Josephine and Molly didn't know what to do about Jack. He sat just there not doing anything. Molly thought it better that the two of them should live with her. She didn't want Jack to be alone. Josephine too missed her mother, but she had at least her school friends. Becky didn't know anything further so Josephine decided to talk to her after school; maybe they could go and visit the Zoo. Whatever, Josephine just needed to get out.

She met Becky at the Rockefeller Center; it was a nice warm day so they decided to just walk a little bit around the city. Becky had brought her brother with her, Timothy, who was in love or at least had a little crush on Josephine. He was five years older than the two of them, already helping their father in their own antiquarian shop. Becky was for him still a little girl, but she had some value now for him as she was Josephine's friend. Timothy had only heard fragmented pieces of what happened. He just knew that Josephine had somehow been in trouble.

"Why did to take Tim with you?" Josephine whispered.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't get rid of him", Becky whispered back.

Timothy was of course eager to know what had really happened with Josephine.

The two girls were giggling and laughing before him, which drove him crazy.

"Hey you two what are you laughing about?"

"Oh nothing, sorry", Becky answered.

Becky turned back to Josephine, who had told her friend the story about her mother.

"What about your father?"

"I don't know what to do with him. He just sits there depressed. Molly and I've tried anything, but we are at our one wits end."

Timothy having heard Josephine's words stepped forward.

"What do you mean, what happened to your father?"

"Tim, that's not…" Becky began but was stopped by Josephine.

"No it's alright; Tim has the right to know. I'm sure he'll help us. But it's longer story so maybe we go somewhere else?"

Becky suggested a restaurant nearby and all agreed, because they were really hungry. Having ordered some food, Josephine started to tell Tim the whole story:

"It began some months ago when I met a nice man. He and I started meeting more. Well to make a long story short it turned out that he was my real father."

"I thought that…"

"Wait it's not the end. Mama was so happy to have him back, both were happy. It could all have been so nice, but Mr. Hockley", Josephine was now calling him like this "he wouldn't give up. He kidnapped me, telling my father that he should decide between me and my mother."

"And he decided for you?" Timothy wondered. "I thought he loved your mother."

"Yes, he did…I mean he does. That's why he didn't decide anything, my mother did. She went back to him, to Mr. Hockley. And well now my father is heartbroken and I guess she too."

Tim couldn't believe what he had just heard. This Mr. Hockley really must be a devil. Kidnapping his own daughter…ok even if she wasn't his real daughter, he had thought so for many years. Didn't he ever have any feelings for her? Josephine obviously didn't think of him as her father anymore.

He really wondered about her mother too. When her parents had always love each other, like he understood why hadn't they married long ago?

"Did your father leave your mother once? Maybe because she was pregnant or something...?"

"What? No. My father would do anything for her. I saw him some time ago, when I still didn't know that he really was my father, he was completely depressed over her death."

"Then why didn't your parents marry long before?"

"Because Mr. Hockley avoided it, he blackmailed my mother into marrying him, by telling her that he would do something to me, if she didn't. She was just scared, I was the only thing that remembered her of Papa. They met before a tragically accident and both of them thought the other one dead."

"My god, I'm sorry…I didn't want to say anything against your father."

"No problem, I know you didn't mean it that way."

"So your surname isn't Hockley anymore."

"Oh it's Dawson. But in school I'm still Miss Hockley, well something I'm not very pleased with, but a name change isn't so easy. Papa would have to adopt me and for the law I'm still Cal's daughter."

"But couldn't your father and…couldn't they just talk with each other?"

Josephine looked at him as if he had gone mad.

"They talk with each other? Have you gone mad? The first time they saw each other again, Papa was hitting him for things he obviously did to my mother and for what he did to me. Well and the last Mama was trying to persuade Papa that she really loved Mr. Hockley and was kissing him in front of Papa."

Tim didn't know what to answer. Of course he too knew the rich Mr. Hockley even if not personally.

"I think you understand both of you that a process at court wouldn't do…wouldn't go very well for my parents."

"I'm so sorry for you and your father and mother as well", Becky said. "It must be so hard for someone to not be able to live with the one you love."

"Thank you, I'm glad that I can count on you. I'm just so worried about my father."

Becky looked at her as did Tim.

"What about your mother, when have you last seen her?" Becky asked.

"Two, three weeks ago…no it wasn't that long, it just seems so long. I still don't know what he really did to her, the only one she talked about it was my father and now she was sacrificing herself for us."

Tim unexpectedly stood up.

"I'm sorry I've to go. I promised father to help him out today."

Tim actually very pleased with this job, but his parents demanded that he do something. He would've more like to become a pilot or maybe a famous sportsman.

"Tim is working at our parents shop", Becky explained.

"Yes I've heard of it", Josephine nodded. "You didn't seem to be very pleased about it?"

"I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I'm just not very interested in arts and old sofas."

Josephine started to laugh, but suddenly she remembered something.

"So your parents let you assist, because they think you should have a job?"

"Yes, that one too, but more because they need someone to help them out…"

An idea was forming up in her head.

"You say that you sell pictures?"

"Yes, all kind of old things. I don't know why some people pay more for old things than for new ones."

"Father isn't very pleased with you. He told me that you didn't seem to be very excited about work."

"That's because I'm not. I hate this old stuff", he commented.

"Maybe I've got a solution for your problem."

Becky and Tim looked at her.

"What do mean?"

"I think I know someone for you, I mean for your parents shop."

"And who would this be?" Becky asked.

"My father, he loves art…he knows all kind of artists, their works everything…he'll be a grand help for your parents. Your mother has already met him and I think she liked him…and for Papa it'll be good as well he'd be a little distracted from thinking of Mama all the time."

"That's a wonderful idea. Why don't we two go to him and tell him and we'll meet later at the shop. Tim can meanwhile tell our father."

"I'd love to."

With that everything was settled for them.

….

Molly, Josephine and Becky told Jack together about their plan. All of them thought it a good idea.

"You'll see Papa, you'll love. You know Mrs. Edison she's nice and her husband is too."

Jack didn't know what to do. Normally he would've jumped up if someone had offered him a job like that, but without Rose everything seemed useless.

"Jack, if you're thinking of Rose now…she wouldn't want you to sit down all day depressed."

"But how can I just go back to work when she…" he couldn't even finish the sentence, even the thought of Cal touching Rose let him shiver.

Becky felt sorry for him.

"Mr. Dawson maybe if you could do it for my brother then."

"Your brother?"

"He hates this work. And Josephine told me that you would love it."

Jack looked at her.

"You can quit any time you want."

"Papa?"

"Well alright."

"Great", Josephine came over and hugged him.