Handle Me With Care

2

YEAR: 1949

"I'm Johanna..."
"Why are ye in my room?" he asked.
"I'm sorry. I-I-"
"Why are ye in my room?"
"I'm sorry...I was running and yer house was the only open one I saw so I-"
"Yer eyebrow is cut!"
"What?" I whispered. I grazed my index finger over my eyebrows trying to find my cut. After a few seconds I gasped as I touched the cut part of my face. "Would ye look at that,"
"Come here," he pat his bed. "I'll be right back," he whispered. He snuck out if his room and returned a few minutes later with a medical kit.
"What are ye doing?"
"Shhh,"
"Why?"
"Be quiet. I don't want my mum to hear ye." He started cleaning my wound and putting bandages over it. "I'm George," he said. "Yer Johanna, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Do ye have a nickname?"
"No...my parents say I don't deserve one,"
"Really? That's strange...I'm done," he mumbled.
"Ta," I sighed.
"Ta?"
"It means thanks a lot,"
"That's so cool!"
"Shhh,"
"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "Hey,"
"Yeah?"
"I'm gonna call ye Jojo,"
"Why?"
"Cause Johanna is too long to remember,"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Georgie?" We saw the hallway light go on. "Who are ye talking too?"
"Oh no..." I cried. "She's gonna make me go home," I whispered. "I don't wanna go home,"
"Georgie," she knocked on the door before walking in. "George!" she gasped. "Who is that! Ye need to get out of my house!"
"But-"
"Out!"
"No mum!"
"George Harrison, do not talk back to me! I'm just trying to protect ye!"
"Please don't make me go back," I cried.
"What?" she whispered.
"Mum, she was hurt, I was just helping her,"
"Be quiet Georgie...now honey, what's yer name?" She knelt down and lowered her voice.
"Johanna,"
"Johanna what?
"Johanna Todd,"
"Where do ye live?"
"Fleet Street,"
"That's four miles away!" she exclaimed. "Ye really ran that far?"
"Yeah..."
"What are ye running from?" No response. "Come on Johanna, please tell me, I need to get ye home,"
"I don't wanna go home..."
"My Georgie said ye were hurt. Is that correct?"
"Mhmm,"
"What happened?"
"Her eyebrow was cut,"
"George," she warned, "why was yer eyebrow cut?"
"Must've cut it when I fell." She raised a brow as I spoke.
"Well alright, come with me. George, go back to bed, ye have school in the morning,"
"Okay mum,"
George's mum brought me into a spare room and sat me down on the bed.
"Johanna...tell me what really happened,"
"How did-"
"No one can lie to me. Trust me, George tries all the time,"
"My dad got mad at me and threw a bottle at me,"
"Ye can sleep here tonight," she sighed.
"Wait...really?"
"Yeah. I'll grab a few of George's clothes for ye to sleep in,"
"Oh my god! Thank ye so much, uh...I don't know yer name,"
"I'm Louise," she smiled. I got up from the bed and hugged her legs.
"Thank ye Louise...thank ye."