A father's sin - An original story- PART 2

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John heard something in the kitchen a few minutes later and stumbled down the stairs. He found Hannah there, searching through the cupboards.  

"You don't have cereal." she said while jumping off a chair. She was already dressed in different clothes and he could see that Hannah was quite self sufficient. 

He had completely forgotten about breakfast.  

"We're going to have breakfast at the airport.  We have to go pick up your aunt Debby."

Hannah nodded. She was a quiet child. She didn't ask many questions and she obviously wasn't scared to be alone with a stranger, because that's literally what he was to her. 

John switched on the kettle and made some tea. He poured Hannah a small cup and sat with her at the table. 

"Did your mommy tell you about me?"

"Yes daddy. She told me that I was going to live here when she goes away. Mommy went to live with the angels."

John realized that Jessica had prepared Hannah well for the transition. After they drank their tea, he switched on the television on cartoon network and went to take a shower.  

This was all too overwhelming for him. To go from a bachelor to a father in a matter of seconds had his mind all jumbled up.  He literally knew nothing about children.  He never really wanted children, and after Jessica he never even thought about getting married. It was a shock to him when Hannah called him daddy in the kitchen, and he missed Jessica. It was a love lost and he would never ever get her back now. 

He was ready to go in a few minutes after his shower. He didn't even bother to shave and dressed casually.  He grabbed his wallet and his keys and was out the door in minutes. He unlocked the car and was just about to get in when he realized the most important thing of all. 

He went back inside and found Hannah sitting there with her arms folded.  

"You forgot about me." she sounded cross and he apologized.  His mind was flooded with so many questions, and he didn't know who to ask.  It was obvious that Hannah who was only five years old had limited information. 

On the way to the airport he asked her a few questions, but she could answer none of them. 

"Do you go to school?"

"Yes, but mommy said that you will have to find me a new school."

John felt overwhelmed, but finally they were at the airport and they found a small restaurant where they could have breakfast.  

Hannah ate hungrily and he just moved his food around in his plate. He mind was still too busy and he couldn't eat.  After they finished there was still plenty of time left before Debby's plane landed.  He took Hannah's hand and they walked through the shops.  

He was amazed by the things she liked and he bought her a beautiful book with fables. Her reading was very limited but at least he could read her some stories at night. He felt proud of himself when he walked into the next shop, but the proudness lasted for merely a second when he realized Hannah was not with him anymore. He rushed back to the bookstore and found her standing at the door with her arms folded.   

"You forgot about me again." this time she sounded really cross and he could see her mother's personality coming through. 

"I'm sorry." was all he could say and he took her hand to walk to the next shop.  He never let her go again. 

It was nearly time for the plane to arrive and he lifted Hannah on to his shoulders while they waited and watched the plane land.  

He was so glad when Debby finally stepped through the doors and he rushed towards her. 

Debby smiled when she saw Hannah. She was a perfect replica of her mother and she obviously had the same temperament. Hannah whispered something in Debby's ear and she smiled.  

"Excuse us for a second John." he watched as they walked towards the bathroom and he realized that the poor child didn't want to ask him to take her. 

He grabbed Debby's suitcases and sat waiting on a bench in front of the bathroom. They came out a few seconds later and Hannah wouldn't let go of Debby's hand.  The valet brought the car around, and John realized that this was going to be a problem. He stacked up the suitcases in the trunk and then suggested that Hannah sit on Debby's lap.  He loved this car, but it was obviously not going to work with a little girl.  He would have to look for something more suitable.  

It was a very uncomfortable drive and when they arrived home John phoned the agency to rent a bigger car. He knew they had a lot of shopping to do and they could obviously not fit in his car.  Hannah took Debby up to their room they had to share and after packing out Debby came downstairs.  

"She can't stay in that room forever John.  She needs girly stuff, and she needs some clothes. I'm here for the week, so I can help out as much as I can, but there is a lot to do.  I think we need to start with some proper clothes and then we need to stock up on some child friendly food.  We can also go and look for furniture but that can wait for tomorrow.  For now let's get the basics ready."

John felt overwhelmed. Money was no object but he was not prepared for all of this. He phoned the office and told his secretary that he was taking the week off.  He had a family emergency and he had to focus on that first.  She moved up all his appointments to the next week. He also asked her to phone around for schools in his area, because he had no clue where to start.

The rental car was delivered and they drove into the city. Debby had made a list of everything they had to buy.  John was totally exhausted after they were done and he took them out to dinner afterwards. He felt panicky and Debby promised to give him a crash-course in parenting that evening.   

After they arrived home, Debby took Hannah for a bath and John relaxed with a whisky.  He had absolutely NO clue if he was ready for this and even considered asking Debby to take Hannah with her, but he knew Jessica would never forgive him if he did that.  She finally got in the last word and it scared the hell out of him.  

- To be continued-