Clark had been distracted that he almost hadn't heard Mara when she spoke. There was a distant expression on his face and he scribbled. It used to get him in so much trouble with Ma. She always used to say, "If you spend all that time in the stars, you'll never see what's going on right here on earth." Later in life, the irony of that statement was... Well, amusing to them both. He offered the young woman a broad smile and chuckled.
"Sorry," he said, "I was a bit distracted." He stood up as midwestern gentleman did and motioned for her to have a seat. "Feel free. I was just getting my thoughts together." And he took a seat, extending his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Mara. I'm -" Pause. "It was Mara, right?"