She thought back to a fortnight earlier, shortly after she and Clark were finally, really, truly married. She had asked Martha the secret to her long and happy marriage -- so different from that of Lois’s parents. Martha had said, “Oh, honey, there’s no secret. There really are only two things needed to keep love alive: Good communication and putting the other person first. I try to do something selfless for Jonathan every day to show him I love him.”
Trust Martha to come up with the best and truest advice about marriage. Whether the man and woman have been together for ten months or ten years, that applies.
Although Martha had gone on to state that it wasn’t the size of the gesture that mattered, but the frequency, Lois wanted to do something big. And for her, “something big” meant voluntarily cooking something.
Eek!
She knew it would have to be something simple, so she asked Martha for suggestions. Martha had jotted down a recipe for macaroni and cheese casserole. It was a healthier version, one in which puréed cauliflower and nutritional yeast substituted for some of the cheese.
Yum! Sounds like I need to do some research and find this recipe. Ted and I both need to cut back on the cheese and other dairy products.
She finally decided to ask for help from one of the Hawaiian-shirted employees. She called out to the back of a dark-haired woman about her age, “Excuse me, miss…” When the other woman turned around, words actually failed Lois for a split second, then she exclaimed eagerly, “Iris? Iris West? I haven’t seen you since you finished your internship at The Planet. What are you doing here?”
Iris looked around, apparently to ascertain that nobody else was nearby. She then leaned toward Lois and whispered, “I’m undercover on a story.” At her normal volume, she said, “Freelancing doesn’t always pay the bills, so until I find a full-time job in journalism, I am enjoying this steady job.”
Hooray! So nice to see Iris in this story. Is this before she and Barry get together?
Finally, the moment of truth came. Clark inhaled the delectable aroma, which was truly reminiscent of his mother’s cooking. He put a spoonful of the casserole in his mouth. CRUNCH.
Poor Lois! All that effort and the pasta is ah, not quite edible....
Clark smiled to himself. He had overheard his mother’s words of wisdom and realized that he had just completed his own selfless act for the day.
Neat, sweet treat was this story. Let's hope Lois continues trying to learn how to cook. Might I suggest a few lessons with Uncle Mike Lane? Okay, so what about Iris? Are we going to read more about this other intrepid reporter?
