Chapter3
Natalie sighed. She knew that talking about the past wouldn’t be easy, but she wasn’t prepared to feel the pain and loneliness that swelled up inside of her. Natalie breathed in sharply and walked slowly towards the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, Nat emerged from the washroom. Natalie opened a book that she was reading, but the words swarmed before her eyes; she was crying. She sighed and turned off the light, wiping her tears away, just as she heard her father return. Natalie glanced at her clock; it was 9:30 pm. She threw on her pajamas (she was wearing a t-shirt and shorts) and clambered onto her bed, but she couldn’t sleep. She stared at the ceiling and listened to the ticking of her clock. Finally, fifteen minutes later, she was asleep.
Kate
When Kate finally arrived at her home, it was nearly eight. Few! Kate thought. She wasn’t as late as she had assumed. Just then, her mother walked in the room, pacing, but stopped abruptly when she spotted her. “We were so worried about you, young lady,” she shouted. “Look, mom, I'm sorry, it won’t happen again. I was just late once,” she backed away. Her mother sighed. Kate stared at her. She had no idea why her mother was so upset. “I know that you’re happy about your friends, but being on time is important too,” she said sharply. “I know, I know,” Kate rolled her eyes. It’s hard having overly—protective parents, she thought. Her mother sighed. “Well, you may not understand the reason why we were so worried, so sit down and don’t interrupt,” her mother said. Kate’s head was spinning with questions, but she said nothing and simply sat on the couch and waited for her to begin. “Your sister, as you know, went to Washington D.C for University. When she went, she was an excellent student,” she began. Kate gawked at her mother. She was talking as if she didn’t know her own child! Kate searched her mother’s eyes for some glimmer of pride, but saw nothing except her own dismay reflected her mother’s eyes. “As she arrived in Washington, she had to cross a road to her last station. But as she stepped off the sidewalk, a car zoomed right in front of her,” Kate’s mother continued angrily. Kate sat as still as a statue. She stayed silent. “So what you’re trying to tell me is that—that my sister is dead?” she trembled. Her mother looked away. “Yes,” her voice broke and tears slide down her face. She put her hand on her face and began to sob freely. Kate sat there, stunned. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Cathleen was dead. Cathleen was dead. Cathleen was dead. She thought over and over again. Finally, the message sunk in. Cathleen was dead. “N—no way,” she gasped. “Is it really true?” she asked, a quiver in her voice. “Y-yes,” Kate’s mother whispered. Kate sat there, frozen in astonishment. There were several minutes of deadly silence. Finally, her mother wiped her tears and got up. “I know you were not in the same situation as your sister, but all the same, please be careful. And, I hate to break this to you,” she added. “But your father and I are now officially divorced. He’s moving out this weekend,” she announced miserably. Then she turned around without looking at her daughter and stalked away, her head held down low. “So that’s why she called so late . . . . She was in the hospital,” she murmured. “That’s why she never came back,” a voice said. Kate spun around. It was her father. “It’s true,” he sighed. Kate noticed that his eyes were red. Is it from the loss of her daughter . . . or the loss of his only wife? Or is it both? She wondered. “You’re leaving, daddy?” she whimpered. “I'm afraid do, sweetie,” he said gently, coming over and sitting down beside her. “It’s okay,” he tried to sound upbeat, but Kate knew that he wasn’t really feeling it. First it was her sister, not I was her father. What next? She thought. But she knew she had to bear it. After all, her mother probably feels worse than she does now. “Will you come and visit?” she asked. “Of course,” he replied. “See you soon, then,” Kate murmured, hugging her dad. “Yes,” he agreed as he pulled away. Then he got up and left. “Good bye,” Kate whispered. “Good bye.”