One thing that makes your stores so interesting, Terry, but also something that makes them harder to understand, is that they are so different. Both when it comes to the A-plot and, for me at least, the B-plot, I often feel that I don't know where you are taking this. I certainly feel so about this story!
This reminds me, by the way, about the time when I decided that I would read the Bible from cover to cover, although admittedly I would skim over certain parts. It was surprisingly easy to stay concentrated and to know and understand what I was reading, because I already knew the basic facts of this story so well. Reading the Bible carefully was really all about finding out some admittedly hugely surprising and important details and to see the story in a new light.
When, a couple of years later, I decided that I would read the Koran as well, I stumbled. I did
not know the story. I did
not know what the bigger picture was, much less where in the bigger picture I was or where the narrator was taking me. I was amazed to see that the Koran was crammed with Biblical characters - Abraham, Joseph, Mary, Jesus - but I didn't recognize the stories about them. When I had struggled through about two thirds of the pages of the Koran, and the suras - the chapters - just got shorter and shorter and less and less meaningful, I gave up.
Conclusion? Well, when you read some stories here, you know right from the start that there are only a few ways that this story can unfold. You know pretty much
everything about all the characters in it, you recognize the situations, and if you try to come up with four or five different ways that it could end, chances are that you have already "foretold" the ending. You basically know the story already, and reading it is all about filling in the details.
But with your stories it is not so, and certainly not this time. I would never have guessed that Cat was deeply in debt, or that she could be blackmailed for the rest of her life because of that. I don't know what you are going to do with Rebecca. I very much fear for her safety, but I have to tell you that I almost expected her to be dead already, killed by Luthor or Nigel, and here you have confounded my expectations. I don't what her connection with Jimmy is going to lead to. (Dare I hope, however, that the Dangerous Boys are like the Four Musketeers, One for all, and all for one?)
In this chapter, there were many things that were quite unexpected to me:
“What? Oh, hi, Perry. Did you want to talk to me?”
“Yes. Come to my office as soon as you're free.”
She frowned. “Okay.” She stared at his retreating back. Perry was almost never that morose. Something must be wrong.
Perry is morose?
She pushed the door open slowly and was surprised to see Clark sitting in front of Perry's desk. His elbows were on his knees and his head hung down.
Clark is feeling awful?
“I want you to take Clark to the museum and give him a hand.”
Lois felt a chill against her spine. “You – you want me to – to go with Clark? To the museum?”
Lois feels a chill against her spine because Perry wants her to go to the museum with Clark to give him a hand when he is picking up Lana's things?
All right. There is something so definite about picking up the belongings of one's beloved lost ones and storing these things away for good or burying them. Still, this was not what I had expected.
“Good. The other last thing she said – besides for me to tell you that she loved you – was for me to take care of you.”
Clark waited a long moment, then frowned. “That's it? That's your big secret? That's what's bothering you? That you think you're responsible for me now?”
She slapped the steering wheel with both hands. “Yes! And what do you mean, is that it? I think taking care of an emotionally fragile Superman would be a huge job for anyone!”
To her amazement, he laughed. “Emotionally fragile? Me?”
He leaned against the door and laughed again. Lois finally smiled. “Yeah, it is a little funny, isn't it?”
He sat up and wiped his face. “Wow. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For the best laugh I've had in weeks.” He chuckled again and she joined him.
Hmmmm. I don't know if this was unexpected, but it was good. I love the way Lois feels responsible for Clark. He may laugh at it - because I don't want to believe that he is laughing at
her - but I'm not laughing.
I liked Clark and Lois's conversation about what happened between Lois and Lana on the ship before Lana died. I don't know what to quote from it, however.
Then there was Phoebe Shining Mountain! For a long time, I didn't know what to make of her. This sounded very suspicious to me:
“This is not a bribe, Mr. Kent, it is a sincere apology. Please believe this.”
This is not a bribe, Mr. Kent? Just because she said so, I started to think that it was!
“This form is a release of liability. Simply put, it means that you agree not to sue the museum over the events of this past summer.”
Clark sat up abruptly. “If I haven't sent a lawyer after you up to now, what makes you think I'll do it in the future?”
Lois put in, “And does he have to sign that form to get the check you were being so generous with a minute ago?”
Yeah!! That sounds suspicious to me!
Clark crossed his arms. “And if I don't sign?”
Phoebe shrugged. “Then one of the junior partners in the law firm may lose some sleep to worrying over that unsigned piece of paper.”
Clark lifted his eyebrows, then slowly grinned. “Far be it from me to rob an attorney of anything, especially sleep.” He scratched his name onto the form.
Did she just trick him into signing something he would regret?
“Am I reading this correctly? This one says that – “
“That LexCorp will pay you your wife's salary for the next five years, yes. And there will be no taxes taken out of the check. All taxes will be paid by LexCorp.”
Lexcorp! Phoebe is trying to make Clark sign a form that will make him indebted to Lexcorp!
Clark sat up straight. “Lex Luthor authorized this?”
Phoebe nodded again. “Mr. Luthor explained this arrangement to me personally. No one in the museum besides myself will be aware of this. The money will come directly from LexCorp and will not appear on the museum's books. It will be deposited in whatever account you wish, or you may choose one or more charities as the destination for the money. You may also alter your choice at any time during the next five years.”
“And the only obligation I have is to keep this quiet?”
“Yes, Mr. Kent. That is all.”
Nooo!!! That can't be all!!
“Of course. In the brief time Lana was here, we became good friends. I flatter myself that we would have become very close friends, given sufficient time. I liked her honesty, her ambition, her determination to be the best she could be – “ she paused and sipped her cappuccino “ – and she was fixed on maintaining her weight and her shape. I admire that in another woman, even one more attractive than myself.”
Hmmm. I don't entirely like this. Phoebe complimented Lana on her determination to stay thin. Thereby, in my opinion, she also said something about other women who are no so successful in their fight against the calories.
“I admired her, too. For a lot of things.” Lois dropped her gaze from Phoebe's grin. “I wish I'd known her better.”
“Ah. Do I hear regret or recrimination?”
She stirred another packet of sugar into her coffee. “A little of both, I suppose. And to answer your original question, I'm trying to be Clark's friend.”
“I see. Is this friendship based on your guilt or on something else?”
Lois narrowed her eyes at Phoebe. “You don't beat around the bush, do you?”
Phoebe put her cup down. “I apologize. I did not intend to be rude. My only defense is that, through my friendship with Lana, I have come to care what happens to Clark Kent. In order for him to have attracted so fine a wife, he must be a very fine man, and I do not mean that in any suggestive or coarse sense.”
Lois nodded. “You're right, he is a fine man, and it's because he's a fine person.”
I think she is too nosey! Like Dr. Friskin!
“I surmised as much. And before you either answer my question or decline to respond, I must tell you that I feel some responsibility for Lana's death.”
“You do?” Lois shifted into "reporter' mode instantly. “Tell me, how are you responsible for Lana dying?”
“She recognized that something untoward was taking place here at the museum and attempted to enlist my aid in discovering the nature of that activity. Through fear of losing my position and my income, I declined to become involved, yet she still sought me out and did her best to be my friend. I owe much to Lana's memory, and I would not be pleased if her husband were treated badly by anyone.”
Hmmm. I don't know if this makes me trust her more.
Lois nodded. “I see. Then I'll tell you that I feel pretty much the same way, except that I know Clark better than you do. He's doing about as well as can be expected, and while I'm more than willing to admit that he's not ready for any kind of relationship, I don't think he needs you to be his baby-sitter.”
“Nor do I believe that I should be. I am not your enemy, Lois, unless you have evil designs on Clark Kent.” She picked up her cup and took another sip. “You do not have any such designs, do you?”
Lois grinned. “Not any kind of designs, evil or otherwise. A Clark and Lois romance, seduction, or entrapment of any kind is not on the radar.”
“At least, not at the moment.”
Lois lost her grin. “Why do you say that?”
“Your coffee is growing cold. Would you care for a refill?”
“No.” Lois's voice also grew cold. “Please answer my question.”
Again, too nosey. What business of hers is a possible future romance between Lois and Clark?
Phoebe met Lois's gaze openly and directly. “Because no one may accurately predict the future. None of us knows what may happen tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. We both agree that he is a fine man, and you do not appear to have a permanent man in your life, else you would not respond to his feelings as you did in my office. You have some kind of strong feelings for him. You are close to him, and he to you. Yet I sense no romantic or intimate attachment between the two of you. It is an odd relationship, but I believe you may be an ideal friend for him at this time in his life.”
Are you making Phoebe into some sort of counterpart to Dr. Friskin, except that it may be ancient Native American wisdom that may be the source of Phoebe's, well, sage words to Lois?
He'd bought Lana a personalized pen and pencil set for college graduation. It was a common gift, one of five she'd received, but he'd built a wooden holder for both the pen and pencil he'd given her and painted them in Superman's colors. Lana had yelped with glee when she'd seen the holder and had thanked him most enthusiastically.
All this time, he'd believed it was in one of the boxes that they hadn't unpacked in the apartment. Yet, right there in his hands, was evidence that she'd put that intimate reminder of him right on her desk for all to see. Even if no one else had known what it represented, she'd known.
And now he knew it, too. The knowledge undid all of his carefully constructed defenses and he fell heavily against the edge of despair. His heart wailed with renewed pain and he hunched forward, gripping the holder tightly in both hands.
Why is he feeling so incredibly bad? Is it because he now realizes that Lana had fully accepted the Superman aspect of him, because she proudly displayed the Superman-colored pen holder on her desk? He didn't know that she had accepted him so completely, but now that he does, he misses her even more (and maybe he feels guilty of having underestimated her, too)?
“I'm sorry, lady, but you can't just barge in there – “
“I was in there not twenty minutes ago! I came out with Phoebe Bright Mountain and now I'm going in to check on Clark Kent!”
Deborah put her hands up and shoved Lois's shoulders back. “If you don't back off I'm calling security!”
Lois leaned slightly forward and clenched her fists at her sides. “You touch me again and I'll clobber you, little girl. Now get out of my way!”
“Lady, you can't – Ms. Hill, tell her she can't – “
“Let her pass, Deborah.”
“What? But she – “
“I said, let her pass. This is my office and I allow it.”
Deborah stared daggers at Lois, but she moved aside. As Phoebe followed Lois to the door, Deborah muttered, “I'm telling my dad about this!”
What the heck is wrong with Deborah? And who is her dad anyway?
Clark was slumped forward in the chair, his face in his hands. Lois was kneeling beside Clark with one hand on his shoulder and the other gently stroking his hair. She was also speaking comforting words that Phoebe couldn't quite make out.
She is like a mother comforting her son.
The scene was telling. Lois had known somehow that Clark had needed her, and she had responded. Phoebe wondered whether Clark would respond to Lois's need in a similar fashion. For that matter, she wondered if Clark would be able to sense Lois's feelings as she had obviously sensed his.
I have been so suspicious of Phoebe until now. But I love that she can see how much Lois responds to Clark. And I love that she is wondering if Clark would respond to Lois in a similar way.
Even in this time of stress for Clark, Lois was behaving more as a friend than a possible lover. Phoebe decided that Lois had been telling the truth when she'd said that the nature of their relationship was not a romantic one.
She slipped back out of the office and closed the door gently. Such a private time was not meant for a new friend as she still was. Later, perhaps, if there was such a later time, the three of them might share their hearts together, but not now. The bonds of their friendship had not had the chance to grow strong enough for that.
Phoebe wished that circumstances had been different, that the three of them might have become close friends. With Lois and Clark in her circle of acquaintances, there was no telling how interesting her life might have been.
The three closing paragraphs really suggest that Phoebe has no evil agenda at all. On the contrary, she seems to be a very nice person. Is she, though? And why is she so interested in whether or not Lois will be romantically interested in clark in the future?
alcyone
Wow! What a connection between Lois and Clark.