Chapter 3
May 8, 1978
I was released from the hospital the next day. It was later determined that a faulty connector on the engine mount caused the engine to come loose and detach from the wing causing the plane crash.
I bought a copy of the Daily Planet after leaving the hospital and there was the picture of Superman and myself under the headline SUPERMAN VISITS SURVIVOR with the article written by Lois Lane. It was a rather good article explaining what happened to the plane and how Superman was able to safely land us in the Metropolis Stadium. Thanks to Superman, there were no lives lost that day.
It had only been a few weeks since the crash, but I was able to find a job as a janitor at the infamous Daily Planet. Finding a place to live was more difficult so I was living in a motel room at the moment.
I thought about Superman often. I read every newspaper article about him, followed reports of his actions on TV. I often thought about the time he held my hand at the hospital or the time he touched my cheek at the stadium.
Was Superman gay? Those were not typical actions of men back then. Being gay in that time was very taboo and most men kept it to themselves, including me, although I had decided that I wouldn't hide who I was. If someone asked, I was ready to tell them the truth.
I'd discovered a few aspects of the gay life in Metropolis. There were a few bars that we could go and be ourselves and no one bothered us. It was a nice break from the stress of the day.
You might be asking when was the next time that I got to see Superman. Well, let's jump to that shall we?
August 16, 1978
It has been a few months since I had settled in Metropolis. I had found an apartment and work kept me busy. I was in charge of cleaning the lobby and the first 2 floors of the Daily Planet.
On this day, my boss had asked me to take care of the fifth floor since the janitor in charge of that floor was out sick. I made my way up to this floor which was the floor that contained the offices for the reporters of the paper.
It was noisy with sounds of typewriters, phones ringing and loud voices. I silently made my way around with my cart and emptied trash cans. Per the cleaning checklist for this floor, there wasn't much to do other than empty trash cans and make sure everything was tidy during business hours.
As I was working, Jimmy Olsen, the photographer who had taken the picture of me and Superman recognized me and approached me.
"I remember you." He said. "You were the guy in the hospital bed I took a picture of with Superman." He said with excitement.
"I am. My name is Joseph Martinez." I said as I shook his extended hand.
"Hey Lois, come here!" He exclaimed. A petite, brunette wearing a short gray skirt and white blouse walked over to me. "This is Joseph Martinez, the gentleman that Superman saved on the plane that you wrote the article about." Jimmy said.
"Oh my, it's a pleasure to meet you. That was quite a day for you wasn't it?" She asked and shook my hand."
"Yes ma'am it was." I replied.
"Oh you don't have to ma'am me." She said. "Let me introduce you to my friend Clark Kent." She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a guy sitting at a desk, typing furiously on a typewriter.
"Clark!" Lois yelled. Clark jumped in his chair and stood up, knocking over a cup of pencils on his desk.
"Lois. You-you startled me." He said as he clumsily tried to pick up the pencils from the desk and the floor. When he stood back up, he looked at me. He was 6'1, brown hair parted to one side, big, brown glasses which he nervously pushed up with his hand. Behind the glasses were a set of striking blue eyes, eyes that I had seen before.
"Clark, this is Joseph Martinez, the guy that Superman saved from that plane crash and visited in the hospital." Lois said.
"Oh. It's a ple-pleasure to meet you." Clark said, extending his hand out. I took his hand and we shook. Lois's name was yelled from the distance and she excused herself and walked away.
"Likewise." I responded after she walked way. "You look familiar." I told him.
"I don't think we have ever met." He said, nervously. I decided to let it go although something in the back of my mind was telling me that I knew who him.
"Okay then, it was nice meeting you." I said. We shook hands and he went back to his desk and I resumed my cleaning.
SOMETIME LATER I had returned downstairs and kept thinking about where I had met Clark Kent. There was something about those eyes that I knew but I couldn't place it. So I put it out of my mind and focused on my work. It was near the end of the day and it was close to the end of my shift.
As I was getting ready to clock out, Clark was walking towards the exit with his coat and hat on and I could tell that he was leaving for the day. I dashed over to catch up with him. I was determined to figure out where I knew him.
"Hey." I said as I touched him on the shoulder.
"Hi-hi." He said. "Jeremy right?"
"Joseph." I corrected. "I don't mean to bother you but I keep trying to place where we met before but it's not coming to me."
"Gee, I-I don't know where we could have met." Clark said as he removed his hat to scratch his head. When he did that, a piece of his hair fell into his face and that is when I recognized him. The curl on his forehead and through those glasses were the blue eyes I had seen the day I was rescued from the plane crash. Standing in front of me was Superman.
"I remember now!" I said. I leaned in and whispered in his ear; "You are Superman." His eyes widened and I could see the flashes of emotion as he processed what I had just said.
"No--."
"Don't worry, I am not going to tell anyone. This is your secret." I interrupted him, keeping my voice low. He paused as he studied me for a moment.
"Why would you do that? You could tell the world and get money and fame?" Clark asked.
"If I did that, then I would lose the chance to get to know you plus the world needs you--I mean him." I replied. He smiled and it lit up his face. I had always wondered what Superman did when he wasn't busy saving the world, and now I knew.
"I really appreciate you keeping that secret." He checked his watch. "I have to go. See you around." Clark said. I nodded and we both went our separate ways. I went to janitor station to get my things and he walked out of the lobby.
THE NEXT DAY Clark walked up to me in the lobby and handed me his business card.
"If you, uh, ever want to get a drink or dinner, or, uh, something. Call me. My home number is on the back." He said, his voice betraying the look of confidence on his face. I looked down at the card in my hands and looked back into his blue eyes.
"I would love to." I replied. He smiled as he nodded his head and walked away. I put his card in my shirt pocket and smiled. I had Superman's phone number.