The first time I saw Hannah I was hanging out in the old oak tree in my family's backyard. I was busy reading the final chapter to a new book when I noticed a girl with long blond hair laying in the grass on the other side of our wooden fence.
At first I was confused, no one ever visited Beth next door. Then I was curious as to why a teenage girl would be laying in the grass with her arms spread wide and her face staring into the sky. I guess I was leaning a little too far over when I lost my balance and sent myself to the ground and landing on my right arm.
I mention the arm not because I was afraid of actually breaking it, it wasn't like I was ever going to play in the Major league. Actually I wouldn't be playing in any league. This is all beside the point, I mention it because my mom was already a worrier and if I broke my arm it would just give her another reason to keep me inside for the rest of my life.
I laid on the ground soaking in the pain and trying to avoid making a sound when a head full of blond hair popped up on the other side of the fence. “You okay?”
Covering my face in humiliation I rolled over before climbing to my feet and nursing my arm. “Yeah.”
“What the heck were you doing up there?”
“Not trying to die, that's for sure.”
Laughing, Hannah climb up to the top of the fence. “If you were going to watch me you could have just said so and come over.”
“I was not watching you.”
“Sure you weren't." She laughed with a smile, "I'm Hannah.”
“Adam.” I answered.
“You live here, Adam?” She asked pointing to my house.
“Yeah, ever since I was a kid.” I shrugged.
“Cool, I just moved in next door.”
“With Beth?”
“She's my aunt.”
“Nice.”
“Yeah.”
Talking to her felt a little weird and as pretty as she was my arm started to throb. “Well I uh guess I'll go on in and get some ice.” I said.
“Good idea, I'll see you later, Adam.” She called to me as she jumped down to the other side of the fence.
As you can tell my first conversation with Hannah left a little to be desired. It was the first time any girl other than my younger sister or one of the girls in band had talked to me and I was pretty sure I messed up royally.
I told myself I never stood a chance anyway as I walk through the glass door on our back porch so I tried not to kick myself but it was a little tough choking down the fact that she had seen me watching her and had watched as I fell.
I went up the stairs passing the other rooms and up the stairs to the attic where my bedroom was. Flopping down on the bed I covered my face with my left hand and realized that I needed to nurse my wounded ego more than I would need to nurse my hurt and possibly broken arm.
That evening when I finally came down stairs after avoiding eye to eye contact with anyone in my family just in case they could read the shame in my face, my dad was sitting at the dinner table finalizing some paper's for his big case the next day.
My parents were both lawyers before my mom got pregnant with me and then my sister. At first she wanted to still practice law but decided having a nanny raise me wasn't going to give me the warmth she could offer. Anyone who meets her now would never realize that the typical stay at home mom used to put away bad guys for a living.
I, however definitely can vouch for that because I have been on the receiving end of her questioning more times than I can count and I can tell you she knew what she was doing when it came to interrogating. I was known for admitting to things I'd never done.
One time my mom found a half eaten sandwich with cheese on it in the washer after doing a load of laundry and came to me directly. Let me point out right here that I am allergic to cheese. A-l-l-e-r-g-i-c and still I admitted to it right then and there. The mystery of who actually put it in has never been solved but I lean towards my little sister, Mary, for that one.
So anyway that evening my dad was sitting at the table going over paperwork and I sat next to him holding onto my arm. “What happened?” he asked without looking up.
“Fell from the tree.”
At this my mom turns around with a spatula in her hand a look of complete fear on her face, “You did what?” She practically yelled.
“I fell from the tree.”
“I told him he shouldn't get up there.” Jennifer said while walking into the kitchen holding a book on her list must read list before ninth grade literary list.
“Shut up, Jenny.” I rolled my eyes. For being three years younger than me I'm pretty sure she was older when it came to rules. Aside from the sandwich incident, she has been on a staight and narrow path since birth.
“Don't talk to your sister like that.” Dad said looking over the top of his paper, “Think it's broken?” He nodded to my arm.
“Not sure.”
Mom still facing us let out a deep huff, “Not sure? Brandon, do you hear our son, he is 'not sure' if he broke his arm!”
“Calm down, Mary.”
“I don't know how I'm suppose to calm down, I'm telling you right now I am not bringing him to the hospital.”
“I can drive myself.”
“Not with a broken arm.” They both said at the exact same time.
“Fine.” I grumbled.
Dad stood, finally setting down his paper. “I'll take him.”
Mom nodded, “Good, I'll finish dinner and hopefully it wont take too long.
“Thanks, dad.” I said while standing up and kicking the chair under the table.
Grabbing his keys we headed strait to the emergency room where I found out I had a pretty bad sprang that would have to stay in a sling for a week or so but no cast was needed. By the time we got home it was dark and dinner was long done.
Mom had a rule at home, “If you aren't home when I put the food on the table then you can eat something cold.” It didn't matter if we were at the hospital or not, whatever dad and I ate was going to be cold and strait from the fridge. We didn't even have a microwave to reheat anything.
Dad ate cold fried chicken and I went strait to bed. I laid in bed staring at my slanted ceiling thinking about Hannah next door and wondering what she was up to. I climbed from my bed and went to the small, circular window that overlooked the side of their house.
On the bottom floor I could see directly into their dining room where the only light in the house was on. Sitting at the table with her knees pulled tightly to her chest was Hannah. Her hair looked unruly in a tangled mass and her face was streaked with tears.
I knew somehow that I'd invaded on her privacy so I slipped away from the window and climbed back into bed. It was the first time I realized that Hannah's smiling face held secrets and it wouldn't be the last time I would see her crying when she thought no one was looking.
I didn't see Hannah for almost a week when I was taking the garbage out as one of my chores. My arm was still in a sling but that wouldn't get me out of helping around the house and Mom found different things for me to do that I could manage with one hand.
“Hey.” Hannah called walking around the other side of her aunt's white van. “So you didn't break it?'
I looked down at my arm with a smile, “Nah, just a sprang.”
“So you admit you were watching me?”
“He was watching you?” Beth asked coming outside of the house to grab a load of groceries from the back of her car.
“I wasn't.”
“No, Hannah.” Beth said with a smile, “Adam isn't that kind of boy.”
“He isn't? What kind is he then?”
“The kind who studies on weekends for tests that are coming up in three weeks.”
I could feel my cheeks burn red, “It was for finals.”
“Right. So what happened to the arm?”
“He fell out of his tree watching me.”
“I was reading a book in the tree when I fell.” I grumble kind of over the small gust of butterflies that were floating in my stomach while talking to Hannah.
“Really, give the kid a break. I've seen him up there plenty of times.”
“Thanks Beth.”
“Alright, fine.” Hannah says reaching for several bags, “You weren't watching me but you have to admit it was kind of suspicious.”
Was not going to answer that one, “Can I help you carry any of those in?”
“Sure,” Beth answered and passed several bags to me, “Take these ones, they are the lightest.
I grabbed a couple of bags and followed Beth and Hannah inside the house.
Growing up next door I had been in her house several times through the years helping her do minor repairs along with my dad. She'd been single and alone for the most part through the years and often times we would help out any time we were doing things around our own house.
She was eclectic with items from all over the globe sent to her from her sister and her sister's family while they traveled the world as doctors helping in countries where health resources were limited.
I looked at her a little differently that day, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the way her long hair was tangled at the ends.
I was so focused on the pain in my arm and how pretty her face was that I missed these small signs. Looking at her that day I saw how her clothes hung from her body in a way that said they didn't quite fit anymore but they once had and they were anything but matching.
My mom had taught me not to be nosey or ask too many questions from the time I was a young kid. “People don't like to be interrogated but if you wait long enough their answers will come.” Obviously if you can remember that rule didn't apply to her.
“Want to hang out out back?” Hannah asked once we brought the bags inside and placed them on the granite counter top.
I looked at Beth who only smiled and started to put away what they had bought. “Sure.”
She walked in front of me and opened the sliding glass door with ease. Before stepping out an orange and black kitten ran out from behind her feet strait into the grass. Hannah followed behind and I followed her.
“What's the cat's name?” I asked as we sat in the grass and the cat bounced between the both of us.
“Max, short for Maximilian though.”
“Weird.”
“More than you know. Max is a girl.”
I looked at Hannah with a frown, “Why did you name your female cat Max?”
Hannah rolled her eyes dramatically, “Why'd your parents name you Adam?”
“After my mom's grandfather.”
“Oh.”
“Why'd yours name you Hannah?”
Her face looked sad and tight at the same time, I didn't think she would answer for a moment when she answered. “I was named after my mom, she said if boys could be named after their father's then surely girls could have the same.”
“I like it, your name I mean.” I said quickly with a cringe.
She looked at me before falling onto her side and laughing.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. You are just nice.”
“Thanks?”
“It's a compliment.” She said softly before patting the grass beside her. “Lay down and help me figure out what the clouds look like today.”
“Is that what you were doing the other day?”
“I knew you were watching me.” she smiled. “Yeah, I was looking at the clouds.”
There was no denying my mistake so I laid down beside her and looked at the sky as Max bounced on the grass onto my chest with a small meow.
“They died.” Hannah said next to me without moving her eyes from the sky.
“Who?” I asked even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer without asking.
“My parents and my younger siblings.” She swallowed working her throat up and down, “I threw a fit begging to stay in a village in South America another week because one of my friends was having a baby and they had to go onto the next one to help more people. Their plane crashed when it was taking off.”
I tried to think of something to say to her that day but nothing came to me and I realized nothing needed to. Hannah only needed to say the words out loud to someone she didn't know and I was there waiting for them.
Her hand reached for mine and we laid quietly looking up towards the sky the rest of the afternoon with a small kitten bouncing between the both of us holding hands and watching the clouds roll by.