Page 9 of Saving Hanna
“Albert?” she questioned.
There was no accurate way to describe him. He was my cook, chauffeur, butler, and an all-around great man. Opening my door, I simply replied. “You’ll see.”
Leading Hanna from the car, we walked up the steps to the front door. Typically, Albert would be there to greet us, but since I didn’t tell him when we would arrive, I knew that he would be busy with dinner. Opening the door, the lights were low on the chandelier that hung in the foyer just above the round table in the middle of the room. I was no stranger to the classics and had always wanted a grand entrance into the home. I could tell it might have been somewhat overwhelming to Hanna from the way she stared at the chandelier.
Clearing my throat, I leaned toward her and said, “Shall we?” as I took hold of her hand and guided her to the dining room that was to the left of the foyer.
Her eyes didn’t move off of the glistening crystal until it was no longer in view. It made me appreciate the little things that I would otherwise consider necessities.
Looking around the dining room, her eyes finally met mine. Stunned and amazed, she said, “Wow.”
I had to smile at the one word that described everything. There was no doubt that she was impressed with my home. Brushing my hand across her cheek, I smiled briefly and said, “Come, let’s eat. I’ll give you a tour later.”
Just as we took our seats, Albert entered the room holding a tray with our meal. I was just about to introduce them when Hanna said, “You must be Albert. You are nothing like what I expected.”
“I’m not sure if that is a good thing or bad, but it is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Marsh,” Albert stated politely.
As Albert placed our dinner in front of us, I took the initiative to pour the wine in the glasses. “I hope the wine is to your liking,” I said, knowing that it was the best vintage I had purchased.
“I’ve never had wine before, but I’m sure it is wonderful,” she confessed, taking a small sip.
At first, I wasn’t sure how well she liked it, but then she took a larger drink and I knew that she did. The smile on her face was also an indicator that she liked what I had chosen. Unable to stop staring at her, I covered up my rudeness and said, “I’m glad you like it.”
Cutting into my steak and taking a bite, I found that once again, Albert had prepared it perfectly. With the delightful sounds beside me, I could tell that Hanna was also enjoying her perfectly cooked steak. There was nothing more enjoyable that a well-prepared meal. Well, maybe one, but that would have to wait until later. For now, all I wanted to do was watch Hanna devour her meal.
As we sat and ate, I was thoroughly impressed by our conversation and the things that I was finding out about Hanna. She was as simple as a country girl could be. She began telling me about how her dad had shown her everything there was to know about living on a farm. When she was old enough to reach the pedals on the tractor, her father taught her how to drive. Every day was like a new adventure for her. I didn’t understand what she meant by that since I knew nothing about farming, but she explained that she never knew what the day would bring. The chickens that she took care of could have laid one egg or there could have been as many as six. She also never knew what kind of mess the pigs would have made. According to her, they were like no other pigs she knew.
This seemed strange since I thought all pigs were the same. The thing that got to me the most was when she talked about her mom and dad and how much they loved each other. When her mother died, her father had lost all interest in the farm. Each day got worse until one day he couldn’t take it anymore. I could tell that Hanna loved her dad very much and when the tears began to appear, I knew that it was time to change the subject. It made me feel guilty for making this deal with her. Almost.
