Very, very nice, DJ. It reminds me of an old comic book classic, where Lois and Clark reads Superman's mail together. Well, this was a Christmas issue, and after going through sacks of mail Clark flwe away as Superman to deliver his own Super Santa presents: bringing a Christmas tree to a village somewhere where the people could not afford to get one on their own, reuniting a poor family for Christmas (well, the father worked far away and could not afford to travel home by plane or train), visiting a sick child whose only wish was to get to meet Superman etcetera.
It was a lot of fun to see you take on the same theme, more or less, even though it didn't have a Christmas twist. (Well, that hat-and-boot lady wore red, admittedly...)
He could picture getting letters from kids, telling him how they wanted to be like Superman when they grew up. It could be a nice boost after a hard day of writing about the criminal element in Metropolis... and apprehending them. And on those days, like today, when Lois was particularly insightful with her criticisms.
I love this - Clark could use a little pick-me-up on a day when Lois had been particularly insightful with her criticisms! Brilliant!
By this time, the woman had made such a fuss over him that everyone had begun to turn around in line to see what was going on. Now everyone was stepping back graciously and offering to let him go ahead of them. People were asking to shake his hand or ‘oooh, would you please sign my...’ several things were offered – everything from a boy’s cast on his arm, to a woman’s expensive Gucci purse, to... Clark did his best not to blush when a young teenage girl pulled down the neck of her t-shirt and asked him to sign her chest.
Did he sign it? Did he sign
her, I mean?
Soon the woman came back carrying a small box that contained a handful of letters. “Here you go, Superman. I’m sure when word gets around that you’ll have a lot more than this.
I bet there will be more letters than just the small box!
I think my little sister Susie’s gotta crush on you.
Ah, but you can tell her that when she's grown up, she's going to have Clark in her closet.
‘P.S. – I have red boots too.’
Ah, DJ, you've been peeking at one of Sue's latest offerings - what was it called? The Cape? The Boots? Only If I Get To Wear the Boots, Too?
He bent over and retrieved the picture, staring at it one last time before flipping it over and stuffing it into the envelope it had come from.
Hmmmm. He didn't exactly get rid of it.
Something smelled really good. Clark fanned the envelope in front of his nose and realized it was the piece of mail. It smelled like perfume.
Oh, no. Some woman had sprayed the letter with her perfume.
But the smell was intoxicating. In fact, it smelled really familiar. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths of it. It surprised him a little bit when a liquid pool of heat flared inside him.
He knew this smell.
Clark opened his eyes and glanced down at the handwriting on the outside of the envelope. No... no it couldn’t be, could it? There was no return address to tell him, so he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
As he carefully unfolded it, confirmation of his answer stared him in the face.
It was from Lois.
Ahh, that's so sweet. I love it.
He was almost afraid to read it – like he felt guilty about reading her private thoughts to Superman. He shook his head and snorted – but he *was* Superman!
I love this, too. So typical of Clark. But he really ought to have a good long talk with Martha so she give him a proper scolding for thinking that he himself isn't Superman.
Since I am a writer for one of the most prestigious newspapers in the world I thought perhaps I could better express myself on paper. Or at least you’d think so. I’m not sure I’m doing too well so far. This letter may end up in the trash with the rest.
Like the rest? I wonder how many she wrote before this one?
Anyway, thank you. And if you ever need anything, someone just to talk to or share a cup of coffee with – I don’t even know if you like coffee – please know that you can call on me... anytime.
Yours,
Lois Lane
P.S. – I think this is the one that might make it in the mail.’
Ah, so sweet. And sufficiently formal. "Yours, Lois Lane" sounds just right. And I like the P.S. too.
Clark couldn’t quit smiling and he re-read the letter again. If only Lois knew that she really was there for him every day. He drew strength from her without her even knowing it.
Suddenly Clark couldn’t wait to see her the next morning and share a cup of coffee with her. In fact, why wait? Why not see her right now?
Good idea, but should you go as Clark or Superman?
Oh, he enjoyed her adulations of Superman, but that wasn’t really what rejuvenated him and helped him to keep going. What he really loved was spending time with her as Clark - the times she would let her guard down, engage him in some playful banter, or just let him see her softer side.
But there was no way she’d feel comfortable with Clark dropping by her apartment just to shoot the breeze with her. And somehow he doubted she would be willing to come over to his apartment. Maybe she would some day, but not yet.
That's a dilemma. But I feel pretty strongly that he shouldn't go as Clark. Not today. Not when she has written a letter to Superman.
He had been so ready to escape from Lois earlier and now he didn’t want to spend one more minute away from her. It was amazing how one little piece of mail could change your attitude.
How sweet.
And then, if that hadn’t made her day horrible enough, Clark had decided he was going to be in a bad mood today. No matter what they talked about he seemed to provoke her. It was like he was spoiling for a fight.
Or maybe, in retrospect, it had just been her. After getting off the phone with Lucy, she had been in a pretty bad mood.
And there was Clark.
Chipper old Clark. Did he really have to be in such a good mood all the time?
I just love this! Clark had decided he was going to be in a bad mood today...did he really have to be in such a good mood all the time?
Her eyes widened and she felt a little dizzy as she recalled the letter she had written to him a few days ago. Oh my god. Had he read it?
“Um, Superman. It’s so, uh, good to see you,” she stammered. “Is that coffee?”
“Yes, Lois, it is,” he said, flashing her a smile. “Is this a bad time? You said I could call on you anytime and we could share a cup of coffee.” He held one of the cups out to her.
“Um, yeah... I mean no, it’s not a bad time. Do you like coffee?” she jabbered, accepting the cup.
He grinned and nodded. “Yes, I do.”
Wow. Who knew? Superman liked coffee. What else did he like? She realized that she knew very little about the ‘Man of Steel’ – what he liked or disliked, what food he ate, what kind of music he listened to. Well, maybe this was her chance to find out.
And like a few smart people have already pointed out, Lois is probably going to realize that Superman likes his coffee just the way Clark wants his, and he likes just the kind of music that Clark is fond of, too, and... and wouldn't it be fun if he shared Clark's taste in ties? Wonder what he'd look like in one of Clark's ties? And glasses and hairstyle?
It was amazing how one little piece of mail could change your day.
Perfect last sentence, DJ.
Lovely story!
Ann