Chapter Four
I.S.L.E.
Institute of Scientific Logistics Excavation
Monday Afternoon
There was no relief for Diana during her break from her daily meetings.
Sitting in her office forlorn, melancholy and despondent, Diana stared out at the sunny day. Everything which had seemed so bright to her this morning was now dark and gloomy, despite the light of the atmosphere. She only stirred a little as Hessia walked into her office, not bothering to feign a joyful countenance.
Hessia sat down in the chair in front of Diana's desk with a sad stare at her dear friend and sister. "Diana …" she tried to begin.
"There's no choice, Hessia," Diana cut her off quietly. "There's no other way. We simply cannot be together."
"But, Diana, you've never been happier than when you're with him. Believe me, as an Amazon, it isn't easy for me to admit that being with a man can make a woman truly happy. But with all that you go through, you should have that kind of joy in your life."
"Oh, I was happy, Hessia," said Diana, finally sitting up to lay her forearms on her desk. "I was so happy. However, I' ve been thinking …"
"About what?" asked Hessia.
"Perhaps I was taking things too seriously. Maybe things aren't as dire as I believed them to be," Diana said, standing up to walk toward her window wall as she tried to convince herself. "I mean, as you said, he is a man. He got what he wanted. Maybe that's all it was."
At that very moment, at her words, almost as if on cue, a loud knock resounded from her doorway. Hessia walked over and opened the door to a delivery man holding a medium sized bouquet of flowers.
"Delivery for a Ms. Diana Prince?"
"Right there," Hessia pointed over to Diana.
Diana stood speechless, her eyes aglow. The delivery man walked over to place the flowers, encased in a wonderfully ornate pot, into her hands. Still unable to find her voice, Diana gave him a smile of gratitude and quickly set about drawing the card out of the middle of the bouquet.
"What does he say, Sister?" Hessia urged after she'd guided the delivery man out of the office.
Diana set the flowers down, completely uninterested in them, as she was solely focused on what Kal had to say to her. After reading the note, she pressed it against her heart as she sat down in her chair with a sigh of pure love and adoration.
"Give it here," Hessia said as she reached over to snatch it out of Diana's hands.
"You … You shouldn't be overly swayed, Hessia," warned Diana. "Kal is a writer, and he … he has the beautiful soul of a poet, so …"
"'Princess, like the Song of Solomon says, you are the lily of my valley, the rose of Diana, the lover of my soul …"
"You should … put that away," Diana said quietly.
"After hearing his heart like that, how can you possibly think he was just getting what he wanted? He …" Hessia began in frustration.
"I … I can't forget what happened," Diana said sadly. "We can't be together. I have to accept that. I …"
"Flowers for Ms. Diana Prince," a woman's voice called from the still open office doorway.
Both Diana and Hessia looked over in wide eyed surprise. In the doorway stood a female delivery woman, holding a tower of flowers which was three times as tall and wide as the first bouquet.
"Uhhh, Ms. Prince?" the delivery woman asked.
"Here. Right here. I'm … here," she stammered.
"These are for you," the woman said as she moved aside folders on Diana's desk to make way for the oversized flower bowl. Obviously, she didn't have time to wait for the two statues to regain their power of movement. "I'll tell you one thing," she said, handing the letter card to Diana as she started to walk back out. "He's a keeper."
Still speechless, Diana took the card. She waited until she and Hessia were alone again before she began reading aloud.
"'One thousand years would be only one day with you ...'"
"Gods, Diana," Hessia said quietly, her voice filled with sorrow. "I'm guessing that spending the entire weekend together wasn't enough for the two of you. What are you going to do?"
"The same thing I have always done," she answered. "Deny myself for the greater good. Even though I know how much I love him. I …"
"The front desk said we could find Ms. Diana Prince here," a strained voice called from the doorway.
Diana and Hessia spoke at the same time. "Here!"
Then, both of them raised their hands to cover their mouths in shocked surprise.
The bouquet which was being brought in was so big that it took two men to carry it and try to navigate it through the doorway. It only barely fit between the doors of the already large doorway, and a third courier was directing the two men carrying it.
Not even bothering to ask where to put the super large bouquet of flowers, the director immediately guided the two men over to a far corner where it could fit without blocking the walkways of the room.
Deftly removing the small card inserted on the side of the huge display, the director walked over and placed it in Diana's hand as she followed the couriers out. "If you don't marry him, I definitely will," she said.
As the courier team walked out, Diana and Hessia stared at the bouquet display and then at each other.
"Read the card," Hessia said excitedly.
Diana opened the colored envelope. "'When can I see you again?'"
"The man sent you 3 sets of flowers from 3 different shops. All before work. He obviously loves you dearly and for real. What happened between you two?" Hessia asked quietly.
"The most … wonderful weekend … ever," Diana whispered quietly, slipping deeply into her memories. "We were so happy. I… I have to call him."
"What are you going to say?"
"I have to end this," Diana said with a firmness which she in no way felt as she picked up her phone.
Hessia paused in the doorway, giving Diana a solemn stare for a long moment, then she sadly closed the door behind her.
/
Metropolis
The Daily Planet
Monday Afternoon
Now owning the new offices of The Daily Planet, the north corner of the building was the office of Mr. Clark Joseph Kent. Being on top of the building gave him instant access to the open skies if he were needed anywhere in the world at any given time. Standing beside the glass wall along the side of the office, he stood watching over the city as the short recess from the publisher meeting continued on behind him.
His super sonic hearing caught the silent vibration of his phone over on the meeting table at the instant it rang.
"Mr. Kent," his Chief Editor James J. Olson called from beside his seat at the head of the table, holding out his phone to him. "You've got a call from a super wonderful lady. But, I bet you already knew that."
"Thanks, Jimmy. Everyone, please excuse me. We'll reconvene our meeting after my call," he said, taking the phone and walking toward his private office.
"You two deserve to be happy, sir."
He spared a last smile to his friend before he closed the door and raised his receiver to his ear. "Good morning, Princess. How are you feeling?"
"I think you know very well how I'm feeling, Mr. Kent," said Diana, her soft voice belying a warm tenderness only for him. "You made me feel that way."
Kal paused. Diana only used his formal names when she was upset. Something was wrong, and he thought he may already know what it was.
"Did you receive my flowers, Ms. Prince?" he asked.
"All 3 of them. A set for each day. They're very beautiful," Diana said in a low voice, striding over to touch a few of the petals on the edge of the largest bouquet.
Diana closed her eyes. It was almost as if they were still in the afterglow of their weekend together. This was going well. Actually, it was going beautifully, but this wasn't what she had intended. Things could no longer be like this between them.
"Diana …" he began.
"Mr. Kent …" she began at the same time.
"Did you think about my question?" he asked.
There was a long pause on the line, then Diana spoke quickly.
"Be here at nine, Mr. Kent," she said firmly. "And don't be a second late."
