𝖢𝖮𝖬𝖤 𝖳𝖮𝖦𝖤𝖳𝖧𝖤𝖱
𝖻𝗒 𝖭𝖾𝗎𝗋𝗈𝖥𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗌
part 17
Karen stepped into
the hallway, her eyes
scanning for Hanna. She
found her in the kitchen,
still clutching her Sudoku
book, looking lost and
confused. "What did you say
to Plankton?" Karen demanded,
her voice firm but
controlled. Hanna's gaze
snapped up, her eyes wide
with surprise. "What do you mean?"
she asked, her voice
trembling.
"What did you say to him
that made him so upset?"
Karen's words were measured,
but her anger was palpable.
Hanna's cheeks flushed. "I just
tried to help," she protested.
"He was in pain and—"
"What. Did. You. Say?"
Karen's voice was like ice,
her eyes boring into Hanna.
The room felt smaller,
the air heavier with tension.
"Well," Hanna began, her
throat dry. "I just pointed out
that you could do so much
better than someone like
Plankton. I mean, you're so
kind and patient, and he's..." The slur
slipped from her mouth, echoing
the one Chip had used
so carelessly before.
The air in the room grew
heavy with tension. Karen's
face contorted with rage,
her hands balled into fists
at her sides. "How dare you?"
she spat. "How dare you speak
to him like that?"
Hanna's eyes widened,
seeing the fury in Karen's
expression. "It's just the
truth," she stuttered. "You know
it's true. You're too good
for him. Everyone knows it. I
wanted him to realize that."
Karen's voice was low and
dangerous. "You will never
speak to him like that again,"
she said, each word enunciated
carefully. "Do you understand?"
Hanna took a step back,
intimidated by the fire in
Karen's eyes. "But... but he's-"
"Plankton is my husband,"
Karen interrupted, her voice
sharp. "And he's the most
important person in my life.
If you can't accept him..."
Karen sighed. "When Plankton
was born," she began, her tone
softening. "He was a perfectly
normal baby, but there was a...
complication. During delivery,
his head got stuck. It... it caused
his brain to be deprived of
oxygen and blood flow for a
few moments too long. The
pressure was too much." She
swallowed hard, fighting
back tears. "That's what led
to this condition, not a choice he
made. And I wouldn't trade him
for anyone else in the world. It's
not anything that could've been
controlled, but that childbirth
resulted in my husband's
disability, which is autism."
Hanna's eyes grew wide
with shock, her hand flying
to her mouth. "Oh my Neptune,
I had no idea," she whispered.
"I didn't realize he actually
had a condition." Her voice
was barely audible, the weight
of her ignorance heavy in the air.
Karen's eyes searched Hanna's
face. "Yes, and so what you said
was incredibly hurtful."
Hanna's eyes filled with
remorse, her shoulders
slumping. "I'm so sorry,"
she murmured, her eyes
brimming with tears. "I
never meant to... I just
thought I was being honest."
Her voice cracked with
the realization.
Karen's anger dissipated a bit,
replaced by a deep sadness.
"Honesty without empathy
can be cruel," she said
softly. "But now that you know,
you can do better." Hanna
nodded, her gaze downcast.
"I'll apologize," she whispered.
But Karen was already
thinking of Plankton, alone
in his room, feeling like
a burden. She turned and
walked back to the bedroom,
her heart heavy with the weight
of the conversation.
When she entered, Plankton
was exactly as she'd left him:
curled up, staring at the wall.
"Hey," Karen said gently, sitting
down beside him. "I talked
to Hanna." He didn't respond.
"She's sorry," Karen continued.
Plankton's eye flicked to hers,
his expression unreadable.
"It doesn't matter," he said,
his voice hollow. "We know it's
true." The doubt in his voice
was a knife in Karen's heart.
"No, it's not," she said fiercely.
"I love you, Plankton. You are
not a burden. You are a
miracle, a beautiful, wonderful
person, and I am so lucky to
have you in my life." She took
his hand, her grip firm and
reassuring. "Don't let anyone
tell you otherwise, okay?"
Plankton's eye searched hers,
his doubt battling with the
love he saw there. "But she's..."
"Hanna is wrong," Karen
interrupted. "You're not
anything like what she said.
You're smart and funny
and sassy and... perfect.
Perfect for me." She leaned in
closer, her voice a gentle
whisper. "You're everything
I never knew I needed until
I fell in love with you."
Plankton's body relaxed
slightly, his gaze flickering
towards her. "But what if..."
he began, his voice trailing
off. "What if I can't be a
good enough husband to yo-"
"Don't," Karen said, cutting
him off gently. "You are a
wonderful husband, and
everything I could ever want.
Your autism is one part of what
makes you special, Plankton.
It's not something to be
ashamed of, or something that
makes you less than. It's just
how you are." She placed
a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"And I love all of you."
Plankton felt a tear slip down
his cheek. "But what if I
can't... understand you?
Or what if I hurt you?" His voice
was small, filled with fear.
Karen leaned in, her
eyes filled with warmth.
"You don't," she assured him.
"Because we're in this
together. And I'll always
be here to help you through
the hard parts, just like I know
you'd do for me." She paused,
a sad smile playing on her lips.
"You know, when we first
met, I didn't know about your
autism. But once I did, it didn't
make me love you less, it just
made me love you more."
Plankton's eye searched hers,
his doubt slowly fading.
"But sometimes..." he whispered.
"Sometimes, it's hard." Karen
nodded, her heart breaking
for him. "I know it is, sweetie,"
she said softly. "But we
figure it out together, okay?"
Just then,
Hanna came
in the room
to apologize.
Her eyes were
red from crying,
and she looked
genuinely regretful.
"Plankton, I'm so sorry,"
she began, her voice
quavering. "I didn't know...
it was a slur. I was only
trying to keep peace, but I
was wrong. I'm sorry for the
hurtful things I said."
Plankton's gaze
remained on the floor,
his mind a whirlwind of
emotions. Karen's words
of love and support were
comforting, but Hanna's
apology was a surprise. He
felt a pang of guilt for not
correcting Hanna earlier,
but his own fear of rejection
was a powerful silencer.
"I didn't know," Hanna
continued, her voice sincere.
"I had no idea it would
hurt you like that." Plankton
slowly lifted his head, his
single eye meeting hers. "I see,"
he said, his voice still weak
from the emotional turmoil.
"But what do you want me to
do, just sit around and feel
sorry for you? Nobody cares
if you throw a fit, Hanna!" He
says, repeating her own insults.
The room was silent
for a moment before Hanna
spoke again, her voice
shaky. "I didn't mean it like
that. I just didn't underst--"
But Plankton didn't
let her finish. "You
just wanna get on
Karen's good side
don't you? Don't
deny what you
said to me!"
Hanna's eyes filled
with tears, and she
nodded. "I know I
was wrong, Plankton.
I'm truly sorry," she
whispered. Karen's
heart ached for both
of them, the pain of
misunderstanding thick
in the air. She knew that
Hanna's words had been
born out of ignorance,
not malice. But the hurt
they'd caused was real
and Plankton's having
none of it. "Why
should I believe you?"
he asked, his voice low.
"After all, I'm just a
problematic burden
right? You had
the nerve to—"
"No," Hanna interrupted,
her voice firm. "That's not
true. I'm the one who
should be ashamed." She took
a deep breath. "I've
been ignorant, and I'm sorry.
I didn't know what it's
like for—"
"For what?" Plankton
challenged, his anger
resurfacing. "For someone
like me, who doesn't
know how to behave?"
His voice was louder now,
his body tense. Hanna
flinched at his words.
"You think I don't know
what people say behind
my back?" He spat. "You
think I'm just a slur?" Hanna
stood there, her eyes brimming
with tears, her expression
contrite. But Plankton couldn't
find it in himself to forgive
her so easily.
"I do accept you," Hanna
stuttered. "I just didn't know
how to handle-"
"Handle what?" Plankton's voice
was sharp, the anger
threatening to boil over. "How
to handle someone who
doesn't fit your perfect little
mold?" Karen's grip on his
hand tightened, her silent plea
for calm going unheard. "And
Karen's free to be with whoever
she likes, so let her choose
where her loyalties lie. I heard
you say Karen chose you over
me; but was that before or
after you explained how
unlovable I--"
"Plankton, we all need to
learn from this. Hanna's
apology is genuine, yet she
needs to understand what
she said was wrong," Karen said,
cutting through the tension.
Hanna nodded, her eyes still
on Plankton. "I'm sorry for
my ignorance. I never knew
how much my words could hurt.
I'll do better." Her voice
was sincere, and Plankton
felt a flicker of something
like forgiveness. But the
pain was still raw, and he
wasn't ready to let go of
his anger just yet.