Thank you for posting, Sue! Finally!
I loved all of it, of course, but I'll point out some of my favorite bits and pieces
.
Lois flushed. "Too well. I'm starting to worry that maybe he knows me too well."
I really like how you took the break-up in
Contact and spun it into a story about both Clark's
and Lois' commitment and control issues.
I also really liked this:
Clark spread his hands wide in a gesture of frustration. "Then what, Lois? What do you want? Just tell me what you want from me and I'll do it! I can't read your mind!"
For a moment she simply stared at him. It was odd, she thought. Here was a dream come true; Superman was standing in front of her and offering to do whatever she wanted. They had shared so many dreams with each other over the course of this trip, but this was one she never would have voiced out loud. The truth was she didn't want him to feel like he had to acquiesce to her every whim.
Dave was right - it was the work required to build a relationship with Clark that she wanted. She wanted to carry her half of the canoe and be equal partners with him. If she was honest with herself she had to admit that from the very beginning she had secretly enjoyed the way Clark never backed down around her. Everyone else might tiptoe around her opinions but he had never wavered. They were both strong and reckless and cautious and control freaks - just never at the same time.
Really an excellent observation. We did get to see Clark being a lunkhead who obsessed too much quite often - I enjoyed how you gave us a glimpse into Lois' psyche, here. Because she could be quite stubborn and irrational, too. Her constantly picking fights with him illustrated this so well.
"Oh my gosh, carpet!" she exclaimed. "Look, Clark, there's carpet!"
"I had no idea carpet turned you on."
"It's not the carpet, it's civilization. I've missed civilization so much. I'm never going anywhere that doesn't have indoor plumbing ever again."
[...]
Lois pushed open the bathroom door and turned on the light. "A toilet," she exclaimed in the same breathless and worshipful tone that she once reserved for the phrase, 'Thanks, Superman.'
Lois' excitment in regards to the motel room was priceless. In "Ordinary People" we saw that she wasn't really much of an outdoorsy kind of girl, so this is just so funny and true.
Lois dropped the mail and walked to her bedroom door. Clark was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed wearing nothing but a clean, well-worn pair of jeans and a smile. He lifted a pint of chocolate ice cream in invitation and held a spoon out to her.
"So, tell me about this dream of yours..."
I really think that this scene does not just figure in Lois' dreams but in many a female FoLC's dreams as well.
Does it get any better than shirtless Clark in combination with chocolate ice cream? I think not!
Well done and thank you for posting this story.
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