Only Dying Roses
by Linda Seaton
from Lana
Clark Kent has done many, many amazing things for me. The delivery of these roses was not one of them.
He did his normal let's sneak to the door and not take credit maneuver sometime before three this morning. I know it was before three because at three Nell woke me up. She was pretty sure some poison gas had escaped from the Luthor plant and we were going to die. It was a mad scramble as I grabbed my bathrobe, shoes, a photo of my parents and Nell found the 'disaster folder' with its birth certificates and bank account information. We ran out the front door and almost killed ourselves tripping through the wall of roses that Clark had left for me.
Nell used some choice language and wanted to call Clark that minute to take the roses away. I talked her into waiting until 8:00 this morning but he beat the deadline on his own.
I step out onto the porch and watch as Clark carries his fifth armful of roses back to the truck. Noticing me, he smiles a little sheepishly and then forces himself to walk over.
"I am so sorry Lana. I didn't know this would happen." He wipes his watering eyes and fights back a sneeze.
"It's alright Clark. How could you know something so beautiful could turn into something toxic."
"Well, it is Smallville."
I laugh and he relaxes into a real smile. I feel my shoulder's tense up a little bit. Whenever Clark is at ease I feel awkward and whenever I'm relaxed, well, Clark isn't. It's a vicious circle. No matter what we do we always seem to be out of step.
I start to speak but Nell saves me from saying something pointless by walking out onto the porch. She calls, "Is he almost done?!"
Clark grins as he kneels to pick up some more of the roses. "She's really mad at me. I'm getting the 'he's too stupid to hear me' treatment."
"Afraid so."
Trailing after him, I watch as he tosses the roses into the truck. The petals break apart into thousands of fluttering smears of color. Clark sneezes so hard that I can almost feel the ground shake.
"Clark!"
"I'm fine. Don't worry." He hurries back to gather the remaining roses and I practically run to keep up. He reclaims the last straggling flowers and asks, "Are you and Nell doing anything for today?"
"We're going to Metropolis. Lunch and shopping."
I follow after as he heads toward the truck with the orphan roses.
"What about you and your parents?"
"Dad and I are taking Mom out to lunch." He tosses the roses in the back of the truck.
"I hope you've recovered from the rose removal by then."
"Please don't worry about me, Lana. I'm fine."
But I do worry, Clark, and I know that I'm responsible for making you unhappy more often than you'll admit. I don't say any of this of course. I think Clark feels things really deeply and has a hard time expressing himself. I can relate as I try to come up with something, anything, to say.
Instead I take his arm and half lead him back to the door of the truck. Snuffling, he opens the door and crawls inside.
"Can you even see?" I ask as he leans out the truck window to say goodbye. His eyes are barely open.
"I can see. Kind of. But just to be safe I think I'm going to stop at Pete's and see if he can drive the truck out to Lex's house."
"Please, do." And I squeeze his arm. His eyes open a little wider as he smiles.
I want to offer to drive the truck for Clark but I notice Nell on the front porch checking her watch.
"Clark, you better get out of here. Nell."
"Tell her I'm sorry."
And Clark presses down on the accelerator and the truck is rolling.
"Lana!"
I hear Nell but I wait and watch the truck until it is out of sight. I race back to the house.
tbc....
by Linda Seaton
from Lana
Clark Kent has done many, many amazing things for me. The delivery of these roses was not one of them.
He did his normal let's sneak to the door and not take credit maneuver sometime before three this morning. I know it was before three because at three Nell woke me up. She was pretty sure some poison gas had escaped from the Luthor plant and we were going to die. It was a mad scramble as I grabbed my bathrobe, shoes, a photo of my parents and Nell found the 'disaster folder' with its birth certificates and bank account information. We ran out the front door and almost killed ourselves tripping through the wall of roses that Clark had left for me.
Nell used some choice language and wanted to call Clark that minute to take the roses away. I talked her into waiting until 8:00 this morning but he beat the deadline on his own.
I step out onto the porch and watch as Clark carries his fifth armful of roses back to the truck. Noticing me, he smiles a little sheepishly and then forces himself to walk over.
"I am so sorry Lana. I didn't know this would happen." He wipes his watering eyes and fights back a sneeze.
"It's alright Clark. How could you know something so beautiful could turn into something toxic."
"Well, it is Smallville."
I laugh and he relaxes into a real smile. I feel my shoulder's tense up a little bit. Whenever Clark is at ease I feel awkward and whenever I'm relaxed, well, Clark isn't. It's a vicious circle. No matter what we do we always seem to be out of step.
I start to speak but Nell saves me from saying something pointless by walking out onto the porch. She calls, "Is he almost done?!"
Clark grins as he kneels to pick up some more of the roses. "She's really mad at me. I'm getting the 'he's too stupid to hear me' treatment."
"Afraid so."
Trailing after him, I watch as he tosses the roses into the truck. The petals break apart into thousands of fluttering smears of color. Clark sneezes so hard that I can almost feel the ground shake.
"Clark!"
"I'm fine. Don't worry." He hurries back to gather the remaining roses and I practically run to keep up. He reclaims the last straggling flowers and asks, "Are you and Nell doing anything for today?"
"We're going to Metropolis. Lunch and shopping."
I follow after as he heads toward the truck with the orphan roses.
"What about you and your parents?"
"Dad and I are taking Mom out to lunch." He tosses the roses in the back of the truck.
"I hope you've recovered from the rose removal by then."
"Please don't worry about me, Lana. I'm fine."
But I do worry, Clark, and I know that I'm responsible for making you unhappy more often than you'll admit. I don't say any of this of course. I think Clark feels things really deeply and has a hard time expressing himself. I can relate as I try to come up with something, anything, to say.
Instead I take his arm and half lead him back to the door of the truck. Snuffling, he opens the door and crawls inside.
"Can you even see?" I ask as he leans out the truck window to say goodbye. His eyes are barely open.
"I can see. Kind of. But just to be safe I think I'm going to stop at Pete's and see if he can drive the truck out to Lex's house."
"Please, do." And I squeeze his arm. His eyes open a little wider as he smiles.
I want to offer to drive the truck for Clark but I notice Nell on the front porch checking her watch.
"Clark, you better get out of here. Nell."
"Tell her I'm sorry."
And Clark presses down on the accelerator and the truck is rolling.
"Lana!"
I hear Nell but I wait and watch the truck until it is out of sight. I race back to the house.
tbc....