<<< Chapter Eight >>>
“Lucy, don’t write so fast! They won’t be able to read it!”
Lucy glanced up at her older sister. “Do you have any idea how country-hick dumb that sounds?”
“I meant, if you write too fast it won’t be legible. Slow down!”
“Back off, Sis! This is my college paperwork, not yours. And I plan to major in something that doesn’t involve writing out anything in longhand. If I can’t do it on a computer, I’ll stick it in a typewriter.”
“So why are you writing this in longhand?”
Lucy pointed to a closed door leading to another room. “Every typewriter in there is booked solid for the next two hours. There’s a waiting list a yard long, and I don’t want to risk messing up my class schedule.”
“What are you majoring in?”
Lucy rolled her neck and straightened. “Business with an emphasis on the entertainment industry, and I plan to add a minor in entertainment law.”
“You’re going to entertain the judge and jury?”
“No, Miss Snarkyface, I’m going to keep my clients away from people like you. Now please leave me alone so I can get this done.”
Lois frowned and snorted through her nose. “You asked me to come with you to help you, didn’t you?”
“No, I asked you here to be my chauffer and meal provider today, so hush and let me finish this!”
Lois shook her head and sat back. Was Lucy acting like a brat or like an adult? There didn’t appear to be any real anger behind her words, but she still had that leave-me-alone-I-can-handle-this attitude. Was it a good thing or a bad thing?
She put off that mental discussion and looked around the room. She still couldn’t believe how young all these people seemed to be. Had Metropolis University opened up their freshman class to high school sophomores, or was she really that much older than everyone else in the huge room?
She still hadn’t decided which option she preferred when her phone rang. “Hello?”
“Lois, my dear, this is Lex.”
“Oh, hi, Alex!”
“You’re in a public place, no doubt.”
“That’s right, I am. My younger sister Lucy is registering for classes at Met U and I’m here with her. And now that you have me on the line, what do you want to talk to me about?”
“I have the particulars on that Saturday afternoon jaunt I mentioned earlier today. Are you at liberty to hear them?”
She glanced at Lucy, who was scribbling furiously with her head almost touching the desk where she sat. “Go ahead.”
“The tournament begins at two-thirty in the afternoon. Asabi’s event is scheduled for three-forty, but these things rarely run on schedule. Shall we go incognito?”
“Oh, that sounds delicious! I haven’t had incognito in weeks!”
She heard him hesitate for a moment, then he chuckled. “Not bad. Of course, we could always meet somewhere around noon and dine together. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Hang on a minute, Alex.” She put her free hand over the mouthpiece and said, “Hey, Lucy, are you going to need me for anything on Saturday?”
“My master’s thesis, but you can wait until that evening to proof it if you want.”
“Ha and ha. I’m serious.”
Lucy lifted her head from the packet she was attacking and grinned at her sister. “Naw. You go hang with whoever you want. I’ll amuse myself. Might even crack a book or two.”
“Thanks, Luce, you’re a pal.”
“Just remember that you owe me.”
“How do I – never mind, we’ll talk about that later.” Lois lifted her hand from the phone. “That sounds great, Alex. Lunch will be where?”
“We haven’t patronized your uncle’s establishment for some time. Perhaps we should see if his cuisine is still as excellent as I remember.”
“It’s a date, then. Shall I meet you there at noon?”
“At noon. And I shall come as Alex Winfield, computer programmer extraordinaire.”
“And I’ll be there as little ol’ exceptional me. See you then!”
“Until Saturday.”
Lois closed the phone and slipped it back into her purse. Lucy nodded and returned to her paperwork, humming something Lois didn’t quite recognize.
“Hey, Luce! Are you auditioning for the college chorale society?”
Lucy turned a mischievous grin to her sister. “Don’t you know that tune? It’s from ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.’ It’s the song Howard Keel sang when he was looking for a wife in the town and found Jane Powell.”
“Wha – why would you sing that song now?”
Lucy’s grin broke out into a giggle. “Because you sounded like I do on the phone with my boyfriends. ‘Hello, Alex! Great to hear from you! Dinner? Of course! Yes, incognito sounds delicious!’ Good pun, by the way. Guess it comes from you being a writer and all.”
Lois shook her head and gave her a mock frown. “Just finish your paperwork, young lady! Or you’ll have to go back for seconds!”
Lucy burst out in laughter, closely followed by Lois. They attracted the attention of everyone in the room, but neither one cared. They were family.
*****
Lucy was more than pleased by the time they returned to the apartment. She’d managed to slide into all of her desired classes, had been fortunate in scheduling them all in the morning, and she’d even secured an interview with the campus bookstore manager for a paid sales position. She figured her life experience would give her a leg up on the rest of the applicants, and she could use the money, even if her parents were paying her tuition and fees this semester. Such largesse might continue until she finished her four-year business degree, or it might fade away after a few semesters, or it might vanish like dew in the desert before the next semester began. So it made her feel better to have a source of income.
And it helped to make up for the way she’d crashed into her sister’s existence. Once again, Lucy Lane had messed up Lois Lane’s life. She thought about the times Lois had gotten her out of trouble, including the night when she’d bailed Lucy out of jail when that high school senior party had turned into a brawl. It was time to make some kind of restitution for all the pain and aggravation she’d caused Lois.
And that payback would start now. “Lois, you can wash up whenever you want. I’m going to start dinner. How does chicken sound to you?”
The reply came from the bedroom. “Sounds good. I’m going to get online and do some research while you’re cooking.”
“Okay. Hey, Sis, is it okay if I use your laptop computer for my schoolwork or should I hit Daddy up for a new one? We’re meeting him for dinner tomorrow night.”
“You probably should try for a new one. Mine has a lot of proprietary software on it and the legal division would throw six kinds of fits if they found out you had it on campus. And I’ll need it during the day while you’re in class, so yeah, you tell Daddy you need a new one. The latest and greatest, too.”
“Nothing but the best for his little girl. I’ve got my eye on one I saw on TV. ‘Dude, I’m getting a Deal!’”
“Is that the best one out right now?”
“If it isn’t, I’ll find out what is. And I’ll get him to throw in the best color laser printer available, too. You want baked chicken for dinner or should I run out to the market?”
Lois walked into the kitchen wearing sweats and twisting her hair into a short ponytail. “Baked is fine. I’ll go shopping tomorrow before I come home. Anything special you want, put it on the list on the front of the fridge.”
“Will do. You want your dinner with parmesan or cream of mushroom topping?”
“My, my, aren’t we the gourmet chef now! You weren’t this enthusiastic about cooking the last time I saw you.”
Lucy frowned. “That was when I was dating Kevin. He was a vegan and insisted that I had to eat what he ate.” She made a face and shuddered at the memory. “I lost about twenty pounds over three months and I wasn’t overweight when I started. I learned to cook in self-defense and I kind of like it.”
Lois picked up a carrot and began munching it as she leaned against the counter. “Hey, I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Why haven’t you asked me anything else about Ultra Woman?”
Lucy stopped tossing the salad for a moment, then started again. “That was kind of out of the blue, wasn’t it?”
“A little, I guess. But I am curious. I thought you’d be full of questions.”
Lucy turned to face her sister. “Look, Lois, I respect your privacy. And I understand why you have to keep this all under wraps. I was afraid that if I started asking questions and you told me too much, I might blurt out something in public, something that could endanger your secret.” She went back to the salad. “And I don’t think I could handle disappointing you again.”
Lois stopped in mid-munch. “Wh-what? What are you talking about?”
Lucy’s face hardened. “I know how you feel about me, Lois. You’ve always thought I should have done better in high school. And you were right, I should have. You always ragged on me about my lousy taste in boyfriends, and yeah, you were right there too, none of them were good for me, and you never said – I never gave you any reason to be proud of me or even pleased with me. And now that I find out you’re Ultra Woman, well – now it’s going to be even harder to live up to your expectations.” Her eyes closed for a moment and she took a shuddering breath. “But I’m going to try, Sis, I’m really going to try. I’m going to try to do something good and I’m going to try to do something right.”
Lois’ eyes bugged out and her jaw dropped. “What? Disappoint me? Punky, you know I haven’t always liked the choices you’ve made, but I promise you that you’re not any kind of disappointment to me! I’m proud of you, of what you’ve accomplished, of what you’re doing now and of what you’re going to do! You couldn’t disappoint me if you tried! You’re my little sister and I love you! I always have and I always will!”
Lucy suddenly had a hard time seeing the salad. She sniffed back a sob she didn’t know was trying to push its way out and dropped the salad tongs on the countertop. Then she felt her sister’s powerful arms gently embrace her from behind and she lost it.
They ended up sitting on the kitchen floor, with Lucy leaning back against Lois and crying as Lois stroked her hair and tried to comfort her. They stayed there for a long time, apologizing and forgiving each other for slights and offenses real and imagined, until Lucy’s eyes finally ran dry.
They never did get that chicken cooked that night.
*****
Lois wasn’t nervous at highway wrecks, buildings turned into raging infernos, delicate search-and-rescue operations, robberies, muggings, gang fights, or even Perry’s staff meetings. In her months as Ultra Woman, she’d learned not to act nervous in any situation. Sometimes she was anxious, of course, she was alert for surprises, and she was always keyed up to do her best, but Ultra Woman never appeared to be nervous.
But now she was facing her parents across a table at Le Dossier, the most expensive French restaurant in town. And she was almost trembling from nervousness that bordered on stark terror.
As usual, Daddy ordered for all of them without asking anyone’s opinion or preference. While they waited for the waiter to pour the sparkling cider – which Ellen Lane grudgingly accepted – Lois sat silently waiting for someone to say something, anything, to open the conversation.
Ellen took a dainty sip of water and asked, “How are you two girls getting along?”
Lucy tilted her head to one side and said, “Just fine, Mom. Thanks for asking.”
“Now, that’s no way to talk to your mother,” Sam chided.
“Hey, it’s more than you two did for Lois. You just dropped me on her doorstep like a foundling in a Dickens novel.” Lucy picked up her wine glass and frowned at it as if checking for uninvited guests. “The least you should have done was ask her about this setup.”
“Now see here – “
Lucy cut her father off before he could get wound up. “Look, Daddy, I know that you guys want me to further my education. No problem, because that’s what I want too.” She sipped from her glass. “But Lois and I are both adults and you can’t keep deciding our lives for us. Despite your thoughtlessness, she’s agreed to take me in, and now you need to come through for both of us. Do you have any idea how expensive this city is?”
“Wait a moment,” Sam said. “We did contact Lois with this plan and she voiced no objection to it.”
Lois’ eyebrows lifted. “Oh, really? In what alternate quantum reality did this conversation take place?”
“Your mother called you about a month ago! She explained that Lucy needed a place to stay for a while and that we would be more than willing to help with any additional living expenses you might incur.”
“Mom called me?” Sam nodded to her. “Were you there when she called, Daddy?”
“No, but – “
“Mom, was this call made on a Thursday night about eight o’clock?”
Ellen frowned and flipped her hand loosely. “I don’t remember what day or what time I called! I left you a message on your answering machine. And, as I recall, you never called me back.”
Lois closed her eyes and silently counted to ten, then looked at her father. “Mom called me one Thursday night and left me a long, rambling message about family and responsibility and each of us taking care of each other and the machine cut her off in mid hiccup. I just assumed she was drunk again and randomly calling friends and relatives. There was no mention of Lucy going to school or coming to stay with me.”
Sam clenched his fists, then quickly tried to hide them under the table. “Ellen, you told me you’d spoken to Lois about this.”
“Well, I did! I left her a message and she never called back.”
“Because you were drunk! Ellen, you – you – “ He wadded up his napkin and squeezed it tightly for a long moment, then slowly straightened it onto his lap. “Very well. Lois, I apologize for springing this on you without warning. I should have taken care of this myself. But now that we’re all together and Lucy is registered in school, I think we should discuss the financial arrangements.”
“Good idea,” Lucy said. “I think to start with, along with putting this year’s and next year’s tuition in an escrow account only Lois and I can get to, I should get an allowance of around four hundred a month.”
Sam nodded. “I think that’s fair. After all, you’ll need to use public transportation, and you’ll have legitimate meal and clothing expenses.”
“I’ll also need a new laptop computer. I can’t use Lois’ because it has some software on it that belongs to the paper and she has to use it for work.”
“That also sounds reasonable.”
“And you need to give Lois a monthly allowance too, since she’s going to have a roommate for the next year or more, until I can get a place of my own. I suggest at least two-fifty a month.”
“Now wait a minute! Your sister – “
“Is being major inconvenienced, Daddy! Yeah, she’s a big girl with her own place and enough room for me to sleep, but she didn’t have to let me stay! There are times when I’m going to be in her way and I want to know that she’s being compensated for her trouble!”
Sam glanced at his older daughter, but Lois only smiled innocently. “Don’t look at me, Daddy. I think Lucy is doing just great on her own right now.”
He looked across the table to his wife, who refused to make eye contact with him. Then he shook his head and sighed. “Beaten by my youngest child. Very well, Lucille, I agree to your terms. Are there any additional clauses you wish to negotiate?”
Lucy grinned in triumph. “Yes. I want one round-trip airline ticket per semester to a destination of my choosing, anywhere in the continental US. I’ll let you know when and where, but this needs to be in effect as long as I’m a full-time student.”
Sam nodded. “I agree to your terms, but I reserve the right to look at your grades at any time and revoke this quite oppressive arrangement should your overall grade average fall below, say, two-point-six on a scale of zero to four? Four being an ‘A,’ of course.”
“Since I don’t plan on earning anything below a ‘B’ that works for me.” Lucy looked at Lois. “Anything you want to add, Sis?”
“Nope. Just make sure that the escrow account is at a Metropolis bank, Dad, okay? We don’t want Lucy to have to travel to North Dakota to get her tuition.”
Sam’s mouth twitched and Lois suddenly had the impression that he thought he was coming out ahead of this game. “That’s certainly reasonable, and I would have done that in any case. Lucy, have we concluded this extortion session yet?”
Lucy offered her hand to her father. “It was a negotiation, and it’s done. Shake.”
“Don’t you mean shake down?”
“Don’t be funny, Daddy. This is my immediate future we’re discussing. Is it a deal?”
He took her hand gently and shook it. “Gladly.”
Just then the waiter brought their salads, and the conversation turned to more mundane matters, such as the weather, the city traffic, the prospects of the Metropolis University football team this fall, Ultra Woman, and the price of taxis in the city.
Lois only hoped that her parents wouldn’t wonder about her reluctance to talk about the super-heroine who had impressed her father with her rescue of their airliner and irritated her mother with her “scandalously revealing outfit.” If they ever found out who Ultra Woman was when she wasn’t wearing the scandalous outfit, Lois would never hear the end of it from them.
*****
On Saturday, he was waiting for her. Naturally.
Lex smiled at her as she stepped out of the taxi. Of course, he always smiled when he first saw her, as if he’d rather spend time with her than at any of his companies or even with any other woman. Sometimes that made her uncomfortable. Sometimes she wondered why she wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
She pasted on her standard return smile, then turned and paid the driver. “Have you let Uncle Mike know we’re here yet?”
“I have,” he answered as he held her chair. “He informed me that we would be dining al fresco, since it’s such a wonderful day.” Lex gestured to the empty patio. “We would also have the dining area mainly to ourselves, given that it’s still early in the lunch hour. He also informed me, in no uncertain terms, that we would receive the best food and the best service which his establishment could offer and that I had better tip the waitress well or else.”
She laughed. “That’s Mike. He’s very protective of his staff, and they do a good job for him.”
Lex sat across from her and nodded. “That speaks well for him. Employee loyalty is vital to any successful business, and it is always better to build it on real relationships instead of on mere financial incentives.”
“I agree. Of course, those financial incentives are important to us working mortals.”
His smile thinned and he looked past her shoulder. “Ah, here comes our salad and bread now. Mike told me that this was his special wheat loaf, made with loving care and several mystery ingredients which he refused to divulge.”
Lois turned to follow his line of sight and mentally kicked herself for reminding him, even indirectly, of Nigel’s betrayal. He didn’t need that from her, not now, probably not ever. She’d have to apologize to him as soon as he gave her an opening.
“Hey, Sherry, thanks,” he said to the waitress. “How’s our steaks coming?”
Lois covered her surprise at his change in manner of speech by gulping her water, which made her cough a couple of times. His parted lips and lifted eyebrows told her that he, in turn, was surprised that Ultra Woman would ever need to cough.
She picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth. “Sorry. Forgot that I’m supposed to drink it, not breathe it.”
Both Sherry and Lex chuckled. “Here’s your salads, and here’s Mike’s very special bread, folks,” she drawled, “and here’s the honey butter. Mike tells me that nothing is too good for his niece and her – her friend. That salad dressing okay for both of you? I can go get anything you want.”
“It’s Thousand Island, isn’t it?” asked Lex.
“Sort of. It’s actually a house blend we save for our real good customers, and you two sure qualify as special! Anything I can get you before the steaks get here?”
Lois smiled at her. “You are bringing each of us a baked sweet potato with butter and cinnamon, aren’t you? I’ve always loved the way Mike prepares them.”
Sherry frowned for a moment. “I’ll have to go check to make sure, but since you asked for it so nice, I’m sure Mike will let you have one of each.”
“Thanks. I know they’ll be great.”
The girl spun on her toes and bounced back inside the restaurant. Lois turned to him and said, “Lex, I’m sorry I reminded you of Nigel just now. This is supposed to be a good day and I didn’t get it started off very well.”
His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I know you meant no ill by it, Lois.” He reached out and took her hand. “Let us forget such things today and pretend that we are newly met and deeply in love and still discovering things about each other.”
She bit her lip for a moment, then nodded. “I can do that. So, Alex, what do you do for a living?”
This time the grin covered his entire face as he released her hand and sat back. “I’m a computer programmer. I also have a few outside investments, and I fancy myself a fair piano player. Not professional quality, of course, because I don’t have the time to practice that much, but I like it and some people say they enjoy my playing.”
“I sing a little. Maybe we could get together and work up a few numbers.”
His smile quirked up to one side. “I’d like that. Do you dance?”
She grinned back. “I’ve had occasion to go dancing before, yes. But only with the right partner.”
“I’m sure your standards are quite high, as is your skill level. Now, if you like, you can tell me more about yourself, and I will pretend to be a gentleman and cut you a generous portion of this savory bread. Would you like a little or a lot of honey butter on it?”
The rest of the lunch proceeded along the same lines. Maybe she didn’t love him like he claimed to love her, but the man sure could charm her. And he was a whale of a nice guy.
*****
Lex and Lois sat near the middle of the bleachers and watched the various matches play out on the floor below them. Lex spent a few moments analyzing the combatants, then pointed to the man and woman currently facing each other.
“She’s going to win this match,” he told her.
“Why? Is she that much better than he is?”
“She’s not, actually. They’re both brown belts, but he’s two degrees above her. Plus he has at least eight inches of reach on her and he’s about forty pounds heavier. And he’s just as quick as she is.”
“Then why – “
The referee lifted his hand and called out, “Point!” then indicated the female combatant.
“It’s because he’s too enamored of his skills,” Lex explained. “He’s better than she is, and he believes that his moves will overwhelm her. See, that time he tried a leaping spin kick, and all she did was slide back, let him land on the mat, and shoot in a quick jab to score a point on him.”
“Ah. So he’s actually beating himself with all that showing off?”
“Exactly. Oh, see there, she ducked under that spinning back fist and kicked him in the hip for a point.” He shook his head ruefully. “Poor fellow. All that work and effort going down the drain because he’s too filled with himself and his own exalted vision of his worth.” His mouth closed in a grim line. “Just like a certain billionaire whom we both know with an over-inflated belief in himself.”
She put her hand on his and squeezed it gently. “Water under the bridge, Alex. Just remember that your behind is in the past.”
The Lion King reference threw him for a moment, then he gave her a lopsided grin. “That’s very true. Oh, look, the match is over and the young woman won.”
“The guy’s not being a very good sport about it, is he? He doesn’t want to shake hands with her.”
“His ego has been pricked on three levels. His own skills failed him, he lost to someone with a lesser belt, and his opponent was a woman. A combination guaranteed to challenge even the best of us.”
He didn’t look at her, but he knew she was looking at him. “Is that how you feel? Do you think that I beat you at something?” She covered their joined hands with her other hand. “Or are you explaining why you kicked off the operation without talking to me about it?”
He looked down at his feet and spoke softly, knowing that she’d hear his words. “I think so, yes. That is, I think it was both of those things. I know it was foolish of me to react in that manner, but for the moment my ego overcame my reason and now a number of people are dead because of my actions.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I cannot recall ever making such a momentous mistake.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Please don’t dwell on it right now. I know this is something you need to talk about, and I’m flattered that you’ve opened up to me this much. I’m just not sure this is the right venue. It’s a little public, don’t you think?”
His head came up and he wiped his face with his free hand. “Yes. You’re quite right, of course. I will reserve the baring of my soul to you for a more appropriate time and place.” He looked at the exercise floor again. “Besides, Asabi is about to demonstrate his escrima techniques. This is going to be impressive.”
In a clear voice, Asabi identified himself and asked the judges to allow him to proceed with his demonstration. They, of course, granted permission, and with his escrima sticks in each hand, he launched into a furious pantomime of blows, thrusts, blocks, and attacks, any of which would have disabled, if not killed, an actual opponent. His hands were blurs of motion and his feet slid across the mat almost as if he were ice skating.
Lois gasped along with the rest of the audience as Asabi spun through his deadly ballet. Lex smiled as he watched his friend glide across the floor and move his hands almost too fast to be seen clearly.
Suddenly he leaped into air with a sharp cry, spun around, and landed with the sticks crossed in front of him as if forcing his opponent’s neck to the floor. He held the pose for a long breath, then flowed into a standing rest position and bowed to the judges. The panel of martial arts masters all smiled and applauded, which released the audience to whoop and hoot their delight at his exhibition of skill and control. Asabi bowed to the audience, then looked directly at Lex and bowed to him.
Lex stood and bowed in return, then sat down. Asabi turned smartly and strode off the mat, pausing only to hear what a man carrying a large curved sword said to him.
Lois chuckled, then turned to Lex and said, “The guy with the sword must be a friend of Asabi. He thanked him for setting the bar too high for any of the rest of them to impress the crowd.”
Lex smiled. “What did Asabi say in return?”
“That he was happy to be of service. The other guy just laughed.”
“Well, since the gentleman with the sword is about to begin his demonstration, we must applaud his performance with enthusiasm equal to our appreciation for Asabi’s.”
Her eyes sparkled at him. “Enthusiasm for a martial artist other than Asabi? Oh, I guess I can fake it.”
