Chapter 4

"Live everywhere do you Clark Kent, is that right, well big man, let's see if I can track you down, won't accept my apology, that's fine but you are not making me feel guilty because you wimped out from a fight."

"What on earth are you mumbling about Lois?" Richard asked as he looked over the top of the morning paper and watched her jam her notebook into her bag.

"Nothing! Oh crap no it isn't nothing," she replied as she slammed her bag down on the table, "I apologized to Clark last night and he was completely non fazed about it."

"I told you that it wasn't a big thing and not to bother," he replied.

"You don't understand Richard," she replied as she grabbed her coffee and sat down opposite him. "It isn't what I said that is bothering me. I said those awful things to him and when I went to his apartment I realized that, Clark Kent, a person who had been my partner for many years was someone that I didn't even know. Have you any idea how that made me feel?"

"Selfish?"

"Yes, selfish, but more a lot more," she replied before she leant forward to give her words emphasis and said, "Clark had always been my partner at the planet and I knew from the first day he had this puppy crush on me so I kept him at a distance. Even with that distance Clark took the time to find out and remember what I like and don't like, how I have my coffee, what was bothering me, Hell! The man even listened to all my emotional outpourings about Superman without once commenting on what a complete lovesick teenager I was being."

"and", he prompted after Lois had been quiet for a while

"and I didn't even know the man at all, I didn't even bother to find out his address when he came back. Richard he didn't have any friends, the only person who he may have considered a friend was me and I barely registered he had returned and basically ignored him," she replied softly.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know, but I need to know he is ok as he might have been my best friend and I didn't even know it," she replied.

"Lois, I think you should just leave it alone and leave Clark alone," he said to her.

"Richard, seriously, I am going to find Clark Kent and I am going to see that he is doing ok and then I will leave it alone, I need to do this for me."

"Ok, but don't forget I tried to warn you from doing this," he replied with a smile.

To be continued . . .