They Booked Four Seats Without Me, So I Booked One to California novel · Chapter 4 of 24

Chapter 4: Saturday

"What questions?" I asked.

Nobody answered me.

Dad put his glasses back on and sat down.

"About how a household runs," he said. "Why we spend what we spend. You've always counted every dollar, Hanne, and you've never understood the whole picture."

"Then show me the picture."

"Not tonight."

Mom put a hand on his arm.

"Paul."

"I said not tonight."

Ingrid watched him with her arms folded.

She did not push, and I understood later that she was saving it.

"Fine," she said. "Hanne, go and pack."

"You can't just take her out of this house," Mom said.

"She's twenty," Ingrid said. "She walks out on her own two legs, or her one and a half, in this case."

I almost laughed.

Then I went to the stairs.

It took me a long time to get up to the attic on crutches.

Nobody came to help.

I pulled the old wooden trunk to the edge of the bed and opened it.

There were not many things to pack.

Four sweaters, jeans with the knees gone, a school jacket, two pairs of socks that matched.

The croissants were still in the bag in my coat pocket.

I took the tin from under the mattress.

It had been a candy tin once.

Inside were two thousand one hundred and forty dollars in tens and twenties, every one earned behind a coffee counter, saved since I was sixteen.

I folded the bills into the inside pocket of Erik's old coat and zipped it shut.

I carried the trunk down the ladder one rung at a time, pushing it ahead of me and stepping after.

When I got to the front hall, Dad was standing between me and the door.

← Chapter 3 · All chapters · Chapter 5 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend