Part 2 A Paradise to Come
Lucas Luthor settled back on the comfortable seats that the company's private plane provided. He sighed and smiled, just out of the blue. Even his father's demand for the quarterly meetings with his sons did not diminish the happiness that had been lighting his entire week.
It had been difficult to leave her. It was always hard for him to kiss her goodbye at their front door. This time, the parting was even more reluctant because of the recent information.
Due to two weeks of mild illness, he had taken his wife to the hospital for a check-up. Imagine the shock that paralyzed him to find out that they were expecting a child to further strengthen their family. Lucas could hardly believe the amazing development. He had one less thing to worry about. The fear that one day she would remember and leave him was easing with every kiss. With a baby they created together, Lucas was certain that Chloe would be with him forever. No matter what events occur or memories that come back, their bond was unbreakable now. And the lock that sealed that relationship was even now growing inside her.
He closed his eyes and relished in the memory of her arms wrapped around him, clinging to his shoulders as she asked him not to leave. Her eyes were moist when she agreed that his work was important and that she would be waiting. He could clearly see the image he created in his mind of her welcoming her home, her belly one month larger, her breasts one month fuller, her heart one month fonder.
He blinked at the steady, annoying noise. Lucas turned and found the flight attendant waiting for his attention. "What is it?"
"Sir, it's a video call for you. It's your brother." She turned on the video phone in front of him and walked sedately back to the cabin.
"How is Spain this time of the year?" greeted the Luthor on the screen.
As with all the times that they have faced each other, Lucas tamped down the heavy feeling in his heart. "Lovely as always. The matador festival will be coming soon. I intend to be home by that time."
"Of course you will," Lex assured his brother. "I doubt that this meeting will take long. Father just needs to see that we're both still under his thumb."
"And he couldn't do this by video conferencing? I would have preferred to stay in Barcelona."
"Your wife must be one heck of a woman to tie you down like that. You're a drifter, Lucas. It takes a uniquely brilliant sun to keep a man like you from wandering."
A mention of her and Lucas was sure he was probably perspiring now. He was grateful that the screen would not catch such a tiny detail. He informed Lex that he married, and for all that Lex knew, Lucas had tied the knot to a Spanish woman he had met in the part of the empire he was given. Lex never extended an invitation to meet her. It helped that Lucas' marriage was around the same time when Lex suffered a loss and betrayal of his own. He had no wish to observe evidence that his brother found the happiness that he himself had not. "You have to understand, Lex. I want to be with her. We're-we're expecting. Just found out yesterday."
It was apparent even in the small screen how devastation flitted across the older Luthor's features. Lex quickly hid the reaction. "You should have told dad. I'm sure he wouldn't have insisted on this meeting if he knew."
Lucas shook his head. "He would have insisted I bring her along, Lex. I wouldn't have had the time to explain."
"Are you still telling her that crap about being a sales agent? Why don't you just tell her? It's not like you're afraid she'll be with you for your money."
"How is Manila, Lex?"
Lex smirked at the abrupt change in topic. "Manila is Manila. Same hot hell it's been since my exile. Even worse is that despite the freaking heat, there's a tropical storm heading close by. On the upside, dad has no reason to grill me. LuthorCorp Pacific posted an impressive revenue this quarter." He flipped through some papers on his desk. "It looks like you'll be heading home to your wife soon. EuroLuthor did even better than the mother company."
Matching the statistical graphs of the Pacific and European branches, Lex started to congratulate his brother on the performance of their company. He waited for an acknowledgment. When none came, he glanced up at the screen and found it static. Lex frowned and redialed.
'The number you are calling is out of coverage.'
The hell it was. The line was just cut and their global positioning satellite reached the deepest cave on earth.
Lex picked up the phone on his desk and dialed air control. "Don't do this, Lucas," he muttered, looking out the window at the darkened skies. "Don't fucking do this."
~~
She sighed in her sleep, her hand involuntarily seeking her belly. Chloe smiled and drifted deeper into her dream.
She sat cross-legged on a checkered blanket at the bottom of a small hillock. It was the replica of a famous volcano, thirty feet high but perfectly coned at the top. She had no idea how she knew that particular detail, but with the sun shining high above her and snacks spread before her, she didn't bother to find out.
"You're going to burn your skin off." And then there was shade. Chloe looked up but couldn't see the man's face, silhouetted as he was. With the sun shining behind him, all she could discern was that he was bald.
She was drawing an envelope from her purse now. Chloe noticed appreciatively that her bag was woven abaca that matched the sandals at the edge of the blanket. All around her was vast grassland and she was the flower in the floral sundress.
Chloe handed the envelope to the man. She could feel her heart racing, although she did not know why. What was so important in that envelope that made the man gasp? The paper fluttered down to the blanket and she smiled up at him.
"God, this is perfect!" he sighed. He knelt in front of her, and with the sun still behind him, she saw nothing of his features but that brief spark of the blue in his eyes. His arms wrapped around her waist and she rested her hands at his nape, allowing him to lay her down on the blanket and cover her body with his. "You're perfect," he said. "We're going to be perfect, the three of us," he promised, and her heart soared.
She turned her head and looked at the paper caught underneath a mango. Chloe's lips parted when she read the words printed there.
"Names," he said. "We'll think of names. And we'll go shopping for everything it needs."
"Lex," she said, puzzling her again. "It's too early."
"I don't care," he whispered against the crook of her neck. "We're going to look for a house, Chloe. I'm going to design the nursery."
"Will you let me help?" she teased.
"Maybe."
"Why did you bring your phone? You promised you wouldn't," she protested.
Chloe stirred on the couch when the ringing didn't stop. She sat up and saw the cordless telephone on the coffee table blinking, and then realized that it wasn't a dream. She reached for it. "Hola!" she greeted. By this time, Lucas would be calling from Madrid, where he usually signed contracts for the chemical sales.
"Señora Luthor," the low voice came from the other end.
"Si." Chloe rose and went to the kitchen to get some milk. She really needed something to wet her suddenly dry throat. Too bad she wasn't allowed coffee anymore. She couldn't even claim that she forgot the rule. Lucas had it plastered on the refrigerator and the coffee maker. 'BABY DOESN'T LIKE CAFFEINE. DADDY WON'T APPRECIATE MOMMY HYPED ON CAFFEINE.' "Soy aqui. Quien es tu?"
"Señora," the man said slowly, "tu hablas ingles?"
"I'm American," she informed the caller. "Why?"
"Mrs. Luthor, I'm calling about your husband Lucas."
Chloe grabbed the edge of the sink. There was something about the sober was that the man said that that made her faint and woozy. "He's on his way to Madrid. His train left a few hours ago."
"No, Mrs. Luthor," the man imparted. "I will be going there to fetch you. I would not have wanted you to find out this way. Lucas' plane was reported lost over the South China Sea."
"What?" she whispered.
"We will need you here."
"Who is this?" she demanded. "Lucas is in Madrid, not flying to Asia!"
"Mrs. Luthor, your husband has been traveling here four times a year. He is vice president of EuroLuthor."
"Who the hell is this?"
"I'm his brother, Mrs. Luthor. And I know that we are complete strangers, but this crisis will bring us closer. I assure you. We take care of family. I will be leaving right now to get you personally. Wait for me okay?"
"This isn't true," she denied softly, although what the man said made sense. Lucas did leave for weeks of every quarter. And for a chemical sales agent's salary, they had an impossible carte blanche over anything they would ever need.
"I'll explain everything on the way back here. Just wait."
"Lucas does not have a brother!"
"He does. I'm sorry he never told you. Lucas is a complicated young man," the caller explained. "Please. I only got your address. Wait for Lex Luthor."
Chloe gasped and dropped the phone to the floor, where it cracked open and sent the small screws and parts rolling all over the kitchen tiles.
Lucas Luthor settled back on the comfortable seats that the company's private plane provided. He sighed and smiled, just out of the blue. Even his father's demand for the quarterly meetings with his sons did not diminish the happiness that had been lighting his entire week.
It had been difficult to leave her. It was always hard for him to kiss her goodbye at their front door. This time, the parting was even more reluctant because of the recent information.
Due to two weeks of mild illness, he had taken his wife to the hospital for a check-up. Imagine the shock that paralyzed him to find out that they were expecting a child to further strengthen their family. Lucas could hardly believe the amazing development. He had one less thing to worry about. The fear that one day she would remember and leave him was easing with every kiss. With a baby they created together, Lucas was certain that Chloe would be with him forever. No matter what events occur or memories that come back, their bond was unbreakable now. And the lock that sealed that relationship was even now growing inside her.
He closed his eyes and relished in the memory of her arms wrapped around him, clinging to his shoulders as she asked him not to leave. Her eyes were moist when she agreed that his work was important and that she would be waiting. He could clearly see the image he created in his mind of her welcoming her home, her belly one month larger, her breasts one month fuller, her heart one month fonder.
He blinked at the steady, annoying noise. Lucas turned and found the flight attendant waiting for his attention. "What is it?"
"Sir, it's a video call for you. It's your brother." She turned on the video phone in front of him and walked sedately back to the cabin.
"How is Spain this time of the year?" greeted the Luthor on the screen.
As with all the times that they have faced each other, Lucas tamped down the heavy feeling in his heart. "Lovely as always. The matador festival will be coming soon. I intend to be home by that time."
"Of course you will," Lex assured his brother. "I doubt that this meeting will take long. Father just needs to see that we're both still under his thumb."
"And he couldn't do this by video conferencing? I would have preferred to stay in Barcelona."
"Your wife must be one heck of a woman to tie you down like that. You're a drifter, Lucas. It takes a uniquely brilliant sun to keep a man like you from wandering."
A mention of her and Lucas was sure he was probably perspiring now. He was grateful that the screen would not catch such a tiny detail. He informed Lex that he married, and for all that Lex knew, Lucas had tied the knot to a Spanish woman he had met in the part of the empire he was given. Lex never extended an invitation to meet her. It helped that Lucas' marriage was around the same time when Lex suffered a loss and betrayal of his own. He had no wish to observe evidence that his brother found the happiness that he himself had not. "You have to understand, Lex. I want to be with her. We're-we're expecting. Just found out yesterday."
It was apparent even in the small screen how devastation flitted across the older Luthor's features. Lex quickly hid the reaction. "You should have told dad. I'm sure he wouldn't have insisted on this meeting if he knew."
Lucas shook his head. "He would have insisted I bring her along, Lex. I wouldn't have had the time to explain."
"Are you still telling her that crap about being a sales agent? Why don't you just tell her? It's not like you're afraid she'll be with you for your money."
"How is Manila, Lex?"
Lex smirked at the abrupt change in topic. "Manila is Manila. Same hot hell it's been since my exile. Even worse is that despite the freaking heat, there's a tropical storm heading close by. On the upside, dad has no reason to grill me. LuthorCorp Pacific posted an impressive revenue this quarter." He flipped through some papers on his desk. "It looks like you'll be heading home to your wife soon. EuroLuthor did even better than the mother company."
Matching the statistical graphs of the Pacific and European branches, Lex started to congratulate his brother on the performance of their company. He waited for an acknowledgment. When none came, he glanced up at the screen and found it static. Lex frowned and redialed.
'The number you are calling is out of coverage.'
The hell it was. The line was just cut and their global positioning satellite reached the deepest cave on earth.
Lex picked up the phone on his desk and dialed air control. "Don't do this, Lucas," he muttered, looking out the window at the darkened skies. "Don't fucking do this."
~~
She sighed in her sleep, her hand involuntarily seeking her belly. Chloe smiled and drifted deeper into her dream.
She sat cross-legged on a checkered blanket at the bottom of a small hillock. It was the replica of a famous volcano, thirty feet high but perfectly coned at the top. She had no idea how she knew that particular detail, but with the sun shining high above her and snacks spread before her, she didn't bother to find out.
"You're going to burn your skin off." And then there was shade. Chloe looked up but couldn't see the man's face, silhouetted as he was. With the sun shining behind him, all she could discern was that he was bald.
She was drawing an envelope from her purse now. Chloe noticed appreciatively that her bag was woven abaca that matched the sandals at the edge of the blanket. All around her was vast grassland and she was the flower in the floral sundress.
Chloe handed the envelope to the man. She could feel her heart racing, although she did not know why. What was so important in that envelope that made the man gasp? The paper fluttered down to the blanket and she smiled up at him.
"God, this is perfect!" he sighed. He knelt in front of her, and with the sun still behind him, she saw nothing of his features but that brief spark of the blue in his eyes. His arms wrapped around her waist and she rested her hands at his nape, allowing him to lay her down on the blanket and cover her body with his. "You're perfect," he said. "We're going to be perfect, the three of us," he promised, and her heart soared.
She turned her head and looked at the paper caught underneath a mango. Chloe's lips parted when she read the words printed there.
"Names," he said. "We'll think of names. And we'll go shopping for everything it needs."
"Lex," she said, puzzling her again. "It's too early."
"I don't care," he whispered against the crook of her neck. "We're going to look for a house, Chloe. I'm going to design the nursery."
"Will you let me help?" she teased.
"Maybe."
"Why did you bring your phone? You promised you wouldn't," she protested.
Chloe stirred on the couch when the ringing didn't stop. She sat up and saw the cordless telephone on the coffee table blinking, and then realized that it wasn't a dream. She reached for it. "Hola!" she greeted. By this time, Lucas would be calling from Madrid, where he usually signed contracts for the chemical sales.
"Señora Luthor," the low voice came from the other end.
"Si." Chloe rose and went to the kitchen to get some milk. She really needed something to wet her suddenly dry throat. Too bad she wasn't allowed coffee anymore. She couldn't even claim that she forgot the rule. Lucas had it plastered on the refrigerator and the coffee maker. 'BABY DOESN'T LIKE CAFFEINE. DADDY WON'T APPRECIATE MOMMY HYPED ON CAFFEINE.' "Soy aqui. Quien es tu?"
"Señora," the man said slowly, "tu hablas ingles?"
"I'm American," she informed the caller. "Why?"
"Mrs. Luthor, I'm calling about your husband Lucas."
Chloe grabbed the edge of the sink. There was something about the sober was that the man said that that made her faint and woozy. "He's on his way to Madrid. His train left a few hours ago."
"No, Mrs. Luthor," the man imparted. "I will be going there to fetch you. I would not have wanted you to find out this way. Lucas' plane was reported lost over the South China Sea."
"What?" she whispered.
"We will need you here."
"Who is this?" she demanded. "Lucas is in Madrid, not flying to Asia!"
"Mrs. Luthor, your husband has been traveling here four times a year. He is vice president of EuroLuthor."
"Who the hell is this?"
"I'm his brother, Mrs. Luthor. And I know that we are complete strangers, but this crisis will bring us closer. I assure you. We take care of family. I will be leaving right now to get you personally. Wait for me okay?"
"This isn't true," she denied softly, although what the man said made sense. Lucas did leave for weeks of every quarter. And for a chemical sales agent's salary, they had an impossible carte blanche over anything they would ever need.
"I'll explain everything on the way back here. Just wait."
"Lucas does not have a brother!"
"He does. I'm sorry he never told you. Lucas is a complicated young man," the caller explained. "Please. I only got your address. Wait for Lex Luthor."
Chloe gasped and dropped the phone to the floor, where it cracked open and sent the small screws and parts rolling all over the kitchen tiles.