Once Upon a Star

Chapter 5

“Do you have something like insomnia?” Debby asked as she felt her friend’s eyes. Hanna just looked at Debby, and then stared blankly. Debby looked at Hanna, “Are you okay? You’re making me worry,” she added as she frowned.

Jenny opened her phone; she read through some text messages and turned it back off. She sat on the floor, and cried. “I’m sorry, Hanna; I didn’t mean to leave you alone in times like this. I have to work harder to pay the bills, and the debts father left,” Jenny whispered as she cried.

“Are you sure you can walk by yourself?” Debby asked Hanna as she walked with her. Hanna nodded and bid goodbye to her. “Where’s Sean when you needed him?” Debby asked out of nowhere. “He left already, why?” an answer came, as Lyndon stood beside Debby. “Hanna’s acting strange, is she alright?” he asked Debby, “I’m not quite sure,” Debby answered as she watched her best friend.

Hanna arrived at the building where she resides. The elevator doors open, but she just stood still. Not long, she noticed that she had to ride, seeing the elevator open. When she was about to ride, the doors were closing. Two hands prevented the doors from closing, and from squeezing Hanna.

“Are you okay?” Sean asked Hanna. Hanna looked behind her and saw Sean, she nodded and entered. Sean pressed the number 23 button. He looked at her, wondering what had happened to the jolly Hanna. Hanna was about to lose balance when Sean grabbed her by her arms. He decided to accompany Hanna to her unit, and walked her to the front door. “Thank you,” she told him, and got inside the condominium unit.

Sean was expecting Hanna to come out to her balcony that night, but Hanna didn’t. Sean looked up at the sky, with thoughts clouding up his mind. “What’s happening to her?” he asked himself, as he looked at his right side, wandering his eyes on Hanna’s balcony.

Sean spent the weekend shopping. He was in the grocery, purchasing food and necessities. He cooked his dinner and ate. He went to his balcony and looked at the busy streets and turned to look at the balcony next to his. Sean saw Hanna looking down as well; he immediately stepped back and hid behind the wall.

“Stars, what do I do? I’m left here all by myself. I don’t have much money left for me to spend. All the money we have, papa’s, sister’s, and even mine, they were all taken away to pay off the debts papa has left. I don’t know how I’ll manage to budget the money left from my allowance. What do I do? I can’t contact my sister; I don’t know where my father has gone to, who am I left with now?” Hanna told the bright stars in the night sky as she wept.

Hanna was sitting on the couch in their living room when the door bell rang. Hanna looked at the time, “Who could it be during this hour?” she asked herself. She stood up and opened the door. She saw a paper bag with food in it. She looked around, “I wonder who sent these,” she said as she picked it up. She sat down and ate, “Maybe it’s from my sister,” Hanna whispered as she munched.

Hanna woke up in their living room, “It’s eight already and…” Hanna looked at herself; she fell asleep on the couch last night. She was brushing her teeth, and she gargled, “What if I look for work? Will that work?” she asked herself, looking at the mirror. “But, I have a busy schedule, I can’t make it. I’m already flunking my subjects,” she went on gargling. “Where am I going to find money for my tuition fees?” she sadly asked herself as she wiped her mouth.

Debby was looking at Hanna’s seat, “I wonder why she’s absent,” Debby thought. “Yeah, she’s not around today. She didn’t send a text message as well,” Debby told Lyndon as they walked to the gate. “Maybe she’s sick?” Lyndon told Debby, Sean was listening to them when he suddenly walked away and left them.

Sean left another two paper bags outside Hanna’s place. He went to his unit and when he was about to close the door, Hanna opened hers. Sean stood by his door, having it partly open to hear. Hanna looked at the paper bags and started to sob. “It would be better if you visit me, Jenny,” she said and cried. Sean felt something; he wasn’t sure what it was.

“You missed a lot of lessons, are you feeling okay now?” Debby asked Hanna as she looked at her in their classroom. Hanna nodded. Debby placed a notebook on Hanna’s desk; “Inside are the lessons you missed. Study them,” Debby told her. Hanna looked up to Debby with teary eyes and suddenly hugged her.

Sean rode the elevator and saw Hanna coming. Hanna was reading the notebook Debby gave her. She stood in front of the buttons as she read. She put the notebook down and looked behind her. “Oh, I didn’t know you were there,” Hanna told Sean. “Oh, which floor are you living in?” Hanna asked, as she readied her pointer finger for pressing. Sean looked at her, “Sixteenth,” he answered.

“Bye,” Hanna said to Sean as she smiled at him. “Now I have to ride again,” Sean thought as he pressed the up button. Hanna got off the elevator to the 23rd floor. She was about to open her unit when he suddenly thought, “Should I check my atm card’s balance?” She went back to the elevator and waited for it to come. She was waiting on the elevator Sean was riding on and when it reached the 22nd floor, the other elevator arrived at the 23rd floor.

When Hanna rode the elevator, Sean just got out. Sean noticed the elevator doors close; he looked back and knew it was Hanna. “Thank you Jenny,” Hanna whispered as she took the money out from the machine.

Hanna was organizing the groceries when the phone suddenly rang. “Yes? Now? Okay then,” Hanna said and hanged up. Hanna went to the building’s office downstairs. Hanna knocked at the door, “Ah, yes, do come in,” Mr. Choi said as he sat in his office. “Take a seat,” he told Hanna.