Hannah's Prize

Chapter 5-2

To be frank, she also agreed that Mabel needed to get a husband quickly. Although Julia only needed the job so she’d buy whatever she wanted for herself, she’d be glad if a man saw her and fell in love with her. That meant Julia would soon be out of home as well. After Mabel and Julia got married, she knew she would finally find peace at home.

The jobs they were seeking were house cleaning and maid jobs, she supposed. Mabel didn’t talk about the kind of jobs they would do during the meeting, but Hannah doubted that Dad would accept what Mabel and Julia sought. He hadn’t stopped blaming himself for what happened to Mom in the last war. In fact, he said that Mom was taken because he couldn’t provide for his family. With regards to this, he had taken up double shifts at his place of work so none of them would need to work. He said this would continue until he was certain that there would be no war. At the moment, it was still a debate between King Lyon Logan of Danaata and King Noah Adair of Forzaland. If the kings didn’t reach an agreement, a war would doubtlessly set in.

Hannah watched the birds flying about in a nearby tree. They were clearly gathering up for their night’s rest. The clouds had started taking up a dark shade. A soft wind blew across the platform and picked up dry leaves on its course. Although not dark yet, the street lights and the lights at the station had started to shine. Still at a loss on where to search for Dad, she continued to sit on the bench and hoped he’d come out soon.

A luxurious car pulled over in the distance. A young man stepped out of the car and an older woman shortly after. For a while the duo conversed. The woman embraced the man, kissed him on the forehead and bid him adieu. The chauffeur had come out of the car and was bringing the man’s luggage to the station. The man started for the station. When he was close enough, she stopped looking and faced her front. He approached and sat closely beside her. She watched him yet from the corner of her eyes. She noticed he had turned to gaze at her.

“Good evening,” he said.

She shifted a bit from him. “Good evening, sir.”

While he was approaching the station, she noticed how handsome he was. His beauty was in fact stunning. He was tall and moderately muscular. His black hair was cut short and parted to the left. His eyes were black and his color, dark. Gradually, she turned completely to gaze at the rest of his body. He wore a black three-piece suit that was tailored to a perfect fit. The collar of his white shirt could be seen at his neck region. He didn’t have a tie on. His coat, unbuttoned, was like the rest of his clothing: perfect. His shoes were polished to a perfect glimmer. She could see her own reflection in them. Suddenly, she noticed he had watched her stare at him and she blushed. That was too shameful. She wasn’t supposed to look at a man like that.

“Waiting to catch a train?” he asked and faced his front.

“N-n-no,” she stammered. “I’m here to deliver a message to my father. He works in this station.” It wasn’t her wish to discuss with a total stranger, a man. What would she talk about?

He looked around like he was looking for someone. “Alone? I mean, no one is accompanying you? It’s pretty late and a young woman like you shouldn’t be here all alone.”

Her eyes narrowed as she faced him. “I believe I can take care of myself.”

He adjusted himself on the chair and relaxed his back on the backrest. “My apologies for bothering. Were you to be my sister, I’d have seen it as my duty to protect you. I’d have seen to it that you came to no harm. So, I ask again, what is a young woman like you doing here all alone? What if something bad happened to you or someone molested you?” He looked at his wristwatch. “It’s after six o’clock, it’s almost dark and you’re alone. You should be in your home by this time—and if you must be outside, you should be chaperoned. What do you want to talk to your father about? Is it urgent?”

She tried to speak and he held up his right hand. She stopped speaking.

“It isn’t, or you wouldn’t be seated comfortably here.”

She searched for the right words to reply to him with; she found none. Chaperoned indeed! Such luxuries were for wealthy heiresses. For people their level, you could be helped out by an older brother if you had one. Feeling annoyed, she subconsciously removed her gloves and dropped them on the bench, by her other side. This was Ossawa, Danaata, not Forzaland. Forzaland girls, she heard, were still caged like in the 1840s; whereas this was 1921.

His eyebrows were raised like he was waiting for a reply. When she didn’t speak, he said, “I’m waiting for a reply.”

His accent was Forzalish, she noticed: a more refined form of their language. Forzaland were the original owners of the language, according to their history studies. Hannah had recently concluded with high school. She also knew that their country, Danaata, had picked up the Forzalish language three centuries ago when they were colonized by them. They had fought and regained their freedom about a century ago.

Hannah saw her father come out of one of the longhouses. She exhaled and stood up. “I see my father,” she told the man and dashed out.

William Campbell was a man in his late fifties. He was tall and muscular. His hair was black but it had started to lose some of its original color. There were patches of silver hair here and there.

Dad looked up and saw her approaching. Slowly, he dropped the screwdriver and other tools he had in his hands on a wooden table beside him. He slid his two hands into his trousers pockets and contemplated her.

Hannah stopped walking and stood like a statue. Whenever Dad was very annoyed, he often put his hands in his trousers pockets. The minute the hands came out, one of them normally stretched towards the person opposite in a slap. This in most cases was her or any of her sisters. She and her sisters understood this gesture well. Dad rarely beat their brother.

“Come,” Dad beckoned and she went closer, although maintaining a fair distance.

While on her way coming, she had rehearsed what she was to say to him. I have seen how overworked you are Dad, and I thought it would be good if Mabel and Julia got jobs to assist you. They certainly would maintain good comportment and wouldn’t do anything that’d dent their image as marriageable women. She had also thought of this. With Mom gone, what if Mabel and Julia helped you financially, Dad. That would be the time he’d raise an eyebrow and she’d explain. They’d get jobs. At the thought of this, she remembered how much Dad loved Mom and guessed he’d be furious at the mention of Mom. Finally, she concluded she’d say this; I have come to ask permission for Mabel and Julia to get a job each. As people go out every day and return safely to their homes, I don’t think there is still a need for us all to continue to stay home. She wouldn’t add stupidly, I don’t think there will be a war soon.

This last she said to Dad.

“Leave for home at once,” Dad scolded. “I’ll settle this issue when I return.”

She turned and fled. She had gone some distance on the road that led to the train station when she heard someone screaming “Miss” from behind. Miss could have been anyone. But because she recognized the voice as that of the stranger she’d been sitting with at the station, she turned. He was running towards her. She waited until he approached.

In between heavy breaths, he said, “You forgot your gloves. I wanted to return them to you.” His lips curved into a lovely smile. She stretched her hands out and took the gloves from him.

“Thank you, sir,” she said and turned to continue on her way.

He held her on the arm and slowly whirled her to face him. “Forgive me. I addressed you badly over there. But I still think it was best you waited for your father to return home to give him a message. That’s the right thing to do.” He left her arm.

She nodded and spun around again. She started leaving. He didn’t hold her arm this time. Instead, he walked hastily and stood before her, preventing her from walking on further. She raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t get to know your name.”

“Hannah Campbell.”

At that moment, the train the stranger had been waiting for arrived. Both of them, standing still, watched in the distance as the train picked up ready-to-go passengers and left. Surprised, she pointed at the station. “Shouldn’t you be on that train?”

“Oh that,” he said carelessly, “I’ll continue with my journey tomorrow. I’ll look for a hotel to spend the night.”

“And your luggage, you left it at the train station to bring my gloves? What if it gets stolen? Don’t you have valuable items in them?”

“The gloves could equally be stolen. You could catch a cold as well. I’ll run along now to fetch them. You, wait here,” he ordered. He turned to leave and whirled round again. “I’ll need help with the boxes. I have three boxes and I can’t carry them all by myself. Can you perhaps come with me and help me out?”

She shook her head. “No. I can’t.”

“Hannah.”

She flinched as he mentioned her name.

“Hope I can call you that. That’s the least you can do. I missed my train because I had to bring you your gloves. I won’t take much of your time. I still remember I had chided you about being outside alone by this time. But I could be your company. I’ll protect you from harm,” he said with a lovely smile.

She wanted to ask what the difference was between him and the other men she was meant to avoid. But his smile made her swoon. She couldn’t go on with her question. He looked like a gentleman. He didn’t seem like someone who’d harm a girl. Apart from that, people were around everywhere. If he wanted to harm her, he’d need a secluded place to do that. She wouldn’t go to such a place with him.

Although she knew her life would be as good as over if Dad saw her again in the train station after he had ordered her to leave for home at once, and worse still, in the company of an unknown man, she still went with him. He was worth risking such a thing for. Apart from this, she felt guilty that he missed his train because of her.

“Here, take this.”

He handed her the smallest box and picked up the remaining two. They started back to the road. Dad was nowhere in sight. That also meant he didn’t see her. For that she was glad. When they got to the road, he stopped a cab. The cab driver cleared off the road, came out and loaded his bags.