Chapter 5- It's What Sisters Are For
Chapter 5
by:littlepink80
disclaimer: yeah... as if. I just conjured Hannah out of thin air. That's it. No harm intended.
rating: no sunscreen required
True to her word, Hannah sat very still and very quiet through her sister’s narative. She pressed her lips together and bit her tongue when Laura brokenly recounted the episode with Mr. Lattimer by the river bank and she ground her teeth when her sister reached the part in the tale about the future.
"Hannah, I-" Laura sighed.
Hannah squeezed her sister’s hand, "You want to believe him." Hannah shook her head, "I know you, Laura. You want to believe him, but it all sounds so strange and fantastic."
"It does, doesn’t it?" Laura sighed. "I really don’t… I really don’t know what to do, Hannah."
Hannah took a breath, her own mind whirling around the tale her sister had wove, "Did he offer you any proof?"
Laura just looked at her, "I didn’t ask. I never even thought of it." She looked stricken, "I should have . I should have thought to ask for proof- there should be something, right? He should be able to prove story somehow."
Hannah shrugged, "I’m not sure what kind of proof he could have, but you have to ask. If he’s telling the truth, he won’t mind the question."
"Do you think-" Laura launched herself from the step of the porch. All the pent up energy from the previous days pouring out of her. " Do you think he was telling me the truth?"
"I have no idea, Laura" Hannah inhaled a deep breath as she watched her older sister chew on her thumbnail. She looked down for a moment. When she spoke, it was slowly and carefully, "I really hope he was. I know you have feelings for him-" Hannah paused when Laura made a sound that almost sounded like a choked off sob. "But, I’ve never in my life heard of something like this. I… Laura, I don’t know how to believe him."
Laura turned away from her little sister. She said nothing for a long time, simply breathed deep and tried to calm her whirling emotions. Finally, she spoke, "He said he knew I was going to die… that’s why he came back. Because it would have been his fault."
"Laura."
"I had told him about McKinley’s visit… that I was going to be the only paper without an interview because I can’t go into the places that the other reporters can. He told me that that was silly- that I could and should go anywhere a man goes… that I can do the things that a male reporter, businessman can do." Laura shook her head. "You should have seen him telling Mother that women are just as capable and should be business owners too. I’ve never in my life seen a man stand up for women the way he did… and you know Mother."
Hannah nodded, "She means well, but…"
"Yes… she means well."
"Why did Mr. Lattimer say it would have been his fault?" Hannah found herself unable to use the words death and your with her sister.
"I don’t know, I…." Laura trailed off for a moment. "He had encouraged me to find a way to get my interview. To not stop or let myself be stopped. I decided he was right, that’s how I got my interview with Mr. McKinley… the next time I saw him, I told him."
"But-"
"I don’t know, Hannah."
"Okay," Hannah stood and stepped towards Laura, "You have to find out. Everything. You owe it to yourself… you’ll never be settled until you do. And he owes it to you, the complete truth. Not a rambled… confession at the paper. Let him provide some proof… something…."
"You’ll go with me."
Hannah gave her a half smile, "If you want me too... and if you don't, I'll be listening in somewhere you can't see me."
Laura took a deep breath, "Okay. Okay." She glanced at her sister and wrapped an arm around the young woman’s shoulders, "I’m glad you’re here, Hanni. Very glad."
"Me too." Hannah replied as her arm curled around her sister’s waist. A long moment passed, "You do know that Mother has been starring at us for the last ten minutes?"
Laura sighed, "I know… she thinks she’s hiding in those curtains."
"How much longer until she comes out here?" came the almost whispered question… suddenly both women felt like young girls.
"Just a few more minutes, if even that long." Laura whispered back. "She won’t be able to stand not knowing what you and I have been talking about much longer… and, she’s had Mary trapped inside with her."
"Sweet revenge." Came the pert reply.
"Hannah Elizabeth!"
Laughter was the only response Laura received for the rebuke. She was going to say more, but the front door opened with a sharp jerk.
"Laura Clark! Hannah Clark!" their mother barked. "Get inside right now. It’s almost dark and supper is waiting."
Both women shared a secret smile as they turned to obey the one true constant in their lives.
Mrs. Clark continued her rant as her girls hurried past her, into the house, "One would think that two grown women would have the sense to come in at dark, instead of standing out in the yard as if they had no sense. Hannah Clark, you could have told me that your sister was home, instead of sashaying yourself outside. But, heavens no. You were raised better than that…. Hurry up and wash up, both of you!"
Hannah turned to Laura with a look that was half amused and half outraged.
"Mary come on in here, girl!" Mrs. Clark called to her granddaughter, who was playing on the back porch. Then she turned to her elder daughter, "And you, Miss, could have come on in the house and let your mother know you were home. To think you’d let me sit in here and worry that you hadn’t made it home… I had to go searching to see."
"I’m sorry Mother, I truly am." Laura tried to soothe her mother’s ruffled feathers. "I didn’t mean to worry you."
Mrs. Clark continued her rant, quieter now, as Mary came running into the kitchen to see her mother and aunt. Plates were placed on the table. Mary was chastened to wash her hands and face… several times. The four females sat down to supper and the blessing was given. As she watched the three who were the center of her life begin to eat and talk among themselves, Mrs. Clark glanced at her daughters.
She was pleased that Hannah had come so quickly. After coming so close to having her family altered and destroyed forever, it eased some of the tightness in her chest to have her girls under one roof… and she’d keep it that way for as long as she could. She’d never quite forgiven Chris Wesley for moving her Hannah so far away.
She glanced up in time to see her girls exchange a glance. Whatever they had been talking about outside, as if she couldn’t hazard a guess… she hoped that having Hannah home for a while would help Laura.
TBC...
by:littlepink80
disclaimer: yeah... as if. I just conjured Hannah out of thin air. That's it. No harm intended.
rating: no sunscreen required
True to her word, Hannah sat very still and very quiet through her sister’s narative. She pressed her lips together and bit her tongue when Laura brokenly recounted the episode with Mr. Lattimer by the river bank and she ground her teeth when her sister reached the part in the tale about the future.
"Hannah, I-" Laura sighed.
Hannah squeezed her sister’s hand, "You want to believe him." Hannah shook her head, "I know you, Laura. You want to believe him, but it all sounds so strange and fantastic."
"It does, doesn’t it?" Laura sighed. "I really don’t… I really don’t know what to do, Hannah."
Hannah took a breath, her own mind whirling around the tale her sister had wove, "Did he offer you any proof?"
Laura just looked at her, "I didn’t ask. I never even thought of it." She looked stricken, "I should have . I should have thought to ask for proof- there should be something, right? He should be able to prove story somehow."
Hannah shrugged, "I’m not sure what kind of proof he could have, but you have to ask. If he’s telling the truth, he won’t mind the question."
"Do you think-" Laura launched herself from the step of the porch. All the pent up energy from the previous days pouring out of her. " Do you think he was telling me the truth?"
"I have no idea, Laura" Hannah inhaled a deep breath as she watched her older sister chew on her thumbnail. She looked down for a moment. When she spoke, it was slowly and carefully, "I really hope he was. I know you have feelings for him-" Hannah paused when Laura made a sound that almost sounded like a choked off sob. "But, I’ve never in my life heard of something like this. I… Laura, I don’t know how to believe him."
Laura turned away from her little sister. She said nothing for a long time, simply breathed deep and tried to calm her whirling emotions. Finally, she spoke, "He said he knew I was going to die… that’s why he came back. Because it would have been his fault."
"Laura."
"I had told him about McKinley’s visit… that I was going to be the only paper without an interview because I can’t go into the places that the other reporters can. He told me that that was silly- that I could and should go anywhere a man goes… that I can do the things that a male reporter, businessman can do." Laura shook her head. "You should have seen him telling Mother that women are just as capable and should be business owners too. I’ve never in my life seen a man stand up for women the way he did… and you know Mother."
Hannah nodded, "She means well, but…"
"Yes… she means well."
"Why did Mr. Lattimer say it would have been his fault?" Hannah found herself unable to use the words death and your with her sister.
"I don’t know, I…." Laura trailed off for a moment. "He had encouraged me to find a way to get my interview. To not stop or let myself be stopped. I decided he was right, that’s how I got my interview with Mr. McKinley… the next time I saw him, I told him."
"But-"
"I don’t know, Hannah."
"Okay," Hannah stood and stepped towards Laura, "You have to find out. Everything. You owe it to yourself… you’ll never be settled until you do. And he owes it to you, the complete truth. Not a rambled… confession at the paper. Let him provide some proof… something…."
"You’ll go with me."
Hannah gave her a half smile, "If you want me too... and if you don't, I'll be listening in somewhere you can't see me."
Laura took a deep breath, "Okay. Okay." She glanced at her sister and wrapped an arm around the young woman’s shoulders, "I’m glad you’re here, Hanni. Very glad."
"Me too." Hannah replied as her arm curled around her sister’s waist. A long moment passed, "You do know that Mother has been starring at us for the last ten minutes?"
Laura sighed, "I know… she thinks she’s hiding in those curtains."
"How much longer until she comes out here?" came the almost whispered question… suddenly both women felt like young girls.
"Just a few more minutes, if even that long." Laura whispered back. "She won’t be able to stand not knowing what you and I have been talking about much longer… and, she’s had Mary trapped inside with her."
"Sweet revenge." Came the pert reply.
"Hannah Elizabeth!"
Laughter was the only response Laura received for the rebuke. She was going to say more, but the front door opened with a sharp jerk.
"Laura Clark! Hannah Clark!" their mother barked. "Get inside right now. It’s almost dark and supper is waiting."
Both women shared a secret smile as they turned to obey the one true constant in their lives.
Mrs. Clark continued her rant as her girls hurried past her, into the house, "One would think that two grown women would have the sense to come in at dark, instead of standing out in the yard as if they had no sense. Hannah Clark, you could have told me that your sister was home, instead of sashaying yourself outside. But, heavens no. You were raised better than that…. Hurry up and wash up, both of you!"
Hannah turned to Laura with a look that was half amused and half outraged.
"Mary come on in here, girl!" Mrs. Clark called to her granddaughter, who was playing on the back porch. Then she turned to her elder daughter, "And you, Miss, could have come on in the house and let your mother know you were home. To think you’d let me sit in here and worry that you hadn’t made it home… I had to go searching to see."
"I’m sorry Mother, I truly am." Laura tried to soothe her mother’s ruffled feathers. "I didn’t mean to worry you."
Mrs. Clark continued her rant, quieter now, as Mary came running into the kitchen to see her mother and aunt. Plates were placed on the table. Mary was chastened to wash her hands and face… several times. The four females sat down to supper and the blessing was given. As she watched the three who were the center of her life begin to eat and talk among themselves, Mrs. Clark glanced at her daughters.
She was pleased that Hannah had come so quickly. After coming so close to having her family altered and destroyed forever, it eased some of the tightness in her chest to have her girls under one roof… and she’d keep it that way for as long as she could. She’d never quite forgiven Chris Wesley for moving her Hannah so far away.
She glanced up in time to see her girls exchange a glance. Whatever they had been talking about outside, as if she couldn’t hazard a guess… she hoped that having Hannah home for a while would help Laura.
TBC...