She walked right up to his table and said, "Do you mind if I sit with you? Smallville's watering hole always was kind of crowded on Saturdays."
"Uh…no. Go ahead."
He stared at her, trying to place the old woman. Was she someone's mamaw or great aunt? He didn't think so. Maybe she had been in one of the nursing homes he sang carols to at Christmas time. It was driving him crazy, he knew this woman, and it was right on the tip of his tongue.
"What'd you say your name was, ma'am?"
"I may be getting old, but I don't recall telling you," she said, flashing him a smile.
She was completely in control of the situation. She was playing with him. You could tell she knew him and that she also knew he didn't recognize her. She was enjoying every minute of it and hoping to keep it that way.
"Would you like something to drink?" he asked.
"Coffee would be nice and what the heck, add lots of cream and sugar. I feel like a teenager again," and she lightly hit him with her cane.
He brought back her coffee. She seemed to be taking in her surroundings.
"Been away from Smallville a long time?"
"In a way. Last time I was here, the Talon wasn't."
"That's not surprising. It's kind of new. It was a movie theater, but I guess you knew that."
She grunted as she sipped her coffee.
"I bet you went to one of the shows, right? Saw Katherine Hepburn or Gregory Peck, maybe?"
"How old do you think I am?"
He guessed she was in her 90s but that was most likely one of those questions that shouldn't be answered.
"I'm not as old as you think, Clark. At least, not in the way you're thinking of."
She was a cryptic lady.
"So where are you staying?" he questioned.
"I'm just going to check into a motel and when the money runs out, I can always sleep in my car. Back seats aren't too bad, if you bend your knees and avoid the drive train-"
"Ma'am."
"And then you know if I have to sell my car for food that's okay too. I've always dreamed of being a hobo, riding the rails, and roadside fires."
"If you want, I guess you could stay with my mom and me."
"Thanks. You're a lifesaver. I'm going to go get my bag."
What just happened? If he didn't have the biggest feeling of déjà vu, ever. Why didn't he remember her?
He got up and followed her out.
sss
The elderly woman sat reclining in a chair watching a new movie on TV. It had been strange, but when it first came on, she had exclaimed, "I haven't seen this movie in ages!" Clark had politely reminded her that no one had seen it because it was new. She had laughed, hit him with her cane, and said, "It's as old as the hills to me."
He was sitting in the kitchen now and he peaked out at her every few minutes. He didn't know how his mom was going to feel about his letting a senile, old lady stay with them. He reckoned he would find out tomorrow, when his mom got back from the capital.
She was snoring now. It was amazing how quickly she had made herself at home. She took over his room without asking, not that he wouldn't have given it to her. She didn't seem to need to know where things were at.
He went in and cut the TV off. The silence woke her up.
"I guess I better go take a nap, huh? Take off that plaid shirt, Smallville, before I call the Fashion Police."
She climbed up the stairs with some effort and Clark stared after her, his eyes as big as saucers. He went over to the phone and made a call.
"Chloe, it's Clark. Do you and Lois have an older relative, who acts freakishly like Lois?"
"Not that I know of. Why?"
"I think there's a 90 year old Lois in my house!"