3. Make Time for Friends
3
MAKE TIME FOR FRIENDS
When she got home, Hanna’s landlord was in the kitchen chopping vegetables.
Hair in a pile of ebony curls atop her head, Sarah called out a greeting as Hanna hung her purse and keys on their designated hooks.
After inheriting the three-bedroom craftsman home from her aunt while she was still in medical school, Sarah started renting out the two extra bedrooms to cover the cost of property taxes and utilities.
Hanna found out about the room through another guide, Will, who took seasonal jobs with companies that specialized in outdoor adventure treks.
When someone traveled as much as Hanna did, it seemed pointless to pay rent for a place that she was not at the majority of her time.
Which is what made renting from Sarah so unique.
Hanna and Will filled out a calendar with the dates they would need the rooms, and Sarah rented them to traveling nurses the rest of the time.
The room was impersonal and all of Hanna’s possessions could fit into two suitcases and a backpack, but it worked for her.
She did not need any frills, just someplace that was safe, did not cost her entire paycheck, and a reasonable distance to the airport.
The scent of chana masala simmering in a pot hit Hanna’s nose, her stomach grumbling as she stepped into her house shoes and wandered into the kitchen, flipping through her small pile of mail as she went.
Bill, bill, spam about her nonexistent car’s extended warranty, and an envelope addressed from Trips Ahoy.
This was not the first time she received communication from the new company that bought out her former employer, opting to keep the name in the buyout.
During the initial phases of the process, Hanna was contacted with an optional contract of employment to stay with the company, but she declined in favor of starting her own business.
They reached out again after the buyout was complete, with a minimal increase in benefits package, but Hanna declined again.
Hanna thought they must be desperate if they were reaching out to her again, but she had no interest in returning to work for them.
Tossing the mail onto Sarah’s shredding pile, Hanna joined her in the kitchen.
“How was work?” Pulling dishes from the cupboard, Hanna began setting the table for three, having seen Will’s keys and shoes by the door.
“Crazy.” Sarah passed her a bowl of steaming basmati rice.
“There is a stomach bug going around again so it was back to back puking kids. What about you, any new clients?”
Adjusting the napkins on the table, Hanna told her about the trip to Terrenos Frescos with Noah.
Sarah knew about her previous interactions with Noah, having heard the story over another shared dinner.
They both grew up in households where shared meals were sacred, and anytime they were both home Sarah and Hanna made a point to eat together.
“He did say that he would try to bother me less though, which is a good thing. It would be nice to finally get through a day without his ‘Good morning, Ms. Poole. Think of any new ways to steal from my grandmother, Ms. Poole?’” Hanna tried, and failed, to emulate his deep voice.
“Gah, that man is so infuriating.”
Sarah smiled knowingly.
“He certainly knows how to get under your skin.”
Rolling her eyes at the understatement, Hanna adjusted the silverware until it sat perfectly on the folded napkins.
Will lovingly teased her about making such a fuss over a dinner with roommates, but Hanna felt that dressing up an ordinary occasion elevated it into something special.
And everyone could use more of something special.
“That’s not even the worst part.” Hanna filled water glasses while Sarah spooned the food into bowls.
“He said that I was untrustworthy because I acted like, and I quote, ‘Tour Guide Barbie.’”
“Hah! He’s got you pegged there.” Will’s bright hair and even brighter smile were the first things anyone noticed when he walked into a room.
Perpetually tanned from spending the majority of his time outdoors, his long blonde hair, straight white teeth, and blue-green eyes stood out in vivid contrast.
Hanna shot him a glare as he sauntered into the kitchen, grabbing the bowl from Sarah and placing it on the table before sinking into a chair, legs stretched out in front of him while his arms draped over the back of the chair.
Courtesy of his Nordic ancestors, Will had a figure that took up space, well over six feet tall and the muscle definition to support it.
Hours spent rock climbing, horseback riding, zip lining, any sport or physical activity really, meant that Will stayed fit, something that the groups he led on expeditions appreciated.
“No, he doesn’t. I am a living, breathing person, not a plastic doll.” She even had the jiggle in her hips and butt to prove it.
“Sure, but you always act so controlled and perfect. Happy and peppy with your matching accessories.” They had known each other long enough that Hanna knew Will did not mean it in a hurtful way.
Hanna’s mouth was open to snap back with a clever and mature response of “do not,” but Will shifted in his seat, mimicking her straight posture, one ankle crossed over the other.
Feeling her cheeks heat with a blush, Hanna conceded that he might have a point.
But looking a certain way was part of her job and was not easy to turn off.
“Keep arguing and I won’t share the naan with you.” Ever the peacemaker in the group, Sarah interrupted any further back and forth and tore apart a piece of naan and dipped it in her bowl.
“Did Noah say why it mattered so much to him how you acted?”
Midway through a bite, Hanna thought back on the conversation while she chewed.
“He said that he could trust me more if he knew my reactions and personality were real, not just telling him what I thought he wanted to hear.”
Which was not unreasonable.
Getting called the name of a fictional toy that historically looked nothing like Hanna was not a compliment, but perhaps she was reacting so strongly because she knew there was truth to it, not because Noah meant it maliciously.
No one questioned her demeanor before and it puzzled her that Noah did.
They never worried that Hanna was stealing from them, in fact, one guest handed Hanna her black Amex card and told her to use it to purchase gifts for her family back home, completely trusting that Hanna would not misuse it.
Sarah waved a hand through the air.
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“No, but it’s not like he has any room to judge! He showed up in slacks and a collared shirt when I specifically told him to dress casual. As if he looked any less polished with his perfect hair and perfectly trimmed beard, manicured hands and fancy watch.” Hanna picked up her water glass and took a large gulp to cool the flush that was working its way up her body at the thought of how Noah looked at the coffee shop.
“Oh, that’s the real reason he frustrates you. He’s been getting under your skin when what you really want is for him to get into your pants.” Will wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
Thanks to her combined Peruvian and Scottish heritage, Hanna’s caramel colored skin could still turn as red as her sister’s hair when embarrassed.
“That would be completely inappropriate. He’s a client.”
“So?” Will did not bother with rules, preferring to live his life exactly as he wanted, breaking the hearts of many of his guests along the way.
Hanna tossed her balled up napkin at Will, which he caught midair.
He was just as annoying as her twin brothers.
“Some of us would like to keep their jobs.”
“Hasn’t happened to me yet.”
Yet another way the patriarchy won.
Will could sleep with clients and get away with it, but Hanna knew that one rumor would be enough to destroy her reputation and derail her business.
She made that mistake once, when she was a teenager and thought she was in love, and that one mistake almost cost her everything.
“The key word being ‘yet,’” Sarah admonished Will.
Though she was only a decade older than Hanna, and slightly more for Will, Sarah was the mom of the group, keeping them in line and doling out wisdom when they needed it.
“One of these days your choices are going to catch up with you and you will realize that building something meaningful with a person is more rewarding than dozens of flings.”
Hanna gave Will a smug smile, watching his eyes widen as if Sarah had wished great evil on him.
She quickly swallowed her smile as Sarah turned towards her.
“And Hanna…” Sarah’s dry hand found hers on the table.
“Do not be afraid to open yourself to new experiences. Noah may not have phrased it well, but I agree with his sentiment. You hide yourself from others, only letting them see glimpses of the amazing person you are. The world will not end if you tell a guest that they are out of line or let yourself get closer to them. You work for yourself now, that means you do not have to tolerate people who are rude to you.”
If only it were that easy.
Life taught her that people only wanted her when she acted the way they desired, and at the first sign of something undesirable, they would leave.