong urge to tease her and ask whether she would prefer going on home and plunging into fantasy world instead. He'd have other, better opportunities for this sort of thing later on anyway.
"I'll go, but we're taking my car. There's no way I'm riding in that rust bucket you call a vehicle," she informed him.
"I was hoping you'd say that," he replied, winking at her.
Lois stifled a sigh. He may not have been in the habit of calling her "honey" or "darling", but winking at her felt just as condescending.
"Where are we off to? What story is this for?" she asked him as she picked up her notepad and stuffed it in her purse.
"Ah, you know... Crooked politicians. Scandalous dealings. The usual."
"Well, if you're not going to be any more precise, I don't see how I can possibly drive us there, Lex!" Lois told him in an exasperated tone.
"Just get behind the wheel and I'll tell you where to turn. You know the drill. It's better for you not to know where we're going beforehand," he explained.
Lois didn't like this one bit. She never really liked it when she had to go off on some blind chase around the city with Lex, actually. But these days, she was getting a vibe from him that was worse than usual. He was up to no good, she could just feel it! If she was smart - and careful - maybe this could turn into an even better story than the one he had in mind, she thought.
~.~.~.~
Lois was just about to go into tornado mode now. She was so beyond angry, she could barely put it into words. They'd spent almost an hour driving around town to meet this "source" and once they'd finally gotten there, they'd found that there was no one waiting to meet them. They'd waited for close to forty-five minutes in a dingy little alley before Lois had had enough and had gotten behind the wheel again.
"Get in, Luthor. Now! Or I'm leaving you here!" she bellowed.
He got in and she drove off like a NASCAR pilot at the start of a championship race. Of course, after he had made her take all these twists and turns all along the way, Lois was completely lost and had no idea just where she was or how to get back to the Star from here. Every time Lex tried to tell her where to turn, she would tell him to shut the hell up. And so he would, until the next time he got the urge to give her directions. Reason told her she should listen, but she was so incredibly mad at him that she didn't care anymore.
She finally managed to find her way onto a main road after a half hour of seeing the same street corners over and over again. Once there, she decided that she had had enough of Lex for today and she drove in the direction of his flat.
After Lois took Lex to that God-awful place he called home, she stopped at a coffee shop. She needed to relax. It was a wonder she hadn't smashed her car somewhere along the way here! A nice cup of mocha latte and a few pages from "Across the Dunes" would definitely calm her down.
She sighed as she sat down at a quiet little table. "Finally," she whispered, smiling at the prospect of losing herself in Clark Kent's novel once more. She smiled as she realized that in a weird way - and with just a simple book - he now held the key that brought happiness back into her life. If Lucy were here, she would be quick to tell her how pathetic that was. And she knew it, too. But she couldn't help it; she needed to be able to immerse herself in this story. It was almost as though her sanity depended on it. Right now, for instance, the prospect of reading a few paragraphs had managed to calm her down from the incredible amounts of anger she'd felt just a few minutes prior. She couldn't remember anything ever having that effect on her. She wondered if anyone else reading his novels also felt that way?
Lois took a nice long sip from her latte and opened the book.
~excerpt from "Across The Dunes"~Egypt. This is the end of the road for most of our group. Others are going in a different direction from here. I will be traveling alone from here. It will be hard to part company with these people. We've been through a lot together in the past weeks. From sandstorms to a couple of the camels dying mysteriously, even being held at gunpoint by bandits. Had they not been there for me and I not been there for them, who knows if any of us would have made it all the way here? None of us will ever forget this trek through the Sahara.
As I bid farewell to my new friends, Ahmed leaves me with one last proverb to ponder about.
"Make your life worthy to look at, for one day it shall pass in front of your eyes," he says wisely.
I smile at him. If I knew any better, I would swear the man learned English reading fortune cookies! Every second sentence that comes out of his mouth sounds just like this one. And as usual, while I understand the words and know what they themselves mean, I do not fully understand this new pearl of wisdom. I know Ahmed has a reason for saying this and *that* is what I truly need to find and understand.
I thank him for all the times he sat with me around the campfire and told me stories about life in the desert. I can't help but wonder why - with all the hardships this man has faced, living in the dunes, under the scorching sun - he insists on staying in the desert. He's tried to explain it to me with those stories, I know, but I fear I cannot fully comprehend his desire to remain there. The bond between man and sand, I guess you could call it. Perhaps if I were from around here, I'd know what this means.
"May your journey be free of incident," he says finally, bowing his head before he turns to join the others.
I wave and stand there looking at them for some time before I mount by motorbike once more and start heading north again. I'm still over a thousand kilometers away from Cairo. This time, since I'm completely on my own, I should be able to travel a lot faster. I expect to reach the capital in a couple days. Unless something happens, of course.
*~*
I thought I'd be able to cross Egypt in a couple of days, but I was being slightly too optimistic it seems. Sand keeps getting inside the engine of my bike and it's in rather poor shape right now. I've had to stop to lubricate several of the engine parts a few times already. I'm afraid that if this keeps up, I'm going to be stuck walking the rest of the way.
I'm really tired of being in the desert! Every gust of wind covers you with sand from head to toe. Not that I mind the sting of it on my skin or the fact that there's enough in my hair to build a sandcastle, complete with a drawbridge... It does get hard to breathe through, though.
I finally manage to make it to this small town, and not a minute too soon as my motorcycle dies on me. I'm barely a few steps inside the town when the motor stops humming for good. Even if I were to try and revive it again, I know just by looking at the amount of smoke coming from the engine that it's just given it's last few breaths of life. I'm surprised it lasted this long, to be honest. I'm a bit sad that it didn't make it all the way, though. We've seen some interesting places together, this bike and I. And we've had some pretty amazing adventures on this trip.
I don't think I'll be able to find another means of transportation that I'll enjoy just as much... If I didn't have such a hard time with flying, that could have been nice. But flying is one way of getting there that I would much rather avoid. I'm quite happy having both feet on the ground, for now anyway. Besides... Egypt is beautiful. Why would I want to travel high above it and miss most of the things that I can see from down here?
I've had to trade in my watch for a place to sleep tonight. I have a bit of money in my pockets, but these people have no use for it here. It doesn't matter, I'm so sick of all this sand that hiding from it tonight is well worth this old watch. I'm not sure it keeps the time really well anymore, there has to be sand all through the mechanism... He doesn't seem to mind, though. I guess I was lucky to have this old wristwatch; I don't think the man would have gone for the digital kind. Then again, I can understand. I'm not very big on digital myself. I'm an old-fashioned guy that way.
~end of excerpt~As she exited the coffeehouse where she'd spent the last hour, Lois decided she was going to and have a little look at the mansion on Eagle View Drive. The trip took her about half an hour. It was definitely out of her way, but it didn't matter much. She had nothing better to do for the rest of the day, anyway. Besides, if she was lucky enough, maybe she'd catch a glimpse of the groundskeeper?
She drove up the small road leading to the wrought iron fence, which surrounded the property and parked her car right near the entrance. She got out and looked around. She'd heard all the ghost stories and rumors about this place, but at first glance, this house wasn't even a tiny bit creepy. Then again, it might have something to do with the fact that it had apparently undergone some serious repairs... Looking at it now, you would never have been able to guess that the mansion had been uninhabited for the past twenty years. It seemed to be in perfect order now. Lois guessed that having a lot of money had probably helped get the house in a livable state very rapidly.
There was nobody around, so she approached the fence door and pulled on it a little to see if it was opened, by any chance. It was locked, of course. She really hadn't expected to be able to just walk in that easily, but it was worth a try anyway. She noticed an intercom system set in one of the brick columns, but she didn't really want to ring in. What would she have said anyway? 'Hello, I'd like to speak to the man of the household'? Like that was going to work!
Lois walked along the fence for a few hundred feet, peering through it every once in a while, hoping to see something or someone there. All of the sudden, she heard noises. It sounded like someone was trimming a small tree, maybe a bushy plant or the hedge that bordered the fence. There were sounds of branches rattling and the unmistakable metallic click of secateurs coming from just a few more feet to her right. She walked over, her heart racing. There was someone there!
The noises stopped as Lois got closer to their source. She stuck both hands through the fence and pushed aside the cedar hedge so she could peer into the property. She sucked in a sharp breath as she found herself face to face with a man. He was holding a pair of secateurs in his hands and looked just about as startled as she did.
"You're not supposed to be here, Miss," he told her nicely, "This is a private property."
It seemed that the postman had been right, Lois thought. Clark Kent's groundskeeper definitely fit the tall, dark and handsome category well. Very, very well, as a matter of fact. For a second, all she could do was stare into the man's eyes.
He, on the other hand, had been surprised both by the fact that he had found himself face to face with a woman and the fact that she was really very pretty. He stared right back at her, unable to look away for some reason.
As she stood there, in front of this man whom she had never met before, Lois felt some odd sort of connection to him that she couldn't explain.... It was just the weirdest thing, like somehow she knew him, which of course she didn't. It took some effort, but she eventually managed to look away and speak.
"I'm sorry. My... uh... my cat ran away," she lied. "I thought I saw him headed over this way. I heard some noise and I figured it had to be him. I guess I was wrong. I'm really sorry to have startled you."
"Your cat? I haven't seen one around, but if I do... is there somewhere we can reach you? If we find it, I mean... What does he look like?"
"Oh, he's your typical tabby cat. You know? Rusty fur and big yellowish eyes. Cute little bugger, but he's so curious and adventurous, he keeps running away. Maybe he'll find his way home on his own, this time? I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
She pulled her hands out from the hedge and left, leaving the man to continue his work. So much for trying to flirt with him, she thought. She hadn't been quite prepared enough for this encounter. There was something about this man that had sent all sorts of strange feelings fluttering through her body. She hadn't expected that to happen. She'd do better next time. Next time, she'd be ready for it.
For several long minutes, the man stood literally frozen to the ground. This was the strangest encounter he'd ever had. The fact that this woman was looking for her cat was really nothing out of the ordinary, but... she herself definitely did not fit the "ordinary" category. Not at all. He kicked himself for not trying to find out who she was. He couldn't explain was it was about her, but there was something that drew him to her in a way. Something he'd never felt before. Something that frightened him very much.
~.~.~.~
Lex was so absolutely furious, it was mind-blowing! He had kept his end of the deal and made sure he was where he needed to be, when he needed to be. His contact had promised to let them in on a little interesting gossip, in exchange for a part to play in Luthor's operation and hence, a few more dollars in his pockets.
But when Lex had shown up where they had agreed, his contact was not there. And he had had to deal with a seriously pissed off Lois Lane on top of everything else. He had angered her once already today... this was pushing his luck, he knew. If she got any angrier, he was afraid she might ask for a new assignment and definitely get rid of him as her partner. This was the last thing he needed!
He picked up the phone and made a few calls. He made certain that his "contact" would be found and treated just the way that he deserved to be, *after* he'd gotten that juicy bit of gossip on the mayor that the man had promised him, of course.
~.~.~.~
Lana noticed that something seemed to be troubling Clark all through supper and most of the evening. He hadn't spoken much and looked like he was completely lost in thought most of the time.
"Ok, spill it," she said, finally giving in to curiosity. "You've been acting all kinds of strange tonight. What's up?"
"Oh, uh... It's not important," he replied absently.
"Well, maybe it's not important, but clearly whatever it is has gotten you all preoccupied. You can tell me, you know. I'm always here to listen."
"It's just... it's silly, Lana. I'm not even sure I can explain this in a way that makes sense," Clark told her, shaking his head.
"Try me," she encouraged him.
"I was outside before. Trimming the hedge.... It's a relaxing activity, you know. Clears my head and lets me think," he explained.
"And it's a good thing you do that, too, or we'd need a gardener," she teased. They had had one before, when they lived in Lancaster several years ago, but the man had been fired when they had found him trying to break into the attic. After finding himself unemployed, he had started spreading the nastiest rumors about them, precipitating their departure from the area. From then on, they had never hired anyone else to do any sort of work that they could do themselves. Besides, considering all that Clark was able to do himself, they didn't have much of a need for help anyway.
"Right. Well anyway, I was trimming away and suddenly this woman appeared from out of nowhere."
"Out of nowhere?" Lana asked, puzzled. He wasn't imagining people again, was he?
"No, not like that," he said, fully aware of what she was thinking right then. "I didn't imagine that man, by the way. It's not about him, anyhow. This woman... she was on the other side of the fence and she just poked her hands through to push the hedge aside and look in. She said she'd lost her cat."
"Seems to me she wanted to take a peek inside the property, more likely. Cats are just as frightened as everyone else of this place, they don't come wandering in."
"Well, I don't know... it doesn't matter if the cat was real or not anyway," Clark said, shrugging.
"Still, what's silly about all of that? So a woman shows up and says she'd lost her kitty? You can't possibly be so preoccupied by something like that?"
"Oh, no. No, that's not it. It was just... the strangest thing, really. That woman. It was like I've known her all my life. I've never seen her before, I don't even know who she is. I would have remembered her, believe me. But, I just can't explain, it's the oddest thing, really. She left as fast a she'd come and for some reason it's like she ran off with a part of me. And now... I'm having trouble adjusting to life without that piece of... I don't know... soul? that she took from me somehow."
Lana looked at Clark with an increasingly puzzled expression as he spoke. What on Earth was he talking about, she'd stolen part of his soul? That made absolutely no sense.
"See, I told you that I couldn't explain this in a way that you'd understand it," he told her, noticing the air of confusion she had.
"As long as it makes sense to you, Clark, it's the only thing that matters," Lana said with a warm smile.
This was the first time in years that Lana had heard Clark talking about having contact with another human being. Whatever effect that woman had had on him was probably just a result of him not meeting anybody else and not speaking to another soul outside of herself for such a long time. Perhaps, she thought, this might encourage him and make him want to seek other human contact. Maybe even slowly reintegrate society? Of course, it would take a lot more than just that little encounter. It would take a really big push, she was sure of it. But this might be a beginning. She hoped it would be. She hated seeing this man so miserable. He needed companionship, something she could not offer him. At least not in a way that would have made a difference.
"I just wish..." he started, but then he thought better of it and said nothing else. He excused himself and made his way back to his private apartments.
Lana wondered what it was that he wished, exactly. She wasn't going to ask if he didn't feel like sharing, though. However, a plan started forming in her head. Perhaps if she could force him into seeing people, without it looking like she had had anything to do with it; perhaps it would help get him back on the way to being his old pleasant self again. Suddenly, Lana found herself hoping that nosy reporter, Lois Lane, was going to continue to try and get that interview. Maybe she'd just have to give in and make Clark go through with it....
~.~.~.~
To Be Continued~Bottom Dweller's Notes:
-
"Make your life worthy to look at, for one day it shall pass in front of your eyes"This is a real proverb that I had found, once upon a time and had in a file where I keep profound things like that for use as taglines and signatures. For the life of me, I can't find it again, but it's not something I invented.
-
"May your journey be free of incident"This is my first little "pop culture" reference.
It's somewhat obscure, but I'll let you think about it before I tell you where it's from. It's not Superman related. Mind you, if I look I can certainly find a weirdo link, but I don't know of one right off the top of my head.
