Chapter 38 [Early the Next Morning]
Sol rose over the prairie. Warm beams of light streaked frost-browned grasses. Farms stirred toward chores. Another daily cycle started.
Even as some celebrated previous successes and confronted challenges…..
[Kent Farm]
Clark hung the pitchfork in its usual place along the barn's west wall. With the previous night's success, his heart soared. The poems at the session inspired discussion among the crowd later. He'd seen positive reactions and feedback toward the panelists. He felt proud of Byron and Jasmine. He overheard some conversation between his parents and the Duboises over past events. Best of all, Lex and Lana had worked together to bring that all about. Everyone's happy. We have an event to liven things up. Lex got some great press. The old theater looked nice. Byron got to strut his stuff. Just wish that could keep going. Maybe Dad might be willing to talk. He took the pail over to Bessie. "Hey, Girl. You having a good morning?"
The cow mooed at him. She swished her tail and munched at some hay.
He nodded. Taking care, he milked her. Then he patted her side. "Thanks." He lugged the pail toward the house. His heart sank at his father's truck's absence from its usual spot. He shook his head and trudged onward. He opened the door. "Hey, Mom!"
"Good morning, Clark!" Martha sucked in a deep breath. She'd just finished (the latest) argument with Jonathan about the latest state of affairs. She put on her best smile for his benefit. "I'll have these pancakes ready in a few minutes." For emphasis, she flipped the bubbling buttermilk cakes with her spatula. "Still on a high from last night?"
He grinned. "It's great to see your friends succeed. I'll admit that I didn't understand everything that I heard last night. Still Byron, Lana, Jasmine and Mr. Dubois all seemed so happy. Everyone worked together. The Talon really looked great. People loved your muffins."
"It was a great night, Clark. Just remember that it came about because you put the idea forward. You responded to Lana's concern. You stepped up. That's a big step toward what relationships are about," she complimented.
"I want Lana to be happy, Mom. I may not understand everything about poems and poetry. She does. I just wish I knew more about these things," he lamented.
"You'll get there, Clark. Just be patient. You've got a lot on your plate. So now does Lana. Allow yourselves to deal with things. Trust that it'll be all right," she assured him.
He poured himself a mug from the brewing coffee pot. "Wish Dad would understand. Just because Lana and I met my birth parents, that doesn't take away from Dad and you as parents. I get that I'm here. I just want to accept the whole of me too."
"We know that. I told your father the same exact thing. He has to deal with it in his own way." She eased the cakes off of the griddle and onto a plate. She poured another round of buttermilk onto the heated metal surface. "He didn't always have the best relationship with your Grandpa Kent. Now the boot's on the other foot."
"He may not like everything. I don't want things to change. Guess they have," he deduced.
She shook her head. "You're a special child, Clark. We've seen a great many unbelievable things around you. Still we've become accustomed to dealing with it on this farm. Now you're growing into a bigger circle. Pete and Lana know about you. You're discovering your heritage. You're in a relationship now. In some ways, it's just a normal human thing. But when you're used to being abnormal, the normal becomes strange, I guess."
He nodded. "I just want what everyone wants, Mom. I want to be happy. I want to help people. That won't change because I'm from Krypton or live on Earth. Dad and you raised me that way."
"I know, Baby." She embraced him. "As much as this is hard right now, he and I both love you."
He sighed. Lament weighed on his heart. Still he conceded that he couldn't control Jonathan's actions any more than Jonathan could stop him from growing up. "I know. Guess it's in his corner? From what I heard last night, guess I should be glad I'm not in Mr. Dubois' shoes."
She bit her lip. Her head bowed. "You should be. His father abused him. Lionel…Mr. Luthor….put him in horrible situations. Mr. Dubois has his reasons for being the way he is. He also deals with it though." She glanced out toward the backyard. "He didn't always have such control."
"What? Mom?" His eyes followed hers across the yard. He saw the fence between the Kent and Lang farms and the bare spot there. "It's that bare place where nothing grows. So?"
"The Talon may be where he first changed, Clark. He fought off a monster over there. Sometimes I wonder who the bigger monsters are. The demons? The ghosts? Or the parents that let them at him? For all of his issues with things, your father loves us and would do anything to protect us. Look at Lex. He deals with his father's legacy. Your father isn't Lionel. He isn't Stuart Dubois. For all of his overprotectiveness, he is trying," she recounted.
"I know. I just wish he'd understand that for himself." He set a couple of plates down beside her. Then he set the rest of the table at super speed. "Maybe though we can enjoy this moment?"
She smiled. "That's what I was hoping you'd say."
And with that, they sat down for breakfast.