Before We Were Friends
Before We Were Friends
"Clark, Daddy and I need to go to Metropolis for a little while," Martha Kent told her six-year-old son. Of course, the reason they had to go to Metropolis was to buy some Christmas presents for the little tyke. It was the nearest place with a reasonable mall, so they decided that if they only spent one shopping day in the far-away place that they'd be fine.
"Okay," the youngster said. For being six, he was a very perceptive child and knew what his parents were going to do. "Am I going to Pete's?"
"No, honey, Pete's not home. We're going to bring you to a place where you can play with other little boys and girls," Martha said. She would have much rather left Clark with the Ross's or with Nell Potter next door, but neither was home. So Clark would have to stay at a daycare. "Now Clark-"
"Don't use my powers," Clark cut her off. "I know, Mommy."
Martha smiled and watched as her son put his big winter coat on. He had trouble putting on his old Moon Boots that his father had picked up at a thrift shop earlier that year, so Martha gave him a hand. Once he was dressed in his coat, boots, earmuffs, hat, and gloves, Martha hoped that he wouldn't suddenly realize that he had to go to the bathroom. He didn't.
Jonathan and Martha talked to their son on the long trip to Metropolis. They decided to leave him at a daycare there instead of in Smallville, so he'd be closer if any emergencies came up. When they finally arrived at the place, Clark got very excited. Through the wall- sized windows, Clark saw other children playing with tons of "cool stuff," as he put it. It was a very large daycare, almost as big as the Kent's whole house. Jonathan paid the fee as Clark ran back to the play area, immediately heading for a pit filled with multi-colored plastic balls.
Martha glanced at Clark one more time as they left, just to make sure that he was safe. She knew she didn't have to worry, because there were numerous employees located in the building, but it was her obligation as a mother to make sure her child was safe at all times.
Meanwhile, Clark was pretending to swim through the ball pit when he bumped into a little girl who was about the same age as him, knocking her over. "Sorry," he said, helping her up.
"It's okay," she said. "What's your name?"
"Clark. Clark Kent. What's yours?"
"Chloe," she said.
"Wanna play?" he asked.
"Sure," she said. "What do you want to do?"
"I don't know, I've never been here before. Have you?" he asked.
"Yeah, I come here all the time. My dad has to go to work so he can't watch me," she told him.
"What about your mom?" he asked.
"I don't know where my mom is," Chloe said.
"Oh," Clark said. Even though he was so insightful, he didn't know what it meant to not have a mother. "What's fun?"
"I like the maze," she said, pointing to a door. "It's really hard, but there's more stuff to do on the other side."
"Cool!" Clark said. He and Chloe hurried over to it. They went in, following the plastic walls. Soon, they came to a fork. "Which way?"
"I don't remember," she said.
"I'll go this way," Clark said, going to the right. He left Chloe behind, so instead of following him, she decided to go in the left direction. Clark quickly found the exit, where, indeed, another whole room awaited. He decided to play with a pretend doctor set while he waited for Chloe. When she didn't come out, he went back in to look for her. "Chloe?"
"Move!" a boy said. He was coming from the other direction and Clark was in his way. When Clark tried to pass him, the boy bit his arm. Clark didn't notice and continued his search for Chloe.
"Chloe? Where are you?" Clark called. He ran into more children, none of which were Chloe. When he got to the other side, she wasn't there, so he retraced his steps. When he got back, she was there, playing with the doctor set. "Chloe! I thought you were lost!"
"That'll teach you to leave me," she said, trying to sound older.
"You're mean," Clark said.
"You are," Chloe said.
"You are!" Clark argued.
"Nuh-uh," she said.
"Yuh-huh!"
"Nuh-uh."
"Shut up!" Clark said. He wasn't supposed to say "shut up," but he didn't care. He was mad at her.
"You're naughty!" Chloe said, throwing the pretend bandage box at him. In retaliation, he pulled her hair. She pulled his, too, and when one of the employees saw them, they were both in tears.
"There's no fighting here," the man said. He brought them to separate stools in which they had to sit for ten minutes each for punishment.
When they were allowed up, Clark stuck his tongue out at Chloe. "You're mean, just like Lana!" he said to her, referring to the girl in his Kindergarten class.
"Who's Lana?" she asked.
"My girlfriend!" he lied, trying to impress her.
"Who's girlfriend am I?" she asked.
"Mine!" Clark said.
"I thought your girlfriend was Lana," Chloe said.
"She is," Clark lied again. "But I can have two."
"How come?"
"Because. I'm special," he said.
"Fine," Chloe said. "If I'm your girlfriend, you have to kiss me."
"Why?"
"Because that's what boyfriends and girlfriends do," she said, and puckered her lips.
"Do I have to?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. Clark kissed her on the cheek instead. "On the lips!" she said, poking him in the chest.
"Clark Kent, it's time for you to leave," a loudspeaker said.
"Yay! Where do I go?" Clark asked. Chloe sadly pointed him in the right direction. He hurried to meet his parents.
"Did you have any problems with him?" Jonathan asked.
"He and a girl did get into a little fight, but they were put into time out afterwards," the lady at the counter said. After they exited the building, Martha questioned him about it.
"She started it," Clark said.
"That doesn't mean you have to finish it," Martha said.
"But I had to!"
"Why, Clark?" she asked.
"Because she's my girlfriend!" Clark said.
By the end of that night, neither Clark nor Chloe really remembered about the other. By the next morning, they had completely forgot about the other. Little did either of them know that they would once again meet, eight years later.
END
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