Clark had been a nice ghost, a scary ghost, a moaning ghost, and a rhyming ghost, and each time, Tessa would burst out of the tent and shine the flashlight on his chest, causing him to melt and her to remain the victorious ghost buster.
He tried being an ironic ghost as he hummed the first few bars to the “Ghostbusters” theme, but Tessa didn't get the joke and demanded that he act scarier.
I was snorting with laughter at the ironic ghost!
When he had pulled open the door, seeing his partner on the other side had not been a part of the plan. How had she gotten here? She was thousands of miles away from Metropolis! Even Lois couldn't get lost that badly.
For some reason, this reminded me of a Monthy Python sketch about the hundred meter dash for people with no sense of direction....
“I'm glad she invited me,” Lois said softly. “We have this long weekend and I didn't really have any other plans. Plus, if I hadn't come, I would have missed the show.”
“Show?”
“That jewelry modeling you're doing? Trust me, Clark; don't give up your day job.”
“You don't think it brings out my eyes?”
Lois giggled and tugged on the earring. “I don't think this was the look Jimmy had in mind when he told you to get an earring.”
Tessa pouted for a moment, but cheered up as Clark handed his ring to her.
“But Clark! This is your ring. It's in your color.”
“I think it looks better on you, Tessie.”
Even though it does bring out the color of his eyes?
“Lois? Are you Clark's girlfriend?” The seven-year-old cocked her head to the side with real curiosity.
Lois stopped in mid cheer at the question. “Umm…” she stumbled a little, shooting a look at Clark. He merely shrugged, looking at her expectantly. Lois vowed to extract her revenge on the traitor, later.
“You don't know?” Tessa asked incredulously. “See, a girl in my class told me a boyfriend is someone you like more than any of the other boys in the whole school. Do you like Clark more than the other boys?”
Well, what a question! And what can she tell the girl but the truth? After all, she really does like Clark better than the other boys!
“Clark, I like you more than the boys in school and I think you're better than Aladdin. Will you be my boyfriend?”
I suddenly had this insane mental image in my head - Tessa is forever stuck at seven years old, Clark is forever her twenty-nine-year-old boyfriend, and they spend eternity playing Pretty, Pretty Princess and the Patience Ghost game. How's that for an image of what it might be like to spend eternity in the forecourts of Dante's Inferno?
Clark leaned in closely, reading softly from a Nancy Drew book by the light of a small lamp.
Yes! I like that he is reading about Nancy Drew to her.
The image was so domestic; Lois had to stifle a gasp as it connected with her heart. For a moment, it was very easy to envision Clark as the father of this child. But the thought of some other woman being the mother sent a sharp pang ricocheting around in her rib cage.
I quite agree. The image of Clark as a father is lovely; the idea of him having fathered this child by another woman is painful indeed.
“I'd like to be your boyfriend, Lois,” Clark said softly. “I think you're the nicest girl in the class. And if you had pigtails, I'd probably pull them all recess. I'd break my Double Fudge Crunch Bar in half and give you the bigger piece.” He lowered his voice. “And I'd like to hold your hand.”
Stifling a laugh and a cry simultaneously behind her hand at his impromptu speech, Lois let out a nervous giggle as she picked up his hand and intertwined their fingers.
“I'd like to be your girlfriend, then, Clark Kent. You had me at the Double Fudge Crunch Bar.”
Hah! I love that she'd fall for his Double Crunch bar, but not for his inclination to pull her pigtails!
What a funny and sweet story, Laura!
Ann
