Chris, I'm relly sorry that next week looks like murder for me, and even tonight I don't have much time at all. So I just hope I'll have time to even *read* the next chapters of your and other people's stories that are currently being posted. As for me formulating any sort of intelligent feedback whatsoever.... Nope, not much chance of that.
Anyway, this story continues to be hugely interesting. I'm sorry I'm going to be summarizing much ot it, not quote it. I love it that Superman has come looking for Lois in that Doctors Without Border's camp in Brazzaville. I love it that the people there already knows that Superman is there looking for a woman he is interested in in a romantic way. I love how overweight Lois is totally flustered when she realizes that she is that woman:
But the children…they said that you were in love with me…that I was beautiful…how can that be? You can see that I’m *not* beautiful…and what picture were you showing everyone?”
“One question at a time,” Clark replied, smiling. <Yep, the babble gene crosses the universes, even if some other things don’t!> “And, you *are* beautiful. A couple of extra pounds doesn’t stop you from being an attractive woman. Why do you think that way?”
I love his answer, and I love his mental quip about Lois's babble gene.
Lois thinks that Clark has gotten himself a picture of her perfect sister Lucy and darkened her hair, and Clark allows her to believe that, since he doesn't know if she is ready to believe in parallel universes and other Loises and Clarks yet.
“You’ve never felt unconditional love before,” Clark said softly. “It feels great, doesn’t it? And Lois… you’re not quite *that* fat. You may have lost more weight here than you think.”
I like Clark's honesty with Lois. Yes, she is fat... but she isn't *that* fat.
Spontaneously, Clark kissed Lois on the forehead. “You’re beautiful, inside and out. Anyone that can’t see that is a fool.”
And I love this. I love the fact that he kisses her, and I love the fact that it is a chaste kiss on the forehead. Anything else would have been too much at this point. Besides, even though Clark's *soul* is strongly attracted to this Lois, we have yet to see that his body is.
Also, I love Clark's wonderful compliment to Lois.
Remembering her friend Bridget’s words “Superman has X-ray vision. He can see inside to your soul….”, Lois smiled and looked into Clark’s eyes. “I think that it’s probably true of you, too. Anyone as good looking as you that sees “me* as beautiful….well, that’s just unbelievable to me. Maybe whatever planet you’re from, the women are a lot bigger.” Lois was certain that she was seeing love and compassion in Superman’s eyes. It was amazing.
And this is wonderful. If a guy as good-looking as Superman can truly care for a fat woman, then he must be extraordinarily good. Isn't it true that every really handsome famous man seems to have a girlfriend or a wife who is an absolute knockout? Admit it. If a famous handsome man had a fat girlfriend - heck, if a famous *ugly* man had a fat girlfriend - most people would ask themselves what was wrong with the guy. He is famous, he is probably rich, so why can't he get himself a decent-looking girlfriend?
I love Lois's quip about Kryptonian women probably being XL-sized. You made me feel that her quip was really only half in jest.
Anyway, Clark is smiling and seems happy to be with her. I don't feel that this is an act at all. He *is* happy to be with her. His soul *is* very much attracted to her. And his body is certainly not turned off by her. Can his body be really, truly attracted to her, however? Can he be turned on by her? That's the million dollar question.
And Clark is offering to take Lois home to the United States, but first he wants to take her to Paris and buy new clothes for her, and take her to a café.
I loved this little exchange:
“Superman,”
“Please, my name is Clark,”
“Clark – the last time a good-looking man like you took me to dinner – well he stole my story and then made me the laughing stock of the office. I’m sorry if I’m suspicious. It’s just my nature, I guess,” Lois admitted.
“Claude Michaud,” Clark spit out. “He’s an idiot.”
“Lois, all anyone would tell me about you was that you were a great investigative reporter and a really hard worker. That’s it,” Clark replied. It was the truth. “That’s why I was carrying the wrong picture around with me for so long,” he admitted, still misleading her unintentionally. “And I’m certainly not going to steal anything from you. I can learn a lot from you, I’m sure. If you decide to go back to the States, I would hope we could team up on a few stories. With joint bylines, of course. Your name on top,” he said with a sly smirk.
“Well, of *course* it would have to be on top,” Lois joked back, suddenly feeling better about herself than she had in years. “So yes, I would love to go to Paris with you, Clark.
Yes!! He tells her he'd like to work with her as a reporter! And when they wrote an article together her name would be on top! And she jokes back and agrees that her name must be on top! And she will come with him to Paris!
But Lois still can't believe that *Superman* cares that much for her. She believes that Perry must have convinced him to go searching for her.
“Wow. They must really love you back home to put Superman up to this,” Bridget replied, wearing a sarcastic smirk on her face. “Lois…yes, I’m going to use your *real* name…stop it right now! Look at you…you look great. Why do you assume that someone had to put Superman up to this? You’re smart, intelligent, you have a big heart, you’re apparently a great reporter…why *wouldn’t* he want to get to know you better?”
“I’m never going to able to believe that. I wish I could. But in the back of my mind, he’s a guy and he’ll end up breaking my heart somehow. I just know it. But, he’s Superman, and if nothing else, if I decide to go back home with him, I will have a great story to write, and it might get me my old job back!” Lois responded.
And then Lois says this, which is so awfully true and which cuts right to the heart of the matter of weight problems:
“Bridget, you’ve never had a weight problem. Once it’s in your head, it never leaves. Even if I were skin and bones, I’ll always see myself as fat.”
This is so, so true.
“Maybe our hypnosis session should deal with that, as well as your missing three years. Perhaps we could plant some positive self-talk in your subconscious?”
I was really skeptical of the idea of using hypnosis to make Lois remember how she had been abducted. This seems like a far better way to use hypnosis.
But Clark has doubts himself about his relationship with Lois:
Clark needed to keep busy while he was waiting for Lois to get ready for their date. He sped around the camp, organizing, fixing, rebuilding, his mind whirling the whole time. He didn’t understand what he was feeling for this Lois. He knew that she was his soul mate. God, he could feel it deep inside him. But…something was definitely different. Was it her appearance? He hadn’t lied or mislead her…she *did* have a beautiful face…and while she would still be considered to be on the heavy side, she was no longer “obese” …she was just “extra curvy”. And none of that mattered; it’s still *her*. “His* Lois. What was wrong?
Had he ever dated an overweight woman? No, he hadn’t. Shame on him. There were a few girls in high school that he knew had crushes on him, but he only had eyes for Lana, the perfect girl, the cheerleader with the killer body. Was he shallow? Or had he been just a normal adolescent boy? Stupid hormones, he told himself.
I love it that Clark questions his own feelings for this Lois. As I've already said, you have convinced me that his soul responds strongly to her, so I'm sure that in the end, Clark will prefer a fat Lois to any perfect-looking woman who is not, however, the other half of his soul. Yes, I do think that Clark will know that Lois's extra pounds do not change the fact that she is his soulmate, and that he really can't be with anyone but her. Still, he still has a few doubts, and it is right that he should have them.
Great story, Chris!
Ann
I was really
