CHRISTINA HANSON'S PROMOTION DIARY

Chapter 9: Meeting for the first time

Christina wrapped her arms around Agatha and whispered, “I will never lose you. You want me to be Uncle Nerc? At the age of forty, he still refuses to leave his grandparents' house."

Agatha laughed. Tears fell from her eyes. She told Christina: “Your father is as afraid of losing you as I am. That's why he wanted me to go to California to study. He never accepted that his little princess had grown up and would leave his arms.”

Christina buried her head in Agatha's chest and sobbed: "But how you react to adulthood is crazy. He always wanted to control me. What about the University of Colombia? What about Morverick Corporation? Dad doesn't have to be such a patriarch. I don't like it at all.”

Agatha stroked Christina's hair, and she said, "Remember Dolly?"

“Dolly, my favorite doll. But why did you mention it?” Christina smiled. Agatha got up, entered the room, she dragged the suitcase out. Agatha pulled a coral orange Dolly Hanson-embroidered cloth doll from her travel suitcase that had worn out over time. Christina was surprised to see it. She took Dolly from Agatha's arms. Christina hugged the doll tightly and looked at Agatha: “Oh my God! I thought it was lost on that summer camp trip.”

Agatha sat down on the chair. She put her hand on Christina's shoulder. Her thin hands seemed to contain a warm sky spreading in her heart: "So, do you remember what it was after your summer camp trip?"

Christina frowned and then laughed: “Dad is on a business trip. Because I couldn't arrange my schedule, I had to go to New Orleans first for the summer camp, and you came later for the conference. If you check-in faster, you'll both have the same ride. I remember I cried bitterly from summer camp until I got home because I had lost Dolly. It's your only doll."

Agatha nodded: "It's exactly what I remember, but there's one detail that my father never told me. He didn't attend the seminar. He spent that time at my summer camp. To find Dolly, I started to get used to the new toy when he came back. So Dolly always lay still in his secret drawer. Since that day, my father started to be afraid… afraid that I would be like Dolly…a toy I used to be close to.”

Christina was speechless. Her face darkened, and tears kept flowing. Agatha gently hugged her: “More than anyone, I know he loves you very much. But how can a grumpy man like him say kind words to me? His love may only show through actions and silence. I understand him."

Christina did not say another word throughout the day. She just quietly studied or disappeared into her room. Christina's father noticed this strange thing, but he dared not ask her. It wasn't until dinner was on the table, as the three of them started eating, that Christina's father said, “I hope you'll do your best. No matter what the destination is, how far the road is, how good the outcome is, your child's experiences on the road are what matters most."

Before Christina's father could say another word, she suddenly burst into tears and rushed over and hugged him. Christina's father was amazed. He looked at Agatha in amazement, but she just smiled through her tears: "Enjoy this moment, my old friend."

Since that day, Christina's family of three is back to the way it was. However, Christina's father is still not supportive of her job at the Morverick Corporation. But when she frankly asked him why he didn't like the Morverick Corporation, he always grumpily replied, "Simply because it's in New York. Any company that forces my daughter to work in New York, I'll hate it."

Christina heard that, so she kept quiet even though she knew that wasn't the main reason. As for Agatha, she goes to the supermarket every day to buy fresh produce for Christina Hanson. She was taken care of by her grandmother. Christina also gained a lot of weight because her skin was ruddy, and she had more vitality than in her spare time. That made Christina feel much more comfortable and happy. But she did not ask for too much because of that. What Christina needs is simply a quiet space so that she can focus on studying for the university graduation exam with a powerful thesis.

On the evening of the fifteenth of December of that year, Agatha was invited by several neighbors to visit the year-end night market held nearby. After Christina Hanson and her father were alone in the room, he began rambling about hundreds of stories about his life, which he concluded: “Do your best this time, girl! Parents will give their children a surprise gift.”

Christina Hanson looked back at him and grinned: “Of course, I'll get the best results, but don't waste your money buying presents. Dad should give the money to mom to manage. I know you still have a lot of memories of Milan and Paris. Parents can go there to travel.”

Father Christina Hanson patted his thigh and shouted, his chest heaving with pride: “This is your parents' secret. I cannot know. As for traveling, it's already in the parents' plans."

When she heard this, Christina smiled. She told her father that she did not need expensive gifts. For Christina, spiritual support is something she has dreamed of for many years. Christina told her father how she felt leaving her California home for Christmas. Father Christina felt a little disappointed and moved by what she had just said, but he still told himself that he would try to make up for her as soon as she finished her college entrance exams.

Christina finally finished her final report brilliantly. She drove to school to submit papers at the faculty office in a good mood. But as soon as Christina got off the bus stop, it started to snow heavily. There was no place to hide from the snow, so she had to rush into school, which also meant that she was freezing from head to toe. Christina is not worried about herself, but she is apprehensive about her final report and thesis. She crouched down in a hallway and opened her backpack, a suffocating feeling of frustration quickly taking over her mind.

Christina sighed heavily and had to wait for the snow to ease before she hurried to the school library to print a new thesis report. So it took about thirty minutes before she could download the thesis file from the email box onto the library computer for printing. Christina was in a hurry for fear of affecting the lecturers' time, and she also had to return early to be able to continue working. Finally, the stressful exam days were over. Christina breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she would be able to concentrate on her studies, but the school required her to give a speech to speak at the ceremony well. Karma.

Although she refused to let Christina rest after more than a month of challenging exam preparation, the dean and homeroom teacher personally talked to her, so she had to accept this monumental task. As Christina spoke to the professors, suddenly, a young man appeared. He had dark brown hair and emerald green eyes that made Christina feel like she was being drawn into them. The guy suddenly interrupted her conversation with the professors.

That guy succeeded in attracting people at that moment. Christina did not expect that she would be quickly forgotten because of the appearance of strangers. She said goodbye to the professors and returned home. He reached out his hand to say hello when passing others, but she still decided to keep her relaxed attitude, giving him like a real 'Queen Bee'. Christina's actions took him by surprise. And when he decided to follow her to the school gate, Christina looked at him and said, "Am I misunderstanding, or are you trying to spy on me?"

The young man smiled, doing his best to be polite, his gesture the complete opposite of Christina's reaction. It made her feel like he was dragging her down. Christina pretended like nothing had happened as he held out his hand again: "Hi, I'm..."

Christina growled. She motioned for him to be quiet: “I don't care. I understand men like you so well. Try to be polite in front of everyone. But there are only two purposes; usurp someone else's aura or lure them to bed the night before and then disappear like superman the next morning. Again… I have no need.”

After Christina said that, she quickly left. She did not want to get involved, nor did she want to have any relationship between herself and the other guy. Because Christina realized her chest was pounding. She was captivated by his breathless handsomeness. The image of Christina walking quickly out of the school made the boy's lips draw a perfect curve.

When Christina Hanson returned home and told this story to her parents, their faces lit up with absolute pride. It makes her extremely happy. Of course, she didn't discuss meeting the strange man and her embarrassing behavior. She also noticed that lately, her parents are often mysterious, and their attitude makes her quite curious. But Christina also didn't ask for anything because she knew that if she did, her parents would never give her the answer she expected.