A few days later, Mary and Joan left. Debby was sad when they left and Catherine would miss them too. She was without one person to share her anguish again.

"Don't be upset, Debby. In three months we'll go to Joan's birthday. Okay?"

"Okay, mommy," Debby went to her room and sat in her little chair and put her crayons on the little table. Her favorite pastime was drawing. She drew when she was happy and drew when she was sad.

Catherine went to her room when she saw that Debby didn't come back. She sat on the bed and put Joe on the floor. He went to play with his toys and Catherine was watching Debby.

"Daughter, I know you are sad, that the house was empty, but they needed to leave. Joan has class, she can't stay away from school too long".

"Okay, mommy," Debby answered and kept drawing.

Catherine saw that she was drawing in a different way as if she was angry, and she wanted to know why. "Debby, come here," Catherine called her to sit next to her.

"No, Mommy."

"Deborah Rollins McGarrett, come here now!" Catherine spoke in a firmer way.

Debby got up from her little chair, sat down next to Catherine with her arms crossed and sighed.

"What happened to you being like this, honey?" Catherine asked. "You're worrying me, Debby.

"Does my father love me?" Debby asked her mother.

"Of course he does, daughter. You're the person he loves most in this world."

"Joan said that Daddy died. Has he become a little star, Mommy?" Debby's eyes were filled with tears and it broke Catherine's heart.

"No, honey. He didn't become a little star. The truth is your father traveled for work and never came back."

"And where is he?" Debby asked and Catherine didn't have an answer to that.

"I would've picked him up by now if I'd known, Debby. While he's not coming back, it's just us, just me, you and Joe."

Catherine thought she should go out with them more, take them to the playground more, take them for a walk. That would do them good. "Shall we do something nice tomorrow? What do you want to do?" She asked Debby.

"I want to go in Kamekona's trailer to eat shrimp," Debby answered.

"Then we'll do that, and then we'll go for a walk on the beach and watch the sunset having an ice cream. What do you think?"

"Yummy!"

Catherine smiled and kissed her head. "You are right, honey. Yummy."

Catherine put the children to bed and waited for them to sleep. Then she went into the living room and sat down to watch TV. Eddie came and lay at her feet. She was even enjoying the movie and was distracting her mind a little. "Steve would like this movie," she thought.

She looked at Eddie and stroked his head. "Are you enjoying the movie, Eddie?"

Someone knocked on the door and Catherine looked at her watch. It was late and she didn't expect any visitors. She got up and asked who it was before she opened the door.

"It's me, Jeremy," the person answered.

"Jeremy? What Jeremy?" Catherine asked.

"Jeremy, your first boyfriend," he answered.

Catherine opened the door and saw a man holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Hi, Catherine," he said smiling.

"What are you doing outside my house at this hour?" She wanted to know.

"Well, I came to talk, I brought you these flowers."

"Jeremy..." Catherine took a deep breath so she wouldn't be rude. "How did you find me?" She asked, but she already knew the answer.

"Your mother gave me your address," he answered.

"Listen, Jeremy, I can't accept your flowers and I'm asking you to leave. I'm sorry you had to listen to my mother. I am a married woman."

"I know your husband has disappeared, Catherine," he insisted.

"Yes, he has disappeared, but he is still my husband. Please go away."

"He must be enjoying life with another woman, and you're here crying for him," Jeremy answered, and she was very upset.

"Who are you to talk about my husband? You don't even know him. Don't judge him for yourself. Do you remember why our courtship ended? Because you cheated on me with my best friend. Now get out of my house!"

"If he's not dead, he lives with another woman and you're playing the fool."

"Get out of my house now, you asshole!" Catherine yelled at him and Eddie stood up to defend her. He growled ferociously at Jeremy as in the time when he was a police dog.

"Tell him to stop, Catherine," Jeremy asked.

"I'm going to count to five and if you don't get out of my house I'm going to have him attack you. Go!"

Jeremy threw the flowers on the floor and ran out. Catherine closed the door and went to the kitchen to get some snacks for Eddie. "Thank you, Eddie. Only you understand me." She gave him the snacks as a form of thanks. "Good boy."

Catherine called her mother to complain. "How can you give my address to Jeremy, Mom?"

"I just want to see you happy, Catherine."

"If you want to see me happy, call me to find out how I'm doing, call me to find out how your grandchildren are doing, ask if we need anything. I'm not going to put another man in the place of the father of my children like you did with me."

"You don't forgive me for getting remarried, do you? Your father died, Catherine. And so did Steve. You'll learn that you can't be alone for the rest of your life, and your children need a father."

"And who's gonna make me happy? The Jeremy's idiot? My kids have a father. Everyone who treats me like crazy today will live to see my victory. I'm going to find Steve and I'm going to bring him back home!" Catherine hung up the phone and sat on the couch. She bent her legs and supported her head on her knees. Eddie looked at her with an understanding look, a look that who also missed his owner and understood what she was feeling.

Catherine stroked Eddie's head again. "I'll find him, Eddie. I know I will."

Three weeks later...

Catherine was at the playground with the children. She was taking them to spend time away from home more often. It was good for the children and it was good for her too. She was sitting watching Debby and Joe playing. Joe and Debby were playing with a ball. Debby threw the ball and Joe went to get it. He picked up the ball and smiled at his mother like he was proud to have done it. Catherine smiled back and waved at him. She didn't even notice that a woman was watching her. This woman took her phone and showed something to a friend. "Do you think that's her?"

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