Hannah had met Carl when she was sixteen years old. He was dark and mysterious and handsome. He was two years older than Hannah and she was flattered that he was interested in her. All of her friends thought it was so romantic that he met her at the school gates every day. She had thought it was, as well.
A pretty, fair haired girl who, when they met, was attractively naïve. Her family were ordinary people who worked hard, but were by no means wealthy. They enjoyed the simple pleasures in life like a trip to the park with the dog or a fish and chip supper from the takeaway.
There was a wholesome goodness about the whole family and Hannah seemed the kindest and best of them all. Helping her mother with the housework and caring for her brother Will, were seen as pleasures, not chores. At school, Hannah was an average student, but she worked hard. Surrounded by many friends her life was a happy one
Like all girls her age, her thoughts often went to boys. Hannah hadn't really had a boyfriend, but she was in no hurry. There were different priorities for her. Education and qualifications which would lead to a decent job, that was important. With the right grades, university might be in the future, too.
There were no dreams for her about becoming a singer or an actress. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground. Hannah was aiming for some sort of office job where she could progress to a management position if she worked hard. Ambitions could only be fulfilled if she put in the effort, which was not a problem for her.
Carl had arrived in her life as if by magic. Hannah had never seen him around the small town where they lived. She would have noticed the, good looking youth with the brown eyes and black hair. He had got a job with a garage repairing cars and he watched each morning and evening as Hannah walked past his place of work.
"Hi, my name's Carl."
He was leaned casually by a wall. Ruffled hair, gentle smile, soft spoken.
"Hello Carl, I'm Hannah."
Stopping and then standing shuffling from foot to foot, this was exciting and scary at the same time.
"I see you walk past most days. Well, I make sure I'm outside now that I know what time you pass. Would you like to go out with me sometime?"
"Oh, yes."
"You sound surprised. I'd be crazy not to ask out a pretty girl like you."
"Thank you, that's very kind."
"How old are you Hannah?"
"I'm sixteen."
"I'm eighteen. Your parents won't mind you going out with me, will they?"
"No, I don't think so. They will probably want to meet you at some point though."
"Not a problem."
A trip to the cinema and a date at a fast food restaurant, gave them time to get to know each other. Hannah told him about her family, her ambitions, her likes and dislikes. Not much information came from Carl. He was still working at the garage and yet he met her from school every day. Did he work part time? Was he allowed out for an hour by his employer? There were many things that she did not know about her boyfriend.
Hannah's parents Jim and Sue were not sure about their daughter Hannah having an eighteen years old boyfriend. They had asked lots of questions about him and their daughter didn't know very many answers. They issued an invitation for him to come for dinner and then they could ask what needed to be asked and decide whether he was suitable.
"Where are you from then, originally I mean?" Jim, Hannah's father asked Carl.
"Oh, I've lived in so many places. My mum and dad moved around a lot."
"Where are your parents now?" Sue, her mum, said.
"Well…" A sad shake of the head accompanied by a frown stopped that line of enquiry.
"You're working at the garage then. Are you training to be a mechanic?"
"Er, yes. I know a lot about cars already though."
"Oh, how do you know about cars?"
"Just picked stuff up I suppose."
Carl had arrived clutching a box of after dinner mints. He had chosen what he would take carefully. No alcohol, that would suggest that he liked a drink, and flowers would be a bit over the top he thought. The mints said "I am polite and thoughtful but I don't need to buy your approval." Once he had time to work on them everything would be fine.
Jim and Sue loved Carl. They failed to notice that he had not really answered any of their enquiries fully. The young man chatted to them, played a game with Will and was gentle and attentive to Hannah. Their dog Midge didn't like him much, but that didn't matter. He had been polite and respectful. The sort of boy that they would have chosen for their daughter.
Every afternoon Hannah would come out of school and there he was. Carl would take her hand and walk proudly with her to her home. How did he get away from work she would ask? He would give her that smile which indicated that he had secrets and she would accept what he didn't say. His actions were attentive and loving, but maybe a little intense.
"I know you were thinking of staying at school for a bit longer, but I want us to make a life together. If you leave and start work, we can save for a place of our own and be together all of the time." Carl looked into Hannah's eyes as he spoke.
"I'm not sure, Carl. If I get better qualifications, I can get a better job and earn more money."
"You are clever, any employer can see that. Instead of spending two more years at school, you will have work experience and a better chance of promotion."
"I suppose it makes sense. I'll have to ask mum and dad though."
"I'll talk to them with you. They will understand if we tell them in the right way."
Her family were a little troubled by her change of mind, when Hannah told them, but once they had spoken to Carl, they were happier. Everyone was in agreement. Hannah would leave school and get a job. Everything had gone so smoothly once Carl had convinced them. Why did Hannah wonder, sometimes, if she was doing the right thing?
Carl had never mentioned marriage in any of their conversations. Hannah assumed that it would happen at some point. She loved Carl and her family liked him too. For quite a while she did not even know where he lived. He had told her that he was ashamed of his bedsit and wanted to move somewhere nicer before she saw his home. Another very reasonable explanation.
The truth was that Carl lived in a rather nice, two bedroom house on a small estate. In fact, he owned the house outright. Quite an achievement for someone aged eighteen, who was an apprentice at a garage. He didn't tell people about his living arrangements because it was difficult to explain how he had managed this feat. It had taken some time, but he had done what was necessary to acquire it.
First, he identified a landlord who owned a large number of properties. Then he looked at the places and chose which one he wanted. This left Carl with two minor problems. There was a tenant already in the house and, after he was evicted, having to pay rent when he got inside. He decided to start by tackling the landlord.
Over a few weeks Carl worked his enchantment on Mr Miah. A combination of flattery, suggestions, and a little menace did the trick and he came away with the deeds to the house which had been signed over to him. The tenant was a lot more stubborn. There were people at large in the world who were immune to his powers of persuasion. Unfortunately, the tenant was one of them. More drastic action was needed to remove him from what was now Carl's house.
The guy who lived there, Steve, knew about the property being sold. Carl, the new landlord, arrived and immediately asked him to move out. It soon became apparent that Steve didn't want to go. Glaring at Carl, he made it clear that he was not going to be pushed out by a teenager.
"Look mate, I'm not going anywhere. The law is on my side." Steve faced the young Carl.
"I'm giving you a chance to move out without any fuss. I suggest that you take it." Carl remained calm.
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm advising you. I'm appealing to you. Let's keep this amicable."
"You say, lets keep this amicable, but your face doesn't. Stop glaring at me, get out of the house, and, next time you come around, make sure that you have called me first."
"Okay, Steve. I'll go and I'll sort this out another time. Take care."
Steve, thirty and a single man, Carl's tenant, was mugged on his way home from the pub late one night. His phone was stolen as was his wallet, and he was stabbed in the neck and killed. No one saw the incident and there were no clues for the police to follow. Carl took over the house, clearing out the items owned by the previous occupant. Well, he got rid of the things that he couldn't use, but kept the television, the laptop computer and a number of other useful gadgets.
The police had investigated the killing and had visited Carl as part of their enquiries. He had been shocked that his tenant had died and had immediately offered to let the police search the house if it would help. They were sure that the nice young man was innocent of any connection to the murder and he wasn't troubled by them again
At some point he would have to tell Hannah that he had found a place for them to live. He would be handling all of their finances, so she would never know that there was no rent to pay. Carl had never let Hannah down or disappointed her in any way. He had been polite and kind to her and her family. There was no reason for Hannah to not trust him completely.
There had been no pressure applied about having sex. like boys his age usually did. They would wait until the time was right Carl said. Hannah's friends wondered what she had done to attract a man like Carl. She was a pretty girl, but she was hardly worldly or dynamic. They did not know that these were the very things he liked most about her.