Lana was rushing around, frantically taking orders and pouring refills on a
busy Sunday afternoon. It was the middle of summer and she was hot, tired,
and overworked. Two girls had called in sick that day, supposedly with
some virus, although she knew that both of them had tickets to an evening
concert and were probably at home this very minute applying purple eyeliner
and dying their hair temporarily pink. She sighed and scrawled something
illegible on a pad of paper. She smiled wearily at her customer, one of
many who had regarded her that day with quiet indifference. Although these
people would be a big part of her life that summer; the extra shifts
occupied her time, and kept her mind off other, more dangerous things, Lana
could not help but feel slighted in some way. Other kids her age would be
just waking up now. She'd been at the Talon since three that morning.
Lana sighed to herself. 'This is what you wanted,' she thought.
"Lana!" someone called from across the room.
"What?" she yelled back, over blaring music and several conversations going on around her.
She turned to see Alicia, the only other waitress there, at the counter, holding the phone and motioning urgently to get her attention.
Lana rolled her eyes and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face and tucked them behind one ear. She grabbed the phone from Alicia's hand and set the empty tray she was holding on the counter.
She gestured for Alicia to keep working, and mentally reminded herself that she should look into getting the girl a raise. Like Lana, she was dedicated to the Talon and worked almost as tirelessly as herself, without all the perks of management.
"Hello, Lana speaking, how can I help you?" She hoped the annoyance that had crept into her voice wasn't too blatantly obvious.
"Don't hang up. I know you're busy, and probably angry, but, please just.don't hang up."
The voice on the other end was slightly muffled, but it was distinct enough for her to know exactly who she was speaking to.
"Clark?" she whispered, suddenly very aware of the room, crowded with people. She pulled the phone cord around the door and shut it, so she was alone in the storage room, where it was somewhat quieter.
"It's me, Lana. You okay?"
She could feel tears springing to her eyes, and her throat constricting. She leaned against the wall, taking short, shallow breaths, in an effort to contain her shock. Hearing his voice was so foreign, so strange, so overwhelming that she almost felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.
Finally, she forced her voice to work for her. "Are you alright?" she gasped. "Where are you?" The words were coming quickly now, and more easily. There were a hundred things she wanted to ask him, and she had the distinct feeling their time together would be brief.
"Christ," she said, putting a clammy hand to her forehead. "I can't believe it's you."
"Are you okay?" he repeated.
Lana's voice broke. "Of course I'm not!" she wailed. "Clark, where the hell are you? I haven't heard from you in two months and now, all of a sudden--." She stopped herself and took a deep breath. A little calmer, she managed to ask him again if he was alright.
"I'm fine. I'm in Metropolis." He seemed to be waiting anxiously for her response.
"Where?" She was already untying her green apron. "I'll come get you. You can come home."
"No!" he said quickly. "No.I.Lana, I'm sorry. I can't tell you where I am."
"Clark," she whispered, her voice wavering, "don't do this to me. I waited so long for this...please." She knew she was quickly bordering desperation, but it was all she could do to stop herself from crying on the phone.
"Lana," he said quietly. "Please, don't, okay? This is hard for me too."
"Yeah," she said sarcastically. "I'll bet. I can see how incredibly difficult this is for you."
"That's not fair Lana," he said angrily.
"It's been two months. Two months that I've waited for this call. And now you're just doing this for the hell of it?" she said, the tears falling faster than she could wipe them away. "What do you want? If you're not coming home, then why are you calling?"
"I.I just wanted to hear your voice. That's all Lana."
"Fine. Fine, you've heard it. Now what?"
"Please don't be mad."
"She put a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. "I can't do this Clark. Please just, come home. Please," she pleaded.
"I can't. Not yet."
"I know about your secret. Your parents told me and Pete filled in the rest. I know everything."
The silence was deafening.
"Say something Clark."
"I'm so sorry for hurting you," he whispered tenderly.
She said nothing. Then, "You need to end this. Stop being such a coward. I was so scared for you. Your parents had no idea where you were.I should call them."
"Tell them I'm safe, that I miss them."
She nodded. "Okay, I will." She sniffed and dried her tears with the back of her hand.
"I miss you too Lana. I love you."
"Yeah," she said, doubtfully.
There was a long pause on the other line, as if he was waiting for her to speak again.
"I should go."
"I guess so," she said resignedly. Lana seemed torn between wanting to keep him on the line, and wanting to hang up on him.
"Bye."
She waited for the phone to click off on the other line, before allowing it to fall from her hand onto the floor, where it landed with a thud. She fell back against the wall and sank to the floor, her body wracked with gasping sobs. She held her face in her hands, guilt weighing heavily on her heart.
"Lana!" someone called from across the room.
"What?" she yelled back, over blaring music and several conversations going on around her.
She turned to see Alicia, the only other waitress there, at the counter, holding the phone and motioning urgently to get her attention.
Lana rolled her eyes and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face and tucked them behind one ear. She grabbed the phone from Alicia's hand and set the empty tray she was holding on the counter.
She gestured for Alicia to keep working, and mentally reminded herself that she should look into getting the girl a raise. Like Lana, she was dedicated to the Talon and worked almost as tirelessly as herself, without all the perks of management.
"Hello, Lana speaking, how can I help you?" She hoped the annoyance that had crept into her voice wasn't too blatantly obvious.
"Don't hang up. I know you're busy, and probably angry, but, please just.don't hang up."
The voice on the other end was slightly muffled, but it was distinct enough for her to know exactly who she was speaking to.
"Clark?" she whispered, suddenly very aware of the room, crowded with people. She pulled the phone cord around the door and shut it, so she was alone in the storage room, where it was somewhat quieter.
"It's me, Lana. You okay?"
She could feel tears springing to her eyes, and her throat constricting. She leaned against the wall, taking short, shallow breaths, in an effort to contain her shock. Hearing his voice was so foreign, so strange, so overwhelming that she almost felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.
Finally, she forced her voice to work for her. "Are you alright?" she gasped. "Where are you?" The words were coming quickly now, and more easily. There were a hundred things she wanted to ask him, and she had the distinct feeling their time together would be brief.
"Christ," she said, putting a clammy hand to her forehead. "I can't believe it's you."
"Are you okay?" he repeated.
Lana's voice broke. "Of course I'm not!" she wailed. "Clark, where the hell are you? I haven't heard from you in two months and now, all of a sudden--." She stopped herself and took a deep breath. A little calmer, she managed to ask him again if he was alright.
"I'm fine. I'm in Metropolis." He seemed to be waiting anxiously for her response.
"Where?" She was already untying her green apron. "I'll come get you. You can come home."
"No!" he said quickly. "No.I.Lana, I'm sorry. I can't tell you where I am."
"Clark," she whispered, her voice wavering, "don't do this to me. I waited so long for this...please." She knew she was quickly bordering desperation, but it was all she could do to stop herself from crying on the phone.
"Lana," he said quietly. "Please, don't, okay? This is hard for me too."
"Yeah," she said sarcastically. "I'll bet. I can see how incredibly difficult this is for you."
"That's not fair Lana," he said angrily.
"It's been two months. Two months that I've waited for this call. And now you're just doing this for the hell of it?" she said, the tears falling faster than she could wipe them away. "What do you want? If you're not coming home, then why are you calling?"
"I.I just wanted to hear your voice. That's all Lana."
"Fine. Fine, you've heard it. Now what?"
"Please don't be mad."
"She put a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. "I can't do this Clark. Please just, come home. Please," she pleaded.
"I can't. Not yet."
"I know about your secret. Your parents told me and Pete filled in the rest. I know everything."
The silence was deafening.
"Say something Clark."
"I'm so sorry for hurting you," he whispered tenderly.
She said nothing. Then, "You need to end this. Stop being such a coward. I was so scared for you. Your parents had no idea where you were.I should call them."
"Tell them I'm safe, that I miss them."
She nodded. "Okay, I will." She sniffed and dried her tears with the back of her hand.
"I miss you too Lana. I love you."
"Yeah," she said, doubtfully.
There was a long pause on the other line, as if he was waiting for her to speak again.
"I should go."
"I guess so," she said resignedly. Lana seemed torn between wanting to keep him on the line, and wanting to hang up on him.
"Bye."
She waited for the phone to click off on the other line, before allowing it to fall from her hand onto the floor, where it landed with a thud. She fell back against the wall and sank to the floor, her body wracked with gasping sobs. She held her face in her hands, guilt weighing heavily on her heart.
