Chapter 3: Jonathan
Of all the nights for Clark to be at a friend's house! Grunting I tried twisting it from another angle. One of the pipes that led to the house had burst shortly after Clark had left for Pete's. We, Martha and I, were able to shut the water off but after fixing the break no amount of leverage could get the valve to turn again. It had rusted or bent and was now damn near impossible to open. Martha had given up and gone to bed threatening me that if she couldn't take a bath in the morning I was going to be sleeping in Clark's Fortress of Solitude. Her nerves had been frayed earlier when she was doing dishes then suddenly Old Faithful erupted in our kitchen. I couldn't entirely blame her but the idea of sleeping in the barn held the same appeal that it would to any grown modern American male. 0 to none. Straw poking you in the back and other more delicate parts? No thanks. Clark wasn't due back till Sunday another full day away and while Martha is a loving and forgiving wife I know she won't hesitate to follow through with her threat. So here I was working on the damn pipe.
Out of breath I slumped to the ground next to the pipeline I had been working on for, glancing at my watch, over six hours. I was covered in sweat and dirt and just about resigned to falling asleep right on the patch of floor I was resting on. The muscles in my arms were screaming at me and my back was…well, there were no words. I was laying propped up against the pipe I'd been fighting for the last few hours looking around at nothing in particular too tired to get up and suddenly I was chuckling, for no reason at all. The whole thing just seemed so damn funny. Soon I was laughing so hard my sides hurt and I was rubbing my dirt-covered hand into one side of my face as tears leaked out of my eyes.
So I was sitting there spread-eagled laughing like a lunatic when Lex Luthor walked in. I tried to stop laughing but his sudden arrival just made me laugh harder and the puzzled look on his face only added to my fit of laughter. I admit I looked a sight but Lex didn't look much better. He'd charged in looking ready to do battle with the devil and had all of his determination blown out of the water by the sight of me. Now he looked confused and a bit concerned like he was considering calling for the men with the white coats. Although I found that even funnier I was finally able to cut off my laughter. Still looking anxious Lex glanced around probably trying to figure out what was so funny then turned back to me. "What's so funny?" I almost started up again. As it was a couple bit off sniggers were able to escape. Taking some deep breaths I was able to calm down somewhat.
A smile dancing on my lips I shrugged. "I don't know exactly what set me off but it never hurts to have a good laugh." He seemed to consider that. I could tell though he was still confused. Sighing the last of my humor drained from me. "Why are you here Lex? I doubt it's a social call. It's," I glanced at my watch again. "One o'clock in the morning. Even if Clark was here he'd be asleep." I gave Lex my best parental stare. The one I reserve for when Clark is playing innocent. He calls it my "do-you-really-think-I'm- that-stupid" stare. It was automatic I didn't really expect it to have an effect but surprisingly Lex's face took on the same contrite look as Clark when he gets caught. For a moment I thought he was going to shuffle his feet and apologize. I blinked. Who would have thought it?
tbc…
Of all the nights for Clark to be at a friend's house! Grunting I tried twisting it from another angle. One of the pipes that led to the house had burst shortly after Clark had left for Pete's. We, Martha and I, were able to shut the water off but after fixing the break no amount of leverage could get the valve to turn again. It had rusted or bent and was now damn near impossible to open. Martha had given up and gone to bed threatening me that if she couldn't take a bath in the morning I was going to be sleeping in Clark's Fortress of Solitude. Her nerves had been frayed earlier when she was doing dishes then suddenly Old Faithful erupted in our kitchen. I couldn't entirely blame her but the idea of sleeping in the barn held the same appeal that it would to any grown modern American male. 0 to none. Straw poking you in the back and other more delicate parts? No thanks. Clark wasn't due back till Sunday another full day away and while Martha is a loving and forgiving wife I know she won't hesitate to follow through with her threat. So here I was working on the damn pipe.
Out of breath I slumped to the ground next to the pipeline I had been working on for, glancing at my watch, over six hours. I was covered in sweat and dirt and just about resigned to falling asleep right on the patch of floor I was resting on. The muscles in my arms were screaming at me and my back was…well, there were no words. I was laying propped up against the pipe I'd been fighting for the last few hours looking around at nothing in particular too tired to get up and suddenly I was chuckling, for no reason at all. The whole thing just seemed so damn funny. Soon I was laughing so hard my sides hurt and I was rubbing my dirt-covered hand into one side of my face as tears leaked out of my eyes.
So I was sitting there spread-eagled laughing like a lunatic when Lex Luthor walked in. I tried to stop laughing but his sudden arrival just made me laugh harder and the puzzled look on his face only added to my fit of laughter. I admit I looked a sight but Lex didn't look much better. He'd charged in looking ready to do battle with the devil and had all of his determination blown out of the water by the sight of me. Now he looked confused and a bit concerned like he was considering calling for the men with the white coats. Although I found that even funnier I was finally able to cut off my laughter. Still looking anxious Lex glanced around probably trying to figure out what was so funny then turned back to me. "What's so funny?" I almost started up again. As it was a couple bit off sniggers were able to escape. Taking some deep breaths I was able to calm down somewhat.
A smile dancing on my lips I shrugged. "I don't know exactly what set me off but it never hurts to have a good laugh." He seemed to consider that. I could tell though he was still confused. Sighing the last of my humor drained from me. "Why are you here Lex? I doubt it's a social call. It's," I glanced at my watch again. "One o'clock in the morning. Even if Clark was here he'd be asleep." I gave Lex my best parental stare. The one I reserve for when Clark is playing innocent. He calls it my "do-you-really-think-I'm- that-stupid" stare. It was automatic I didn't really expect it to have an effect but surprisingly Lex's face took on the same contrite look as Clark when he gets caught. For a moment I thought he was going to shuffle his feet and apologize. I blinked. Who would have thought it?
tbc…