“Crossed Paths”

We see a 6 year old boy walking with his mother on the street. The camera is zoomed in so all you see of the mother is her long coat and his hand in hers. They stop at a fruit stand and the mother starts going through some oranges. The boy looks up at his mother and asks, "Mom, can I go look in the toy store window next door. I promise I'll wait for you." "OK, go ahead, but this is Metropolis so run back here if you get into any problems ... and DON'T wander off!" "Thanks Mom." Boy runs off. A man steps out of a doorway walking backwards and shouting at someone inside. He backs into the boy. He quickly turns, grabs the boy by the collar and yanks him back. "Hey kid. Watch where you are going! Ya brat." The man slaps the boy in the face without holding back. The boy staggers back with his hand on his cheek looking up at he man. The man, is shaking his hand that he slapped the boy with "Damn!" he shouts. The boy turns and runs to his Mom and buries his face in her coat. "What's the matter?" she asks. The boy looks up at her with a tear forming in his eye and says, "A man hurt my feelings." Shot widens. "Are you that brat's mother?" the man shouts and walks menacingly towards her, "Don't you teach your kid how to watch where he's going." The woman stammers "I'm sure he's sorry for whatever happened." The man says, "Well sorry ain't good enough," and he shoves the woman on her shoulder. He boy had been staring timidly at the man. Now his expression changes and there is a flash of anger in his eyes. He takes one step forward and as time slows he leaps about 3 feet into the air and eye to eye with the man, slaps him across the face. The man's head snaps side ways from the blow. The blow lifts him off his feet and he flies though a plate glass store front window. The woman's hands fly to her face in shock. It's Martha Kent. She shouts, "Clark, come here now!" She grabs and lifts her son and runs off. The man sits up in the store front window. His face is bloody and his expression is angry. Fade out.

Fade in. Same man's face but older and with a nasty scar on his face. "You mean to tell me that you never have any trouble in here."

Lana: Nothing we can't handle.
Man: A pretty little thing like you? Come on. You have to have situations when you could use a bouncer.
Clark: (Stands up from where he was seated) She SAID she doesn't need help. Just leave it at that.
Man: Well what have we here. I hadn't realized that grade school had let out already.

Martha: (Sticks her head in the door of the Talon) Clark, I'm done shopping. You can drive me home anytime you're done here.

The man looks at Martha, then he realizes where he's seen her before.
Then he turns at Clark and looks him up and down and a wide grin forms on his face as he strokes his scar with his index finger.