I didn't comment on the previous part, Janet, so I'll do better now. I won't quote much, though.
I liked the cozy, homy atmosphere in the part where Martha made Lois's costume. I really liked the way you demonstrated your expertise when it comes to the actual sewing of a piece of clothing like that, so that you could tell us exactly what Martha would do.
The story about the color-blind woman helping color-blind Jonathan choose red fabric was really funny! I think the pink color will look good with Lois's black suit. However, I think I would have pereferred the blue cape myself, nevertheless.
This is by far my favorite quote from this chapter:
And with Clark, spun into Superman, she flew and leapt and ran and lifted and threw and floated and flipped, and then the two of them soared up into the dusky sky in tandem.
Clark took her hands much in the way ice skaters were depicted skating in pairs, and they indulged themselves in a purely aimless lark. No destination, no goal – just fun. The flight itself, fast and full of swoops and rolls in and among the clouds, was exhilarating, and the connection between them seemed to grow stronger.
To the watching couple on the ground, the two of them looked like birds in flight, moving as one, before they faded into the night sky. A lilt of laughter floated down like an autumn leaf, and Martha and Jonathan smiled at each other.
So magical! So lovely! So beautiful.
My second favorite part of this chapter is when Lois and Clark discuss why Clark can remember, word for word, what Lois once told him:
“Clark, you’re repeating word for word what I told you,” she said. “How can you even remember that – photographic memory aside?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Lois, do you really not know? I was bowled over the moment I saw you. I just tried very hard to keep it low key – I wanted your heart, but I also wanted your friendship.”
This is such a wonderful tribute to the love Clark felt for Lois from the moment he first saw her.
“But…” She shook her head in confusion. “Clark, I remember every… *special* conversation we’ve had about… you know, about us. Those conversations have been the important ones, though - the life-changing ones for me. But what was so special about that conversation? It was just an investigation.”
He smiled at her. “You were what was so special, Lois. It was my first real investigation with you, and you were just awesome. You were in full Mad Dog Lane mode, determined to solve that whole space program thing. I can see – could see then - why you won all those awards.”
Unable to resist, she grinned at him. “Stick with me, buddy, and you’ll be winning them too.”
This is just heart-warming, and I love it.
He laughed, and continued, “Why do I remember that conversation so well? Simple. You are a brilliant investigative reporter, Lois, and you were hot on the trail – and that combination of brilliance and passion was, and still is, absolutely fascinating.”
“I think you’re making me blush, Kent,” she said, a little overwhelmed. No one since Mama had ever invested so much worth into what she felt, what she said, and what she believed.
Did I say heart-warming? This is even more so.
The Superman fund (or foundation) is a good idea, of course. And Lex shocked our heroes by dying on them.
She hesitated. “Well, he deserved the jail time, but I would never…” She stopped again.
“But you would never have wished him dead? I know that, Lois. I remember Princess Elizabeth’s story.” He grinned at her. “You – we – don’t kill the dragons. We jes’…”
She began to laugh. “Yeah.”
Clark and Lois don't kill the dragons, they jes' stable them. Yeah.
Good chapter with some absolutely lovely moments, Janet.
Ann
pictures of a female superhero - one's in black and pink, and the other's in black and a blue slightly darker than Superman's... I couldn't quite get that disguise down in my own mind until I had a picture to refer to. The pink and black has better contrast. But the capes in both pictures are a dark blue, so the black and pink suit still has a dark blue cape.
Thank you! I'm glad you guys liked their flight - that was a particular favorite of mine, too.
