The Wedding Guest
Chapter 4
Mike hated road trips but it was made slightly better, knowing he'd be with Hannah and Christine at the end of it. He pulled in right behind Christine and Hannah and smiled at the house. It had obviously become home. It was a Craftsman-style. It needed a bit of tidying up, fresh paint and landscaping–all things Mike would take care of. Christine stepped onto the front porch and smiled at him.
"Come on in." Christine said. He followed her in, noting a squeaky floor board and that the overhead light swayed slightly.
"Its nice." Mike said.
"It is nice to have you here. So…living room, dining room, kitchen. There's a pantry and laundry room off of it. Just three bedrooms, two bathrooms." Christine explained.
"Will we share?" Mike asked gently.
"Yes, definitely." Christine answered before giving him a kiss.
"Where's Hannah?" Mike asked.
"In her room." Christine answered.
"Can I check on her?" Mike asked.
"She'd like that, I'm sure." Christine answered.
"Don't worry about cooking dinner. I'll order something." Mike said. He gave her another kiss before grabbing his suitcase and rolling it down the hallway.
"Hannah's is the second on left. Mine…ours is at the end of the hallway." Christine said. Mike smiled back at her. He knocked on Hannah's door frame and then stepped in. The room was neat as a pin other then that there were books everywhere. Literally, everywhere.
"You really do like books." Mike remarked as he picked a book up and looked at the title. "Modern Religions?" Mike asked.
"I had an essay on Buddhism." Hannah said.
"Did it interest you?" Mike asked.
"The different point of view did." Hannah answered.
"I don't have anything against Buddhism, but even now; I am still a devout Catholic." Mike replied. Christine had raised the kids in the Baptist faith she had grown up with. Something Mike had never had a problem with. It just never crossed his mind to switch because his mom would have had a heart attack.
"Mom and I go to church down the road but around here; its like there's only one religion. The Catholic church shut down years ago." Hannah said.
"I might go sometime. I did when you kids had programs at church or when you were dedicated as babies." Mike replied.
"I bet Grammy didn't like that." Hannah remarked.
"She was there though…although she couldn't understand why there was never communion on the days she was there." Mike said as he moved a stack of books and sat down in a desk chair.
"Why didn't you insist on raising us Catholic?" Hannah asked.
"Because I knew that I would rarely be home for Christmas plays and youth group stuff so, to me, it was easier for your mom to decide the religion and raise you all with it. It would have been hard for her to raise you kids in a church she didn't know and was unsure of. We both agreed raising you kids in a church was important. The plan was as you got older, I would give you all some exposure to the Catholic church and at eighteen, you all could decide if you wanted involved in either church, a different church altogether or not at all." Mike explained.
"So, what is going to happen now?" Hannah asked.
"With me here? Well, your mom will have an option as to whether she wants to continue working. In the meantime; I want to get to know you and her better and there's some home repairs to do." Mike said.
"What does that consist of?" Hannah asked.
"Well, I need to repaint the house. I'll need to find out what color your mom wants and…" Mike started.
"I meant what does getting to know us again consist of?" Hannah asked.
"Nothing stressful. Just spending time together." Mike answered.
"As long as its here." Hannah said.
"Hannah, one of my sailor's wife has scars similar to yours. Her name is Courtney. When she first gets to know you, she's shy about her scars, but as time goes by; she is amazingly confident. She helps with her mom and grandma's charity and does a lot of work for the military families. Before I retired, I actually worked with her alot and she was a joy." Mike said.
"How'd she get like that?" Hannah asked.
"I honestly don't know. I could have her get in touch with you?" Mike asked, hoping Courtney would help him.
"Okay, I guess." Hannah answered. Mike found a piece of paper and handed it to her.
"Write your number down and I'll send it to Courtney." Mike said. Mike thought she might refuse but she didn't. It struck him odd that he had to ask her for her number. He should have had it, but he would also put it in his own phone at the same time. Hannah handed him the post-it and Mike bent down and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to order something in. I'll holler when its here." Mike said.
As badly as he wanted to connect with Hannah and make her more comfortable in her own skin, it was going to be hard to do. Hopefully, Courtney would be willing to help him.