What Nobody Knew

Part 5

After getting home, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about George. He had such an open and warm personality and from the moment we started talking, I felt drawn to him. 

The way he spoke was mesmerizing, but that might have been solely due to his British accent and mannerisms. He is a sales consultant working for a global company (he didn't mention which one). He was only going to be in town for a couple of months before flying back to Bristol where he has lived almost all his life. And that about sums up our entire encounter on the beach before we went our separate ways.

He was a complete gentleman there as well, first offering to give me a ride home but I insisted on taking a cab instead. Which he then proceeded to arrange for me, because apparently, that's the least he could do. 

Although it's highly unlikely, I do hope I run into him again. He was nice to talk to, comfortable and not all that bad to look at either.

Well, on that note, I should probably not be thinking about him all that much. He's practically a stranger and I've never been too fond of the idea of pining over a man. It seems so anti-feminist. And if one thing is for certain, it's that I believe that a woman's worth is measured by more than just her relations to a man.

"Oh, Lizzie, I didn't realise you were back home." Hailey appeared in my doorway.

She had on her waitressing uniform and her hair tied in a messy bun. I was uncertain whether this was done intentionally or whether this was the result of a hard day's work.

Did she not hear my video call with Jane late last night? Our rooms were right next to each other's, it would be hard to drown that out.

Or had she not come home at all? I certainly didn't hear her coming or going...

"Yes, for a few days now actually. You're home late," I sat up on my bed so that I didn't have to strain my neck as much to look at her.

"I just got off, been taking extra shifts at the café." She gave a slight yawn. 

"I've noticed, is that boss of yours still pushing you to work those inhumane hours?"

"Yeah, but I'm used to it by now. Listen, I've got to get to bed if I want to get up again tomorrow morning, but I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Sure, goodnight,"

I watched her retreat from the doorway and heard her door latch closing behind her. 

Hailey has always been a hard one to figure out. When she was younger she followed Cat around like a puppy dog, copying everything about her from the way she spoke to the way she dressed. Cat was two years older than her, so naturally, there came a time (when she hit high school basically) when it wasn't considered cool to have your little sister tagging along with you to the movies, and needless to say, she pushed her away. 

After that, Hailey was kind of in her own world, her nose always in a book, focusing on the next test or assignment that was due. This would have made me prouder, had she not also shut out everyone around her, including her family.

At this point, I have to make assumptions about her and her plans for the future, because honestly, who knows what she's up to? Our parents were never all that good at budgeting and weren't all that fond of the idea of keeping real jobs either. Which also happened to be the source of many arguments while we were growing up. Julie and I tried our best to hide their bickering from our younger siblings. Cat remained oblivious but Hailey was more perceptive. 

My mother prided herself in being a housewife (you know the kind that doesn't do any actual housework) and my father was an investor, which was all good and well when there was actual capital to invest in things. Long story short, a bad investment left our family near bankruptcy and our parents started taking out mortgages on our family home and loans from the bank.