Different than you think E-Book

Clara Delissen

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 62

Beschreibung

"I love seeing you in your tennis skirt, it makes me really horny for you." Another one of those messages on my cell phone. "Anonymous" as the sender on the display. The timing couldn't be more inappropriate. Hanna is a keen tennis player. She is about to play the most important match of the season and definitely doesn't need any distractions right now. But Hanna is not the only one being harassed by anonymous messages.

Leseprobe

Preliminary remark

Clara Delissen

Hanna

"I'm going!"

Hanna has to be out the door before her parents can ask where she is going at this hour. She could never have told them the truth. Her parents don't like her being out late at night during the week. They would be even less happy if they knew who she was seeing. It's easier today than when she used to sneak out. Her parents are sitting outside in the garden for a change. Not in their study next to the entrance as usual. It's a rare sight for Hanna to see her parents not working, but rocking arm in arm on the hanging bench, completely at ease with each other. She can just hear her mother calling after her: "Where to at this time of night?", but Hanna is already outside. She knows there will be trouble when she gets home. But she doesn't care, he's worth it.

Although it's still August, it's already colder at this time of day. Every now and then a cool breeze brushes her cheek, otherwise the night is quiet. If she paid attention, she could hear the crickets and an owl in the distance, but her thoughts are elsewhere.

She likes him. Very much. That's the only thing she's clear about at the moment. But how is it all supposed to work? Her parents wouldn't even want to meet him and she herself isn't sure what to make of it. He's a Muslim, with fasting, praying and so on, and she's a Christian who went to communion and confirmation because that's the way it should be. Her gut instinct has kept her from it from the start, but something inside her longs for him. Could it have worked out between them after all? She doesn't know, but wouldn't it be a mistake not to at least try?

What she's doing is naive, she knows that. She also doesn't realize why she's seeing him now. It can't end well. But she has to see him.

It can't be, what's she doing here? she thinks to herself as she sees Fatime in the distance. Her long, dark, curly hair covers almost her entire back from behind, which is not difficult given her small, fragile stature. Fatime sits in her favorite spot. It's a wonder she's not over there with the stoners. It would suit her.

Hanna is not in the mood to leave Fatime in her usual place and look for another one herself. Fatime had been absent from school all day today. Why is she out here now instead of at home? Hanna has never been able to take Fatime's regular absences from school due to illness seriously. Fatime lacks discipline, a sense of responsibility and a good upbringing.

"Oh look, not as sick as you always pretend, are you?" she teases Fatime. But when Fatime doesn't respond to Hanna, she continues louder: "You might as well not go to grammar school as often as you're absent and you cheat on every test anyway!" Fatime flinches imperceptibly, but Hanna continues to harangue her: "Your Muslim husband will never let you work later anyway, why do you even bother? ... I'm surprised you didn't fail long ago."

Fatime lifts her head powerlessly. Now Hanna sees why Fatime hasn't answered. Her normally tanned skin is pale, the circles under her eyes are unusually large and her face is puffy from crying and covered in tears. Her brown saucer eyes looked almost creepy.

Fatime

Hanna's accusations hit her like fist-sized hailstones. Hanna was the last person she had wanted to meet today. She and Hanna had never had much to do with each other. Although they had been going to school together for almost five years, they had never exchanged more than two sentences. So it was clear that Hanna couldn't possibly know why she was missing so much. Apart from the fact that her mother has been totally overwhelmed since the early death of her father, works day and night, she and her two little brothers are brought up by her grandparents rather than her mother, she also knows nothing about her migraines. She wakes up every morning with a stabbing headache. She has a headache at lunchtime. In the evening she has a headache. Sometimes so severe that she can't fall asleep. Sometimes so severe that she throws up. Every day there is a discussion in her head: Should I go to school today? Do I stay at home? ... Maybe the pain will get less? ... Since she doesn't tell anyone except her best friend Edona about her headaches, it's also clear why no one can understand her absences from school and why everyone condemns her for them.

"What do you know about my life, Hanna?" Fatime's voice is full of emotion. "You have everything. Good grades, a big house, friends, parents who take care of you, what do you care if I'm in school or not? - Normally, you don't care about anyone else but yourself." Fatime can't be stopped. "Have you ever been interested in why I'm absent? Oh no, you know everything. You Hanna, the perfect pupil. Always quiet, never absent, participates in class. What don't YOU know?" Fatime's voice almost breaks off. She has to pull herself together. The last thing she needs to do is cry in front of Hanna. She's never cried in front of anyone before and didn't want to start today.

Fatime doesn't notice that Hanna now has tears in her eyes. Fatime continues to tease her: "If I had a home like yours, I'd easily have better grades than you."

Hanna strikes. Fatime falls backwards off the swing. The slap in the face has done the trick. While Fatime is still holding her cheek with her left hand, she gets up again and throws herself at Hanna. She has never put up with anything like this before. She grabs one of Hanna's wrists with each hand and although she is smaller and definitely not as athletic, she manages to push Hanna to the floor and sit on her. Fatime had never hit anyone in her entire life. She had sworn this to herself as a child, with every traumatic experience she had had when someone was hit, she had written in red letters in her mind, I will never hit anyone.

At that moment, as she sits on Hanna, all the memories Fatime thought she had long forgotten come flooding back. Her whole body begins to tremble violently. She almost loses her balance.

Calm down, Fatime, she's not your enemy! The voice in her head had often helped her to calm down. The voice, wherever it came from, is already so familiar to her that she almost forgets that she is sitting on Hanna. But only almost. It doesn't work. Her chest continues to rise and fall and her grip on Hanna's wrists becomes even tighter. And again she hears the voice: Calm down Fatime, she is not your enemy!