Sorry for being so late writing FDK, Terry.
Saturday morning dawned dark and overcast, matching Lois’s mood. She wished she still had Lucy’s old vinyl Carpenters’ albums so she could play Karen’s song about rainy days and Mondays bringing her down, complete with all the depressing hisses and pops and scratches. This might be a Saturday, but the day certainly qualified otherwise.
Wow, Terry! I don't think I remember this song, but your description makes me nostalgic for it nevertheless.
She toyed with a cantaloupe for breakfast, but ended up eating less than half of it before throwing the rest away.
She flopped down on the couch and picked up the TV remote, then changed her mind and leaned back, hugged a pillow, and tried not to miss Clark too much. She told herself that Clark being gone was a good thing, that his secret would be safe, and that Superman would be free as soon as the jury returned the verdict of not guilty.
Then maybe they could have a life together.
Lois is totally antsy (did I use the word correctly?) and unable to concentrate on anything, because Clark' absence and their uncertain future is overwhelming her.
Clay opened his mouth, then snapped it shut and turned around. “I think you need to get dressed, Lois.” He edged around her without looking at her and went to the couch.
Lois looked down at herself. She was still wearing her sleeping clothes: a thin, ragged KU sweatshirt and striped boxers. Catharine tried to stifle a giggle and pushed Lois towards her bedroom. “Put some comfy clothes on, girl. You have a date with a tiger.”
How sweet and funny, considering Lois and Clay used to be dating (sort of). But he never got to see her in this state of undress.
And I love Catharine's way of putting things!
Lois stopped and turned around. “What? Who’s a tiger? What are you talking about?”
Clay called out from the couch, “Tigers, elephants, gorillas, you name it, we’re gonna go look at them.”
“Cath, what is your insane husband blathering about?”
“Lady, you should not be alone right now. Clay and I are going to get you out of this apartment and take you out and keep you busy all day. Now put on something comfortable so we can get going!”
Cath and Clay are wonderful friends.
The day turned out to be great fun despite recent events. The weather cooperated, too. Instead of being humid and oppressive, the clouds brought an unseasonable cool flavor to the normally stifling late August day, and they even let Lois buy dinner for all of them at The Catch of The Day. When Clay and Catharine dropped her off at her apartment, Lois was actually smiling.
And their cheering-up mission got accomplished, too.
I liked all the messages that Lois had on her answering machine that night, but Clark's was certainly the best:
“Lois, this is Clark. It’s about one-thirty, and I’m heading out again about four to catch the next flight to California. I’ll try to call you back tonight, but it may be late, so if you’re working or just too worn out to wait up for me, I’ll leave another message. I love you and I miss you. I can’t wait for us to be together for the rest of our lives.”
It's interesting, as Lisa pointed out, that he feels the need to introduce himself. He is uncertain around her (and she is uncertain around him).
But to Lois, it means the world to hear from him.
Clark was going to call that night. She’d be awake if she had to prop her eyes open with Tabasco-soaked toothpicks.
Gaahh, what an image!
She snatched the phone up before the first ring ended. “Hello?”
“Lois? This is Clark.”
“Clark! Oh, I’m so glad to talk to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t in earlier. Clay and Cath came by and kidnapped me and took me to the zoo and we had so much fun we stayed out all day and I had my cell phone with me the whole time so you could’ve called me on that number and – What’s so funny?”
“He-he-he. You.”
“Me?”
“Sure. You’ve already saved up a couple of days worth of babble for me and I certainly appreciate it.”
“Why – you – oh, Clark, I miss you! Where are you now?”
Adorable!
“Clark, did you know that giraffes have only seven vertebrae in their necks, just like all other mammals? They’ve got some big neck bones!”
I knew that. It's one of many little tidbits that support evolution over intelligent design, if you ask me.
“Lois, are you still there?”
“Of course. I was just listening to you breathe.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like teenage telephone talk to me.”
And like Lisa also pointed out... yes, it does. It does sound like teenage telephone talk.
She sighed. “I was just trying to imagine what it would be like to go to sleep hearing your breathing next to me.”
Now Clark was silent. “Clark? Are you there?”
“Y-yes. Yes, I’m here.”
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just – if I think too much about the future, it makes living through the present that much harder.”
The future. That is their problem.
“Oh, Clark, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you! Please forgive me!”
“No, Lois, no, you didn’t do anything wrong! I’m flattered that you’re thinking about a future with me at all. And despite my pessimistic outlook, I really hope that future comes to pass.”
“It will, Clark, it will! I promise!”
He hesitated. “You shouldn’t make promises you may not be able to keep. When you have to break them, the guilt becomes a heavy burden.”
She sniffed back a tear. “Clark, I will always love you no matter what. I want you to hold on to that. Please?”
“Of course, Lois. And I will always love you, too.”
Well, that may be the only thing they can promise - that they will always love one another.
“Okay, Clark. Look, I want you to call me as often as you can. Don’t worry about the time or anything, just – I need to hear your voice.”
I love this. Lois is like a plant which is about to die from lack of water, except the "water" it needs - the "water"
Lois needs - is Clark.
And I’ll see you – Superman will see you pretty much every day once the trial starts.”
She shook her head, then remembered that he couldn’t see her. “It’s not the same thing. I can’t hold Superman or comfort him or take him to lunch or rub his shoulders or any of the things I can do for Clark Kent. You’re the one I miss and you’re the one I love most of all.”
He paused. “You know, you’re really making me regret this trip.”
That was lovely.
Clark gently hung up. Lois sat still, hugging her phone for a long moment, unwilling to break even that tenuous contact with him.
It seems to me that this is not the first time that we have seen how overwhelmingly important Clark is to Lois. Is Lois similarly important to Clark? I'm not sure. But maybe she can't be that important to him at this time, when everything but his life is at stake for him.
Catharine appeared out of nowhere and hugged him enthusiastically around the neck, then almost danced to Jim and repeated the scene.
Ron recovered first. “Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, oh very lovely but also very married lady, but what was that all about?”
Catharine spun around in place. “Gentlemen, you are the first males besides my husband to hear this news.” She smiled brightly and bounced on her toes.
Jim leaned forward and said, “So what’s the big news?”
Is she pregnant? (Hmmm. Why do I feel like you are giving Cath and Clay everything I want Lois and Clark to have - marriage, a wonderful love life, children?)
“Don’t you want to know what it is?”
“Sure. Lay it on me.”
Catharine bounced over to the desk. “I’m pregnant!”
Lois’s jaw almost fell off her face. “Wh-what? You – you’re – are you sure?”
“Yes! We saw the doctor on Friday afternoon and she gave me the results over the phone this morning! I called Clay at his precinct and he’s in total shock! I’m gonna be a mommy!”
“But – but I thought you – didn’t the doctor in Ohio tell you – “
“He did! But he was wrong! I’m really, really pregnant!”
Yes. She
is pregnant, even though her doctor said it couldn't happen. Oh, Terry. I so want to see Lois pregnant with Clark's child in the last chapter of this story.
Lois joined her in bouncing for a moment, then suddenly stopped them both. “Okay, Cath, you have to quit with the up-and-down stuff. You’re making me dizzy. Besides, your kid will get motion sickness and throw up inside your belly and yecchh! That’s a mental picture I wish I’d avoided giving myself.”
I love that humour!
There was a moment of stunned silence, then the women in the room surged forward to embrace her. The men looked at each other in shock. A sexy, hot babe like Cat Grant, pregnant? And happy about it? Unthinkable! The apocalypse was surely on its way. Next thing they knew, pigs would fly, horses would sing, Hitler and Stalin would represent Hell in the Winter Olympics pairs skating competition, and their Mad Dog editor would get married and leave to raise her own little ones.
I'd like to see Hitler and Stalin in the Olympic pairs skating competition - who would get to be the girl? Oh, that would have to be Hitler - and I'd sure as heck like to see Lois married to Clark and raising her own little ones!
Lois laughed. “I hope the combine drivers do as well as Jim does this weekend.”
“Oh? Is he substituting for you again?”
“Yes, he’s driving the bus until Tuesday morning, and this time he’s going solo. Clay and Cath left last night for a long weekend in some sleepy little bed and breakfast north of Metropolis. It may be the last time they’ll have a chance to be alone together for a while.”
Jimmy is driving the Daily Planet bus until Tuesday morning! I love it! And I'm glad that Clay and Cath got some time alone.
Since this was kind of a sudden thing on my part, why don’t you let me cook tonight? I promise not to poison anyone.”
“Oh, Lois, dear, you don’t have to do that. Guests don’t have to work.”
Lois drew herself up stiffly and cut her eyes sideways at Martha. “I’m sorry, I thought I was considered a part of the family.”
“What?” Martha was momentarily perplexed until she saw the light dancing in the younger woman’s gaze. “Why, you dirty rat! Yes, you’re family, and as such I ought to spank you for teasing me like that!”
I love this.
“I understand. You don’t fall in this category, of course, but do you remember the statistics on never-married women past thirty-five and how unlikely it was that they would ever tie the knot with any man?”
“Oh, yeah, I remember. One dope said it was statistically more likely that one of those women would be hit and killed by a meteorite than get married.”
Martha smiled ruefully. “Some men are just stupid.”
Is Martha referring to Clark?
“Lois? Is something wrong between you and Clark?”
Lois sighed deeply. “No. Not wrong, really, just – not right.” She turned in the swing and lay down. “I’m not sure I can explain it. Heck, I’m not even sure I understand it.”
Gently, Martha said, “I’m right here if you want to try.”
There was no response for three long breaths, then Lois quietly said, “It’s the future.”
“What about the future, dear?”
“Clark won’t – he isn’t sure we have one.”
“I see. Is it the trial?”
Lois sat up and faced the porch steps. “That’s what he keeps saying. I’m not sure that’s really it, though.”
“I see. What do you think it is?”
“I don’t know.” She stood and walked to the porch banister. “And that’s what bothers me. I don’t understand why he’s so reluctant to make plans for the future with me. And he seems to be keeping his distance emotionally, too. I know he’d rather be with me than in the Philippines, but – oh, maybe I’m going crazy!”
Poor Lois.
Martha smiled in the darkness. “No, Lois, you’re not crazy. Clark’s afraid of the trial and the verdict, and I can’t blame him. Even if he’s acquitted, some people are going to find it very hard to trust him for a long time.”
Lois sighed. “I know. I keep thinking that planning our future will help him, but it doesn’t. I’ve pretty much quit talking to him about it.”
This is a good observation. Lois thought that planning their future together would help him, but it doesn't. For Clark, his trial looms larger than anything else, and it poisons his relationship with Lois, too.
“That was then, this is now. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“None of us are. In the last couple of years, Jonathan occasionally has had days when he gets up, does the morning chores, then goes back to bed for a couple of hours. I’ve been known to sleep in on a Saturday now and then, and those days come around more frequently as I get older. We have to make some concessions to our aging bodies, Lois, but our hearts don’t get older. They just get more tender. We love more and we hate less. We keep our tempers better and do less jumping to conclusions. At least, that’s been my experience.” Martha stood and walked to Lois’s side. “And you’re still young yet. Of course, that’s also a two-edged sword.”
This is beautiful, but I don't think it is always true that we get more tender as we get older. I think, perhaps, that we lose the veneer of pretense and become more ourselves as we grow older.
“The younger you are, the more you have to look forward to, but that also includes a lot of experiences with heartache and pain. Life is shot through with those two commodities, whether we like it or not, and we can’t change it.”
Lois took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not sure that’s an encouraging speech, but thank you anyway.”
The older woman smiled and patted Lois’s arm. “It’s meant to be realistic. Life is what it is, and sometimes the best you can do is roll with the punches and dive back in with fists flying.”
“Yeah, I know. It gets harder as time goes by, that’s all.”
“There will be better times, Lois. Just be patient.”
This is lovely.
And so you leave us waiting. My lasting impression of this chapter is that Lois has many good friends who stick up for her and support her. It seems so much less certain that Clark has many shoulders to cry on - figuratively, of course.
Ann
