Awwwwwwwww!!! You
could not wipe the goofy grin off my face if you tried
.
I. Love. This. Completely. Totally. Utterly.
When Susan offered to write me a story (which, come on, how awesomely sweet is that?!?
), I spent some time going through the show mentally. Thinking through my favorite scenes...those 'moments' when everything aligned perfectly on screen, when 'magic' was created before my eyes. I have the utmost respect for Susan--for her ablilty to bring humor and passion to life through her words--and the thought of pairing her ability with one of 'those moments' totally enthralled me.
SG...the end scene, that picture-perfect vision of Lois and Clark leaning head on head, in the window, snow falling, carolers singing. That moment as the episode comes to an end--it's beautiful. It's what I always throught 'love' looked like (so much so that as a teen, right after the show got cancelled, I actually printed off a screen cap of them standing, leaning on each other in the window...then--embarrassingly
, and this is probably way
too much information
--blew up the image on a copy machine to a nice 8" x 10" size that hung on my closet door
for years, not kidding ).
Anyway, SG's end is what first, immediately came to mind. And it kept coming to mind. So much so that I just had to throw the idea Susan's direction.
It's a perfect moment, there in front of the window...and it's also brimming with so much potential. Love is there, pure and beautiful. I've always wished/hoped/mentally begged for 'more'. What happened after those carolers moved on down the street? Did that huge meal ever get eaten? And most importantly...did anything else happen between Lois and Clark?!?
And now, thanks to Susan
, I know! This--this story, this revelation, this amazing evening--is totally where my mind wanders to every time I think of this episode now.
This is so much better than Arbor Day.
I cackle every time I read this. Hilarious!
Somehow, despite the fact that I write for a living, words fail me around him. They get caught in my throat when I stare into his eyes; they’re stolen from my tongue when I cross into his personal space. And that’s okay, because we don’t need words – we never have.
The perfect irony--of words failing her. Lois Lane. World-famous reporter. Love this. And love the fact that a reporting team--that writes words for a living to communicate to the world--does not need words to communicate with each other. This is what WAFF is made of
(sighing).
I think he knows. I think he’s always known, even before I knew it myself. His hope, his persistence, his faith in the face of every obstacle I threw in his way that one day I’d know what he has always known – it’s the only thing that makes sense. He has had every reason, every opportunity to lose faith. And yet, here he is, his hand on my waist and his head tipped against mine, and he must know how I feel, how I’d stand here forever if it meant this feeling would never go away.
I believe this completely. Clark
knew. Felt it deep within himself. Right from the beginning. He finally saw in Lois himself--for the first time in his life he could completely relate to someone. Understand that her struggles, were, in such a way, his own. His love for Lois--unwavering--is one of the things that makes Clark so wonderful. And I really do think that he saw that Lois 'cared', in some way, in some form, early on.
He gently puts his hand against my arm to halt my non-stop babbling. “You didn’t have to go through all the trouble. I would have come even if it was just turkey sandwiches.”
I breathe deeply, steeling myself against his honesty. I know he would – I know he did. He’s a terrible liar; there’s hardly a flurry of snow on the ground, so it’s all too obvious that he changed his plans for me. And that makes me love him even more.
He would have come if they were eating week-old leftovers
. Clark's statement is such a mirroring of his 'snowed in' excuse. I adore those gentle white lies that show his heart.
I press the issue, because this might be the right time and it’s definitely the right place. “I think I already met him.”
Clark closes his eyes briefly and I can hear his breath catch, then he carefully cuts through a piece of turkey, clearly avoiding any acknowledgement of my words.
“I think I met him and didn’t realize what I had. I think I was so afraid of accepting everything we could have together that I ended up hurting him so badly that he’ll never try again.”
. This is the stuff that 'gets' me...
such angsty, on the cusp of 'everything' type of WAFF. The emotion is so strongly created in these three paragraphs.
Oh! And I
have to bring up one of my favorite little bits of detail that I drooled over when e-mailing between you and me, Susan. The 'time' and 'place' repeat throughout!
--this would be me, while reading the first time.
How you weave these words...may it be a right or wrong 'time' / a right or wrong 'place'...it adds such a punch to the story. I am amazed by details like this, how they add so much depth and creativity to a piece of writing. I really love how they are used above.
I wonder if three small words are the right things to say. I stroke my hand against his cheek, and I watch his eyes hopefully dilate as he lets out a slow breath. I try to speak, but my emotions squeeze tightly in my chest and the only thing that escapes my lips is, “Wow.”
Clark’s face transforms and brightens – his eyes glitter playfully. He laughs lightly and says, “Yeah.”
Who would have guessed that three small letters would be enough?
And then going from 'three small words' to 'three small letters'?
--yep, me again. What a cool/awesome idea of detail
.
"Is there a mall on the moon that I don’t know about?”
Ha!
. Great line!
'The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star stuff.’”
A fierce sincerity is blazing from his gaze – it’s clear that he needs me to interpret his message. So I take my time and consider the quote. “Superman’s planet exploded. He travelled through the galaxy and ended up here. But despite all of his powers, when you get right down to it, he’s really no different from you or me.”
Clark inhales, then slowly blows out the breath; I must have said the right thing. He nods slightly, then pushes away from the table. As he crosses to the window, he says, “’The cosmos are within us.’”
Combining these awesome quotes, with the star gift, with bringing Lois and Clark together...wow (sighing, again). How it all comes down to them being the same--when for so so long each of them has felt completely alone. Bridging that loneliness...how much as a teen I hoped and prayed to find 'that' with someone. So beautifully romantic, Susan
.
"There’s nowhere I’d rather be than by your side.”
I have to look away because his sincerity causes my heart to race. I deflect in order to gain a moment to regroup. I cock an eyebrow and say, with a wry, droll tone, “Well, I was going to throw you out the window.”
He smiles as he shrugs. “I’d survive the fall.”
ROTFL
. This back and forth might go down as one of my favorites, EVER. It's utterly romantic, completely sweet, and perfectly ironic--all thrown together in a seriously funny way. This bit will be on 'repeat' in my mind for a few days now, definitely.
Susan, I told you when I first read this, and I have to say it again...this is, honestly, one of the best gifts I've ever received. From anyone. The time, the thought process, the creativity involved goes...just 'beyond'.
And how perfectly 'me' this story is--you know what really gets me about the show, what I love, and what touches me the most. You couldn't have crafted a better story as a gift
.
Your friendship is the best gift of all--but...this story is pretty close behind it
. Amazing Job!
Thank you...for everything.
Laura
