Disappeared - 3
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"What do you want from my father? Why did you have to do this?" Martha asked while one of the guys was taking her somewhere grabbing her arm.
"Shut up!" the man said stopping in front of a door and opening it "What you should be doing now is pray for him to do what we asked…" the man pushed Martha into the room and she felt to the ground "… because if he doesn't… you'll be dead…" then he closed the door.
Martha looked around her, the room was empty. There was another door at one side and a little window with a broken crystal. She first walked to the door, and as she'd supposed, it took to a bathroom which smelled like if something had dead in there. The window wasn't locked, but Martha quickly noticed two guys guarding that part of the house… There was no way to escape…
She sat on the floor and while her eyes got lost in the drawing of the old wallpaper, she wondered if Clark would listen to her clues on the video…
"Of course he will, Martha" she said to herself "Clark's a clever boy, he'll get it… if dad shows him the video…" she added, doubtfully "I wasn't very kind with him the last time we talked…" she curled herself against the wall and closed her eyes.
Two years ago…
The phone was ringing at the Kent's farm but nobody was answering it.
"Clark? Clark, can you take that phone, please?" but there was no answer… Martha guessed her son wasn't at home so she abandoned her bed's sheets and walked downstairs on that grown she hadn't taken off for days "Yes?" she answered the phone.
"Hello"
"Who's that?" she wondered.
"Don't you recognize me, dear?"
"Dad, is it you?"
"Hi, Martha" Mr. Clark said from the other side "How are you doing?"
"I've been much better" she said, not willing to sound nice "Why are you calling?"
"I've heard about Jonathan… I just wanted to…"
"I didn't see you at the funeral" she interrupted her father.
"Well, I…"
"You've been out from my life for twenty years, dad… I don't need you back now… You can keep your condolences..." she hung down the phone and bit her lip hard while trying to stop the tears that wanted to come out.
"Mom, are you ok?" Clark's voice asked from behind her.
"Hi, sweetheart… I'm just fine" she said, still crying.
"Oh… mom" he said, quickly embracing her.
"I'll stop… I promise"
"You don't need to… its ok to cry… At least, it's nice to see you out from the bed" he kissed her forehead and she smiled.
…
"So it was you who called" Clark said to his granddad while they were waiting for Lionel in front of his apartment building.
"I just wanted her to know I was sorry…"
"It took weeks for her to stop crying, because I know she cried every night until falling asleep…"
"She really loved him" Mr. Clark said.
"She did… Sometimes I feel like if she didn't have me she would have dead with him… but it's different now"
"What's different?"
"Well… she's found someone that makes she smile again"
"I hope I do know this someone" Lionel's voice surprised the two men.
"Hi Lionel… we were beginning to think you weren't coming"
"It took longer than I thought… let's go to my apartment, I took some Chinese food on the way"
Once upstairs, Lionel left on the table of his penthouse a box and a bag with Chinese food.
"What's this?" Clark asked, pointing the box.
"These are the documents and proofs the FBI are keeping for the court"
"Are you crazy? You can't take this with you!" Mr. Clark yelled out.
"We have to be sure we'll take Martha back with us safe in one way or another…"
"How have you taken this with you?" Clark wondered.
"I can't tell you… but don't worry... we just have to take it back as soon as we make sure your mother is alright… so," he said "What about you? Did you have luck with Mrs. Sullivan?"
"Here…" Clark took out a map and opened it on the table "There are a lot of farms in that zone, but I think if I go there I could be able to find it…"
"Of course you will… we'll go there on the morning"
"I could go alone now"
"No… we'll go tomorrow, during the trial"
"What about me?" William asked all of a sudden.
"You have to be in trial so they don't notice we're trying anything" Lionel answered "As soon as Martha is with us, we'll make you know"
"Where's that food you've taken, I'm starving" Clark interrupted the silence.
"Here… You're right… we should eat, and relax… everything will be fine"
"You have the right to be worried, Mr. Luthor" Mr. Clark suddenly said "You don't need to act like if you had everything under control…"
"We'll find her" Clark added "… and then we'll know if I was right…" he said, not willing to mention the pregnancy in front of his granddad since they didn't know if it was true or not.
"Has your mother ever told you how we started to go out together?"
"No…"
"It took weeks for me to convince her to have dinner with me… She's so stubborn… But I can be too, so I guess she got tired of me first, and finally accepted" Lionel told "We went to a nice restaurant in the center, after dinner I asked her to dance… She was stunning that night, she was wearing an amazing red dress and she'd curled her hair… Later, after a few songs, it happened… we kissed each other…"
"You don't need to tell me the rest" Clark joked.
"Don't worry, there's no rest… after that, she said she wasn't feeling ok, so I took her back home. That's all"
"That's all?" the boy asked sure that Lionel was hiding something.
"Yes… nothing happen that first night…"
…
A few months ago…
.
"Debbie, dear, do you mind serving that table, please?" Martha asked to one of the waitress.
"No, of cou-… isn't that Mr. Luthor again?" the girl wondered from the other side of the bar.
"He is. That's why I'm asking you to serve him, please" Martha whispered.
"Mrs. Kent… I don't think Mr. Luthor comes here twice a day just for the coffee, you know…"
"Debbie, please, if you don't go to that table he'll come to the bar… and I really don't want to talk with him today…"
"I'm afraid it's too late, already" the girls said, mischievously smiling while leaving her alone.
"Hi, Martha" Lionel's voice said behind her.
"Lionel!" Martha exclaimed turning around "Wh-what would you like to have?"
"I'd like to have a few words with you, please… you left in such a hurry yesterday that…"
"I'm working now" she said, not sounding nice.
"Alright… then I guess I'll have a cup of coffee and one of your delicious muffins…" he said.
"Ok… you can go and sit down, now …"
…
Behind the bar, Martha handed Deborah a tray with a cup of coffee and a plate with one of her muffins on it. "Take it to Mr. Luthor, please"
"Mrs. Kent… I thought you were braver than this"
"I'm not frightened of him" she said.
"Then, why can't you take your order to your costumer?" the girls asked, making that mischievous look again.
"Alright, I'll do it!" Martha finally accepted feeling challenged "…but you'll have to remember me why I haven't fired you yet"
The girl just smiled looking how her boss walked to the table where Lionel was sitting.
…
"Here, a coffee and a muffin" Martha said "It's 2'50$, please"
"Why don't you sit down for a while with me?" Lionel said.
"I have work to do"
"I won't pay you if you don't sit down"
"It's on the house" she said turning around.
"Martha, please…" he insisted "We're adults, aren't we? Yesterday we were dancing together in one of the most beautiful restaurants in Metropolis and… all of a sudden you beg the other waitress to serve in your place. What have I done wrong?"
"You've done nothing wrong" she said.
"It's because of the kiss, isn't it?" he wondered "We could make like if it had never happened but… please, don't stop our friendship this way"
"That's not the way" she said.
"Alright…" he said devastated "Then I… I'll leave and… don't worry I… won't come back again…" he stood up and took his jacket.
"Don't!" she yelled out grabbing his arm and making some costumers to turn around and look at them "I don't want you to leave…"
"What do you want, then, Martha?" Lionel exclaimed losing his patience, and Martha hold his hand and took him to the backroom so nobody could see them "I'll do whatever you want" Lionel said once they had some privacy "You want me to be just your friend, I will… you want me to just be a costumer that comes every day to have his coffee… I will… but I need to know what you want"
"I don't know…" she said "I… I don't want to lose our friendship but…"
"But what?"
"But that kiss was too much special for me to just… forget it" she finally exploded.
"It was special for me too" Lionel whispered approaching to her "And the truth is I'd like it to mean the beginning of something I've been wishing for since a long time ago"
There was a silence between them; while they looked at each other's eyes like trying to guess what was thinking the other. Then, Martha made a step forwards standing on her tiptoes to reach his lips with hers.
"I don't know if it's going to work, but… I know I'll regret not trying it" she whispered after kissing him.
TO BE CONTINUED…