Chapter 17- Through The Eyes Of A Child
"Hannah, be still until we finish eating," Clark said sternly.
"Hannah, would you like to go for a walk?" Chloe asked the child.
"Yes, pwease," Hannah said, milkshake smeared on her small face.
Chloe laughed. "Let's go get you cleaned up first."
"Want me to come?" Clark asked.
"I can do it. I have to learn how to take care of children sometime," Chloe said patting his shoulder. "Come on, sweetie."
"Don't pick her up, Chlo. Remember what the doctor said," Lana warned.
"I'll be fine," Chloe said. Waving Lana off Chloe took Hannah by the arm and led her from the room. "Was the milkshake good, Hannah?"
Hannah nodded, licking her lips.
"Good," Chloe said turning on the water in the bathroom and lifting the girl to sit on her knee. "Wash your hands."
Hannah rubbed her hands together under the water, and then Chloe wiped off her mouth.
"Let's go snooping," Chloe told Hannah with a mischievous look in her eye.
"What is smooping?" Hannah asked.
"Snooping," Chloe corrected. "It means to look around."
"Let's smooping, Aunt Chwoe," Hannah agreed.
Chloe laughed. "Alright, Hannah."
"My brudder wikes you, Aunt Chwoe," Hannah said a few moments later.
"He does?" Chloe asked.
"He tells me so," Hannah said matter-of-fact.
"What else does he say?" Chloe asked.
"Dat you awe vewy sad," Hannah said tapping her finger on her chin. "Why awe you sad?"
"Your brother was mean to me a very long time ago," Chloe answered.
"Cwark not mean. He's a good big brudder," Hannah said simply.
"You're right. He loves you very much," Chloe told Hannah.
"I wove him, too," Hannah said. "He say you were gone a wong time."
"Yes, I was. I was gone for a very long time," Chloe said.
"Why?" Hannah asked.
"I was sad," Chloe replied.
"Becawse of Cwark," Hannah clarified.
"Yes, because of Clark," Chloe agreed.
"Awe you stiww sad?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, Hannah. A little bit," Chloe said.
Hannah seemed to think about that for a minute. "What Cwark do to make you sad?"
"He didn't pay attention to me," Chloe said sadly.
"What you mean?" Hannah asked in confusion.
"He wouldn't play with me," Chloe rephrased.
"Sometime Cwark not pway with me. It make me sad, too," Hannah said.
Chloe smiled.
"Why Cwark not pway with you?" Hannah asked a second later.
"You are full of questions," Chloe said with a small smile. "He wouldn't play with me because he liked your Aunt Lana and Uncle Lex better."
"I wike Aunt Wana and Unka Wex," Hannah said.
"Yes, they are very nice, aren't they?" Chloe asked.
Hannah nodded. "Was dey mean to you, too, Aunt Chwoe?" Hannah asked.
"A little bit," Chloe said in remembrance.
"Dey not want to pway with you?" Hannah asked.
"Something like that, sweetie," Chloe answered.
"I'll pway with you, Aunt Chwoe," Hannah said trying to cheer Chloe up.
"Thank you, Hannah. I would like that," Chloe said.
"Hannah! Where are you?" Clark called coming down the hall. "There you are, sis." Clark reached for Hannah and she jerked out of his reach.
Hannah stood protectively in front of Chloe and crossed her small arms.
Clark furrowed his eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
"You mean to Aunt Chwoe. You make her sad, becawse you won't pway with her."
Clark looked to Chloe. "Chlo?"
"Weave her awone," Hannah said haughtily.
"Hannah, it's okay, sweetie," Chloe said putting her hands on Hannah's shoulders.
"Awe you suwe?" Hannah asked, looking up at Chloe.
"Yes, sweetie. I'm sure," Chloe answered.
"Chloe, can I talk to you?" Clark asked.
Chloe nodded.
"You be nice!" Hannah told Clark.
"Go find Uncle Lex, Hannah," Clark told the girl. He watched as Hannah ran off to find Lex. "What was that about?"
"Nothing," Chloe said. The talk with Hannah had brought her feelings of anger back to the surface.
"You have my sister being mean to me. That doesn't happen everyday. What did you do?" Clark asked.
"I didn't do a thing," Chloe said defiantly. She brushed past Clark to find her friends.
Clark grabbed hold of Chloe's arm. "Why are you mad?"
"I didn't do anything, Clark," Chloe said rudely. "Let go of me."
"Clark, what are you doing?" Pete asked, walking up. "Hannah said you were being mean to Chloe."
Chloe jerked her arm away from Clark, and glared at him.
"Chloe, what happened?" Clark asked, ignoring Pete.
Chloe huffed and turned to leave.
"Chloe, don't go without telling me what I did to tick you and Hannah off," Clark pressed.
"Chloe? What happened?" Pete asked.
Chloe didn't answer.
"Chloe, come back!" Clark said desperately.
Chloe whirled around. "I didn't do anything to Hannah, so don't accuse me if anything."
"I didn't accuse you," Clark said adamantly.
"Your exact words were 'That doesn't happen everyday. What did you do?'" Chloe said hotly. "I didn't do anything. Hannah's opinions of you are in fact, her opinions."
"Chloe, what happened?" Pete asked more adamantly.
Chloe turned to Pete as if seeing him for the first time. "Nothing, Pete, nothing. I'm going to go find Lana."
Pete nodded and moved to stand next to Clark. "Hannah said you were being mean to Chloe," Pete repeated.
"I don't know what I did," Clark said shaking his head in despair.
"Let's go find them," Pete said.
"Awe you okay, Aunt Chwoe?" Hannah asked when Chloe came into the room.
"Yes, sweetie. I'm okay," Chloe said as Clark and Pete walked in behind her.
"Was Cwark mean to you?" she asked.
Chloe looked at Clark, her eyes searching his. "No, Hannah. He wasn't mean to me."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
On the way home Hannah had a lot of questions for Clark.
"Cwark, do you wove Aunt Chwoe?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah, sis. I do," Clark answered.
"Then why you make her sad?" Hannah asked.
"I didn't know she was sad until it was too late," Clark said thinking.
"Why not?" Hannah asked.
"I didn't play with her enough," Clark said, talking in a way Hannah would understand.
"Why not?" Hannah asked again.
"I played with Aunt Lana and Uncle Lex," Clark answered.
"Why?" Hannah asked again.
"I thought I liked them better," Clark replied.
"You wike Aunt Wana and Unka Wex more than Aunt Chwoe?" Hannah asked as if she was shocked that it was possible.
"I did, Han. Not anymore," Clark said.
"Good. Aunt Chwoe wikes you," Hannah told Clark.
"Did she say that?" Clark asked.
"No," Hannah answered, not explaining.
"What else did Aunt Chloe say?" Clark asked.
"She say you make her sad a vewy wong time ago," Hannah said thinking as hard as she could. "Do you want Aunt Chwoe to be sad?"
Clark got quiet. "No, Han," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "I don't want Aunt Chloe to be sad."
"Den you shouwd pway with her mowe," Hannah said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Hannah, be still until we finish eating," Clark said sternly.
"Hannah, would you like to go for a walk?" Chloe asked the child.
"Yes, pwease," Hannah said, milkshake smeared on her small face.
Chloe laughed. "Let's go get you cleaned up first."
"Want me to come?" Clark asked.
"I can do it. I have to learn how to take care of children sometime," Chloe said patting his shoulder. "Come on, sweetie."
"Don't pick her up, Chlo. Remember what the doctor said," Lana warned.
"I'll be fine," Chloe said. Waving Lana off Chloe took Hannah by the arm and led her from the room. "Was the milkshake good, Hannah?"
Hannah nodded, licking her lips.
"Good," Chloe said turning on the water in the bathroom and lifting the girl to sit on her knee. "Wash your hands."
Hannah rubbed her hands together under the water, and then Chloe wiped off her mouth.
"Let's go snooping," Chloe told Hannah with a mischievous look in her eye.
"What is smooping?" Hannah asked.
"Snooping," Chloe corrected. "It means to look around."
"Let's smooping, Aunt Chwoe," Hannah agreed.
Chloe laughed. "Alright, Hannah."
"My brudder wikes you, Aunt Chwoe," Hannah said a few moments later.
"He does?" Chloe asked.
"He tells me so," Hannah said matter-of-fact.
"What else does he say?" Chloe asked.
"Dat you awe vewy sad," Hannah said tapping her finger on her chin. "Why awe you sad?"
"Your brother was mean to me a very long time ago," Chloe answered.
"Cwark not mean. He's a good big brudder," Hannah said simply.
"You're right. He loves you very much," Chloe told Hannah.
"I wove him, too," Hannah said. "He say you were gone a wong time."
"Yes, I was. I was gone for a very long time," Chloe said.
"Why?" Hannah asked.
"I was sad," Chloe replied.
"Becawse of Cwark," Hannah clarified.
"Yes, because of Clark," Chloe agreed.
"Awe you stiww sad?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, Hannah. A little bit," Chloe said.
Hannah seemed to think about that for a minute. "What Cwark do to make you sad?"
"He didn't pay attention to me," Chloe said sadly.
"What you mean?" Hannah asked in confusion.
"He wouldn't play with me," Chloe rephrased.
"Sometime Cwark not pway with me. It make me sad, too," Hannah said.
Chloe smiled.
"Why Cwark not pway with you?" Hannah asked a second later.
"You are full of questions," Chloe said with a small smile. "He wouldn't play with me because he liked your Aunt Lana and Uncle Lex better."
"I wike Aunt Wana and Unka Wex," Hannah said.
"Yes, they are very nice, aren't they?" Chloe asked.
Hannah nodded. "Was dey mean to you, too, Aunt Chwoe?" Hannah asked.
"A little bit," Chloe said in remembrance.
"Dey not want to pway with you?" Hannah asked.
"Something like that, sweetie," Chloe answered.
"I'll pway with you, Aunt Chwoe," Hannah said trying to cheer Chloe up.
"Thank you, Hannah. I would like that," Chloe said.
"Hannah! Where are you?" Clark called coming down the hall. "There you are, sis." Clark reached for Hannah and she jerked out of his reach.
Hannah stood protectively in front of Chloe and crossed her small arms.
Clark furrowed his eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
"You mean to Aunt Chwoe. You make her sad, becawse you won't pway with her."
Clark looked to Chloe. "Chlo?"
"Weave her awone," Hannah said haughtily.
"Hannah, it's okay, sweetie," Chloe said putting her hands on Hannah's shoulders.
"Awe you suwe?" Hannah asked, looking up at Chloe.
"Yes, sweetie. I'm sure," Chloe answered.
"Chloe, can I talk to you?" Clark asked.
Chloe nodded.
"You be nice!" Hannah told Clark.
"Go find Uncle Lex, Hannah," Clark told the girl. He watched as Hannah ran off to find Lex. "What was that about?"
"Nothing," Chloe said. The talk with Hannah had brought her feelings of anger back to the surface.
"You have my sister being mean to me. That doesn't happen everyday. What did you do?" Clark asked.
"I didn't do a thing," Chloe said defiantly. She brushed past Clark to find her friends.
Clark grabbed hold of Chloe's arm. "Why are you mad?"
"I didn't do anything, Clark," Chloe said rudely. "Let go of me."
"Clark, what are you doing?" Pete asked, walking up. "Hannah said you were being mean to Chloe."
Chloe jerked her arm away from Clark, and glared at him.
"Chloe, what happened?" Clark asked, ignoring Pete.
Chloe huffed and turned to leave.
"Chloe, don't go without telling me what I did to tick you and Hannah off," Clark pressed.
"Chloe? What happened?" Pete asked.
Chloe didn't answer.
"Chloe, come back!" Clark said desperately.
Chloe whirled around. "I didn't do anything to Hannah, so don't accuse me if anything."
"I didn't accuse you," Clark said adamantly.
"Your exact words were 'That doesn't happen everyday. What did you do?'" Chloe said hotly. "I didn't do anything. Hannah's opinions of you are in fact, her opinions."
"Chloe, what happened?" Pete asked more adamantly.
Chloe turned to Pete as if seeing him for the first time. "Nothing, Pete, nothing. I'm going to go find Lana."
Pete nodded and moved to stand next to Clark. "Hannah said you were being mean to Chloe," Pete repeated.
"I don't know what I did," Clark said shaking his head in despair.
"Let's go find them," Pete said.
"Awe you okay, Aunt Chwoe?" Hannah asked when Chloe came into the room.
"Yes, sweetie. I'm okay," Chloe said as Clark and Pete walked in behind her.
"Was Cwark mean to you?" she asked.
Chloe looked at Clark, her eyes searching his. "No, Hannah. He wasn't mean to me."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
On the way home Hannah had a lot of questions for Clark.
"Cwark, do you wove Aunt Chwoe?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah, sis. I do," Clark answered.
"Then why you make her sad?" Hannah asked.
"I didn't know she was sad until it was too late," Clark said thinking.
"Why not?" Hannah asked.
"I didn't play with her enough," Clark said, talking in a way Hannah would understand.
"Why not?" Hannah asked again.
"I played with Aunt Lana and Uncle Lex," Clark answered.
"Why?" Hannah asked again.
"I thought I liked them better," Clark replied.
"You wike Aunt Wana and Unka Wex more than Aunt Chwoe?" Hannah asked as if she was shocked that it was possible.
"I did, Han. Not anymore," Clark said.
"Good. Aunt Chwoe wikes you," Hannah told Clark.
"Did she say that?" Clark asked.
"No," Hannah answered, not explaining.
"What else did Aunt Chloe say?" Clark asked.
"She say you make her sad a vewy wong time ago," Hannah said thinking as hard as she could. "Do you want Aunt Chwoe to be sad?"
Clark got quiet. "No, Han," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "I don't want Aunt Chloe to be sad."
"Den you shouwd pway with her mowe," Hannah said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.