Chapter 45: Chapter 43

Song: 'Memories' by Maroon 5

Here's to the ones that we got

Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not

'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

Of everything we've been through

Toast to the ones here today

Toast to the ones that we lost on the way

'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories

And the memories bring back, memories bring back you

..............................................................

HANNAH’S POV

“Your father told me she’s not working with you anymore, why?” asked his mother as we all sat at the dinner table.

“Umm, actually, Heather, it was my decision. I mean, these are my initial years, I wanted to polish my craft before getting into the business aspect of it.” I explained so they won’t dig the real reason.

“But you could’ve learned that and more with Elijah, no,” she looked at her son with intrigue, “Were you too harsh on her, Elijah?”

Harsh? On me? No, no, your son is the most loving person ever, he’s soft as a feather. Basically, I had to say the same just minus sarcasm. All right, here we go, the lies I have to come up with.

“Oh, no, it’s…” I looked at him trying to put on a warm smile, he on the other hand was across me with his fists clenched, “It’s actually quite the opposite.” I tried blushing like all those actresses in movies do when they’re in love. God knows what I must be looking like.

“Aww, that’s so lovely. You know, I was so worried about how things would turn out after what happened,” her words were filled with genuine warmth, “But seeing you both like this together, getting on so well, I think it wasn’t such a bad decision after all.”

Poor woman, I feel bad betraying her. With a guilty conscious I looked up at him sitting in front of me and saw no remorse what so ever. But then again it’s only me coming up with made-up stories, he hasn’t said a word since.

“And how is it going with Margaret?” his father asked looking at me with unwavering eyes, something about his tone tells me he’s not buying it.

“It’s good… different, difficult,” I answered honestly, “she’s not an easy person to impress, she’s a hard nut to crack but she’s really good at what she does. So every day I’m trying to be a little better to get in her good books.”

“Do you want me to talk to her?” Mr. Norman asked.

“No, I think I can handle it, I’m persistent to prove,” once again my eyes went to the person sitting in front of me, saying it to him directly and indirectly “The whole point to joining her was to be challenged and that is exactly what she does. Thank you for looking after me,” I said in all sincerity, “but I think I got it.”

“I’m proud of you, Hannah. I know you will prove everyone wrong and make it on your own,” he also looked at his son like challenging him on my behalf, “But if you need any help, know that I’m here okay?”

“Thanks… dad,” it’s becoming easier now to call him dad, “I’ll let you know.”

“Urgh, stop this work talk to you guys. This dinner is a family time to get to know each other, it’s already delayed by months.” Said Heather.

“Yeah, isn’t it too lovely, all of us together like a happy family? This is too fucked up, I can’t take all this fake sugary goodness. I’m out of here.” Elena called out and left the table.

“Hey, Elena, behave yourself and get right back here.” Her mother said in a stern voice.

“I’ll go and talk to her,” and he left too. It was the first time during the whole dinner he said something and it was to get out of here.

Okay, this is so awkward, what do I do now? Go back to eating this delicious meal or sit here in oblivion?

I looked at Ethan with hopeful eyes to get some answers.

“Just get back to eating, Hannah. We’re all used to her tantrums when things don’t go by her plans. He’ll handle her.”

“Yeah, I’m so sorry for her behavior.” I smiled at Heather to convey that I understood, “Why don’t you finish your dinner and I’ll show you around the house?” I nodded in affirmation and got back to devouring my meal.

………………………………………………………………………………

Heather is showing me around their grand mansion and telling me stories of Australia where she grew up and fell in love with Mr. Norman.

“Weren’t you scared to leave all your life behind and come to a new country? I mean, now we have internet so we know what we’re getting into but back then I can’t imagine.” I said in great fascination.

“I think today we have so much information that makes us more scared, back then we didn’t use to weigh our pros and cons as you guys do. We didn’t look at relationships like a timely thing like it’s beneficial for me at the moment and once its attraction fades we’ll move on our separate ways. We used to make it work and accommodated each other through love and compromises. We never thought if this didn’t work we’ll be on to the next.”

“This sounds too exhausting, our generation can’t fathom a relationship that demands this much work.” I tried to put across my point of view.

“Oh yes, it is exhausting, it consumes you. But what your generation wants is a 50/50 partnership whereas in relationships sometimes you’ll be 40 and he’ll be 60 or you will be 100 and he’ll be 0. And please don’t take me wrong I don’t mean that one should stay in a toxic relationship or be 100 all the time when there’s 0 percent effort from the other side.

All I’m saying is that when you love a person you accept their highs and lows, you mold yourself to their liking and sometimes you mold them to your preference, and most of the time you let it be as is and you learn to love them just the way they are. You just have to love a person enough to get consumed and Richard’s love was more than enough for me to leave all my life behind and start a new one with him. And what a life it has been. ”

Her eyes gleamed with pure joy and love for her husband. The things she said made my heart swell a little, maybe, due to the lack of them in my life. I don’t know if I agree with her or not but I’d like something like that for myself.

“I’m sorry but such a love doesn’t exist now, people don’t do things that way anymore. It’s like a folklore for us, a legend, a fairytale, far from reality. A myth” I had to say this as a non-believer of a concept of love.

“It sure does, one just doesn’t know how to look for it. Just like today, you were a 100 and he was a minus 100.” I looked at her with wide eyes not knowing what to say. In fact, I’m not too sure about what she is saying either.

Me being a 100? What, when, where?

“Yeah, I noticed, Hannah, and I really appreciate it. Men are stupid,” she rolled her eyes which made me laugh, “They think they know it all and are the smartest creatures on earth and sometimes they are. But when it comes to love and emotions, I swear they are the dumbest, they don’t know what they are looking for even if you stand in front of them with a sign board that says ‘This is it, this is what you were searching for’.”

As I kept listening to her, his face kept flashing before my eyes, fitting into scenarios that were far from possible, and honestly, I don’t think I want them to be possible. I think her words are having a wrong impact on my mind or maybe there was something in the food.

“No, it’s not like that, we’re doing fine,” I said looking down at my fidgeting fingers.

“Ah, you know what, these days even girls need a sign board. You’ve all become the same,” she lightly smacked her head, “But it’s okay, your minds and hearts may take a while, but the eyes often say the unsaid.” She patted my cheek and walked ahead of me, while I stopped to look at my eyes in the nearby mirror.

What are my eyes telling her? I pulled both my eye sockets one by one to see.

“Come on, let’s go, this is not how you look in the eyes,” she laughed. I didn’t know she’d come back.

Embarrassed, I started walking again and joined her.

“Don’t be embarrassed, dear, you’ll see it one day, I'm sure.” She held my hand and squeezed it light for assertion.

She showed me a little further and then stopped in front of a room.

“And this is Elijah’s room and now yours too.” She opened it and we went inside.

I think if she didn’t tell me I would’ve still guessed that it’s his room. It screams ‘him’.

There’s a masculine musk that’s a part of the air now, probably of his perfumes. Everything is set within an inch of its perfection, the table side lamps illuminating a soft glow, the bedsheet doesn’t have a single wrinkle on it, the bookshelf is set in a color gradient pattern, a vintage chestnut drawer cupboard with some vintage ornaments and awards on it. The view outside the window is of a flower garden that is lit with lampposts, the resting flowers are a vision of peace. Everything in this room is in order, not a single speck of dust can be found here. But just like everything else of his, this room lacks liveliness. This room can easily be featured in GQ magazine but it doesn’t signify the fact that a person lived here. I know he doesn’t live here now but he did once, this is not a room that tells you a child grew up here.

Or maybe, he was never a child, he was always a rude old soul, who knows?

I looked around his bookshelf to see his collection. And I’m impressed, his collection ranges from philosophy to astronomy, thriller to history. All vintage original books. There are some cult classics in here, some of which I’ve read and others I’d like to catch up on one day. I thoroughly went through his books listing in my mind what my next reads would be.

“You like reading, Hannah?” I was so engorged that I forgot she was still here.

“Yeah, since I was a kid. My father…” my words choked as I remembered dad, the memories of my childhood fogged before my eyes, “my father is a bookworm, I think I’ve taken after him. He used to read me bedtime stories. When I was 5, I could read on my own. I remember Dad getting me my first book series, it was ‘The Whimpey Kid’. Mom couldn’t stop showing off that her 5-year-old daughter could read on her own. She made me a star in my kinder garden, she would tell everyone about it.” I laughed thinking about it as my eyes watered.

These memories are so vividly etched in my mind like they happened just yesterday. You might wonder how I can remember it all so clearly. I can, because that’s all the time I had with her. She passed away a few years after that so I’ve grown up reminiscing all those moments.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, dear,” she gave me an empathetic smile, “Your mom must be proud of you seeing you up from heaven. I’ve heard so much about your mother, I feel like I’ve known her all along, first from Rick and now from you, I can see her reflection in you.” I nodded my head and smiled.

“You know,” She sat on the bed and I mimicked her too, “Elijah was just the same, always lost in his books. All of these are his books. He never had many friends. In the beginning, it made me worried about why he wasn’t like other kids but then again he didn’t have a life that other kids had, my poor baby went through so much at such an early age. Sometimes, I feel grew up earlier than he should have.” She said lost in her thoughts.

“Life hadn’t been too kind to him, neither as a child nor as an adult. It has made him bitter. He was never an expressive kid and as an adult he has just got into a shell, very hard to crack, unable for the world to see, he’s lost a lot,” he, lost? I can’t imagine. “I know he’s not an easy person to live with,” catching me off guard, she held on to my hand, “but please, be there for him, would you? I know what I’m asking you is a lot, especially under the circumstances that you both got married, but he needs a companion and I think you are that companion, Hannah. His burdens are too heavy for him, you can bring him back to life. Just promise me, you won’t give up on him?” tears rolled down her eyes as I sat there stunned. Her state was making me uncomfortable but more than that it was her words.

I can’t do what she’s demanding of me, how do I break it for her that we don’t have what she has assumed? She’s got all her hopes in the wrong places. How do I tell her that I’m not what she’s taking me in for? Especially in her current condition.

“I promise,” words came out of my mouth on their own but before I could go back on them her face broke into the most relieved smile I’ve seen on her like she just aged back a decade.

Sometimes, even our empty words can give someone so much hope that striking them with reality feels like a crime. So I resisted myself from breaking her heart, put my other hand on our joined hand, and reassured her.

“I promise,” I said again trying to sound more sincere this time.

“Thank you, thank you.” She hugged me tight and wiped her tears with content.

I know I don’t know her that well but I feel connected to her. And it has made her happy.

Besides, my words don’t have to mean anything so I should not be guilty of lying, right?

.................................................................................................................................................................

Author's Note:

Aww, things got a little emotional, didn't they?

Heather seems like a nice person, do you think Hannah can confine in her?

What do you think about Hannah's fake promise?

Did she do the right thing?

Let me know in the comments, it'll mean the world to me.

Please don't hold back on your comments and likes as feedback is very important.

Also, it helps a great deal in reaching a far greater audience.

Enjoy the chapter.

Much love❤❤