Clark watched Diana carry his little girl to her bedroom. As they passed from sight around the corner, he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “That was – unexpected.”
Marta reached out and took her father’s arm. “I don’t think Ms. Prince saw it coming either. I know I didn’t.”
Jon leaned in from the other side. “Did you hear what she called Ellie? She called her ‘our little physicist.’ Not ‘your daughter’ or ‘your little one,’ Dad, but ‘our.’ That lady’s a keeper.”
Clark turned to his son in mock affront. “And what would you know about it, young man who doesn’t have a steady girlfriend?”
Jon chuckled. “If you don’t ask her to marry you, I might. She’s as much a one in a million lady as Mom ever was.”
All of Clark’s false mockery fell away. “You really think so?”
“Yep. I’ve never seen Ellie take to anyone like she has to Ms. Prince. And in just one night, too.”
“Yeah, Dad,” Marta put in. “And did you see how sensitive she was about Mom’s rocker? She asked our permission before she sat down. No one else has ever done that before. All those other broads—”
“Marta!”
“I’m sorry, Dad, but they were! They either turned their noses up at it or just plopped themselves down as if you’d already married them. Ms. Prince gently asked our permission, and if we hadn’t given it I bet she would’ve smiled and sat somewhere else without batting an eye.”
Clark sighed. “There weren’t that many other women.”
“I think five was five too many. You should have brought her over first.”
“Oh, right,” Jon muttered, “that would have gone so well. Sis, you would’ve thrown her out on her ear if she’d come over just a few months ago, or at least tried to.”
Marta smiled back. “Maybe, maybe not. Did you see how she treated us, like young adults instead of little kids, like those other broads? And don’t say it, Dad!” She reached up and pulled her father’s face down to hers and kissed him on the cheek. “You don’t have to go any farther with her if you don’t think it’s the right thing to do, but if you both want to, you have my blessing.”
“Mine too,” Jon said.
“Thank you kindly for your permission, both of you,” Clark mock-growled. “Now, before she comes back, which movie do you think we should watch?”
Together, the two young people said, “Princess Bride.”
Clark’s eyebrows lifted at his son. “Really? You’re not trying to send out a subliminal message, are you?”
Jon’s eyebrows rose in imitation of his father. “Who, me? I’m as innocent as a new-born lamb.”
“Me too, Dad,” Marta added.
Diana rounded the corner of the stairs at that moment with a feathery glow lighting her face. When she got to the ground floor, she smiled at him. “Ellie is in bed and is already asleep. She is a wonderful little girl, Clark. You have all done a marvelous job with her.”
“Thank you, Diana,” Clark replied. “That means a lot to me. To us, I mean.”
“Ms. Prince, have you ever seen ‘The Princess Bride?’ It’s a great movie.”
Diana tilted her head to one side in apparent thought. “I do not believe so, Marta. What is it about?”
“Oh, it’s a terrific story about a grandfather who comes to see his grandson who’s sick and reads him this book about sword-fighting and giants and a kidnapped princess and a pirate and a six-fingered man and revenge and courage and cowardice and—”
“And if you tell her the whole plot,” Jon broke in, “she won’t have to watch it. Does that sound familiar to you, Ms. Prince?”
“No, it does not. I believe I would enjoy it. And I would also be pleased if the two of you would address me as Diana.”
Jon squinted at her. “I don’t know. Dad’s pretty old-fashioned about us not calling adults by their first names. How about Miss Diana as a compromise?”
Marta rolled her eyes at her brother. “Really, Jon? ‘Miss Diana?’ You make her sound like some old Southern matriarch.” She turned to Diana. “We’re sticking with Ms. Prince, at least for now. Okay?”
Diana’s soft silver laugh echoed against Clark’s memories and made him think of Lois. “Very well, you two, I shall bear up under the twin burdens of your continued deference and respect. I shall be ‘Ms. Prince’ to you until your father feels comfortable with another form of address, hopefully one a bit more familiar.”
The smile wasn’t Lois’, nor the laugh, nor the posture, and certainly not the face. Lois would always live in his mind as the most beautiful woman he’d ever known, and he would never forget a single one of the moments they’d shared.
But for the first time, Clark didn’t perceive that having another woman in the house would be an invasion or an attempt to replace Lois in his heart. Diana seemed to understand not only where he was coming from but where he was going, even if he himself wasn’t all that sure of his destination. His children had taken to her. He knew and respected her, both personally and professionally, and he sensed no hint that she would prefer to be Superman’s bride instead of Clark Kent’s wife. None of the other women he’d brought home to meet the family had known of his dual identity, and it hadn’t stopped any of them from gushing about Superman. One had even had the poor manners to giggle that it wouldn’t bother her to “ease Superman’s troubled mind.” He flinched as he recalled how quickly that evening had ended.
This evening, however, was still going very well. Maybe this would work out after all. And if he and Diana didn’t develop a romantic relationship, they could still be good friends.
He stepped back and gestured to the couch. “Shall we view this oft-told tale with one to whom it is fresh and new?”
Marta looked at him, her face expressionless. “You’re trying too hard, Dad. I’ll bring in a couple of bowls of popcorn so we can watch the movie. Do you like popcorn, Ms. Prince? Or is that something else of which you’ve been deprived?”
“Popcorn would be wonderful, Marta, thank you. Not too much salt, however, and please do not drown it with butter.” She patted her stomach and sighed. “I have reached the age when I must observe my caloric intake closely, lest I be forced to purchase larger garments.”
Jon grinned at her. “Ms. Prince, I think you should sit between Dad and Marta. I’ll sit on the other side of my cootie-infested sister. Assuming that’s okay with Dad, of course.”
Clark took Diana’s elbow and guided her to the couch. “I think that would be just fine.”
*****
Mark Knopfler’s acoustic guitar softly floated over the end credits as the four of them sat on the couch, each unwilling to be the first to break the mood. Clark glanced at Diana and saw moisture in her eyes, then looked at his daughter and saw the same thing.
Then he saw something he’d missed before. Marta and Diana were holding hands.
He didn’t know when they’d first clasped hands, but as he watched they looked at each other and nodded at the same time. Diana almost whispered, “Thank you, Marta.”
Then Clark’s haughty, ultra-cool, completely together, and totally mature teenaged daughter shocked him by throwing her arms around the older woman’s neck and holding tight while her eyes leaked. Jon chose that moment to lean around the two women and give his father two thumbs up.
Clark lifted one eyebrow and pointed at the TV. Jon shook his head, pointed at Diana and Marta, then gave him a monstrous grin and repeated his thumbs-up gesture.
Then he stood and stretched out his arms to each side, yawned, and said, “Boy, I’m wiped out. That movie is great but I always feel so tired after I watch it, especially with all that kissing and hugging and sword-fighting and other stuff. Well, I’m off to bed. I have a lot of library research to do tomorrow. Got to keep up that med school GPA.”
He was up the stairs and around the corner before anyone could stop him. Marta released Diana and said, “That’s my brother. He hates it when I cry over a movie.”
“That’s true, Diana. You should see how those two reacted to ‘The Notebook.’ Polar opposites.”
Diana slipped the girl’s embrace and chuckled. “I am familiar with that one. I suppose he laughed at his sister as she wept for the poor couple who were separated by the woman’s unfortunate mental deficiency.”
Marta nodded. “You nailed it. I cried until I could barely see. He laughed at me until he fell on the floor.” She lifted her finger to make a point. “But he didn’t laugh at their situation. I think it hit a little close to home for him.”
Softly, Diana answered, “And for you also, I would think.”
“Yeah, I guess that was part of it too.”
Diana took both of Marta’s hands in hers. “I am glad that I first watched this particular photoplay with you and your brother. You both made it most enjoyable.”
“Hey!” Clark said. “I was here too!”
Marta pulled one hand loose, then reached out and patted his knee. “Of course you were, Father. I’m just glad you were able to stay awake this late.”
“Oh, really? How about I take you over my knee and show you how awake and alert I am?”
Marta jumped up and leaped toward the stairs. “Never mind! You two say goodnight, but don’t take too long! Older people need their sleep, you know.”
Diana didn’t say anything, but Clark saw Marta’s gaze rest on their guest for a long moment before she spun away and started bunny-hopping up the stairs. Just before Clark spoke up and told her to be quiet, Diana stage-whispered, “Do not awaken your sister!”
Marta all but froze in mid-hop, then softly and gently continued upstairs and down the hall to her room. Diana turned to Clark and waved her hands. “Please forgive me, Clark. It is not my place to correct your children. I shall not do so again.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, she quieted down. That’s the important thing. And if Ellie had gotten up, I’m pretty sure you would’ve had to put her back to bed.” He hesitated, then asked, “Would you – Are you thirsty? Do you want something to drink? Coffee? Iced tea?”
She smiled and put her hand on his arm. “No, thank you. I should be going. As Jon said, it is late, and I require rest even if you do not.”
He stood and put out his hand for her, She took it and rose effortlessly. And she ended up standing closer to him than he thought was safe.
They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment, then Diana moved back a half-step. “Thank you for inviting me, Clark. I do not recall when I have enjoyed any evening this much.”
He lifted the hand he was still holding and bussed it with his lips. “I enjoyed it too. And all three of the kids approve of you.”
He was surprised by her sudden blush. “Oh, please do not flatter me. Marta, I think, was happy to share the movie with me. I am not so certain about Jon, however.”
“I am. He told me that if I don’t make a move pretty soon, he would.”
Her other hand flew to her mouth to cover her most un-royal snort of laughter. “He did not!”
“He did. In fact, both of them gave me encouragement to – um – to see where this relationship might lead.”
“I see.” She smiled again and ducked her head. “In that case, would it be both proper and appropriate for me to initiate a good-night kiss?”
Clark tilted his head quizzically. “With me or with Jon?”
She snorted again, then punched him in the chest with her free hand. He rubbed the spot as if truly hurt. “You know, I actually felt that. You hit pretty hard, Ms. Prince.”
“And you have put me off-balance, Mr. Kent. I have not snorted in that fashion since before I took up the tiara and lasso.”
“I’ll put it in my journal of significant accomplishments.”
Her grin lifted one side of her mouth. “I expected that you would. Now, if you have fully drained your reservoir of witty repartee, I would like my kiss before I depart.”
He took her hands and pulled her closer. “Oh, so now it’s ‘your’ kiss, eh?”
She stopped with her face inches from his. “Clark?”
“Yes?”
“In the words of one of your most talented and celebrated musical philosophers, shut up and kiss me.”
So he touched his hands to her elbows and obeyed her command.
It was soft, gentle, warm, and tender. It felt like ‘good-bye for now and I hope to see you soon’ to Clark. It was not a forever kiss, but it was a promise to explore the future together. And it lasted just as long as it was supposed to.
She drifted back, her eyes still closed. “I – ah – that was – a very good kiss.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slow. “It was that.”
She opened her eyes and looked into his face. “I should leave now.”
“Probably.”
She slowly drifted back from him and slid her hands down his forearms to grasp his fingers. “Definitely. But reluctantly, I assure you.”
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
“Only if you do not kiss me again. You breach my emotional ramparts, Clark, and I do not wish to damage what may grow between us by moving too quickly.”
He let her step back to arms’ length. “You’re right. But I plan to call you tomorrow.”
“Good. When we next meet, I shall have my servants prepare a picnic for five and we shall all dine in a private garden where the press will not disturb us.”
Hand in hand, they slipped across the carpet to the front door. “Servants, huh? I thought Amazon princesses did things for themselves.”
“We usually do perform such functions for ourselves, but if I do not allow the servants to do something for me occasionally, they become surly and frustrated.” She put her hand on the doorknob and stopped. “Besides, I am reliably informed that they believe that I would be a fool’s fool if I did not allow this relationship to move forward. Assuming that it does, of course.”
“I would like for us to move forward together. I’d like that very much.”
“So would I, my friend. But I do not wish to interfere with your family relationships as they stand now. You have a wonderful and powerful bond amongst you, and I would be hate myself were I to interfere with the years you and Lois have invested in your children. I believe there is time for us, Clark, and I am willing to wait and see what the future brings us.”
Clark took her hands in his and got serious. “I’m going to tell you something about Lois, and I don’t want you to think that I’m comparing the two of you. I’m not. I wouldn’t do that in a million years. But Lois and I knew that she might not live a normal lifespan when we married, and that I might outlive her even if she did. We both knew we probably wouldn’t have all those years together, and we talked about it at great length. Do you know what she told me?”
Diana inched closer to him and breathed, “No. What did she say to you?”
“That it wasn’t the years, it was the moments.”
She frowned slightly and tilted her head. “I am not certain that I understand your meaning.”
“Sorry. What we meant is that the number of years wasn’t as important as the number of moments we had together, moments we’d always remember because they were significant. That our love wouldn’t be measured by the number of those years, but by those moments we made together. That we didn’t know how many years we might have, so we’d need to put as many good moments as we could in those years.” He sighed. “We had a lot of good moments.”
“I – I believe I understand now.” She took a breath and held it for a long moment, then said, “I am not confident that I am able to live up to your memories of Lois.”
He shook his head in the negative. “I don’t want you to. I don’t want anyone to do that. If I marry again – and I promise you that I’m open to it – I want a wife who is her own woman. I don’t want to marry someone who’s going to try to impersonate Lois Lane. It would be as frustrating as me marrying a widow and trying to become her late husband. Nobody could make that mess work out well.”
She nodded back and seemed to relax a bit. “I think I understand this also. I promise to be myself and not anyone else.” She smiled and moved closer again. “And in the spirit of that promise, I would like to tell you something.”
He nodded. “You can tell me whatever you want to tell me, Diana.”
Her eyes glimmered in the muted lighting. “Then I will make a moment, for myself if not for both of us.” She put her arms around his neck and kissed him again, then pulled back and smiled. “I love you, Clark Kent.”
Her simple statement stunned him. In years past, Diana had occasionally wondered aloud why anyone as powerful as himself would bother with a civilian identity. She’d once suggested that he drop his Clark Kent persona and become Superman full time. She had always seemed puzzled by his aversion to the spotlight, insisting that Superman could do so much more for mankind if he didn’t have a second life to take up so much of his time.
Did this mean that she’d changed her opinion of him?
She pulled him back to the present as her arms slipped away. “And now I must take my leave. Please do not pursue me and declare your own undying devotion to me. You must consider what has taken place tonight and whether or not your feelings truly reflect your heart, and that you are not simply reacting to the moment.”
“Uh – okay. As long as you promise to do the same.”
“I shall indeed. Whether or not you believe this, my intentions for tonight included only dinner and pleasant conversation. I did not come here tonight intending to declare my undying affection for you. This – this entire experience is quite new and fresh to me. I find myself both frightened and exhilarated by the possibilities in my future. And I am unsure of the course I should chart.”
He smiled. “I think I understand how you feel. I’m more than a little frightened and exhilarated myself.”
Diana’s head tilted to one side. “And – perhaps you are a bit unsure?”
He nodded slowly. “More than a bit, but yes, I’m unsure.”
“Then I hope that we shall resolve our differences as friends.” She dropped her eyes to the floor for a moment, then looked up at him again as her smile faded. “Clark, do you recall my statement some years ago that Superman could be a far more effective hero and could do more to help humanity were he to be only Superman?”
“Yes. I was just thinking about that.”
She reached out and touched his wrist. “I now deeply regret that statement and the pride which spawned it. I could not have been more wrong. You are a good man, a very good man, and as much good comes from you being Superman, I cannot envision this city – or this family – being as healthy and safe as it is without Clark Kent as its hero and protector.” She reached back without looking and opened the front door. “Good night.”
The door slipped shut and Clark peeked through it to watch her. With her head held high, her eyes forward and her step sure, she walked briskly to the back of the limo where she opened the door herself. A moment later the car purred away.
He turned to see Jon leaning against the foyer wall, his arms crossed and a bright smile dancing on his lips. “When did she say that picnic was scheduled, Dad?”
“The exact date is to be announced later. Why, do you have a conflicting appointment?”
“I just don’t want you to forget it, that’s all.”
“Watch it, son, I’m not over the hill yet.”
“That’s true.” Jon straightened, stepped forward, and put his hand on his father’s shoulder. “I think Ellie will be a totally cute flower girl.”
Clark frowned. “That’s enough for tonight. I thought you had to be at the library early in the morning.”
“I do, but I don’t need sleep any more than you do. Besides, Marta’s waiting at the head of the stairs so I can fill her in.”
“What, she couldn’t eavesdrop herself?”
“She’s highly ethical, like you, whereas my ethics are a little more flexible, like Mom’s were.” He lifted his hand and shook his index finger at his father. “Speaking of ethics, I distinctly remember hearing from Mom that you were the one who first said that it wasn’t the years but the moments. That’s inverse plagiarization or something.”
“I don’t think ‘plagiarization’ is a real word.”
Jon shrugged. “My question stands, irregardless. And I already know that ‘irregardless’ isn’t a real word so don’t correct me.”
Clark smiled at his son. “I think I did say it first, but your mother and I said it to each other a lot. Neither of us wanted the years to slip away without filling them with good moments.” He looked away and sighed, still smiling. “And I think we did.”
Jon’s face grew serious. “Dad, I mean this. If you and Ms. Prince should get married, I’d be proud to call her Momma D, or Diana, or ‘Hey you!’ or whatever she wants me to call her. I haven’t seen you with this twinkle in your eyes for a long time, and if she can keep it there I’m all for bringing her into the family.”
“Thank you, Son. Really.” He shrugged. “I can’t make any promises at this point, but you obviously heard most of what we said, so you know as much as I do. If it should happen, it will happen.”
“Oh, really? What about all those times before you were married when you and Mom almost broke up or slipped apart or nearly got permanently separated somehow? You need to push the situation if you love her.”
“You do know who Diana Prince is in her other job, right?”
“Of course I do. And I didn’t mean for you to put any pressure on Wonder Woman. I don’t think that would work out very well at all. What I meant was that you shouldn’t just wait for things to happen. Try helping Destiny along a little.”
“Again, how many steady girlfriends have you had?”
“Don’t be dense, Dad. You know why I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Uh, well, no, not really. You’re going to have to spell that one out for me.”
Jon shook his head as if disgusted with his father. “It’s you, old man! I’m hanging around here single and unattached because of you! Marta and I both want to find a suitable wife for you so we can move ahead with our own lives!”
Clark’s jaw dropped. He took off his glasses and rubbed his face with his free hand.
Jon shook his head again. “I’m sorry, Dad, I thought you knew. Marta and I made that deal on the first anniversary of Mom’s funeral. That’s why she’s so caustic toward the women you bring home. She’s testing them to see if they wilt under pressure.”
“I see.” He put his glasses back on. “And what is your role in this interview process?”
“Peacemaker, in case Marta pushes our guest too far. She tried it with Ms. Prince tonight, but Marta couldn’t rattle her at all. She took everything Mart threw at her and stood her ground without getting defensive or angry.”
“Was it part of the plan to hug our guest after the movie?”
“What? No! I was as surprised as you were. But we both think Diana’s the real deal. If you don’t keep up this relationship, Marta might move in with Diana and leave the two of us here to deal with Ellie the super-genius toddler.”
Clark laughed. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. You fill Marta in and I’ll check on your little sister, and then I want the two of you to leave me alone tomorrow. I’ve got some serious thinking to do.”
“Got it. And if you want any advice from either of us—”
“I’ll find you and beat it out of you, just like I always do.” They two men shared a chuckle, then Clark headed for the back bedroom on the lower level. “Good night, Son.”
“Night, Dad. Sleep well.”
*****
Clark changed into his pajamas and sat on the edge of his bed. The possibilities for the future roiled through his mind. Diana had hinted very strongly that she’d marry him if he asked her in the right way, at the right time, and for the right reasons. He liked her very much and the kids seemed quite taken with her. He’d been surprised but not uncomfortable when Marta had obeyed Diana’s admonition to be quiet and not wake up Ellie. It had felt natural somehow.
Jon had told him how he and Marta felt. Ellie would surely be pleased, assuming her four-year-old mind would remain constant. Although, as he thought about it, he realized that Ellie hadn’t exchanged ten words with the other broads who had—
Women, he told himself, they were women! Doggone it, Marta had him doing it now.
He knew how Jimmy and Darla would react. They’d be over the moon, as the English say, and would insist on helping to plan the wedding. Lucy would be just as enthusiastic. She’d insist on checking out any prospective step-mom for Clark’s kids, of course, but he doubted she’d find fault with Diana.
He wondered for a long moment what his parents would have told him. Probably to make sure she was willing to help raise another woman’s kids, then go forward with his decision.
They’d passed away within a month of each other two years before and he still missed them terribly.
Then he thought about Lois’ parents. Sam probably would have advised him to stay unmarried, given the risks. Ellen, the children’s only living grandparent, would probably object to any woman taking her daughter’s place. She had even pitched seven kinds of fits when Lucy had moved in with them for several months after Lois’ funeral. But Ellen’s rock-solid help in their time of trouble had saved Clark’s sanity and kept Jon from breaking down completely.
Perry would have smiled and related an Elvis anecdote, then put his hand on Clark’s shoulder and told him to check for spelling and grammar errors on the license before he signed it.
The thought of signing something with Diana brought the thought of a pre-nuptial agreement to his mind. Which, of course, was ridiculous, since Diana was many times richer than he was. She was an Amazon princess, after all.
And that made him think of Hippolyta, Diana’s mother.
The one time they’d met, six years before at a U.N. summit in Jamaica, the queen of the Amazons had come across to Superman as more than just a little haughty and arrogant. She had all but dismissed him from her sight and had focused in on Lois, who’d been there to cover the event for the Planet and to get material for her column, which by that time had gone international. The woman had been insulting enough to him that Wonder Woman had apologized to him for her mother after the event concluded.
He’d let Diana break the news to her mother. Assuming there was any news to break, that is.
Funny. On Tuesday, he’d asked Diana to dinner, thinking that maybe there might be some possibility for a closer relationship between them. And now, on Friday night, he was thinking about asking her to marry him. Even for him, that was fast.
He smiled to himself and began his nightly ritual.
The picture of Lois and the two older kids beside his bed was one of his favorites. She was sitting on the grass in the back yard, rocking mom jeans and a fresh haircut, and laughing as she held eight-year-old Jon in one arm and five-year-old Marta in the other. Both children were also laughing, and Marta’s feet were off the ground as if she were floating.
He remembered taking that picture. The day had been clear and brilliant, with just enough cool north breeze to keep the mosquitos grounded. He’d almost called out to the kids to be gentle with their mother, but Lois was having such a good time that he didn’t have the heart.
His fingers touched the glass and he sighed. “Hey, Lois. It’s me again. I still miss you.”
Memories of the woman he loved, the mother of the children he once thought he’d never have, cascaded through his mind in a parade of the moments they’d made together. Some of them made him sad, but the immediate pain of losing her had dulled to a mild ache in his heart. And so many more of those moments made him smile that they far outweighed the sad ones.
He looked at the picture again and said, “I think I’ve met someone who can love me almost as much as you did. And I think I can love her almost as much as I loved you. The kids like her a lot, especially little Ellie. That little girl is almost too smart for me to handle and she’s just four! If Diana and I really do decide to get married, I’m going to need her help to keep our littlest one from driving everyone around her crazy. She had Diana reading to her from a quantum physics book tonight, and I think Ellie understood more of it than I did.”
He took off his glasses and lay back on the bed, then set the picture on his chest. “Diana’s a special lady. She’s not like you, but she is like you. She cares about right and wrong and about doing the right thing. She told me tonight that she loved me and wouldn’t let me say anything back to her. No demands, no expectations, no requirements, no conditions, she just said that she loved me.”
He looked directly into Lois’s picture eyes. “And I mean she said she loved Clark me, not Superman me. In fact, now that I think about it, Superman wasn’t a major topic of the conversation at all.” He tilted his head as if waiting for a response, then said, “Yeah, I think that’s promising too.
“Anyway, it’s time for me to get some sleep. I love you and I miss you, Lois. But I remember that you told me not to be alone. There’s a country song from the point of view of a young woman whose husband or boyfriend or whoever has died and she’s trying to move forward with her life. She sings in the chorus that she probably wouldn’t hurt so bad if they hadn’t loved each other so much. That’s pretty much how I feel about you. I wouldn’t miss you so much if you hadn’t been such a wonderful wife and mother and companion and everything else you were that completed me.”
He set the picture back on the end table and adjusted it just so. “You’ll always be a part of my life, Lois. Nearly everything I have now is because of you. My career, our kids, the house, my place in Metropolis, even my being Superman, is all because of you. Oh, I know I would have ended up somewhere doing something productive with my life even if I hadn’t met you, but it wouldn’t have been as wonderful or anywhere near so fulfilling.
“Maybe life with Diana will be close to what we had. If it is, then I’ll be satisfied with it. And if it doesn’t happen, I’ll be satisfied with that, too.”
He turned off the bedside lamp and settled down under the covers. “Goodnight, Lois. Sweet dreams.”
