Lois dug into her bag, pulled out her cell phone and threw it carelessly on the table. She reached in again and this time found what she had been after, her notebook and pencil.
While she was doing this, Clark grabbed a potato chip and crunched on it then said, "All right, four hours at city hall and all we know is that in twenty years, there were no permits and no citations issued on the Irig property."
She slammed her pad down on the table interrupting him. No matter how nice he was the incident outside was still digging at her. She crossed her arms on the table and gave him a look that he recognized as irritation.
He asked, "What's the matter?" and then crunched another chip.
In an irritated tone which matched her look as she mocked him, "'Don't mind my friend, Lois. She's from Metropolis.'"
Clark leaned across the table and said, quietly, "You were coming off a little ... 'intense'."
Defensively, Lois replied, "Look Clark, intensity might be a crime in Smallville, but in Montreal and Metropolis, well, maybe not so much in Montreal, but in Metropolis it's a survival skill."
This is a pretty accurate description of two people from very different backgrounds.
It reminds me of the first time I met my future in-laws who also live on a farm. I was so nervous and worried that they wouldn’t like me, that I worked hard to get along with them. It was unnecessary, they worked hard to make me feel welcome and comfortable in an environment that was as foreign to me as the back side of the moon. Now twenty-three years later we are a family. I am still a city chick and they are very much country folk, but we make the differences work for us.
The point? Relax Lois, everything will be fine!
