Just an Ordinary Day

By Lynn S. M. [lois_and_clark_fan_at_verizon.net (Replace _at_with@)]

Rated G

Submitted April, 2010

Summary: After the failed attempt on Spencer Spencer’s Island, Clark tries again to have an un-super day.

I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. The events mentioned with regards to Spencer Spencer’s island are from the LnC episode “Ordinary People,” which I do not own either.

My thanks to Kate (AKA LolaDane) for BR-ing this. Her suggestions regarding the coffee and the train commute definitely improved the story. Any remaining errors/weaknesses/typos/etc. in the story are, of course, my own.

***

May 21, 1995

Lois and I just got back from Spencer Spencer’s island. While we were there, she conceded our bet about my being able to forego using my special abilities. In fact, she was begging me to use them for almost the entire time we were there. And I didn’t use them until it was necessary to do so for our survival. But I didn’t really win the bet, either ... I cheated a bit with the tiger and the water, not to mention what happened after we were captured. I’m not about to bring the topic up with Lois again; but to satisfy my own curiosity, I’d like to try the experiment for one day without anyone, even Lois, knowing. Instead of making my usual daily entries in this journal, I’ll record my experiences hourly, whenever possible. I plan to make tomorrow an un-Super, ordinary day.

May 22, 1995

8:00am I spent three whole minutes taking a shower — what a luxury to have such a long shower! I could easily get used to such decadence.

I remembered to use the stove to cook my eggs when I made breakfast. I nearly forgot to use potholders, though.

10:00am

I couldn’t make my 9:00 entry, since I was still on the subway. I arrived late to work this morning. When I had tried to get into the subway car, hordes of people pushed and shoved their way in first. By the time I got to the door, the car was too crowded and the train was just about to pull off. I had to wait for another train. Also, I had had no idea that the commuter service made so many stops between my apartment and the Planet ... the ride took far longer than I had anticipated.

11:00am

My coffee at work got cold. I behaved myself and drank it cold rather than eye-zapping it. I never realized how foul tepid coffee could be.

12:00 noon

I heard calls for help; there was a five car pileup on the Expressway. As I was deciding whether to postpone my bet with myself, Metropolis’ finest arrived on the scene and expertly handled the situation. My help wasn’t needed, after all.

Also during the last hour, I had what my least favorite time traveler might call a “Well, duh!” moment — Why hadn’t I thought earlier about simply topping off my coffee mug or microwaving it in order to heat up the liquid? I guess I really have taken the whole heat vision thing so much for granted that more common methods of heating up the brew never even crossed my mind.

1:00pm

Lois was in the mood for some authentic Chinese food for lunch. Normally, I’d have been delighted to fly over to China to get something to take out; but of course, I couldn’t do so today. I didn’t want to tell her about my self-challenge, and I really didn’t want to lie to her; I promised both her and myself that I would not lie to her again. Fortunately, I was able to use a truthful excuse to get out of it — because of the differences in time zones, it is past midnight in China now, and the restaurant where I usually go is closed for the night. We ate at a nearby Chinese restaurant instead. (NOT Ralph’s Pagoda!)

3:00pm

Lois and I spent the past couple of hours following up on a tip we had concerning an allegation of corruption in Senator Newcombe’s office. We were unable to find any proof to back up the allegation. I wonder whether we would have found any if I had been using my X-Ray vision to peer into the file cabinets.

5:00pm

I skipped the 4:00 entry because nothing really entry-worthy happened during that time. I did some research preparatory to typing up an article; both the reading and the typing were done at normal speeds. Even though I don’t usually superspeed through my work, I hadn’t realized before today just how nice it is to have that option available to me.

6:00pm

I didn’t feel like being packed into the subway for my return commute home, so I walked back to my apartment after work. On my way home, I was mugged. I was able to restrain the mugger without the use of my extra speed or strength; but I know that had I been human, I would be sporting quite a shiner by now, and I’d be hurting in several places. Although I may choose to ACT normal, I know I can never BE normal. And as much as I may long to be normal sometimes, even I must admit that invulnerability does have its advantages.

7:00pm

Mom called to invite me over for some of her mouth-watering apple pie. I would have loved to have taken her up on the offer, but I had to decline, since I won’t let myself fly today. This started me thinking how rough it must be for people who can’t see their family on a moment’s notice.

9:00pm

The apartment needed some cleaning. I debated whether to wait until tomorrow so I could do the cleaning at super-speed; but such a postponement felt like cheating. So instead, I spent the past two hours doing chores that I would usually complete in seconds. How do normal people find the time to get everything done that they need to do in a day?

10:00pm

I am glad the day is over and that tomorrow I can go back to being me. Two things I’ve learned today:

1) Metropolis really can survive a day without Superman.

2) I never realized how tough the rest of the world has it — and they call me “Super”?!?

THE END

Table of Contents

Just an Ordinary Day