Kissing In A Tree 2.6
Yay! Inspired sorry took so long...
Clark was fairly intelligent, Lex was certain of it.
So why did he seem to need help with every single problem?
They lay on the floor while Lex for what must have been the tenth time corrected the same problem.
“You need to understand this.”
“You too!”
“Of course I already understand it. That’s why I’m showing you.”
He took the eraser and deleted Clark’s answer on the paper. The scrawl was legible, at least.
Clark leaned over him as he tried to explain yet again.
“Adding and subtracting double digits is very important.”
“So’s other stuff.”
“Like what?”
Clark tilted his head again. That shouldn’t be so distracting.
“Your ear.”
Lex frowned.
“What’s wrong with it?”
Clark touched his right ear before Lex could stop him.
“It’s the nicest ear ever.”
Lex bit his lip. There came those pesky butterflies in his stomach!
“Are you making a joke?”
Clark shook his head.
“Na ah. I really like it.”
“Thanks?” Mom had always told him to be polite about sincere compliments.
Clark reached out again but Lex handed him the pencil.
“Here. Try it again.”
Now it was Clark’s turn to frown. The boy looked at him with a deep concentration that Lex felt should have been reserved for the math problem. It was not a something he was used to. His nervousness set in as he worried that it was rotten in Denmark, after all.
“I’m not the math problem, Clark. Eyes over there.” He pointed at the page.
“I can do it with fingers.” Clark held up his hands.
“You need to do it up here.” Lex tapped the other boy’s head.
The hair was too soft and he reminded himself never to do that again.
“Okay, okay.”
The concentration on his face was almost funny as he tried not to use his hands.
“I got it!” Clark scribbled out the answer furiously.
Lex glanced at the paper and saw five. When the other boy slung his arm around Lex in happiness, he regretted what he had to say.
“No, that’s not it.”
“It isn’t?” The boy pouted.
“Just erase.”
“It has to be!”
Lex was tempted to say it was the answer.
“No. Try again.”
“Numbers are stupid!” Clark crossed his arms and hunched over while sitting up.
“No they aren’t. You just need more time.”
“I’m stupid!” Clark’s eyes were starting to tear up.
“No, really...”
“I can’t math. Now you won’t like me anymore.”
Lex went over to his junior briefcase and brought out something. The case was sleek and black and a prerequisite for being in business school. He had a conglomerate to run some day, so he knew he had to start the mongol process early. It was meant to be a little parting gift, but Lex felt it was time to bring out his secret weapon.
“Stop being a crybaby.”
“But...is it time for snack again?” Clark looked at the bag.
Gummy worms to the rescue.
Lex broke open the bag and placed them on the towel. He motion for Clark to look at what he was doing.
“Maybe you are more of a visual person. You learn better that way.”
“Maybe.”
“Clark, the worms, not me.”
“But I wanna look at both!”
Lex let it go.
“Now you can count, right?”
“One, two, three, four, five, six, um, seven, eight, nine, ten, ‘leven, twelve, thirteen...”
“Nice demonstration. How many worms are in this pile?”
Clark counted to the right number as Lex predicted.
“Twelve.”
“Very good.”
Clark’s face brightened.
“I ate one worm from the pile. How many are left?”
The boy started to count again from one.
“You don’t have to do that. What is the number before twelve?”
“‘Leven.” Clark said quickly.
“Eleven. Correct. Twelve minus one is eleven. For subtraction, you take one away for each number being taken from the pile.”
“‘Kay.” The wheels were turning.
“So I eat another worm.”
“Why can’t I?”
“So this time you eat another worm from the pile.”
Clark chewed and thought.
“Ten is before eleven. One lessie from eleven is ten.”
“Correct. Now I take one worm and you take one worm and we eat them. What’s left?”
“Two lessie from ten? That’s eight.”
“Definitely a visual learner.” He nodded to himself.
Then he was engulfed in an inescapable hug.
“Thank you! Thank you! I can math!”
Clark tucked his face in his neck and giggled.
Then touched his ear again.
Lex told himself not to calculate how many hugs it would take Clark to get him to reveal the code number of Warrior Angel Number one. Clark's next words made him realize.
“You’re my favorite hug.”
It would only take two hands.
Clark was fairly intelligent, Lex was certain of it.
So why did he seem to need help with every single problem?
They lay on the floor while Lex for what must have been the tenth time corrected the same problem.
“You need to understand this.”
“You too!”
“Of course I already understand it. That’s why I’m showing you.”
He took the eraser and deleted Clark’s answer on the paper. The scrawl was legible, at least.
Clark leaned over him as he tried to explain yet again.
“Adding and subtracting double digits is very important.”
“So’s other stuff.”
“Like what?”
Clark tilted his head again. That shouldn’t be so distracting.
“Your ear.”
Lex frowned.
“What’s wrong with it?”
Clark touched his right ear before Lex could stop him.
“It’s the nicest ear ever.”
Lex bit his lip. There came those pesky butterflies in his stomach!
“Are you making a joke?”
Clark shook his head.
“Na ah. I really like it.”
“Thanks?” Mom had always told him to be polite about sincere compliments.
Clark reached out again but Lex handed him the pencil.
“Here. Try it again.”
Now it was Clark’s turn to frown. The boy looked at him with a deep concentration that Lex felt should have been reserved for the math problem. It was not a something he was used to. His nervousness set in as he worried that it was rotten in Denmark, after all.
“I’m not the math problem, Clark. Eyes over there.” He pointed at the page.
“I can do it with fingers.” Clark held up his hands.
“You need to do it up here.” Lex tapped the other boy’s head.
The hair was too soft and he reminded himself never to do that again.
“Okay, okay.”
The concentration on his face was almost funny as he tried not to use his hands.
“I got it!” Clark scribbled out the answer furiously.
Lex glanced at the paper and saw five. When the other boy slung his arm around Lex in happiness, he regretted what he had to say.
“No, that’s not it.”
“It isn’t?” The boy pouted.
“Just erase.”
“It has to be!”
Lex was tempted to say it was the answer.
“No. Try again.”
“Numbers are stupid!” Clark crossed his arms and hunched over while sitting up.
“No they aren’t. You just need more time.”
“I’m stupid!” Clark’s eyes were starting to tear up.
“No, really...”
“I can’t math. Now you won’t like me anymore.”
Lex went over to his junior briefcase and brought out something. The case was sleek and black and a prerequisite for being in business school. He had a conglomerate to run some day, so he knew he had to start the mongol process early. It was meant to be a little parting gift, but Lex felt it was time to bring out his secret weapon.
“Stop being a crybaby.”
“But...is it time for snack again?” Clark looked at the bag.
Gummy worms to the rescue.
Lex broke open the bag and placed them on the towel. He motion for Clark to look at what he was doing.
“Maybe you are more of a visual person. You learn better that way.”
“Maybe.”
“Clark, the worms, not me.”
“But I wanna look at both!”
Lex let it go.
“Now you can count, right?”
“One, two, three, four, five, six, um, seven, eight, nine, ten, ‘leven, twelve, thirteen...”
“Nice demonstration. How many worms are in this pile?”
Clark counted to the right number as Lex predicted.
“Twelve.”
“Very good.”
Clark’s face brightened.
“I ate one worm from the pile. How many are left?”
The boy started to count again from one.
“You don’t have to do that. What is the number before twelve?”
“‘Leven.” Clark said quickly.
“Eleven. Correct. Twelve minus one is eleven. For subtraction, you take one away for each number being taken from the pile.”
“‘Kay.” The wheels were turning.
“So I eat another worm.”
“Why can’t I?”
“So this time you eat another worm from the pile.”
Clark chewed and thought.
“Ten is before eleven. One lessie from eleven is ten.”
“Correct. Now I take one worm and you take one worm and we eat them. What’s left?”
“Two lessie from ten? That’s eight.”
“Definitely a visual learner.” He nodded to himself.
Then he was engulfed in an inescapable hug.
“Thank you! Thank you! I can math!”
Clark tucked his face in his neck and giggled.
Then touched his ear again.
Lex told himself not to calculate how many hugs it would take Clark to get him to reveal the code number of Warrior Angel Number one. Clark's next words made him realize.
“You’re my favorite hug.”
It would only take two hands.