I love it! I love how a strong 1930s theme echo all throughout this chapter!
Clark was very nervous that his similarity to Superman might be noticed, but in the middle of all the hair wax and makeup, everyone seemed too busy to notice. He did breathe a sigh of relief when they handed him a pair of black rimmed glasses to complete his look. Without them and with his hair slicked back, he wasn't sure that Lois could fail to notice he was Superman.
Hmmmm... this reminds me of a comic book story, probably from the 1940s, which was written as a promotion for a movie (not a full-lenght movie, though) which was being shown in movie theaters at that time. In this comic book story, this Superman movie is playing in a Metropolis movie theater, and Clark and Lois go to see it. The movie makes it abundantly clear that Superman and Clark Kent are the same man, and Clark is having all kinds of trouble distracting Lois so she'll miss those parts where movie-Clark changes into movie-Superman or vice versa... but it doesn't worry him at all that everyone else in the packed theater gets to see that Clark Kent is Superman! As long as
Lois doesn't know, he'll be fine! :rolleyes:
He was standing in the studio exclaiming over the 1930's four-door sedan with one of the photographers when Lois arrived. His breath caught. The tailored suit flattered her figure. Having the hair rolled back from her face accentuated her long, very kiss-able, neck.
I love that he notices.
(And there is that car, reeking of the 1930s.)
“Wow, Lois.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “This old thing?” and then they both laughed at her joke.
It really
is kind of funny.
Clark was very impressed. “I'd say we're a very photogenic couple, Lois. These are going to be great PR for the Planet.”
I'll say!
He needed to tell her. It was time. Putting it off would only continue to keep them apart, and the longer he was dishonest with her the madder- or more hurt, which was even worse!- she was going to be.
“Lois, I was wondering if you would like to go to Smallville this weekend.”
That's a really good idea, Clark! Oh, she already knows, but she needs you to tell her anyway.
“I'll be ready to go. Do you want to rent a car or take the Jeep?”
“Let's save wear on your Jeep and rent something. I'll take care of it.”
And, they could leave a rental car with a sister company in the Smallville area, and he could fly her home if all went well. Or if it didn't, his heart sank, she could drive it back to Metropolis alone.
Well, Clark, unless you do something really stupid, she should be very happy to fly with you.
“You're not going to believe what happened to us this morning! We were almost killed, but I was able to save us,” Jimmy shared excitedly.
“What?!” Clark exclaimed. Certainly he would have heard something if his two friends had been in danger.
“The boy's leaving out a few details, but bottom line is we were car-jacked,” Perry began to explain.
Clark nodded, clapping Jimmy on the shoulder, then turning to Perry as Jimmy exited the room. “Did you get a good look at them?”
“Sure. I gave the police a detailed description. And then they looked at me like I had three heads.”
“Why?” Clark asked, baffled.
“ 'Cause I told them I'd been car-jacked by Bonnie and Clyde.”
“It's a sad story really, Lois. Bonnie was 4'10” and only weighed about 85 pounds. She married at 16, but her husband landed in jail a year later. Bonnie and Clyde met when Clyde was visiting a friend's sister who had broken her arm. Bonnie was also visiting. It was love at first sight. Clyde had already started down the road of a life of crime. This was during the Great Depression and many carried a great deal of anger and resentment toward the government and the men who were employed to enforce the law.
I absolutely love this part of your story. I'm so moved by it. Poor Bonnie. She lived during the depression, was so physically small, fell in love with a man like Clyde Barrow, and married him at sixteen. Sure she made some horrible choices, but fate dealt her a very bad hand, too.
“Clyde was arrested in Waco and Bonnie supplied the gun that enabled Clyde and another prisoner to escape. However, they were captured again and sentence to a hellhole of a prison. Clyde convinced a fellow prisoner on work detail with him to let his ax slip cutting off two of Clyde's toes, which along with his mother's efforts earned him an early parole. Thus began their life together as criminals. Their resentment toward the government intensified and they were not alone. Many of the public admired Bonnie and Clyde as much as they feared them.
Wow. I didn't know that thing about Clyde's toes being cut off. But as for the fact that many of the public admired them... yes, what little I know of them has suggested to me that they were regarded as a romantic and freedom-yearning, if misguided and dangerous, couple. Like two people in love dreaming the American dream and landing a little too hard on the illegal side of it. Like Thelma and Louise of the 1930s... well, except Thelma and Louise never existed for real.
“Most reports say that Bonnie never fired a gun. Some report that she carried a machine gun, but they almost had to be romanticized versions of the story. A machine gun of that day weighed about 25 pounds, almost a third of Bonnie's weight. The burden of Clyde's crimes, which came to include murder, weighed on him. If caught, there was no doubt that the electric chair would be his fate. He developed an amazing ability to slip past police and roadblocks set up to capture him. It was his superior driving that kept them from being captured. Whenever cornered, Clyde would come up fighting. Requests for surrender were met with a flurry of bullets. Clyde wanted to stay alive and free, and Bonnie just wanted to be with the man she loved.
Wow. I'm so moved again. Poor Bonnie. She was not a killer herself, and she only wanted to be with the man she loved, who, however, was certainly prepared to kill for his freedom. Bonnie was not primarily a victim, because she chose her man and the life he gave her herself, but even so... yes, I do feel so sorry for her.
Bonnie and Clyde stole the car that would become their coffin, a 1934 sand-colored Ford V-8 Sedan.”
Entranced with Clark's story, Lois only whispered, “Oh, Clark.”
“They went to visit their families. They knew the end was coming. Bonnie even begged her mother not to say anything bad about Clyde when they were killed.
Lois knocked on the massive door. The peep hole slid open as we see just a pair of dark eyes stared back.
“ Hi. Um... we have a reservation,” Lois tried.
“We don't take reservations. What's the password?” was the answer from behind the door.
“'Joe sent me,” she tried again.
“Nuh-uh.”
“'The eagle has landed? Swordfish?” she asked hopefully.
“I saw that Marx Brother's movie too, lady. Nice try.”
Clark interrupted, “The fat lady sings. My friend is just kidding you.”
I think this is straight from the show, but it is really funny! And ominous, too. The fat lady sings... someone is going to die. Well, the fat lady's character is the moribund one, actually, in the operas.
“Hey, handsome. How about some company?” A small hand tucked into his arm. He looked down to see Bonnie Parker looking up at him.
“Um, sure.” He led her to the bar, seated her at one of the stools, and took a seat for himself. “ So, uh, do you come here often?” He still could hardly believe that this tiny woman had been half of a notorious gang that had terrorized the Midwest less than a century ago. But he was a professional. He had interviewed criminals before. Even Robert Masello when he was on death row the night before he was to be executed. Perhaps he could manage to get some information from her as to where the gang's hangout was.
“ I haven't been here in years. I guess you could say I haven't been anywhere in years.” For the first time Clark saw the deep sadness in her eyes.
I love your way of writing Bonnie.
Clark held up his hands in surrender. “We were just talking. I'm with someone as well.” His eyes found Lois still avidly pulling the lever on the slot machines.
Bonnie's gaze followed his. “That's a pretty dress,” she drawled. “Red was. . . is my favorite color, you know.” Clark knew. He shuddered internally remembering the lifeless, bullet ridden body of Bonnie Parker clothed in red.
*shudders* What a thing to remember. For Clark
and for Bonnie.
Clark now realized that Bonnie's interaction with him had been a cover as she moved into the best position from which to approach the bouncer. Clark felt a hint of disappointment, hoping that this Bonnie Parker would choose a different path, but when push came to shove, Bonnie would stand by her man, no matter what scheme he was pulling.
Yes, when push came to shove, Bonnie Parker chose her own destiny. She was still a tragic character, though.
Dillinger's feet carried him across the floor until he stood by Lois. His hand raised to caress Lois' bare shoulder. “You know, I always was partial to a lady in red.” Lois shrunk from his extended hand leaning into Clark.
Clark grabbed Dillinger's hand and flung it away from Lois. “Leave her alone.”
“Who are you? Her big brother?” Dillinger placed both hands on Clark's chest and shoved him, then turned to reach for Lois. Clark immediately stepped between them.
“Clark-” Lois tried to calm him. But before her efforts at peacekeeping could continue, Clyde Barrow leveled his pistol at Clark and fired three times into Clark's chest. Lois and Bonnie simultaneously cried, “No!” but it was too late.
Even though I knew it would happen, it was still horrible. But I loved that Bonnie and Lois cried "No!" simultaneously.
The world slowed almost to a stop as he felt the slugs impact against his chest. His eyes met Bonnie's anguished ones. Was she re-living that instant when the bullet plowed into the man who was her whole world? Was the scream that was heard one of pain as the bullets pierced her body or the anguished cry of her lover's name as his lifeless body slumped against the steering wheel. Lois' desperate voice came to him then, “No! Clark!”
Maybe, just maybe, Clark is a little too interested in Bonnie. For all of that, I love how he tries to picture her final moments. But Clark, you mustn't forget Lois.
“You moron,” Al Capone yelled, clearly unhappy with Clyde. “What did you do that for?”
“Because he got on my nerves,” stated Clyde defiantly.
“Let's get out of here. And take the stiff. I can't afford to be linked to a murder.” Al Capone took a drag on his cigar as he turned toward the door.
“No! Please, don't take him,” Lois begged. She fell across his body sobbing.
Small but firm hands removed Lois from him. “He's dead, honey. It's life.”
Hmmmm. What fascinating portraits you paint of Clyde, Al Capone, Lois and Bonnie.
“Why'd you have to shoot him, Daddy?” Bonnie asked. Clark recalled that was one of Bonnie's pet names for Clyde.
“What's with you, Baby? It's not something we haven't done a dozen times before.”
“No, Honey, *we* didn't. It could have been different this time. The law wasn't after us. We could have had a real life. Got married.”
Clyde laughed. “No, we couldn't. Because we'd never be considered real people. These bodies are just copies of who we were before.”
Fascinating.
There was no more conversation as the car sped on its way. Finally it lost some speed, the door opened, and Clark allowed his body to fall to the pavement and roll into a pile of garbage. The car continued on its way.
He heard nothing but a few rats nearby. He lifted him self and brushed at his suit, his fingers catching on the holes created by the bullets from Clyde's gun. Clark's heart was aching as he lifted into the sky, heading towards the only place he could go. Kansas. Dead, dead, dead, Clark Kent is dead. *I'm* dead.
Ah, but this Lois, in spite of her cries and her sorrow, must
know that Clark Kent isn't dead. The question, of course, is how she and Clark can convince the world of that.
Fasinating! I loved this part! Please come back soon with more!
Ann
