CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The phone rang around four o'clock that afternoon. Martha answered it and was barely able to get the receiver to her ear before she heard her son yell, "Chloe! Your daughter is driving me crazy!"
"Clark?" Martha answered, smiling to herself.
"Mom? Hey, is Chloe there?"
"Not at the moment. She had to run an errand at the high school. Is there something I can help you with?" Martha replied.
"Maybe. How do you get Lee to eat vegetables?" Clark asked, his voice frantic.
"What kind of vegetables?"
"Peas."
"You're trying to get Lee to eat peas?" Martha exclaimed. "Clark, Lee hates peas. She calls them 'shriveled up balls that taste like feet.'"
"Chloe could have told me that before she left. What else does Lee hate?"
"Liver, Brussels sprouts, onions, peppers, lima beans, and raisins. Oh, and she's allergic to strawberries and peanuts," Martha listed.
"Thanks. Is Chloe back yet?" Clark asked, his voice full of hope.
"No, sorry Clark," Martha sighed.
"Oh, well tell her I called. I got to get back to dinner with Lee."
"Okay, bye Clark," Martha said, hanging up the phone. She went back to the living room and sat by Jonathan. She cuddled up to him on the couch.
"What was that about?"
"Clark was trying to get Lee to eat peas."
Jonathan laughed. "I remember when I tried to do that. You and Chloe were having a girls' day with Lana and Pete and I were stuck here making dinner. I remember laughing at Pete when he told me that she threw the plate on the floor. When I tried to feed her a new plate, she picked up the peas off the plate and threw them at my head," Jonathan said.
"Yeah, then you gave her ice cream as a bribe to not tell us anything about that," Martha said, chuckling.
"How did you know about that?"
"She was four, hon. She didn't know what a bribe was."
The couple sat there in their own little bubble, laughing at the memory of that afternoon.
+-+-+-+-+-+
"Lee, come on, let's go out to dinner," Clark said after he hung up with his mom.
"Why?"
"Because I just found out that you don't eat anything I cooked tonight."
"Well, duh."
"Just throw the food into the garbage can under the sink and I'll get your jacket. We'll also do a little shopping so you have something to wear while you're here," Clark said.
Lee came into the kitchen with her plate and dumped the contents into the trash bin. She put the plate and silverware on the counter and turned to look at Clark who came in from the coat closet. "Clark, do you even know how to shop?" she asked pointedly.
"Of course I do," Clark said.
"For a girl?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. It's quite simple actually. I just stand back and let you pick out whatever you want," Clark said. Lee shook her head. "What? That isn't what I do?"
"Nope. You have to get what I need and what mommy wants me to wear," Lee informed him.
"Fine, put this on and we'll go," Clark said, holding out Lee's denim jacket.
"You know, you should have Uncle Pete help. He takes me shopping all the time," Lee said as they left the apartment.
That got Clark's full attention as he grabbed Lee's hand. "Why does Pete take you shopping all the time?" Clark asked.
"Not all the time. Just when mommy's busy."
"How often is your mommy busy?"
Lee shrugged. "I don't know."
Clark and Lee walked in silence down the block towards the only children's clothing store that Clark knew of. He wondered where Chloe went all the times she couldn't be there for her daughter. Was she off dating or was she off working? And if she was off working, what she could be doing that was so vital to the teaching profession?
Lee must have read his mind because she said, "Mommy doesn't work all that much, but she dates because Auntie Lana and Uncle Pete make her go on binder dates."
Clark chuckled. "I think you mean blind dates," he corrected.
"That's what I said."
"So, your mommy has a lot of boyfriends?" Clark asked. God, fishing for answers about Chloe's love life from her daughter. How low will I go? Clark thought.
Lee shook her head. "No, I said dates. I don't get to meet them. Mommy said that the special one that she keeps, I get to meet," Lee announced. Lee ran ahead of him into the kids' clothing store.
As Clark followed her, only one question stood in his mind. Will he ever have the same chance with Chloe that those other men did?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meanwhile, Chloe was just finishing the final grades for her last period journalism class. As she hit the send button on the computer to deliver them to the administration office, she heard a knock. With a frustrated sigh, Chloe stood and answered the door. The frustrated sigh turned into one of pure shock as she saw who was standing there.
"Lex? I thought I told you that our business together was over," Chloe said, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"That may be, Chloe, but I'm not ready to discontinue the last steady relationship that I have," Lex said with an air of defiance.
Chloe let out a very unladylike snort. " 'Steady relationship?' Is that what you call our friendship? Lex, it is nothing of the sort. Not anymore anyway," Chloe told him.
"Why, because holier-than-thou Clark Kent decided to stop in his quaint hometown on the way to another destination of his life? Is that why, Chloe? Is it also because even though you grew up you never matured out of your infatuation with him? I desired more from you, Chloe! I expected more!" Lex yelled.
"Isn't that just rich? Lex Luthor desired more from me than what I truly am. I know I still have a girlhood crush on him that should have ended years ago! I'm not a total idiot! I didn't expect you to understand, Lex, I just expected you to accept it and move on!" Chloe screamed back.
"What did he ever do for you, Chloe? For Lee? I was there for both of you! I gave you support and hid our relationship from the rest of the world because you wished it so!" Lex roared.
"Yes, I did wish it. Only because you were ruining the lives of the people I care about! And so freaking what if Clark didn't do anything for Lee or me? He didn't even know about us!" Chloe shouted.
"So, when he left, did you go see him? Did you run after him like the girl you used to be would?" Lex asked.
"As a matter of fact I did. And even so, it's none of your business. Your acting like a jealous ex-boyfriend when you aren't!"
"I just care about you Chloe!"
"With no reason! I thank you Lex for what you did for us, but just get out of my life now! There's no room for you anymore. It's time for you to get your own life and stop living vicariously through mine!" Chloe cried out sternly.
Lex came up real close to her and leaned down next to her ear. He whispered so closely to her ear that it felt like feathers being brushed against it, "Tell me that you love me or at least used to. That's all I need to know and then I'll leave."
Chloe looked up into his face with teary hazel eyes and said softly, "Once upon a time Lex, but that time has come and gone and we have to let go for everyone's sakes."
Lex nodded and turned. Chloe watched lifelessly as the expensive black jacket and bald head disappeared. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding in when she heard his sports' car start up and drive away.
The last thing heard in the wind was Lex whispering, "Once upon a time."
The phone rang around four o'clock that afternoon. Martha answered it and was barely able to get the receiver to her ear before she heard her son yell, "Chloe! Your daughter is driving me crazy!"
"Clark?" Martha answered, smiling to herself.
"Mom? Hey, is Chloe there?"
"Not at the moment. She had to run an errand at the high school. Is there something I can help you with?" Martha replied.
"Maybe. How do you get Lee to eat vegetables?" Clark asked, his voice frantic.
"What kind of vegetables?"
"Peas."
"You're trying to get Lee to eat peas?" Martha exclaimed. "Clark, Lee hates peas. She calls them 'shriveled up balls that taste like feet.'"
"Chloe could have told me that before she left. What else does Lee hate?"
"Liver, Brussels sprouts, onions, peppers, lima beans, and raisins. Oh, and she's allergic to strawberries and peanuts," Martha listed.
"Thanks. Is Chloe back yet?" Clark asked, his voice full of hope.
"No, sorry Clark," Martha sighed.
"Oh, well tell her I called. I got to get back to dinner with Lee."
"Okay, bye Clark," Martha said, hanging up the phone. She went back to the living room and sat by Jonathan. She cuddled up to him on the couch.
"What was that about?"
"Clark was trying to get Lee to eat peas."
Jonathan laughed. "I remember when I tried to do that. You and Chloe were having a girls' day with Lana and Pete and I were stuck here making dinner. I remember laughing at Pete when he told me that she threw the plate on the floor. When I tried to feed her a new plate, she picked up the peas off the plate and threw them at my head," Jonathan said.
"Yeah, then you gave her ice cream as a bribe to not tell us anything about that," Martha said, chuckling.
"How did you know about that?"
"She was four, hon. She didn't know what a bribe was."
The couple sat there in their own little bubble, laughing at the memory of that afternoon.
+-+-+-+-+-+
"Lee, come on, let's go out to dinner," Clark said after he hung up with his mom.
"Why?"
"Because I just found out that you don't eat anything I cooked tonight."
"Well, duh."
"Just throw the food into the garbage can under the sink and I'll get your jacket. We'll also do a little shopping so you have something to wear while you're here," Clark said.
Lee came into the kitchen with her plate and dumped the contents into the trash bin. She put the plate and silverware on the counter and turned to look at Clark who came in from the coat closet. "Clark, do you even know how to shop?" she asked pointedly.
"Of course I do," Clark said.
"For a girl?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. It's quite simple actually. I just stand back and let you pick out whatever you want," Clark said. Lee shook her head. "What? That isn't what I do?"
"Nope. You have to get what I need and what mommy wants me to wear," Lee informed him.
"Fine, put this on and we'll go," Clark said, holding out Lee's denim jacket.
"You know, you should have Uncle Pete help. He takes me shopping all the time," Lee said as they left the apartment.
That got Clark's full attention as he grabbed Lee's hand. "Why does Pete take you shopping all the time?" Clark asked.
"Not all the time. Just when mommy's busy."
"How often is your mommy busy?"
Lee shrugged. "I don't know."
Clark and Lee walked in silence down the block towards the only children's clothing store that Clark knew of. He wondered where Chloe went all the times she couldn't be there for her daughter. Was she off dating or was she off working? And if she was off working, what she could be doing that was so vital to the teaching profession?
Lee must have read his mind because she said, "Mommy doesn't work all that much, but she dates because Auntie Lana and Uncle Pete make her go on binder dates."
Clark chuckled. "I think you mean blind dates," he corrected.
"That's what I said."
"So, your mommy has a lot of boyfriends?" Clark asked. God, fishing for answers about Chloe's love life from her daughter. How low will I go? Clark thought.
Lee shook her head. "No, I said dates. I don't get to meet them. Mommy said that the special one that she keeps, I get to meet," Lee announced. Lee ran ahead of him into the kids' clothing store.
As Clark followed her, only one question stood in his mind. Will he ever have the same chance with Chloe that those other men did?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Meanwhile, Chloe was just finishing the final grades for her last period journalism class. As she hit the send button on the computer to deliver them to the administration office, she heard a knock. With a frustrated sigh, Chloe stood and answered the door. The frustrated sigh turned into one of pure shock as she saw who was standing there.
"Lex? I thought I told you that our business together was over," Chloe said, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"That may be, Chloe, but I'm not ready to discontinue the last steady relationship that I have," Lex said with an air of defiance.
Chloe let out a very unladylike snort. " 'Steady relationship?' Is that what you call our friendship? Lex, it is nothing of the sort. Not anymore anyway," Chloe told him.
"Why, because holier-than-thou Clark Kent decided to stop in his quaint hometown on the way to another destination of his life? Is that why, Chloe? Is it also because even though you grew up you never matured out of your infatuation with him? I desired more from you, Chloe! I expected more!" Lex yelled.
"Isn't that just rich? Lex Luthor desired more from me than what I truly am. I know I still have a girlhood crush on him that should have ended years ago! I'm not a total idiot! I didn't expect you to understand, Lex, I just expected you to accept it and move on!" Chloe screamed back.
"What did he ever do for you, Chloe? For Lee? I was there for both of you! I gave you support and hid our relationship from the rest of the world because you wished it so!" Lex roared.
"Yes, I did wish it. Only because you were ruining the lives of the people I care about! And so freaking what if Clark didn't do anything for Lee or me? He didn't even know about us!" Chloe shouted.
"So, when he left, did you go see him? Did you run after him like the girl you used to be would?" Lex asked.
"As a matter of fact I did. And even so, it's none of your business. Your acting like a jealous ex-boyfriend when you aren't!"
"I just care about you Chloe!"
"With no reason! I thank you Lex for what you did for us, but just get out of my life now! There's no room for you anymore. It's time for you to get your own life and stop living vicariously through mine!" Chloe cried out sternly.
Lex came up real close to her and leaned down next to her ear. He whispered so closely to her ear that it felt like feathers being brushed against it, "Tell me that you love me or at least used to. That's all I need to know and then I'll leave."
Chloe looked up into his face with teary hazel eyes and said softly, "Once upon a time Lex, but that time has come and gone and we have to let go for everyone's sakes."
Lex nodded and turned. Chloe watched lifelessly as the expensive black jacket and bald head disappeared. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding in when she heard his sports' car start up and drive away.
The last thing heard in the wind was Lex whispering, "Once upon a time."