PREVIOUSLY...
“Martha, why am I here?” Lois finally asked, a slight tone of exasperation creeping into her voice.
“I’m sorry, Lois,” Martha began even as she pulled the pickup over to the side of the road. “It’s just... I’m about to tell you something I have absolutely no right to tell you. And if I am going to do this, I wanted to do it here.” She gestured to the field up ahead of them.
Lois looked around at the snow covered field before looking back at Martha expectantly.
“This is Schuster’s field. Almost thirty years ago now, while Jonathan and I were driving home one evening, we saw what we thought was a meteor...” * * * * * * * * *
AND NOW...
Lois put her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. When Martha had first started talking, Lois had felt irritated. How could anything that had happened thirty years before have a bearing on what was wrong with Clark? Because, although Martha hadn’t actually said there was a problem with Clark, that had certainly been the implication.
Still, it hadn’t taken long for Lois to get sucked into the story. The shock of finding out that what they had seen had not been a meteor but a small space craft. The recklessness of Martha’s behavior in proceeding to open the craft over the objections of her husband - something that Lois could certainly identify with. The immediate conviction that the baby they found that night belonged to them. The endless discussions about where the child had come from, but having no idea. The hiding of the craft. The creepy government men who began prowling around Smallville. And the doctor who had helped them with the adoption papers which had officially named this miracle child...
Clark Jerome Kent.
That was how the man she knew had become Martha and Jonathon’s son. Her mind flashed back to a conversation she and Clark had shortly after he arrived in Metropolis.
“Seems to me if your real parents don’t care enough to raise you, then why give them a second thought?” Lois had asked when she came upon Clark doing a story about adopted children searching for their birth parents.
“Because if they gave you away, they must have had a reason. And it’s the not knowing that kills you.”Lois had realized instantly that this was a subject Clark had given a lot of thought to and, uncomfortable with the emotion she’d heard in his voice, had dismissed him with some comment about him sticking to the touchy-feely stuff while she took that hard news - which at the time was Superman.
It had been sometime after that that she’d discovered that Clark was adopted himself and so his comments had obviously been rooted in personal experience. But not until this moment did she realized just how much he hadn’t known. After all, as Martha had gone on to explain, they hadn’t known that he was the last of his kind rescued from an exploding planet called Krypton until he’d found a globe in a warehouse after starting to work at the Daily Planet.
Lois couldn’t exactly say when during the story that her mind had made the obvious connection.
The man she knew as Clark Kent was also Superman.
And with that revelation, everything else Martha said faded into the background. How could Clark not have told her? How could she have been so blind? It made no sense. Clark Kent could not be Superman. It made perfect sense, explaining so many things over the course of the past year and a half.
“Lois, are you okay?”
Lois looked up at Martha, her mind whirling, unable to focus on one thought, one idea, one question as everything fought for supremacy in her mind at the same time.
“Lois, please answer me.”
Something in Lois’ mind told her that Martha was worried. That she had to answer. But to say what?
“An acid is a compound that yields hydrogen ions when in aqueous solution.” Lois shook her head, finally clearing it. “Sorry... A Faraday leak.”
“Lois, are you sure you’re okay?” Martha asked.
“Yeah. Sorry. The people who blinded Superman...” Lois’ voice trailed off for a moment. “Oh my God! Clark! They blinded Clark! That’s why he left Metropolis, isn’t it? That’s why he was acting so strangely when I went over to his place when he said goodbye. He didn’t want me to know he was blind, too! He was afraid I would make the connection. That’s why he never told me the truth about why he was leaving.” She looked at Martha who merely nodded her confirmation.
“Why? Was he afraid I’d splash it across the front of the Daily Planet? I can’t believe he doesn’t trust me. He was my friend. Superman was my friend. He knows I have kept secrets for him in the past. Hell, I didn’t even report that Superman was blind!” Tears began to fill her eyes as she spoke.
“I don’t think it’s because he doesn’t trust you,” Martha said immediately.
“Then why?”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to ask him. His reasoning... especially when it comes to you... has always been a little... convoluted. But I know how much he cares about you. At least promise me you’ll give him a chance to explain?” Martha handed Lois a tissue.
Lois blew her nose before finally nodding. “But I’m not promising to be polite about it.”
Martha smiled. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“Good.” The small smile that graced her face on that word seemed to make Martha relax.
“So...” Martha said after a brief pause. “...before you realized that Superman being blind meant Clark was also blind, you were going to explain your strange comment about... acid?”
Lois nodded. “The people who had the device used to blind Superman were trying to locate an apparatus that was used to put knowledge directly into a person’s brain. It was used on me and now I seem to have bits and pieces of information leaking out at the most inopportune moments. I call them Faraday leaks because that’s the guy who invented the device.”
“Is it permanent?”
“I have no idea. Faraday is dead and the men who have the device have disappeared.” Lois paused briefly. “So, Martha, why am I here?”
“Uhh... Well, there’s a problem with Clark. And I think you are the only one who can help.” With that, Martha proceeded to fill Lois in on the situation back at the farm.
“Why me?” Lois asked when Martha had finally finished. “Why would you think I can help? Clark didn’t even want me to know.”
Martha took a moment to respond, as if carefully weighing what she was about to say. Finally having made her decision, she gave a slight nod. “Because you love him,” she said simply.
“Why would you say that?” Lois asked, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “Clark and I are best friends and partners - or we were partners. Okay, so we spent a lot of time together. Went out for meals or to a movie - but that is just because we’re friends. Lots of friends spend time together. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s what friends do. But... love? That doesn’t mean I love him, Martha. What would ever give you that idea? I mean, really, Clark has never even asked me out on a date!”
“Hasn’t he?”
Lois suddenly flashed back to Clark’s first week at the Planet.
“Why don’t we have dinner?”Had he meant that as in a date? She’d wondered at the time. That was why she’d hesitated. Only after her hesitation had he clarified by calling it a celebration. But even if it had been a clumsy attempt to ask her out, and she wasn’t convinced that it had been... “Well, we’ve never been on a date.” Even Martha couldn’t argue with that.
“Lois, you don’t have to go on a date to fall in love with someone.”
“Okay, but...”
“And I didn’t hear you say in there anywhere that I was wrong.” Martha let out a breath. “Lois, I’m not sure how much you’ve even admitted to yourself yet. But I do know what I see in your eyes when you look at him. And what I hear in your voice when you talk to him. And more than that, I know you’d do anything for my son.
“You’re here now, aren’t you?” Martha continued. “Even after the way he left you, you still flew half way across the country on a moment’s notice because I said he needed you.”
“Okay, that last part might be true, but...”
“And I know the look I see in his eyes when he looks at you. And I know that, in spite of some of his more recent bone-headed decisions, he’d do anything for you, too.”
Suddenly, Martha had Lois’ full attention. Was Martha saying what she thought Martha was saying? Was she saying that Clark loved her? After all, those things were the same things that had convinced Martha of Lois’ feelings for Clark. So... what did Martha know about Clark’s feelings for her? If anything.
Still, she couldn’t ask. It was too... junior high - as if she were asking if the cute boy in class liked her.
“And don’t tell me you haven’t thought about these things before because I won’t believe you,” Martha added.
Lois was suddenly shifting uncomfortably again. “Okay, so maybe I’ve occasionally sort of wondered... if there might be something more than friendship between us. But I’m not sure if...”
“Lois.”
One simple word. Her name. Softly spoken. And Lois knew the gig was up.
“Let’s just say you might not be entirely wrong,” Lois finally admitted.
Martha smiled.
“So what is it you want me to do?” Lois asked.
“Just be yourself.”
Lois didn’t find that particularly helpful. After all, if she were to take Martha’s advice, she would be chopping off Clark’s head and feeding it to him on a silver platter. She glanced over at Martha as the older woman pulled the pickup back out onto the road. On the other hand, maybe that was exactly what Martha had in mind. Well, if not, she was likely to be surprised because, whatever her feelings for the man, Lois definitely had a bone to pick with Clark Kent.
* * * * * * * * *
Clark lay on the lawn chair, staring up at the sun, his mind blank - or at least trying to be blank. He reached up and scratched at the beard now covering his face. He didn’t know why the sun was taking so long to heal him, but he did know his folks were wrong. His miraculous healing powers came from exposure to sunlight. Lying in the sun might be taking longer to work its magic than he’d expected, but it would eventually work. It would. The alternative was simply unacceptable. This wasn’t permanent. It couldn’t be. He was Superman for crying out loud.
His mind drifted, settling as it often did on the dark haired, dark eyed woman who had stolen his heart with just a glance in his direction - and she didn’t even know it. His parents didn’t understand. He knew that. But the reason he hadn’t told Lois the truth had nothing to do with him not trusting her. He wanted to protect her. Didn’t want her to worry. Didn’t want her to feel sorry for him. He’d tell her everything someday - when he could face her again as a whole man - not an invalid. Until then...
His head snapped up when he heard the distant sound of a vehicle coming down the road. And just as suddenly as he had tensed, he relaxed again. His parents’ pickup. There was no way he could mistake the sound of a slight rattle in the left rear wheel. He really should mention to his father that he might want to repair that. Clark would do it himself, but in his current state, he’d probably do more harm than good.
He wasn’t helping with the chores these days either for exactly the same reason. He knew how strong he was. He’d come through a closed window in Lois’ apartment building when he’d misjudged where the window was as if he’d been flying through wallpaper instead of glass. No. In spite of what his parents said, it was best if he didn’t try to adjust to this new reality. Besides, it wasn’t reality. It was just a temporary setback.
He heard the truck pull up in front of the house and come to a stop. He didn’t know where his mother had gone this morning, but it was good to have her home. He worried about her when he knew she was away from the farm. Funny - he hadn’t worried all that much when he was in Metropolis or traveling around the world. But here... especially when he was helpless to provide assistance if she did get in trouble... He heard the truck door slam... twice.
What?
A slight gasp.
He’d know that voice, that heartbeat anywhere.
He was off the chair, following the string connecting the chair to the cabin, and slamming the door before the sound of the gasp had even faded from the air.
“Clark Kent, you get back here this instant!” yelled the familiar voice.
He cringed.
“Or should I call you Superman?”
Clark froze.
“That’s right. Your mother spilled the beans. Not that I wouldn’t have figured it out anyway after that little disappearing act of yours. Regardless of what you might think, I’m not galactically stupid! But you are if you think I don’t know you can hear me. I guess the question you have to ask yourself is whether you want to keep this conversation private - because we are going to have this conversation even if it means your parents hear every word. I would suggest we do it privately because you might not want your folks to hear exactly what I think of you for treating me the way you did - or what I think of this little moping act of yours.”
Moping act? What moping act? He was blind for pity sake! He had a right to feel a little sorry for himself. How dare she call it a moping act! Besides, it wasn’t a moping act. He was just being prudent - not causing damage while he worked on getting his sight back.
* * * * * * * * *
In spite of her words, Lois was beginning to have serious second thoughts about this course of action. Clark still had not appeared, but Jonathan was now peering at her from the barn looking completely bemused, his gaze flicking between her and Martha. Obviously, Jonathan was not part of this plan.
Still, it was the course of action she had chosen the instant she’d seen him disappear into the cabin and she’d be damned if she was going to back down now. Instead, she fortified her resolve and walked over to the lawn chair.
“Or do you think I won’t storm your private fortress over there?” she asked. “‘Cause from what I hear, you haven’t left it except to sit in your precious lawn chair in days.” She plopped down in the chair and closed her eyes even as she continued talking. “And given that you’re blind, and pretending that makes you a helpless little kitten, I don’t suspect you’d have the guts to go somewhere else so it’s not as if finding you is going to be too difficult.”
“Pretending?”
She smiled. That voice was far too close to be coming from... She opened her eyes to see Clark, clad only in a t-shirt, a pair of shorts and his trusty glasses - standing next to the lawn chair, holding the string that tied the chair to the cabin. She shivered. The day had quite a bite to it and just seeing him dressed like that left her feeling cold. Still, in the back of her mind she registered that he’d put on a t-shirt before coming back given that he’d only been wearing the shorts when she’d first arrived. ‘Pity,’ her traitorous mind whispered to her before she forced it back on track.
Having him looking at her with that blank look in his eyes that told her he couldn’t see her was slightly disconcerting. She pushed that thought from her mind to continue the conversation. What he needed now wasn’t pity. It was honesty.
“Yes, pretending,” she said.
“Oh, and please enlighten me, Lois. Just how am I pretending?”
“Anyone else who’s blind has to worry about all sorts of dangers that you don’t. They walk into furniture or risk being hit by cars.”
“And I don’t have to worry about things like that?”
“What’s the worst that’s going to happen if you get hit by a car? The car gets dented. Anyone else in your condition would be badly wounded or even dead. They go around with skinned shins and bruises when trying to learn to live without their sight. You... you’re invulnerable.”
“But they don’t have to worry about destroying everything around them, either,” Clark countered. “Lois, I flew through a closed window in your apartment as if it wasn’t even there. Being Superman doesn’t make it easier to be blind. It makes it harder.”
“Bull.”
“Bull?”
“You heard me. Bullsh...” Her voice trailed off when she saw Martha and Jonathan out of the corner of her eye. She quickly redirected her thoughts. “You only think it makes it harder because you just sit here, staring up at the sun all day instead of figuring out how to use your unique abilities to cope with your disability. Whatever happened to your claim to me when this first happened that if it was permanent you’d have to figure out how to be the best blind man you could be? Was that just a line to get me to admire you more?”
“Lois, I’m trying to get well. The sun...”
“...helps with your regenerative powers. Blah blah blah. That’s just an excuse to lie here and feel sorry for yourself.”
“But I need to be in the sun.”
“So who’s stopping you? But why can’t you be trying to figure out how to use your abilities given this new handicap while you’re out in the sun? Or is lying in a lawn chair a prerequisite for the sun to do its thing?”
Even Lois heard the muffled laughter coming from Clark’s parents. It had to be painfully obvious to Clark. Still, when she confronted him about keeping the Superman thing from her, she really wanted it to be done in private. Too much hurt was connected with that particular lie for her to air it in public - even if the public was just Martha and Jonathan.
“Anyway, I’m going to see if your mother will let me move into your room - since, apparently, you’re not using it, and take a shower - wash some of this travel dust off. And then I’ll come over to the cabin and we can talk cause you’ve got a lot of explaining to do, buster.” With that she rose from the chair and began walking towards the house. She stopped suddenly, turning back towards Clark. “Oh and have a shower yourself - you stink. And you better have the place tidied up before I get there. I don’t want to sit in the middle of a mess.” With those final words still ringing in the air, she entered the house, the door slamming shut behind her.
“What did you do?” Clark demanded of his mother who, he could tell by the sound of her heartbeat and breathing, was still standing next to the truck.
“I invited a friend to visit. And last I checked, I didn’t have to get permission from you to invite a friend to come to my home,” Martha responded, completely unrepentant.
“Ugh!” Clark grunted before disappearing back down the string and into the cabin.
“Hi, honey,” Martha said, finally directing her attention towards her husband now that the drama was over. “Miss me?”she asked innocently.
Jonathan’s face transformed itself from disbelieving to amusement. “Have I told you lately how brilliant you are?” he asked while coming over to give his wife a brief hug and kiss.
“I wanted to tell you, but...”
“Super ears,” Jonathan concluded for her. “Yeah, I sort of figured that out. But I have to admit, I did wonder what was so important for you to pick up in Wichita today.”
“You knew?” Martha asked, seeing the twinkle in Jonathan’s eye.
“Let’s just say... I hoped - and I’d have been seriously disappointed if you’d come back with just a new dress or something. So you told her, huh?”
“I didn’t see how it could be avoided. Are you upset?”
“It needed to be done,” he said simply even as he pulled Lois’ suitcases out of the truck. “Well, come on. Let’s tend to our guest.”
* * * * * * * * *
Clark fumed around the cabin, not entirely sure who he was more upset with - his mother or Lois.
His mother, he decided. She knew he hadn’t wanted Lois to know. She had absolutely no right to go behind his back like that. It was his life she was messing with. And telling Lois about Superman... Unforgivable!
Yes, his mother was the one whom he was most upset with.
No, it was Lois. She hadn’t had to come here - had to have known that if he hadn’t invited her it was because he hadn’t wanted her here. And moping! How dare she accuse him of moping? She could have at least tried to care that he’d lost his sight - tried acting as if she understood what he had been going through. Instead, she’d accused him of moping and then demanded that he have a shower and clean up his place.
Well, he wasn’t going to do it!
He plopped down on the couch. If his mother could decide who was going to visit her then he had the right to decide who was going to visit him. He’d just sit in this cabin with the doors locked until Lois gave up and went away!
He sighed. Problem was she wouldn’t go away. She would plop herself down on the stoop of the cabin and sit there until he opened the door and let her in. For days if need be. Or she’d pick the lock. And he did stink. And, although his mother had cleaned the place a couple of days ago, it was slightly messy once again. Did he really want Lois seeing his dirty underwear? With a sigh of resignation, he rose to his feet and felt his way around the room, looking for wayward clothes, making his bed and putting dirty dishes in the sink before following the wall to the bathroom.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t still mad at Lois, he decided as he slipped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower. It didn’t mean that at all.
* * * * * * * * *
“I brought supper,” Lois said, holding up two full plates covered with aluminum foil when Clark opened the door.
“Bribery?” he asked immediately.
Lois let out a breath. “Can I come in?”
“Would it matter if I said no?” Clark asked in response.
“Clark,” she said softly, feeling his rejection keenly. She knew he was upset, but still... it hurt to be dismissed so curtly. Maybe he really had meant there was no ‘us’ when he’d said goodbye to her in Metropolis.
He bit his lip momentarily, seeming to hear the hurt in her voice. Still, he didn’t apologize, didn’t say anything, in fact. He merely stepped aside to allow her access.
She entered and closed the door, walking over to the small table to set down her offerings before shivering. “It’s freezing in here.”
“Yeah, well, the cabin is used mainly in the fall when a farmhand is needed to help with harvest. There’s no electricity.”
“But there is a fireplace,” she said, looking around the room which consisted of the small table, where she’d set their supper, with two chairs, an old couch which was covered with a brightly colored handmade throw, a thread-bare, but very large and comfortable looking chair and a double bed. Along one wall was a counter with a few cabinets and what appeared to be a battery powered ice box and hot plate. Everything looked a little ruffled, but clean enough. And the dishes drying in the sink made it obvious that he’d done what she had asked.
He was even dressed now in jeans and a flannel shirt, his hair still in the process of drying. Still, between the lack of glasses and the full, but slightly scruffy beard, his appearance was taking some getting used to. The only real fault Lois could find with his appearance was that his socks didn’t match.
Clark shrugged. “The cold doesn’t really bother me.”
“Oh, right,” she responded, still adjusting to the knowledge that the man she knew as Clark had been parading around Metropolis for the past year and a half as Superman. Still, as she watched her breath circle in the air, she weighed her options. Finally, she made a decision. “Well, if the cold doesn’t bother you, then it shouldn’t hurt you to have some heat. I see there’s some firewood.” When he didn’t respond, she tossed her hands in the air before marching across the room to begin stacking wood in the fireplace. “I’ve never done this before so if I burn down the cabin you only have yourself to blame.”
“Lois, I’m blind.”
“No sh*t, Sherlock. Now, are you going to help me or not?”
Clark let out a frustrated breath, but still he felt his way along the furniture until he arrived at the fireplace. He crouched down next to her even as she continued piling wood. “Lois, what are you doing?” he asked, reaching out to feel the wood.
“I’m putting wood in the fireplace.”
“Lois, this is too much wood! It will never burn like that. And if it did, it would generate enough heat to get the Taj Mahal sweltering.” He reached in and began removing logs. “Did you put any kindling on the bottom?”
“Kindling?”
“Smaller stuff. I think there’s a bucket with kindling around here somewhere.” He began feeling around. A moment later, he felt Lois’ hand on his, gently guiding it to the bucket. The simple gesture almost brought tears to his eyes. He quickly fought them back. He was angry with her. He didn’t want her here. He certainly didn’t want her coming in and acting as if it was her home, as if she had the right to make a fire. Still... it had been so long since he’d touched her and it felt... good. He suddenly found himself desperately wanting a hug.
“I think there’s a holder with some old newspapers in it,” he said gruffly, trying to fight off the unwelcome desire.
“Yeah, right here.”
“Take one of those and crinkle up a couple of pages and put it on the bottom.”
He could hear the crinkling of the paper as she did as instructed.
“I always knew that this was what you really thought of our profession,” she said, breaking the silence.
“Huh?”
“We’re in the creation of fireplace fodder business,” she clarified, startling a half-laugh out of him. “Well, that and creating lining for bird cages.”
“Okay, well, why don’t you move over so I can...”
She quickly moved and he took her place in front of the fireplace so that he could add kindling, building it up into a nice little pile, using touch instead of sight to accomplish the task. Once he’d added the kindling, he carefully placed a couple of smaller logs on top.
“Are there matches?” he asked once satisfied with his creation.
“Can’t you just... you know... use your heat vision? Or doesn’t it work either?”
“Honestly... I don’t know. I haven’t tried to use it since... Well, you know.”
“So it might still work?”
“I suppose. But what would it matter? How would I ever aim it at the right spot?”
Lois was silent for a moment before surprising him with her response. “I’ll have to think about that.”
“So are there matches?”
Lois rose to her feet, finding the matches on the mantle, before placing them in his hands, the light brush of her fingers again sending a tremor of desire flooding through him.
“Uhh... I think you better do this part.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t see!”
“You need to see to light a match?” she asked.
Was she being deliberately dense? He needed to see to make sure he didn’t set the curtains on fire. “Okay, so I light the match... then what?”
“Why don’t you try it and see what happens? If it looks as if you’re about to burn down the cabin, I’ll stop you.”
He growled slightly before finally giving in. He felt around to be sure he knew where he was supposed to place the lit match before using feel to light the match. The first match stick broke. “Satisfied?” he asked.
“No. I’m still cold.”
Another frustrated breath escaped his lips before he tried again. This time the match sprung to life. He moved quickly, sticking the small fire to the newspaper, surprised by the satisfaction he felt when he heard the fire catch.
“Much better,” Lois said in satisfaction as the fire took off.
“You’re welcome,” Clark said sarcastically.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I forget to say thank you?” She leaned over, buzzing her lips across his cheek. “Thank you so much. You’re my hero.”
Clark rolled his eyes, even as suspicion began to rise in his chest. “Tell me something,” he said, rising to his feet. “Do you really not know how to build a fire?”
“I never said I didn’t know how to build a fire. I’m a former girl scout, Clark. I can build a fire using a shoelace and sticks. I’ve just never built a fire in a fireplace before. Thanks for the lesson.”
“So what was this?” Clark demanded. “Did you want me to prove to you that I’m not useless.”
“No,” she responded. “I wanted you to prove it to yourself.” Before he could recover from that reply, she continued. “Now... I’m going to light some of the candles your mother must have left here for you because it’s starting to get dark and then we can eat - unless that’s something you don’t think you can do either.”
* * * * * * * * *
“What are you looking at?” Jonathan asked, coming up behind his wife as she stared out the window. It took less than a moment to see that she was looking towards the cabin.
“Lights. Smoke coming out of the chimney. That’s the thing that has been bothering me the most since Clark moved over there. No light. No warmth. I’d look over there as I’d be doing the dishes, and think about him fumbling around in the dark.”
“He’s blind, Martha. It’s not as if he needs light.”
“I know that, Jonathan. But it just seemed so cold so...”
“Lonely?”
She nodded.
He chuckled. “Well, he’s not lonely tonight. In fact, I suspect he’s got his hands full over there.”
Martha nodded her agreement.
“So come on to bed. Let’s leave them to hash things out.”
Martha nodded again, reaching out to turn out the kitchen light as they walked together from the room.
“Better leave that on,” Jonathan said, stopping her hand. “She’ll need to see when she comes back tonight.”
“If she comes back tonight,” Martha said, softly.
“Now, Martha, they’ve got a lot to work through. Don’t go weaving any romantic fairytales for them just yet. He’s treated her pretty badly. It may take some time for them to get past it. If they ever do. Let’s just be glad that she was willing to come and try to help him.”
“She’ll get past it,” Martha responded. “Love can forgive a lot - especially when the man in question loves her just as much in return.” Still, she left the light on as she exited the room.
* * * * * * * * *
“So what’s with the beard?” Lois asked. It was the first words either of them had spoken since they had started eating their dinner. It broke Lois’ heart to watch him fumbling around as he ate. Determined to break the silence, Lois had searched her mind for a neutral topic of conversation, finally settling on this one.
“You have a problem with the beard?” Clark responded testily. “Sorry if my appearance is not up to your standards.”
The sympathy she’d been feeling for him only a moment before evaporated in an instant. Lois slammed her fork down on the table. “Enough! I’ve had enough, Clark! I thought we were friends - best friends. So when your mother called and said my best friend needed my help, I immediately flew half way across the country! I asked about the beard because I wondered if it was something you usually did when you were back on the farm or something. You know! Nice, casual conversation. But obviously you don’t want me here. Fine! I don’t stay where I’m not wanted. So if you don’t mind too terribly much, I’ll just finish up my dinner, head back to the house and pack up again. Don’t worry, Clark. I’ll go back to Metropolis and you’ll never have to see me again.”
TO BE CONTINUED...
ML
