“How do we know that?”
“Because of the empty platform.”
Greta examined it.
“That tells us she’s alone. It doesn’t tell us what she expected.”
Hannah frowned.
She had not considered the distinction.
Greta pointed at the woman’s hand.
“Perhaps she could be holding something.”
“Like what?”
“A letter. A ticket. Something that tells us she intended to meet someone.”
Hannah looked at the drawing.
“That’s actually a good idea.”
Greta raised an eyebrow.
“Actually?”
Hannah laughed.
“Sorry.”
They continued.
When they finished, Greta closed the portfolio carefully.
“You’re serious about this.”
Hannah nodded.
“I am.”
Greta rested her palm on the cover.
“Then don’t let anyone persuade you that it’s just a hobby.”
Hannah looked up.
Her grandmother was staring at the portfolio with an expression she could not identify.
For a moment, the old woman seemed almost sad.
Then she stood.
“Tea?”
Hannah smiled.
“Yes, please.”
Greta filled the kettle.
She measured the water for two cups.
Hannah noticed.
For once, she said nothing.
The following spring, Hannah’s acceptance letter arrived.
She opened the email at the dining table while her parents were preparing dinner.
At first, she thought she had misunderstood.
Then she read it again.
She had been offered a place.
There was also a modest merit award reducing part of the first year’s fees, provided she met certain academic conditions.
Hannah screamed.
Claudia hurried from the kitchen, convinced something terrible had happened.
Pieter nearly dropped a saucepan.
Hannah turned the laptop toward them.
“I got in!”
Claudia hugged her.
Pieter read the email carefully, then smiled in a way Hannah had not seen for months.
“Well done.”
“That’s all?”
He laughed.
“Very well done.”
They celebrated with takeaway pizza and a small bottle of sparkling apple juice because Claudia had an early shift the following morning.
For one evening, nobody mentioned money.
Hannah telephoned Greta.
Her grandmother answered after several rings.
“Hello?”
“Grandma! I got in!”
“Into what?”
“The academy in Vienna!”
There was a pause.
Then Greta said, “The one with the drawings?”
Hannah laughed.
“Yes!”
“Oh, Hannah.”
Her grandmother sounded pleased.
“That’s wonderful.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Hannah smiled.
“I thought you’d say it’s too expensive.”
Greta was quiet.
Then she said, “We can talk about money another day.”
Hannah did not know what to make of that.
For once, she decided not to argue.
The financial crisis began six weeks later.
Pieter had worked for the same mid-sized construction supplier for fifteen years.
He managed accounts, payroll coordination, and supplier payments.
The company had been struggling with rising costs and lost contracts, though its management had repeatedly assured staff that the situation was temporary.
In June, several departments were restructured.
Pieter’s position was eliminated.
He received a severance package and was eligible to seek unemployment support, but the loss of his salary changed the family’s financial outlook immediately.
At almost the same time, Claudia needed to reduce her working hours temporarily to care for her own health following surgery.
Their mortgage payments remained unchanged.
The car needed expensive repairs.
Finn, now fourteen, required dental treatment that was only partly covered.
Hannah’s university fees were approaching.
The timing could hardly have been worse.
At first, her parents did not tell her the full extent of their concerns.
They hoped Pieter would find another job quickly.
He applied widely.
He attended interviews.
He revised his CV.
He contacted former colleagues.
Some employers wanted younger candidates.
Others offered significantly lower salaries.
Several never replied.
Hannah noticed the change in the household before anyone explained it.
Her parents stopped ordering takeaway.
They postponed replacing the washing machine, which had begun making an alarming noise during the spin cycle.
Claudia cancelled a planned weekend trip.
Pieter spent long hours at the kitchen table with his laptop.
The house became quieter.
When Hannah asked what was wrong, her father said they were reviewing expenses.
She knew that tone.
It was the same one Greta used when she examined a shop receipt.
One evening, she overheard her parents discussing the academy.
“We can’t promise four years of private tuition,” Pieter said.
Claudia replied, “We don’t have to decide everything tonight.”
“The first payment is due in August.”
“There’s still time to explore options.”
“We’ve explored them.”
“Not all of them.”
Pieter exhaled sharply.
“Claudia, I don’t want to tell her she can’t go. But we can’t put the mortgage at risk.”
Hannah stood outside the kitchen.
She felt suddenly cold.
For months, she had imagined Vienna.
The classrooms.
The portfolio reviews.
The shared apartment.
The independence of living in another city.
She had worked for the place.
She had earned it.
Now she realised that admission was only the beginning.
The next morning, she told her parents she had heard their conversation.
Pieter closed his laptop.
“Hannah…”
“Are we losing the house?”
Claudia shook her head.
“No. We’re trying to prevent things from becoming that serious.”
“Then I shouldn’t go.”
Pieter looked pained.
“We haven’t decided that.”
“But you can’t pay.”
“Not comfortably.”
Hannah sat down.
She tried to keep her voice steady.
“I can work more.”
“You’ll need time to study.”
“I can take out a loan.”
“We need to understand the terms before doing anything like that.”
“I can ask the academy about deferring.”
Claudia nodded.
“That may be worth exploring.”
Hannah looked down.
“Or I could go somewhere else.”
Neither parent answered immediately.
She felt her throat tighten.
“I know it’s stupid to spend so much money on drawing.”
Pieter sat beside her.
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“No. It’s expensive. That’s different.”
Hannah pressed her palms against her eyes.
She had spent years criticising her grandmother for worrying about money.
Now she understood how quickly numbers could take over an ordinary conversation.
The discussion with Greta took place the following Sunday.
Claudia had not intended to bring it up during lunch, but Beatrix noticed that Hannah was unusually quiet.
