Hollywood Zenith

Kenneth still looked scary as he stared at both of them. Donald, on the other hand, looked completely different from his earlier demeanour as he looked warmly at both of them. It went on for a few seconds before Margaret smacked the old man as he was making them uncomfortable.

" Moo, Enough with that look. You are scaring the girl. Can\'t you just forgive her? She came all the way here."

Kenneth held back of his head; he couldn\'t believe that his wife was treating him like this in front of guests, but he had to admit that he was in the wrong.

" Alright." He said in a low voice, not wanting to back down.

" I guess we know who wears the pants in the relationship. Little intense, But they didn\'t look like bad people." Carol thought as she found the scene amusing. She looked down at her daughter and gave a slight nod. Hannah seemed to know its meaning as she slowly walked toward Kenneth.

She grabbed the helm of his clothes and gave a weak apology.

" I am sorry." She imitated a dying small animal who seemed to have lost its will to live. With puppy eyes and puffed cheeks, she was on the verge of crying.

It was a move as it melted Kenneth\'s heart in a moment. Margaret looked from the side, praising the little girl\'s flawless technique.

" It\'s okay. I already know that I am better than these people." Kenneth said while patting the little girl\'s head. Donald wanted to refute but being older comes with some responsibility.

He sighed. He would show Kenneth who is the boss in future matches.

" Come, let\'s sit down and talk. Surprisingly, we had never talked before. Arthur, please." Margaret urged.

" Yes, madam, I will arrange some refreshments." He left the scene.

" Hannah, these are Big brother\'s grandparents." Carol nudged her daughter.

Hannah introduced herself politely. She was a little mischievous but nonetheless showed respect to the elders.

" Ma, I don\'t mind. Just call me grandma; I would get mad if you were too formal with me." Margaret said.

Kenneth and Donald also encouraged her to do the same.

" It was nice to meet you. I know it is rude, but I have some work to do." Donald had wasted a few hours and wanted to return to his library. He was the epitome of a shut-in!

" You are escaping again. No one will eat your books; at least have some tea. Arthur will be back any second now." Kenneth said he never understood how someone could bury himself in books all day.

" Some other time--"

" Books? Do you have a picture book too?" Hannah asked innocently. Her antenna was flaring, hearing the mention of books.

" Of course! There are thousands of books!" Donald being a geek, responded immediately.

" Can I go with you? I want to see some books too!" Hannah asked.

"That\'s-" Donald was lost for words. He looked toward Carol, asking with his gaze; he didn\'t know what to do. Carol was also confused.

" Will you be alright?" Margaret asked Hannah, breaking the standstill.

" Yes. I will behave!"

" Ok, you can go but don\'t wander around alone, alright? I will call you back when your brother arrives."

Hannah gave a cheerful shout and trotted toward Donald extending her tiny hands. It seemed natural for her, but Donald was nervous, he reciprocated, and they went inside hand in hand.

" Forgive my brother; he was never good with children."

" I don\'t mind. But I find it surprising." Carol said as she watched them disappear in the distance.

" He is always fiddling with books, he is brilliant in that, but I guess intelligence comes with some drawbacks." Margaret was talking with experience. She still has Donald and George\'s relationship when George was little.

Arthur soon served some tea and refreshment. A group began to talk among themselves, mostly about what Samuel had been up to lately. It was not every day they got to brag about their grandchild.

Inside, Hannah kept pestering Donald with questions. She questioned anything she found interesting as they made their way to the library. Donald had an extensive collection of books, so he needed a whole different building for it. It was his personal library.

They ran into Patricia on their way. She was surprised to see her husband entertaining a child.

" Who is this?" She asked sternly, it was not intentional, but that\'s how she looked from the outside.

Hannah shrinks back, encountering a stranger, but Donald covers for her.

" This is Hannah. The one Samuel occasionally talks about."

" Oh, Elise\'s sister. I don\'t think we ever met."

" Hannah, this is my wife, Patricia." Donald introduced both of them. Hannah peeked from the back, looking intensely at the woman.

" Hello"

" My, such a cute little thing." Patricia wanted to get closer, but it further scared the little girl.

" Honey! You are scaring her. How many times have I told you to smile naturally?"

" What\'s wrong with my smile?"

" Forget it. I am taking her to the library. Could you bring some snacks?"

Patricia left dejected. It is not her fault that children found her scary. She never had any problem with her son, though.

Entering the extensive library, Hannah noticed a small stand in the corner. It was surrounded by a mountain of papers, some plastered on the board behind the table while others were scattered over the table. It was made into a small room which looked appropriate for children.

Donald noticed her gaze; it was Samuel\'s table where he spent time perfecting his writing and illustrations. It was not luck, but handwork and anyone could appreciate his effort by looking at his workstation.

" That\'s where Sami wrote his books. It\'s like his little office. He is small, so everything was custom-made to fit his height." Donald explained.

" Can I look around?" Hannah asked. Donald let go of her as she made her way toward that area. She climbed the little chair with ease and began to observe the drawing.

She also recognised some of the drawings from the picture book she read recently and some unfinished products. One could clearly see the foundational lines and how he approached his illustrations by looking at them.

Soon, Patricia came carrying some sweets. She noticed her husband looking at the little girl with warm eyes.

" It really takes me back. Remember how George used to run around inside these halls all day? He really was a handful back then." She said.

" Right, I have lost count of how many manuscripts he ruined during those days."

" You really remember the worse of those days. Don\'t forget all the hours he wasted fixing those very papers."

" Hmm, It would be great to have our grandchildren soon."

Patricia\'s ear perked up hearing it. She never thought she would listen to these words coming from her husband\'s mouth.

" You really have changed."

" I guess."

They watched Hannah for a while before Patricia served her the snacks. They played around while waiting for Samuel to arrive.