Don’t Tell Her What to Do
DJ Dubois
August 2003
Note: Smallville belongs to DC and the WB. The song, “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman
Soon” was sung by Neil Diamond. Please send comments to
dante0220@yahoo.com..
It was three-thirty on a sunny spring afternoon in Smallville. A gentle breeze
caressed the town, relaxing the hectic pace and enticing people toward the Talon
and a good cup of coffee.
Not one to resist the coffee bean’s siren call, Lex pulled up in his black
Ferrari after a long drive back from Metropolis. His plans to catch up on the
local plant’s reports were shattered by Lionel’s last minute “request” for a
board meeting. More like another move in our chess game of attrition.
On top of that, the elder had kept his son afterwards, berating him on his taste
in friends and town. As a special point of emphasis, he had warned Lex to stay
away from the “poor white reporter-trash”.
Of course, Lex let that one go in one ear and out the other. Quickly, he had
turned and left the office. Without a minute to lose, he sped away from the
city, desperate for his mecca, his Avalon of sorts.
****
Crossing Main Street, he waved to several people, attempting at least to act
friendly. While one woman returned the gesture, everyone else still regarded him
with suspicion. They preferred to judge him by his name rather than his
character. Thank God for my friends. The thought of Clark, Lana, and Chloe came
to mind, bringing a warm smirk to his face. They didn’t prejudge him.
As he walked into the Talon, he saw his dream girl typing away on her laptop
computer. She can’t stop working. He walked over to the table and asked, “Hey,
Sullivan, do you stop to breathe or what?”
Without looking up, she held up her coffee cup. “Hey, Luthor, can you get me a
refill, please?”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Then she gave him a brief glance with her eyes, allowing him to see the warmth
there. “Thanks.”
He smiled, as he walked up to the counter. Still, even in the midst of his
bliss, he remained keenly aware of the various eyes glaring at him in
disapproval.
As he went, the lyrics of an old song went through his head….
Love you so much,
Can’t count all the ways
I’d die for you girl
And all they can say is
He’s not your kind
They never get tired
Of puttin’ me down
And I never know when I come around
What I’m going to find
Don’t let them make up your mind
After exchanging pleasantries with Clark for a minute, he glanced over at Pete.
“You have a problem, Pete?”
“Not really,” the jock muttered.
The billionaire shook his head. “If you’re going to look at me like that, at
least be honest about it.”
Pete took a deep breath. “You really should stay away from Chloe. You don’t have
any business with her.”
“That’s for her to say, not you,” Lex countered, looking over at the reporter
once again and still hoping to overcome the odds.
Don’t you know
Girl, you’ll be a woman soon
Please come take my hand
Girl, you’ll be a woman soon
Soon you’ll need a man
“Hey, Luthor, pay attention when I’m talking to you!” the jock directed.
“Pete, come on,” Clark begged. “Not now.”
“Pete, that’s enough!” Lana lectured from behind the counter, shooting him a
sharp look. “I agree with Lex. Let them decide for themselves.”
“He’s not good enough for her,” Pete argued.
As he said that, Lex heard the rest of the song roll through his head.
I’ve been misunderstood for all of my life
But what they’re sayin’ girl
It cuts like a knife
“The boy’s no good”
Lana looked sympathetically at Lex while handing him two extra-large lattes.
“Steer your own course, Lex.”
“Thanks, Lana,” Lex expressed.
Pete stiffened, but a double barreled glare from Lana and Clark shut off any
further response.
Once again, Lex felt grateful for those allies that he had. Still, he felt the
eyes of the town on him, taunting him with cracks of ‘rich boy’ and ‘brat’ not
to mention their shared disapproval of the developing coffee encounter. Despite
his outer façade and the confidence he portrayed, he ached for acceptance. He
wanted the one thing that all of his money couldn’t buy: respect and love. Why
can’t people see me for who I really am?
Once again, he could hear the song:
Well, I finally found
What I’ve been looking for
But if they get the chance,
They’ll end it for sure
Sure they would
Baby, I’ve done all I could
It’s up to you.
About halfway to the table, he felt a gentle hand caress his. He looked up to
see Chloe standing there, giving him all the support she could muster. “I must
look pathetic,” he muttered.
“Never mind. Let me deal with it,” she asserted.
Setting the coffees down on the table, he extended his hand. “You think I’m
worth it?”
Girl, you’ll be a woman soon
Please come take my hand
Girl, you’ll be a woman soon
Soon you’ll need a man
She rolled her eyes and looked into his depressed pools. “You have potential,
Lex,” she teased.
That remark merited a sarcastic chuckle from one of the patrons.
“Hey! Did anyone ask you? Pipe down over there!” the Hazel Fury snapped,
wheeling in the direction of the wisecrack. “Mind your own business, all of
you!” She did a complete circle, staring all comers down. “So, anyone else have
something to say about him?”
“Come on, Chloe,” Pete muttered.
“As if your love life’s any better?” she countered before letting out a rather
rude snort. “Pardon me, but I don’t recall you being nominated for Gentleman of
the Year.”
By now, the whole café had turned to stare at her.
“What’s the matter? Do you have a problem? Hell, poor Chloe this! Poor Chloe
that! I’m so pathetic! I know you think that I have no life other than the
Torch. Yeah, I had my share of disappointment…” She looked briefly at Clark who
was standing by Lana’s side and taking in her stand/tirade.
“Chloe, stop it,” Lex requested, feeling really embarrassed.
“Luthor, did I ask you?”
He sighed. “No.”
“All right then. Shut up and let me finish,” she directed.
The billionaire put his hands up, conceding the point.
Taking a deep breath, she continued, “But you know, I’m doing all right. I have
good friends. I love editing The Torch. My roommate has a great guy she’s dating
and I…well…have a really sweet guy of my own. Of course, you all judge him by
his family name, the toys, or his past. All I have to say is that’s tough for
you.”
She took his hand and kissed it. “I won the real prize here. It’s not about the
money or the cars or the fancy mansion. It’s about the man underneath that
stuff. It’s about those eyes. It’s about the warmth in his heart. The
determination he shows every time he goes up against his father for us. And the
way he rescues me from loneliness with a simple smirk.”
Her words struck Lex dumb with awe and appreciation. Here she was, the petite
blonde reporter standing up for him against the town and all of the odds. He
couldn’t believe her nerve and resolve in practically telling the whole town to
go to Hell. “Chloe, I…”
“Yes?” she asked expectantly.
“Nothing,” he replied. “I think you said it all. I don’t want to add anything to
it except this.” With that, he kissed her in the middle of the floor, not caring
who saw them.
“Well spoken, Lex,” she giggled, rubbing his arm. “Come on, let’s blow this
clambake.”
“Are you sure? We haven’t had our coffee yet,” he pointed out.
“That’s okay. Lana, can we get it to go?” Chloe asked.
Lana nodded, feeling upset that her friends didn’t feel comfortable enough to
stay there. “Are you sure, Chloe? You do have friends here, you know.”
“Come on, guys. Stay and talk,” Clark agreed, giving Lana’s hand a squeeze to
send them a signal. “Just work things out for yourselves.”
“You really mean that, don’t you, Clark?” Lex asked.
Clark sighed. “Come on, Lex, do you even need to ask?”
The billionaire smiled and nodded. “Okay, Clark. Chloe, can we stay?”
“Sure,” she agreed. “But can we have a minute alone?”
Clark and Lana smiled at each other knowingly before retreating to the counter
and leaving Lex and Chloe to themselves.
“You’re something else, Chloe,” he told her.
She blushed. “I just told them the truth, Lex. You’re a lot more than money and
a name. I wish they could see you the way I see you.”
He wiped a tear from his eye, realizing once again why he loved the reporter.
“Be careful, Luthor, the true you is showing,” she cracked.
“So sue me,” he countered. “I’m glad you’re you. Don’t ever change.”
“As long as you don’t, I won’t either,” she vowed, clasping his hand in hers.
“Now, drink up because our coffee’s getting cold.”
Lex nodded and did so. For many years thereafter, he would remember that day as
a fond turning point. It was the day when Chloe’s love turned the tide against
his critics. Even after they were married years later, he remained in awe of the
little blonde spitfire and the magic that she brought to his life.
Appropriately enough, it had started when he held out his hand to her and
thought of the song’s chorus:
Girl, you’ll be a woman soon
Please come take my hand
Girl, you’ll be a woman soon
Soon you’ll need a man
From then on, there was no doubt to the future for them or anyone to stand in
their way. That was the way they wanted it to be.
THE END