Hannah's Fate |COMPLETED| 18+

Chapter Ten

The following day was much of the same, up at five am. Except there were a few more people that both called and came into the hotel in the morning. The three people I had helped had made the morning go faster and I didn't realize it was afternoon until Beatrice came into the office with a to-go bag in her hand.

   "Hi, Hannah." She said when she closed the door behind her.

   "Hi, Beatrice. How are you?" I asked.

   "I'm good. I didn't see you today. I suppose you could have gone someplace else, but I figured I'd try to bring you some lunch."

   "Wow, thank you so much." It was so kind of her to treat me with this much hospitality. Even my own mother would have never done that. "I lost track of time. I didn't even realize it was after twelve. Thank you."

   "You are welcome. Don't work too hard. Donna wouldn't want you to not eat because you're working." She said.

   "Thank you. It means a lot you came by to check on me." I said.

   I found I had an urge to tell her about my mom and how we don't have a relationship at all. We never had. I wanted to tell her about how much I was still in love with her son and how I wanted, more than anything, to stay and fix things. But I couldn't because I knew what would be best in the end.

   Beatrice gave me a hug, and I felt like I could burst into tears. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon and it automatically made me think of snickerdoodle cookies - my favorite.

   "Thank you again," I said to her when we pulled apart.

   "You're welcome. You're just so kind for doing this for Donna. It really means a lot to her and everyone in town that cares about her. So, thank you for doing this. Really, Hannah. I don't know what she would have done without you."

   "No problem. Seriously, it's kind of fun having a job." I admitted.

   "You've never had one before?" She asked half-surprised.

   I thought about my answer for a second. I wanted to lie because I knew in a small town like this everyone worked at a young age.

   I shook my head. "Nope. My parents never made me get one." I felt ashamed admitting this. Like I was a freak for never having any responsibility other than going to school.

   "Oh my. Brian had his first job at 12." She said with a half-hearted laugh.

   "I know. I remember him telling me about the dairy farm he helped out at." I said.

   "I'd drive him there after school and pick him up at 8 sometimes 10 o'clock at night. And on the weekends, I'd drop him off at 7 and pick him up at 7. He had a real good work ethic from a young age." She smiled to herself, very proud of her son.

   I pictured 12-year-old Brian working on the dairy farm. And then I pictured 12-year-old me that got dropped off at the mall every day by taxi or a friend's parent. I'd shop until I was so tired or one of my friends needed to head home. It was never my own parents calling to check in on me. I envied my friends for that. Especially Blair. Her parents would make her check in with them every thirty minutes and were usually the ones that drove and picked us up.

   If I would ever have kids in my life, I would not let them live the way I was raised. Sure, if I had the money, I'd buy them things they needed but only the things they wanted when they had earned it. I knew I was spoiled, and I knew there were kids that would have killed to have my life growing up. But they also didn't see everything else I had to endure. Like the high expectations placed on me by my mother. Doing nothing right in her eyes and always "ruining the family reputation".