Page 24 of Shattered Hope
“I really don’t want to talk about it. Daniel is a part of my past, and I'm doing my best to forget him.”
“But he still haunts you,” he pointed out.
I nodded. There was no use lying about that. “Yes… but not as much as he did. I’m putting it all behind me and moving forward. Talking about him is no help.”
“Are you sure of it?”
“Yes, I am. So, if you please… I really don’t want to talk about it.”
He opened his mouth as if to insist, but the doorbell interrupted him.
“That must be the food,” I said, sounding as relieved as I felt. “Would you like me to go get it?”
“No… I’ll do that. Just set up a place to eat in front of the TV in the living room. There’s a movie on tonight; I would like to watch,” he instructed, as he left the apartment.
I did as he asked, and a few minutes later, he was back carrying enough food to feed a small army. I had brought a couple of plates from the kitchen, but we ended up eating from the little boxes that contained the food.
The movie was a thriller, with lots of action, sex, and pretty women, but it was also funny enough to make it worth watching.
By the time it was over, we -had finished all the food he had ordered and were still enjoying the sodas he had ordered with it.
“So… from which part of Hawaii are you?” he asked, out of the blue.
“Maui,” I replied, not giving in more details.
“But you’re not entirely Hawaiian.”
“No, I’m not. I’m also part New Yorker,” I admitted.
“That’s a long distance…from here.”
I shrugged. It is, of course, but it wasn’t an excuse for completely ignoring your child. “I guess…”
“Who’s from New York?” he asked, clearly curious.
I jumped to my feet and started to clear the table. “It’s none of your business,” I said before I left the room to get rid of the trash.
He followed me, carrying the rest. “Why can’t you tell me? I won’t tell anyone.”
“Why should I tell you? It’s my life, not yours and I decide with whom I share it,” I snapped, feeling a bit on edge.
I wasn’t completely recovered from this afternoon’s nightmare, and that was still affecting my conduct.
“Fair enough… I just don’t see the harm in it.”
“How many people know about your private life?” I asked, in a cold tone, sure there weren’t many.
He didn’t strike me as the kind of man that would share his life with just anyone, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to know about other people’s life.
“Not many, I admit.”
“Well, not many people know about mine, and I really would like it to stay that way, if you don’t mind,” I concluded, as I quickly washed the dishes and glasses we had used.
“You’re a tough nut to crack, Anne Johnson,” he said, shaking his head.
“I guess I am,” I said, twisting my lips in a sad smirk. “Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to go to bed.”
He nodded, and I quickly disappeared into the hallway that led to the staff’s quarters. This time, I was careful enough to close the door. After the day’s ordeal, I needed a good night's sleep, but my sleeping pills were left with all the rest of my things in the small room I rented over the restaurant where I worked.
