Chapter Fifty-Two
Clark whistled as he exited his truck in front of the Mobile Meals office. He had just finished another round of volunteer hours as part of the punishment Lex gave him for nearly getting himself killed. Lex had been impressed enough with his essay that eight hours had been taken off. He could have easily done his hours volunteering at the nursing home; Clark visited Cassandra frequently to read and talk with her that the staff had gotten to know him well. It seemed like cheating and an ulterior motive for his visits to Cassandra. Instead, he was reminded of how he had helped his mother, Martha, for the Mobile Meals. It had been something he dreaded before. Going into people's homes who were so sick they couldn't get out of bed, or too old to go shopping anymore, Clark had felt helpless. It was a strange feeling for him, and one he didn't like.
"You can't save them from old age and illness, but that's not the point. You're saving them from loneliness." Clark remembered his mom telling him.
Mrs. Kent was inside the office now, talking with Hank, the manager of operations. It had been good seeing the jovial man again. In his dream, Hank had turned to ash after being touched by Tyler. The conversation between Mrs. Kent and Hank looked intense. Clark didn't want to intrude, so he stayed behind and pretended to inspect something on the door of his truck.
In many ways his new truck reminded him of the one Lex had bought for him in his dream for saving his life; red with white stripes down the hood. When Clark had brought the truck to the mansion, Lex looked ready to have a heart attack when he saw the monstrosity parked between the Porsches and Mercedes Benz. Clark assured Lex he still liked the Lamborghini, but a truck seemed more natural for Clark to drive around Smallville with.
Martha Kent exited the office. Clark noticed her eyes were red.
"Hi, Mrs. Kent." Clark said.
"Julian." Martha smiled. "I'm so glad I bumped into you. I heard you were a new volunteer."
"Yeah."
"Well, I can tell you that the help is appreciated. I have something for you." Martha opened her truck door and brought out a pie. Clark could see several suitcases in the back. "I wanted to thank you for thinking of us and trying to help. However, I cannot accept the position."
Clark took the pie. "I'm sorry to hear that. What about the apartment? Do you and Mr. Kent want it?"
"That won't be necessary. I hope you enjoy the pie. It's apple. And I hope you remember to share some with your brother."
"I'll do my best." Clark smiled but his eyes darted back to the suitcases. "Are you going on a trip? Sorry, I saw the suitcases."
"You could say that. Goodbye, Julian." The way she said it was so final.
Clark felt his throat close as he watched her drive away. Clark walked into the office. Hank looked just as sad.
"Fine woman, that Mrs. Kent," Hank said and sighed. "Here's your signed note, Julian."
"Thanks, Hank. Is everything all right with Mrs. Kent?"
"She just said she couldn't volunteer here anymore. Can't say I blame her. She and Johnathan will probably be moving on soon. Hopefully to a greener pasture. Can't help but think something else is going on, though."
"I'll talk to her."
"Kid, it's none of your or my business. Now go to a party or play a videogame. Whatever you kids do these days."
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Clark arrived back at the mansion and was told by Dominic that Chloe was waiting for him by the pool. She was lounging on a chaise sipping an iced tea with a small umbrella.
"You look comfy." He plopped down on the chaise beside her.
"I assure you, I am."
"Did you read my article?"
"Yes." Chloe took a slurping sip from her drink.
"And? Am I retyping the lunch menu?"
Chloe drew out the silence, tapping her finger against her lower lip. "I think, Mr. Luthor…I just might give you assignments."
"Really? You liked it?"
Chloe laughed. "I just said I did. I mean, the topic you picked, the death of the American backbone, aka farms, was more editorial than newsworthy. But I felt your passion and you were objective with the data."
Clark beamed. "That means a lot, coming from you. I know how passionate you are about journalism. Speaking of, internship still going good?"
"It's fantastic!" Chloe gushed. She turned to face him and lifted her sunglasses. "Most of my time has been helping out Drew Claybourne. She's written almost every lead story for the society page and my eyes have been opened to an entire new world of journalism."
"Society page? Like gossip columns?" That didn't sound like Chloe at all. Clark remembered Chloe picking up magazines and bemoaning the integrity of writers who wasted their lives writing about the new diets celebrities were on or the third wedding of the century because they were on "true love number five". Her worst nightmare, besides not writing for the Daily Planet, was writing the Planet's gossip column.
But this Chloe was all smiles as she explained in detail of how she was reading Claybourne's old articles and found them "intriguing" and "world changing".
"What's wrong? You're looking at me like I grew two heads."
"Nothing." Clark shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Gossip columns just seem like the complete opposite of what you want to do."
"Not really. It's like my 'Wall of Heroes'. This is writing about the people changing the world, not just how the world is changing."
"Even celebs' new fad diets?" Clark joked, but Chloe remained serious.
"Even that changes the world. Think about it. If the most popular celebrity claims they eat a grapefruit each morning, the demand on grapefruits could increase. Maybe so much farmers need to produce more grapefruits instead of grains. Would that cause a bread shortage? Harm lower income families? And with all the transporting of grapefruits, how will that impact carbon footprints? The actions of just one celebrity can reach farther one could ever dream of."
"Who knew writing about grapefruits could be so dangerous?" Chloe playfully punched Clark on the shoulder. "What? You're insinuating you could cause food shortages using the gossip column."
"I'm talking more World Peace instead of global domination. The trick is just to find the best people who are having the most positive impact and shed light on them, inspiring others to do similar things. That way, I can shape the world any way I want it." Chloe grinned. "Oh, hey, I'm going to a benefit with Claybourne next weekend. Care to be my plus one?"
"Sure. Maybe then I can get a better understanding on all of this."
The conversation ended when Chloe's cellphone buzzed. Her face paled as she read the text. "I have to go. Lois was in an accident at the fertilizer plant. She's at Smallville Medical."
This version of Chloe is inspired by a quote from Cat Grant in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. She was a gossip columnist and claimed, "she got the best stuff". Cat actually comes across as a smart character if you only look at the first few episodes she's in. For the rest of the season, I don't think the writers knew what to do with her and she became a brainless bimbo. Thankfully her character got dropped and Cat never made an appearance in the rest of the series. This version of Chloe is inspired by what could have been.