All these years

Chapter 4

In exactly the same moment as Catherine wanted to press the bell button at the door, her mother opened it with a very concerned face. "I could not understand what you were doing. Look at you! You are all wet. Your coat. Your hair. I thought you had an umbrella? And what did the two of you do in the other house?"

"Will was not feeling so well ... He might get sick, I think. Caught a cold ...", she managed to explain.

"Will is sick? Of course, he caught a cold. Lingering the whole afternoon under that tree on the graveyard. What was he thinking?", her mother said outraged. "Come on in, Cathy, you have to get out of your wet clothes too."

Ginny Marchin pushed her 38-year-old daughter in the direction of the bathroom. On the way she yelled after Gladys and told her that her son was at home and sick. Gladys didn't care at all about that information she was chatting with Jeffrey in the living room about the closing of the towns elementary school and that all children have now to take the bus to the next town to go to school.

In the bathroom Ginny Marchin grabbed some towels and started rubbing them on Catherine's head.

"Mom, please. I can do this alone. Please leave. Go and get me some trousers and a jumper, so I can change my clothes." Catherine demanded. She took the towels from Ginny and pushed her gently but determined out of the bathroom and closed the door. She sat down exhausted on the closed toilet. She was so confused about what happened a few minutes ago between Will and her. Yes, what was she thinking, when she kissed him? Catherine stood up and looked into the mirror over the sink. Her lipstick was completely smeared around her mouth. Shocked about how she looked she opened the water tap and tried to clean her face with a wet tip of one of the towels. Her mother opened the door again without knocking and gave her a small stack of clothes which were obviously hers.

"I think Jeffrey and the children want to leave soon, but I think you should drink one cup of tea before you go." Her mother said quietly and closed the door again.

Five minutes later Catherine sat with a big cup of earl grey tea on the rest of the armchair in which Jeffrey was sitting his arm around her waist.

That felt so good. His hand was warm and was constantly caressing her waist and butt while he was playing with the waist band of the jogging trousers she was wearing now.

"... The whole house is completely his. He inherits everything.", Gladys just said. And she did not seem unhappy about that.

"But Gladys you have the right to get even a little bit. You were his wife and it was you who cared for him these past months. Not Will. He wasn't there at all. He didn't care about what happened to his father. I can't believe he is even here now. What changed his mind?", Steven Marchin said with his deep voice. You could literally hear how angry he was. Not only because of Gladys, but also because of himself.

"Maybe he left something for everyone.", Gladys tried to calm him down. "The appointment with the notary is in two weeks as far as I know."

"Jeffrey should go with you, Gladys. You go with her, Jeffrey, aren't you?", Steven demanded at Jeffrey who nodded quietly. "Of course ... of course ...", he whispered.

"No, Jeffrey, I mean it. You have to do something. It is not right, that this useless parasite gets everything and we, who were there for Henry all the time are left empty handed.", Steven said even angrier than before.

"Dad, please calm down", Catherine interfered. "We didn't know what was between Will and Henry. Maybe they were in contact all the time. I think it means something, that he came back."

"Means something? He came back, when his father was already dead. I tell you what that means: He is a legacy sneak and nothing more.", repeated her father.

"Stop, Steven. You are going to far. This is my son you talking about. Let's wait for this appointment at the notary and after that we will see.", Gladys now demanded in a quiet and calm voice. "I think we all need some sleep now and should go home." Her look went to the two girls who were already sleeping snuggled together on the big couch.

Jeffrey and Catherine got up from the armchair. Catherine put her now empty cup down on the coffee table in front of her. They both hugged Gladys goodbye and then started to pick up all their stuff. Catherine woke up Isy gently by kissing her on the cheek and whispering in her ear, that she has only to walk to the car and mustn't open her eyes if she doesn't want to because Catherine would help her walk. Jeffrey took the little Maggie in his arms and carried her to the car.

Steven Marchin put his arm around his wife. This was the worst day of this whole week he thought.