WATER RIGHTS, CHAPTER 22, HANNAH'S MISFORTUNE

 

          While Luke was damning his luck, Hannah found herself in a position that wasn’t much better. When she’d told her senior staff she was pregnant and said they could pass the information on, she somehow thought she’d receive the same care and support she’d received when she was pregnant with Stevie. It soon became apparent that was not going to be the case.

The initial surprise came when Dave stopped in to see her first thing one morning soon after the news got out. She’d just sent Stevie to his room to dress when Dave knocked. She called for him to enter and poured him a cup of coffee without asking.

“Thanks,” Dave said and continued, “We got us a problem now the news about your new bun in the oven is out. I mean, really, Hannah, how could you have possibly been so careless? Once can be forgiven, especially since most of us knew Luke and knew the two of you were in love, but a second time? Plus, none of us have any idea who the father might be. It’s got the men around here looking at each other with raised eyebrows.”

“Dave, I’m so sorry. As I said yesterday, this came as a complete surprise. And, yes, I know how it happens, but it was one time and I guess you could call it more of a date rape. I wasn’t prepared, barely participated and it was over almost before it began. It certainly wasn’t an act of love. I was just so lonely, all the compliments and hugs and flirting totally put me off guard.”

“Well, some of the staff have decided to quit. First among them is Jamey. You know he idolized you, tried his best to get you to be interested in him even though you didn’t give him the least bit of encouragement. I’m afraid his opinion of you has gone right down the toilet.”

“I’ll talk to him. I’ll make him understand….”

Dave interrupted, “Nope, that’s not gonna happen. Jamey packed up all his stuff this morning and took off. He wasn’t even willing to wait for his final check. Told me I could bring it to him in town one day this week. Said he’s too disgusted to hang around here for another second.”

Hannah felt her face turning red and tears brimming. “I’ll take him his check. I know he’ll understand if I can only explain….”

Again, Dave interrupted. “That’s not going to happen either. Jamey feels terrible. He’s just found out his idol has feet of clay. He was almost in tears when he talked to me last night. I don’t think he’d let you even get near him. And, it’s not just Jamey. I talked to Joe, Anita and Dale this morning before I came here. I’m not going to be the only one informing you of staff that’s quitting. You might get out your checkbook and be prepared to pay them off as they leave.”

Dave finished his coffee, got up and put his cup in the dishwasher before he stopped and laid his hand on Hannah’s back. “Sorry girl. I, and most of us older staff know you aren’t a slut, that you didn’t go out whoring around, but a number of the younger folk, or their parents, are appalled at your latest news.”

When the door closed behind Dave, Hannah wanted to put her head on the table and howl, but that wasn’t possible. Stevie was calling her from his room and she went to give him a hand getting dressed. Ready for the day, they went to the barn to do their chores. Hannah missed seeing Jamey’s smiling face, especially when she realized she’d have to take care of his chores too until she could assign someone else to take over. It was going to be a long day.

It was almost lunch time when she finished in the barn. Stevie had been ready to go to the dining hall for quite some time, but Hannah had had to make sure he stayed with her. She didn’t know who would and wouldn’t be in there, so it was best she not let Stevie just go.

When they entered the dining hall and proceeded to her office, she saw envelopes addressed to her on the desk. Once they removed their outerwear, Hannah took Stevie to the buffet and prepared his lunch. She didn’t feel very hungry. A block of something the consistency of cement had taken up residence in her belly. She wasn’t looking forward to opening those envelopes. She put a few things on her plate and filled a glass with water.

As she sat with Stevie, she was very aware of the glances staff were throwing her way. She was also aware of who was and wasn’t there. Thankfully, Emily was still on duty because Hannah was going to need someone with whom she could leave Stevie as she read the resignations and dealt with whatever else was waiting in her office after lunch.

She got up and went to Emily. Rather than greeting her with a smile, Emily looked at her with raised eyebrows and said, “Yes, you want something?”

“Emily, I’m so glad you haven’t resigned and I’m so sorry for what’s happened to me, but I can’t change it now. I’m also hoping you plan to stay. As for right now, I’d like you to take Stevie to the house for his nap if you could. There are a number of messages waiting for me and I’ve a feeling Jo, Dale and Anita will be dropping by my office as well. Could you? Would you, please?”

“Of course. There’s no way I’d be difficult about Stevie. This isn’t his fault in the least little bit. If anything, once he understands he’s going to have a sibling, he may need even more support from those of us who love him. Just send him over when he’s ready to go.” Emily responded and turned away without the hint of a smile.

The afternoon was more of what had come from Dave that morning. All the envelopes contained staff resignations. Some of them were noncommittal while others did everything except call her a slut or a whore. There was even one from the parent of the youngest day-worker. Hannah knew the family, knew they were very religious and not exactly surprised, but the message was hurtful.

“Ms. Wakefield. I had second thoughts about letting my son work at WFR, but you pay good and he needed the money for school. I was shocked to learn you were pregnant again. Wasn’t once without a daddy enough? You are a woman without any morals or religious upbringing whatsoever. I don’t want my son around your kind. He won’t be coming back. Sincerely,”

Most of the resignations were from younger staff and several more talked about how their parents didn’t want them working at a, “…den of iniquity.” By the time Hannah had read all of them, she’d come to the conclusion she was going to need to find another 10-12 staff and that the townsfolk weren’t going to provide the kind of support she’d had with Stevie. She put her head on the desk and gave in to her tears.

Fortunately, she’d sat up and scrubbed her face with Kleenex before Joe, Dale and Anita descended. Dave wandered in as well saying, “Know we talked this morning, but figured you might want us all if we’re going to make plans about how many staff we need to replace or where we’re gonna get them. Good thing it isn’t the high season or we’d be up shit-crick without a paddle.”

Each one had a tale of woe about staff who’d left or staff that were still here but highly disappointed in their fearless leader. Each supervisor had managed to talk a few staff out of resigning, but if things didn’t go well, their minds could change. Most of the permanent staff were remaining with the exception of two. They and their families were very devout and didn’t want their little children around someone like Hannah.

When Hannah heard about the two families, she was shocked. “I can’t believe they’re packing up and leaving. WFR provides them with a place to live that includes benefits and a good wage. Where are they going to go the very end November that would include all that?

Joe responded, “They said their church would put them up and help them find new jobs. Said they just couldn’t stay and work at WFR with someone like you in charge. Sorry Hannah, but that’s what they said.”

The five of them discussed what to do and how to go about it. It was decided Hannah would try to replace the full-time staff that had left, so they only needed seven new hires. The day-workers could be delayed for a bit, or at least until it was closer to the season. Maybe by then, the town folk would have forgotten or at least decided Hannah wasn’t quite the pariah they now thought she was. Hannah wasn’t any happier than she’d been when the meeting started, but at least they’d come up with a plan and some ideas.

The next day, Hannah decided she’d go into town and see what kind of welcome she got there. She decided to leave Stevie with Emily again in case people decided to be really rude and say things he didn’t need to hear.

Word had apparently gotten around like wildfire. Most people on the street pretended not to see her. At the grocery store, only the old owner was friendly. The checkers more or less looked right though Hannah instead of talking and joking with her. At the feed store, it was pretty much the same thing, although the employee who’d carried the feed out to her truck said, “Hey Hannah. If’n I’d known you needed a bit a lovin’, I coulda volunteered. Guess you wanted some stranger tho. Too bad. Let me know the next time.” As he walked off, he smacked her butt, leered and winked.

Hannah clenched her teeth and managed to stop herself from screaming or running after him and boxing his ears. So, this is the way it’s going to be she thought and turned her truck toward Miz. Lionel’s.

By the time Hannah parked and walked to knock on the door, tears were streaming down her face. Miz. Lionel let her in, took her coat, handed her a box of Kleenex and said, “That’s it, get it all out honey. You’ll feel better.”

Hannah eventually stopped crying and blew her nose. “Guess you know why I’m here Miz. Lionel?”

While she’d been crying her heart out, Miz. Lionel had prepared tea and put it and a plate of cookies on the table. She sat down and said, “Yep, surely do. The phone wires and backyard fence phones have been workin’ overtime. Know you lost some of yur staff, includin’ those two religious families. You must be thankful it’s not yur busy season.”

“I just don’t understand. Most everyone was supportive and understanding with Stevie, but this time, I’ve become a slut and a whore. It’s not like I planned this or went out looking for a good time. Why can’t they understand about how lonely I was, how wonderful it felt to have someone compliment me and flirt with me. Did they all forget I had Stevie at 19, and that I’m barely 21 now? Don’t they know I didn’t and wouldn’t do this on purpose.”

“Well, Hannah, people are just people. There’ve been a lot of folks who developed green eyes as WFR became more successful each year. There’s others who think your success isn’t good or deserved. The ones who weren’t happy with your first pregnancy are using this one to really make noise about what a bad person you are.”

“What am I going to do Miz. Lionel? What am I going to do? I don’t want Stevie to be hurt by all this. I don’t want this baby to be hurt either because it didn’t choose to be. I sure which Gramps was here or even Grandma.”

“Wishin’ ain’t gonna make things better, not better atall. Yur jest gonna have to hang in there, hold yur head up and make the best of whatever comes yur way. What about Luke. Where’s he in all this mess?”

Hannah snorted and had to take a few deep breaths to keep from crying. “I don’t know where that jerk is. He was the first person I told, after you, that I was pregnant and he flipped out. The way he acted; you would have thought I was in town having sex with anything that moved. He took off and when he finally showed up again, I’d locked the gate and wouldn’t let him in.”

The tears began to fall again, “And, Stevie was heartbroken and almost impossible for a few days when Luke first didn’t show up. He’s better now, but I don’t want to let Luke back and have Stevie be disappointed again.”

“Well, Hannah, maybe you need to rethink this.  Maybe you need to let Luke come back, that’s if’n you still love him.”

“Oh, I do, I do." Hannah responded, wiping the tears away again. "He’s the only man I’ve ever loved, and I told him that. I also told him he’d have to accept this baby as he’s accepted Luke and the idea of loving another man’s child just made him so angry. I don’t know if us being together will ever be possible.”

“Set some ground rules. Let Luke come back. Have him live at WFR, but not with you. Let or make him participate in this pregnancy. Tell him it’s his chance to experience what he missed with Stevie. Maybe that’ll work. Maybe you’ll get together and Luke will be daddy to both. You could get married and then everyone will forgive what they see as a bad sin right now.”

Hannah left Miz. Lionel’s feeling better and very grateful the old woman hadn’t censured her when she’d first confessed or this time either. Back at WFR, she got out of her truck and opened the gate wide. She’d leave it this way and tell staff if Luke showed up, that his being there would be just fine. She also knew she’d have to walk a fine line or they’d all be talking about how she was just trying to trap him into marriage so she could have a daddy for both Stevie and the newest bastard.