One month later...
Peter was pacing the room and arguing with Danielle on the phone while Catherine was inconsolable, sitting in the chair with her hands on her head and her elbows on the office desk.
"We haven't seen each other for almost a month, Peter. I want to see you, I want to go out, we can go to the movies," Danielle said.
"My father disappeared a month ago. It's been a month that I am searching for him in vain, It's been a month that my mother is here suffering, she can't even work anymore, she's almost getting sick and you come complain because you want to go to the movies? " Peter told her.
It's always your mother! Everything is for your mother, and for me, nothing! "
"What? You want to compete with her? Don't even try because you're going to lose. I'm only alive today because of her, because she were tireless about taking care of me at the worst moment of my life."
"Do you know what people are saying? That your father left home with another woman because he couldn't stand your mother anymore."
"Who said that, Danielle?" Peter asked and looked at Catherine who was looking at him with a tired face and sad look.
"Lots of people," Danielle replied.
"You don't know how you hurt me by telling me that. You don't understand my pain and don't even respect my feelings. Do this: Get someone else to go to the movies with you and forget me," Peter said and finished the call.
"Peter, I'm not done talking!" Danielle shouted, but he had already finished the call.
Peter threw the phone on the couch. He was deeply annoyed.
"I can't stand you two arguing anymore, Peter. You and she are worse than your dad and Danny," Catherine said. She cried at every mention of Steve's name.
Peter came over and hugged her. "I miss him too, Mom. I feel like I've known him all my life, though that's not true."
"I can't take this pain anymore, my son. I need to know what happened to him."
"You know the things people are saying isn't true, don't you?" Peter told Catherine.
"About him having another woman? I know it's a lie, he wouldn't do that to me. We got married and were happy, Peter.
"Of course he wouldn't do that, he loves you. And I love you very, very, very much. I'll make your lunch and then go to work," Peter said and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you, my son. I love you so much, too, and you were the best thing that ever happened to me," Catherine said and hugged him tightly. "I can't lose you either."
"You are not going to lose me, okay?" Peter said and wiped her tears away.
"No need to worry about lunch, son. I'm not hungry."
"But you will eat. He will quarrel me if you are sick when he comes back," Peter told her. He kissed her forehead and went to the kitchen.
Peter always left home every day two hours before starting work at the restaurant. He went to neighborhoods where Steve's car was last seen and and always had a picture of his dad to show people.
Five days later he was walking through a neighborhood where he had been to other times. He sat down discouraged and no longer knew what to do. "No one disappears that way," he was thinking.
The sun was very hot and was burning his face. He opened his backpack, took a cap and put it on his head.
"I can't give up on you, Dad. You didn't give up me when I treated you badly, and today I know you wouldn't have given up on me when I was born if you knew of my existence. But I don't blame my mother either, she had her reasons," Peter was thinking.
He was sitting on the sidewalk, his head down, when a car drove right next to him and scared him. He looked up and saw the car heading down the street.
"It's my dad's car!"