The Guardian (6/10)
PART II: DESTINATIONS
Part VI:
Why you blue, why you blue
Did she bring you out here too
Wait and see, wait and see
The tide might bring you here to me
“Hey, how’s the arm?”
Lois waved her sling. “Fractured in three places. But I had 100 milligrams of codeine with my cereal as part of a well-balanced breakfast and now it’s feeling fine.”
“100 milligrams?” Chloe echoed, incredulously.
“I assumed my physician’s recommended dosage was merely a jumping off point,” Lois said with a smirk.
Chloe just laughed. “You would.”
Lois kicked out the chair across from her, and motioned for Chloe to take a seat - which looked pretty ridiculous considering her current bandaged state. Someone exited the Talon, and a gust of cold wind snuck through the opened door. Chloe shivered and opted to leave her jacket on.
“I ordered us some drinks. They should be here soon,” Lois said. Her concentration was buried in the puzzles section of the Daily Planet. Her left hand - her good hand - twirled a pen. “What time is it?”
Chloe tipped her wrist to find that the LCD lights of her digital watch were on the fritz. In place of actual numbers was a jumble of black dashes. “I guess my Timex took a lickin’ and failed to keep on tickin’.” She shook it out and checked again. “Damn. I really liked this watch, too. Think I can fix it?”
Lois scratched something down on her crossword. “Some things are meant to stay broken.”
Chloe stared at her cousin curiously. What exactly was that supposed to mean?
“Atropos’ charge. 5 letters.” Lois looked up and Chloe and frowned. “What’s an atropos?”
Chloe shrugged. “Beats me.” It sounded Greek, but she kept the thought to herself. It wouldn’t be much help anyway.
The waitress came with their order.
“Here,” Lois said, and slid one of the mugs her cousin’s way.
“Thanks.”
Chloe took a sip, and a tangy, metallic taste assaulted her tongue. Warm and viscous. She struggled to cough up the small amount that hadn’t already slipped down her throat.
“Wha - what is this?” she choked. She wiped her chin and her fingers came back wet with blood.
Lois tilted her head, amused. “You don’t like it? I thought you would.” She slowly and neatly folded her paper and set it aside. And then casually added, “It’s mine.”
Chloe grabbed some napkins and frantically scrubbed her hands. They wouldn’t come clean. “Why did you do this?”
Lois settled back in her chair and sipped her coffee. “Because you killed me, Chloe.”
Chloe’s eyes flew open. She sat for a moment in the darkness of her room, trying to slow her breathing. She had hoped to make it through that one night without another panic attack. Tomorrow was a big day.
Her hand snaked out for the orange pill bottle on her night stand.
***
Chloe sprinted through the Metropolis Cemetery, her black dress hitched to her knees and her heels in her hands. In the distance she saw the funeral procession - a parade of black that wound its way through the rows of gravestones to a freshly dug burial plot near the cemetery’s center. Chloe scaled her sprint back to a slower, more respectful speed as she entered the crowd.
The storm clouds had thinned, and the sun was beginning to break through the dull sky. It looked like a fresh, new beginning on a day that was nothing but an end.
Chloe braced herself on a nearby tree and started slipping her shoes back on. As she scanned the solemn faces of family and friends, her eyes soon landed on Lana. Her friend had noticed her final arrival - along with countless others, Chloe assumed - and was weaving through the crowd.
“Where have you been? I’ve been calling your cell phone for hours.”
Chloe secured the second strap behind her ankle. “I overslept,” she mumbled, miserably. She knew that anyone looking at her would find that hard to believe. The dark, sunken eyes. Her ashen complexion. For Chloe, sleep appeared to be a distant wish. And it had been, until the pills...
As if reading her mind, Lana asked, “Are you still taking that Valium? Because the doctor said-“
“I’m not,” Chloe lied, because it was easier than the truth. Always seemed to be.
For the first time Chloe began to notice the growing attention she was receiving from members of the funeral party. She unconsciously straightened out her appearance as she ducked the disapproving gazes and tuned out the whispers.
“You missed the service,” Lana supplied, as if their reaction required an explanation.
Chloe grinned - small and humorless. “I guess that makes Lois and I even. She missed mine, too.” She watched as the cream-colored casket was placed gingerly onto the struts, six feet above its final resting place. “I was supposed to give the eulogy.”
Lana looked across the way, to the edge of the plot. “Lucy gave it instead.” The young girl looked shattered. Tears slipped freely down her cheeks as she gripped the General’s hand tightly for support. Or maybe it was the other way around.
Chloe’s eyes trailed along the long line of mourners. Some faces she recognized. Other she didn’t. And then...
“How is he?” Chloe asked as she held her eyes on the stooping figure of Clark Kent. He stood alone, isolated from the rest. Misery was etched into his features.
Lana shook her head. “I’m not sure. I talked to Mrs. Kent this morning. She said he really hasn’t left the loft since it happened.” She frowned. “I think he blames himself for her death.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Chloe scoffed. “Clark’s not responsible.”
“No, he’s not,” Lana agreed. And then she placed a hand on her shoulder. “And you aren’t either.”
Chloe turned back to the grave, where the priest bellowed his sermon. “In reality noone can preach our funeral,” he heralded, in a deep, fortissimo voice. “We preach our own funerals while we live.”
She closed her eyes, and set her mind’s eye to Lois. They had shared so much together, but it hurt to think back on any of it. All of her happy memories were now tainted with guilt.
The service ended, and the casket was lowered into the ground. Some lingered to offer condolences, and say their final goodbyes.
And then Chloe was alone.
She stood silently; eyes glued to the hole, feet glued to the ground. She still hadn’t found the right words.
As if there were any to find.
She moved cautiously to the grave and stared down at the metal casket lid. Overwhelmed, she found herself stumbling backwards. Something deep inside of her needed that space
From a safer distance, she tried again. “Hey, Lois. It’s me. Chloe.” As soon as she had said it, she felt stupid. Lois would laugh at her. No, she thought, her eyes filling with tears. Lois would never laugh again. “Um, I’m not really sure what to say. ‘I’m sorry’ stopped being enough a long time ago. Not that it was ever enough... not really.” She felt her composure splintering. It was a labor to get the words out. Her chin began to quiver as she plowed on,
“I have a confession to make. I read your articles everyday. They’re really good, Lois. Amazing, actually. I think some of them won Kerths. Anyway, Lana gave them to me - and some pictures - she said it would help me to remember you, but how was I ever supposed to forget?” She shook her head and choked back her last tears.
“You were my best friend, Lois. You took care of me - you protected me whenever the world became a scary place. Well, now it’s my turn.’” Her fists balled tightly at her sides. “ I’m going to fix this Lois. I swear to you,” she said firmly. “I will do everything it takes to make things right again. Even if it kills me. Even if I have to do it alone.”
“You’re not alone.”
Chloe whirled around to find, “Clark.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. In his hand he held a single white lily. “I want you to know that I understand how hard it must be for you to lose your cousin. How much you must be hurting right now.”
“What-”
“I want you to understand that, Chloe.”
Chloe nodded. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “I...I do.”
“Good.” He turned and moved away until he was at the edge of Lois’ grave. “Because I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding when I tell you that we are no longer friends.”
Her heart idled for one long, painful moment. “You aren’t serious.”
Ashes to ashes.
He kept his back to her. “I loved her and you took that away from me. You took my wife away from me.”
Shock tore through her body, as though she’d been plunged into ice water. He had just called Lois his wife. That meant --
“I remember,” he told her as he dropped the flower onto the casket. “Everything.”
Dust to dust.
Part VI:
Why you blue, why you blue
Did she bring you out here too
Wait and see, wait and see
The tide might bring you here to me
“Hey, how’s the arm?”
Lois waved her sling. “Fractured in three places. But I had 100 milligrams of codeine with my cereal as part of a well-balanced breakfast and now it’s feeling fine.”
“100 milligrams?” Chloe echoed, incredulously.
“I assumed my physician’s recommended dosage was merely a jumping off point,” Lois said with a smirk.
Chloe just laughed. “You would.”
Lois kicked out the chair across from her, and motioned for Chloe to take a seat - which looked pretty ridiculous considering her current bandaged state. Someone exited the Talon, and a gust of cold wind snuck through the opened door. Chloe shivered and opted to leave her jacket on.
“I ordered us some drinks. They should be here soon,” Lois said. Her concentration was buried in the puzzles section of the Daily Planet. Her left hand - her good hand - twirled a pen. “What time is it?”
Chloe tipped her wrist to find that the LCD lights of her digital watch were on the fritz. In place of actual numbers was a jumble of black dashes. “I guess my Timex took a lickin’ and failed to keep on tickin’.” She shook it out and checked again. “Damn. I really liked this watch, too. Think I can fix it?”
Lois scratched something down on her crossword. “Some things are meant to stay broken.”
Chloe stared at her cousin curiously. What exactly was that supposed to mean?
“Atropos’ charge. 5 letters.” Lois looked up and Chloe and frowned. “What’s an atropos?”
Chloe shrugged. “Beats me.” It sounded Greek, but she kept the thought to herself. It wouldn’t be much help anyway.
The waitress came with their order.
“Here,” Lois said, and slid one of the mugs her cousin’s way.
“Thanks.”
Chloe took a sip, and a tangy, metallic taste assaulted her tongue. Warm and viscous. She struggled to cough up the small amount that hadn’t already slipped down her throat.
“Wha - what is this?” she choked. She wiped her chin and her fingers came back wet with blood.
Lois tilted her head, amused. “You don’t like it? I thought you would.” She slowly and neatly folded her paper and set it aside. And then casually added, “It’s mine.”
Chloe grabbed some napkins and frantically scrubbed her hands. They wouldn’t come clean. “Why did you do this?”
Lois settled back in her chair and sipped her coffee. “Because you killed me, Chloe.”
Chloe’s eyes flew open. She sat for a moment in the darkness of her room, trying to slow her breathing. She had hoped to make it through that one night without another panic attack. Tomorrow was a big day.
Her hand snaked out for the orange pill bottle on her night stand.
***
Chloe sprinted through the Metropolis Cemetery, her black dress hitched to her knees and her heels in her hands. In the distance she saw the funeral procession - a parade of black that wound its way through the rows of gravestones to a freshly dug burial plot near the cemetery’s center. Chloe scaled her sprint back to a slower, more respectful speed as she entered the crowd.
The storm clouds had thinned, and the sun was beginning to break through the dull sky. It looked like a fresh, new beginning on a day that was nothing but an end.
Chloe braced herself on a nearby tree and started slipping her shoes back on. As she scanned the solemn faces of family and friends, her eyes soon landed on Lana. Her friend had noticed her final arrival - along with countless others, Chloe assumed - and was weaving through the crowd.
“Where have you been? I’ve been calling your cell phone for hours.”
Chloe secured the second strap behind her ankle. “I overslept,” she mumbled, miserably. She knew that anyone looking at her would find that hard to believe. The dark, sunken eyes. Her ashen complexion. For Chloe, sleep appeared to be a distant wish. And it had been, until the pills...
As if reading her mind, Lana asked, “Are you still taking that Valium? Because the doctor said-“
“I’m not,” Chloe lied, because it was easier than the truth. Always seemed to be.
For the first time Chloe began to notice the growing attention she was receiving from members of the funeral party. She unconsciously straightened out her appearance as she ducked the disapproving gazes and tuned out the whispers.
“You missed the service,” Lana supplied, as if their reaction required an explanation.
Chloe grinned - small and humorless. “I guess that makes Lois and I even. She missed mine, too.” She watched as the cream-colored casket was placed gingerly onto the struts, six feet above its final resting place. “I was supposed to give the eulogy.”
Lana looked across the way, to the edge of the plot. “Lucy gave it instead.” The young girl looked shattered. Tears slipped freely down her cheeks as she gripped the General’s hand tightly for support. Or maybe it was the other way around.
Chloe’s eyes trailed along the long line of mourners. Some faces she recognized. Other she didn’t. And then...
“How is he?” Chloe asked as she held her eyes on the stooping figure of Clark Kent. He stood alone, isolated from the rest. Misery was etched into his features.
Lana shook her head. “I’m not sure. I talked to Mrs. Kent this morning. She said he really hasn’t left the loft since it happened.” She frowned. “I think he blames himself for her death.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Chloe scoffed. “Clark’s not responsible.”
“No, he’s not,” Lana agreed. And then she placed a hand on her shoulder. “And you aren’t either.”
Chloe turned back to the grave, where the priest bellowed his sermon. “In reality noone can preach our funeral,” he heralded, in a deep, fortissimo voice. “We preach our own funerals while we live.”
She closed her eyes, and set her mind’s eye to Lois. They had shared so much together, but it hurt to think back on any of it. All of her happy memories were now tainted with guilt.
The service ended, and the casket was lowered into the ground. Some lingered to offer condolences, and say their final goodbyes.
And then Chloe was alone.
She stood silently; eyes glued to the hole, feet glued to the ground. She still hadn’t found the right words.
As if there were any to find.
She moved cautiously to the grave and stared down at the metal casket lid. Overwhelmed, she found herself stumbling backwards. Something deep inside of her needed that space
From a safer distance, she tried again. “Hey, Lois. It’s me. Chloe.” As soon as she had said it, she felt stupid. Lois would laugh at her. No, she thought, her eyes filling with tears. Lois would never laugh again. “Um, I’m not really sure what to say. ‘I’m sorry’ stopped being enough a long time ago. Not that it was ever enough... not really.” She felt her composure splintering. It was a labor to get the words out. Her chin began to quiver as she plowed on,
“I have a confession to make. I read your articles everyday. They’re really good, Lois. Amazing, actually. I think some of them won Kerths. Anyway, Lana gave them to me - and some pictures - she said it would help me to remember you, but how was I ever supposed to forget?” She shook her head and choked back her last tears.
“You were my best friend, Lois. You took care of me - you protected me whenever the world became a scary place. Well, now it’s my turn.’” Her fists balled tightly at her sides. “ I’m going to fix this Lois. I swear to you,” she said firmly. “I will do everything it takes to make things right again. Even if it kills me. Even if I have to do it alone.”
“You’re not alone.”
Chloe whirled around to find, “Clark.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. In his hand he held a single white lily. “I want you to know that I understand how hard it must be for you to lose your cousin. How much you must be hurting right now.”
“What-”
“I want you to understand that, Chloe.”
Chloe nodded. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “I...I do.”
“Good.” He turned and moved away until he was at the edge of Lois’ grave. “Because I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding when I tell you that we are no longer friends.”
Her heart idled for one long, painful moment. “You aren’t serious.”
Ashes to ashes.
He kept his back to her. “I loved her and you took that away from me. You took my wife away from me.”
Shock tore through her body, as though she’d been plunged into ice water. He had just called Lois his wife. That meant --
“I remember,” he told her as he dropped the flower onto the casket. “Everything.”
Dust to dust.