CHAPTER NINE
Pete Ross awoke to the sound of someone banging incessantly at the front door. He looked over at his fiancé, Lana, who was still fast asleep and then at the clock. 1:28. Who the heck would be knocking at that time? Better question yet, how was Lana being able to sleep through it?
Pete groaned. Carefully unwrapping his arms from Lana's sleeping form, Pete got out of bed. He put on a gray t-shirt over his black boxers and headed downstairs.
Pete opened the front door and saw Chloe standing there, her fist poised to knock again.
"Chloe? What are you doing here? Are you insane?"
Her eyes were red and puffy and tears were running down her face. The last time she had acted this way was six years ago.
"Sorry. I-I shouldn't h-have come here."
"No, it's okay. Come on in. I'll fix you some hot coffee," Pete said, taking her by the arm. He shut the door as soon as she was inside. "Okay, spill. What going on? Is it Lee?"
"No, it's not Lee. It's Clark."
Chloe sat down on one of the stools at the island that was in the middle of the kitchen. Pete almost dropped the bag of coffee grounds. "Clark Kent?"
"How many Clarks do you know?" she asked bitingly.
"So, why's he here? I thought he was hotshot reporter guy."
"Oh, he is. He's on a forced vacation from his editor."
Pete slipped into the seat across from her. "Wait, he got a vacation from his job for the next couple of weeks and he chose to come here? That guy's got some deep-set issues."
"Yeah, but Clark's never been a guy that I'd call normal. He was dressed in a suit, Pete. A suit!"
"Who was dressed in a suit?" Lana's voice interrupted from the kitchen doorway.
"Hey babe. Did we wake you?" Pete asked.
Lana shook her head as she sat in the chair next to him. "No, of course not. I woke up and you weren't there, so I thought I'd find you." She gave him a tiny peck on the cheek. "So, who was dressed in a suit?"
"Clark Kent."
"He's back in town?"
"Yeah, vacation. So, Chloe, what are you doing here crying? Just because he's here can't be the thing that made you come over here sobbing," Pete questioned.
"I was not sobbing. Crying mildly, but not sobbing."
"Whatever."
"It was nothing really. God, I don't even know why I left now. I just.he just." Chloe took a deep breath and Pete went to get their coffee. Chloe took the mug from his had and gulped down half of it. Feeling better, she set it down. "He was researching my life. He found the article about my mom. You know, the one about her death. He got pretty upset that I didn't share the news with him and I got even more upset that he had found it and tried to make it all about him."
"How so?" Lana asked.
"He was mad about being the last to know and that I should've told him everything since we're best friends. That's when I brought up the fact that we're no longer best friends, but more closer to strangers. I guess we're more like acquaintances now, but he still should've waited for me to share my life," Chloe answered.
"Chloe, are you more angry about him finding out or that he didn't wait for you to tell him?" Lana asked.
"That he didn't wait for me to tell him. I mean, he's only seen me again for a day after what, six years, and he's already researching my life!" Chloe exclaimed. She picked up her mug and gulped down the now lukewarm coffee.
Pete and Lana exchanged knowing glances. "Chloe, is there a chance that you may have deep down feelings for Clark left over from your days in high school?" Lana asked.
Chloe almost dropped the mug. "No.yes.I don't know. Even if I do, I can't act on them no matter how much I would want to."
"Why not? If he were to feel the same way then you both could finally be happy. Chloe, I haven't seen you truly happy since Jay died. You deserve to have some happiness," Pete reasoned.
Chloe shook her head. "No! Not going to happen! He just lost his wife Pete. He's still hurting, I can tell. He hasn't let go. And so what if I'm not truly happy? I'm happy enough with the life I've built. I have my daughter and friends, that's all I need. I do have feelings for him, I've had them since the eighth grade. But that doesn't mean I'm going to act on them," Chloe told them.
"Okay, Chloe, we understand. I think that you need to Clark though," Pete said, trying to calm her down.
"Yeah, I guess."
The three sat in silence, only the hands of the hallway clock ticking could be heard.
()*()*()*()*()*()*()
Martha had put Lee to bed only minutes before, but Lee was not yet ready to sleep. She waited until she heard Jonathan and Martha say good night through the crack of her door and then their bedroom door shut below her. Climbing out of her bed as quietly as she could, Lee padded out of her room in slipper feet.
The television in the living room was on but Clark wasn't in the room. Lee frowned and checked the kitchen. Not there either. She went to the front door and opened it slowly so it wouldn't squeak. Lee saw a shadow in the barn and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her towards it. She climbed the steps, skipping the ones that she knew made noise. When she reached the loft, she saw Clark sitting on the couch with her photo album in his hands.
"Hey Clark, what're you doing with that?"
"Oh, sorry Lee. Is it yours?"
"Yeah, mommy gave it to me on my fifth birthday. It was hers when she was a teenager."
"Oh. I was just looking through it. Maybe you could help me understand some of the more recent additions."
"Okay." Lee walked up and sat down on the couch next to him. Clark reopened the book to the beginning. It was the picture of him and Chloe when they were fifteen. The one that he had torn up when Chloe had moved. "Hey, that's you and mommy. She was so pretty."
"Yeah," Clark murmured, which caused Lee to look at him funny.
She quickly turned the page. "This is Gramma and Grampa's wedding photo. And this is mommy as a baby. Grampa and mommy when they first moved here. Just Grampa. Just Gramma, before she was sick. Mommy and Gramma when mommy graduated. Daddy on his motorcycle. Mommy and daddy. Auntie Lana and Uncle Pete. Mommy at her college graduation. Me as a baby. Me when I was two with Auntie Lana. Me when I was two with Uncle Pete. My fourth birthday when I landed face first in the chocolate cake. Me with your parents. Uncle Jonathan giving me a piggyback ride. Auntie Martha, mommy, and me on the porch. Uncle Pete throwing me into the pile of hay. Mommy in the mud after I pushed her in. Mommy pulling Uncle Pete in with her after he laughed. And a picture of Superman from the newspaper."
Clark watched Lee's face light up with each picture. Chloe had raised one of the greatest little girls that he had ever met. He closed the book and put it on the stand beside the couch.
"Lee, do you miss your daddy?"
The little smile on Lee's face vanished and her face crinkled into a thoughtful expression. "Yeah, sometimes. I wish that he was here with mommy and me. Don't tell mommy, but I get mad at him sometimes."
Clark was taken aback. "Why?"
"I get mad that he died and left mommy. She seems so sad sometimes. I can tell that when she looks at me she sees daddy and then she leaves suddenly. Then, there are times when I'm happy he's not here because it's just us," Lee explained.
"Lee, how old were you when your mommy told you he was dead?"
"I was three. I asked her why he was never around and that's when she told me. Want to know another secret?" Clark nodded and Lee got real close to his ear. Then she whispered, "I don't miss him like mommy does. I don't know how."
She pulled back and the expression on her round face was enough to make Clark want to run. It was a mixture of innocence and guilt that he'd never seen on someone so young.
"How come?"
"How do you miss something or someone that you've only heard stories about. That you've never met yourself. They're not living to you, they're only storybook cut-outs. You don't know them personally, only from rumors or simple stories," Lee told him.
"How come you're so smart?"
Lee shrugged. "I have no one my age to talk to. Only grown-ups."
"What about classmates?"
"Nope. They don't like me much because I like to be alone a lot."
"Well, anytime you'd like to talk, I'm available."
"Thanks. Clark, will you read to me? Mommy usually does, but she's not here."
"Sure, what do you want me to read?"
"It don't matter."
Clark picked up the closest book to them and started to read. Lee curled up to his side and Clark put an arm around her. Within moments, Lee was asleep. Clark soon followed minutes later.
Pete Ross awoke to the sound of someone banging incessantly at the front door. He looked over at his fiancé, Lana, who was still fast asleep and then at the clock. 1:28. Who the heck would be knocking at that time? Better question yet, how was Lana being able to sleep through it?
Pete groaned. Carefully unwrapping his arms from Lana's sleeping form, Pete got out of bed. He put on a gray t-shirt over his black boxers and headed downstairs.
Pete opened the front door and saw Chloe standing there, her fist poised to knock again.
"Chloe? What are you doing here? Are you insane?"
Her eyes were red and puffy and tears were running down her face. The last time she had acted this way was six years ago.
"Sorry. I-I shouldn't h-have come here."
"No, it's okay. Come on in. I'll fix you some hot coffee," Pete said, taking her by the arm. He shut the door as soon as she was inside. "Okay, spill. What going on? Is it Lee?"
"No, it's not Lee. It's Clark."
Chloe sat down on one of the stools at the island that was in the middle of the kitchen. Pete almost dropped the bag of coffee grounds. "Clark Kent?"
"How many Clarks do you know?" she asked bitingly.
"So, why's he here? I thought he was hotshot reporter guy."
"Oh, he is. He's on a forced vacation from his editor."
Pete slipped into the seat across from her. "Wait, he got a vacation from his job for the next couple of weeks and he chose to come here? That guy's got some deep-set issues."
"Yeah, but Clark's never been a guy that I'd call normal. He was dressed in a suit, Pete. A suit!"
"Who was dressed in a suit?" Lana's voice interrupted from the kitchen doorway.
"Hey babe. Did we wake you?" Pete asked.
Lana shook her head as she sat in the chair next to him. "No, of course not. I woke up and you weren't there, so I thought I'd find you." She gave him a tiny peck on the cheek. "So, who was dressed in a suit?"
"Clark Kent."
"He's back in town?"
"Yeah, vacation. So, Chloe, what are you doing here crying? Just because he's here can't be the thing that made you come over here sobbing," Pete questioned.
"I was not sobbing. Crying mildly, but not sobbing."
"Whatever."
"It was nothing really. God, I don't even know why I left now. I just.he just." Chloe took a deep breath and Pete went to get their coffee. Chloe took the mug from his had and gulped down half of it. Feeling better, she set it down. "He was researching my life. He found the article about my mom. You know, the one about her death. He got pretty upset that I didn't share the news with him and I got even more upset that he had found it and tried to make it all about him."
"How so?" Lana asked.
"He was mad about being the last to know and that I should've told him everything since we're best friends. That's when I brought up the fact that we're no longer best friends, but more closer to strangers. I guess we're more like acquaintances now, but he still should've waited for me to share my life," Chloe answered.
"Chloe, are you more angry about him finding out or that he didn't wait for you to tell him?" Lana asked.
"That he didn't wait for me to tell him. I mean, he's only seen me again for a day after what, six years, and he's already researching my life!" Chloe exclaimed. She picked up her mug and gulped down the now lukewarm coffee.
Pete and Lana exchanged knowing glances. "Chloe, is there a chance that you may have deep down feelings for Clark left over from your days in high school?" Lana asked.
Chloe almost dropped the mug. "No.yes.I don't know. Even if I do, I can't act on them no matter how much I would want to."
"Why not? If he were to feel the same way then you both could finally be happy. Chloe, I haven't seen you truly happy since Jay died. You deserve to have some happiness," Pete reasoned.
Chloe shook her head. "No! Not going to happen! He just lost his wife Pete. He's still hurting, I can tell. He hasn't let go. And so what if I'm not truly happy? I'm happy enough with the life I've built. I have my daughter and friends, that's all I need. I do have feelings for him, I've had them since the eighth grade. But that doesn't mean I'm going to act on them," Chloe told them.
"Okay, Chloe, we understand. I think that you need to Clark though," Pete said, trying to calm her down.
"Yeah, I guess."
The three sat in silence, only the hands of the hallway clock ticking could be heard.
()*()*()*()*()*()*()
Martha had put Lee to bed only minutes before, but Lee was not yet ready to sleep. She waited until she heard Jonathan and Martha say good night through the crack of her door and then their bedroom door shut below her. Climbing out of her bed as quietly as she could, Lee padded out of her room in slipper feet.
The television in the living room was on but Clark wasn't in the room. Lee frowned and checked the kitchen. Not there either. She went to the front door and opened it slowly so it wouldn't squeak. Lee saw a shadow in the barn and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her towards it. She climbed the steps, skipping the ones that she knew made noise. When she reached the loft, she saw Clark sitting on the couch with her photo album in his hands.
"Hey Clark, what're you doing with that?"
"Oh, sorry Lee. Is it yours?"
"Yeah, mommy gave it to me on my fifth birthday. It was hers when she was a teenager."
"Oh. I was just looking through it. Maybe you could help me understand some of the more recent additions."
"Okay." Lee walked up and sat down on the couch next to him. Clark reopened the book to the beginning. It was the picture of him and Chloe when they were fifteen. The one that he had torn up when Chloe had moved. "Hey, that's you and mommy. She was so pretty."
"Yeah," Clark murmured, which caused Lee to look at him funny.
She quickly turned the page. "This is Gramma and Grampa's wedding photo. And this is mommy as a baby. Grampa and mommy when they first moved here. Just Grampa. Just Gramma, before she was sick. Mommy and Gramma when mommy graduated. Daddy on his motorcycle. Mommy and daddy. Auntie Lana and Uncle Pete. Mommy at her college graduation. Me as a baby. Me when I was two with Auntie Lana. Me when I was two with Uncle Pete. My fourth birthday when I landed face first in the chocolate cake. Me with your parents. Uncle Jonathan giving me a piggyback ride. Auntie Martha, mommy, and me on the porch. Uncle Pete throwing me into the pile of hay. Mommy in the mud after I pushed her in. Mommy pulling Uncle Pete in with her after he laughed. And a picture of Superman from the newspaper."
Clark watched Lee's face light up with each picture. Chloe had raised one of the greatest little girls that he had ever met. He closed the book and put it on the stand beside the couch.
"Lee, do you miss your daddy?"
The little smile on Lee's face vanished and her face crinkled into a thoughtful expression. "Yeah, sometimes. I wish that he was here with mommy and me. Don't tell mommy, but I get mad at him sometimes."
Clark was taken aback. "Why?"
"I get mad that he died and left mommy. She seems so sad sometimes. I can tell that when she looks at me she sees daddy and then she leaves suddenly. Then, there are times when I'm happy he's not here because it's just us," Lee explained.
"Lee, how old were you when your mommy told you he was dead?"
"I was three. I asked her why he was never around and that's when she told me. Want to know another secret?" Clark nodded and Lee got real close to his ear. Then she whispered, "I don't miss him like mommy does. I don't know how."
She pulled back and the expression on her round face was enough to make Clark want to run. It was a mixture of innocence and guilt that he'd never seen on someone so young.
"How come?"
"How do you miss something or someone that you've only heard stories about. That you've never met yourself. They're not living to you, they're only storybook cut-outs. You don't know them personally, only from rumors or simple stories," Lee told him.
"How come you're so smart?"
Lee shrugged. "I have no one my age to talk to. Only grown-ups."
"What about classmates?"
"Nope. They don't like me much because I like to be alone a lot."
"Well, anytime you'd like to talk, I'm available."
"Thanks. Clark, will you read to me? Mommy usually does, but she's not here."
"Sure, what do you want me to read?"
"It don't matter."
Clark picked up the closest book to them and started to read. Lee curled up to his side and Clark put an arm around her. Within moments, Lee was asleep. Clark soon followed minutes later.