Page 41 of Turning the Tide

"Hanna, wait!" I yell as her feet pound down the wooden stairs of the wrap-around porch.

Her dad places his hand on my shoulder as I watch Hanna disappear into the woods, "Let her go. She'll be back. Give her a second, trust me."

I want to run after her and tell her dad to fuck off, but I think this isn't his first rodeo. I follow him inside to his study, "She'll be alright once she cools off."

"Why do you let Adam treat her like that?"

"He's an ass, but he loves her. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her. Not really."

Something tells me that's a lie, but I keep quiet. I sift through the room, noticing all the pictures on the wall.

"You were in the military?"

I remember Hanna mentioning it.

"Yeah, the Air Force."

"What made you decide to join the Air Force?"

"I had a 4.0 GPA and loved to piss off my father," He shrugs.

I cock my eyebrow, "Care to elaborate?"

"I had four siblings, all of which went to medical school. I wanted something different. He hated that."

I chuckle, "So you decided to sign control over to the government to keep it away from your father?"

"Son, it's far from that. I just picked a new family, that's all. A brotherhood."

"What's it like?" I ask, studying the large pictures of planes flying in formations hanging on the wall, "Flying?"

"It's like being free but grounded all at the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"Sorry, it's just hard to explain. When you’re thousands of feet up in the air, all the things you thought were problems back on the ground seem really small. It's freeing, but with the military, there's still a sense of security. It grounds you. A form of discipline, if you will."

"Wow," I admire his words, looking intently at all the pictures. Asking him about the planes, the differences in speeds and structures, wanting to know more, craving it really.

"Honey, can I steal Jameson?" Mrs. Mason's voice breaks into our conversation. Mr. Mason acknowledging I should go by giving me a brief nod.

"Would you mind helping me carry these boxes into the pantry?" She asks, motioning to several boxes on the floor.

"Sure. Just show me where you want them."

"Just right under that shelf in the corner," She points, her eyes focused intently on me as I stack them. The hatred burning a hole through my back.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, her scowl becoming more and more severe. "I get the feeling I've done something that you don't like."

She scoffs, dropping a heavy box right at my feet, "I just get the feeling that Hanna is just a plaything for you, nothing but a little conquest to brag about later on. I just want what's best for my daughter, and I'm not sure shacking up with some party animal with no parental influence is a good idea."

I pick the box up she dropped, placing it perfectly in line with the others, before standing directly in her face, "You don't know anything about me."

She laughs, "Hanna will realize her worth, and when she does, she'll realize you're just a stepping stone to something better."

I grit my teeth, trying not to lose my shit with her mother, "How could she ever know her worth with her own mother filling her head full of bullshit. I know I will never be what Hanna deserves, but I'll die trying to be that guy. You'll die with a bunch of regrets of how shitty you treated your own daughter."

Just as she is about to respond, Hanna turns the corner, a million questions written on her face as she sees the look her mother is giving me.