Guidance: Epilogue
Clark lay on top of his bed, thinking to himself quietly. He tossed a football into the air idly, catching it lightly and then throwing it again. He stared at the ceiling without really seeing it, just letting his thoughts tumble over each other.
"Hey, your mom's got dinner on," his father poked his head into Clark's room.
"Yeah, coming," Clark said without moving. Jonathon glanced back and came back into his room.
"Is there something bothering you?" he asked quietly.
"No," he said. "Yes, maybe. I don't know."
Jonathon raised his eyebrows and smiled at him. "Well that's an answer," he remarked. Then he sat down on the edge of Clark's bed. "Is there something you want to talk about?"
Clark tossed the football up one last time and then caught it. "What am I supposed to do with myself, Dad?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean, what am I supposed to do when I grow up?" he asked, sitting up. "Am I supposed to get a job like everyone else, or am I supposed to do something with my powers, what?"
"Well, that's a difficult question," Jonathon said, flustered. "What do you want to do?"
"I wish I knew," Clark said, laying back down. Jonathon patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.
"You know what the problem is," Clark went on, "I can't really talk to anyone about it, expect for you guys or Pete. I mean, if someone wants to fly an airplane, they can go talk to a pilot or something, but what about me? Who can I go to?"
"Why can't you go talk to someone?" his father asked him. Clark stared up at him.
"Are you forgetting about the interstellar lawn-dart we've got in the shed?" he laughed bitterly.
"I mean it," he replied. "Why can't you go talk to someone?" Clark could only look at him, confused.
"Son, your life is your own," he started. "You can do what you want with it. If you want to reveal your powers someday, your mother and I won't stop you."
"But you always say," Clark interrupted, but Jonathon kept going.
"I know, I know. We're always telling you not to reveal yourself, right now at least. We want to protect you is all. We know it's hard, and maybe it's impossible to keep it hidden forever, but we promised ourselves we'd give you a normal childhood. Or as close to one as we could get," he shrugged wryly.
"Clark, being a teenager's hard enough without factoring in your powers. A lot of things are confusing, you don't know where you want to go, what to think about yourself. You don't know who you are. Everyone goes through that, and it's tough," he said sympathetically. "But what makes it better sometimes is friends and family. We want you to be able to talk to people, not just us, if you need something. If you did reveal yourself now, you'd be growing up in a lab or something, completely isolated. But this way, you've got friends, people who care about you. You don't have to feel alone. Your mother and I won't be here forever, and we wanted to make sure that you know that."
"Don't." Clark shook his head.
Jonathon laughed and shook his head. "It's alright. Besides, who says you can't have a normal job someday? Hmm? We'll find you people to talk to. You want to act, we'll get you lessons. And if you want to fly, well I'm sure we could find you a pilot. How does that sound?"
Clark laughed a little and tossed his football to the side of his bed. "Okay. But you know I hate heights." His father smiled and tousled his hair fondly, like he used to do when Clark was much younger.
As they went downstairs for dinner, his father remarked, "And who knows? Someday, you might look back on these years and think they were the best of your life."
Clark lay on top of his bed, thinking to himself quietly. He tossed a football into the air idly, catching it lightly and then throwing it again. He stared at the ceiling without really seeing it, just letting his thoughts tumble over each other.
"Hey, your mom's got dinner on," his father poked his head into Clark's room.
"Yeah, coming," Clark said without moving. Jonathon glanced back and came back into his room.
"Is there something bothering you?" he asked quietly.
"No," he said. "Yes, maybe. I don't know."
Jonathon raised his eyebrows and smiled at him. "Well that's an answer," he remarked. Then he sat down on the edge of Clark's bed. "Is there something you want to talk about?"
Clark tossed the football up one last time and then caught it. "What am I supposed to do with myself, Dad?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean, what am I supposed to do when I grow up?" he asked, sitting up. "Am I supposed to get a job like everyone else, or am I supposed to do something with my powers, what?"
"Well, that's a difficult question," Jonathon said, flustered. "What do you want to do?"
"I wish I knew," Clark said, laying back down. Jonathon patted him on the shoulder comfortingly.
"You know what the problem is," Clark went on, "I can't really talk to anyone about it, expect for you guys or Pete. I mean, if someone wants to fly an airplane, they can go talk to a pilot or something, but what about me? Who can I go to?"
"Why can't you go talk to someone?" his father asked him. Clark stared up at him.
"Are you forgetting about the interstellar lawn-dart we've got in the shed?" he laughed bitterly.
"I mean it," he replied. "Why can't you go talk to someone?" Clark could only look at him, confused.
"Son, your life is your own," he started. "You can do what you want with it. If you want to reveal your powers someday, your mother and I won't stop you."
"But you always say," Clark interrupted, but Jonathon kept going.
"I know, I know. We're always telling you not to reveal yourself, right now at least. We want to protect you is all. We know it's hard, and maybe it's impossible to keep it hidden forever, but we promised ourselves we'd give you a normal childhood. Or as close to one as we could get," he shrugged wryly.
"Clark, being a teenager's hard enough without factoring in your powers. A lot of things are confusing, you don't know where you want to go, what to think about yourself. You don't know who you are. Everyone goes through that, and it's tough," he said sympathetically. "But what makes it better sometimes is friends and family. We want you to be able to talk to people, not just us, if you need something. If you did reveal yourself now, you'd be growing up in a lab or something, completely isolated. But this way, you've got friends, people who care about you. You don't have to feel alone. Your mother and I won't be here forever, and we wanted to make sure that you know that."
"Don't." Clark shook his head.
Jonathon laughed and shook his head. "It's alright. Besides, who says you can't have a normal job someday? Hmm? We'll find you people to talk to. You want to act, we'll get you lessons. And if you want to fly, well I'm sure we could find you a pilot. How does that sound?"
Clark laughed a little and tossed his football to the side of his bed. "Okay. But you know I hate heights." His father smiled and tousled his hair fondly, like he used to do when Clark was much younger.
As they went downstairs for dinner, his father remarked, "And who knows? Someday, you might look back on these years and think they were the best of your life."