Catherine's Secrets

Chapter 3

Stephanie stepped into the escalator behind Steve and her baby sister leading to the ground level. She wanted to spray paint all the stupid pictures for tourists everywhere. To say she was angry wasn't enough, she was blazing. She absolutely didn't wanna move to Hawaii. She wanted to be back home with her Nonna in her comfort zone. She had just started high school and her Nonna promised her she could try out for volleyball who knew if super seal was gonna let her do anything. Stephanie thought about the last time she had seen her mother. It was very brief, only about a day. She relished in that day. She had seen her mom about five times her entire life. The last time she had visited she had gotten her first period; likely about two years ago. Catherine was super nice to her about it and very carefully explained how to handle it and the birds and the bees. She remembered how mad her nonna was that her mother told her about that. Catherine replied in typical fashion Mom she's gotta know this stuff she's a teenage girl. Stephanie wished her mother would just come home and take care of them. She could have her life back. Her eyes watered at the thought of that never happening to say the least her mother wanting nothing to do with her or her sister. Why didn't her mother want her? Stephanie gasps in shock when she realizes Steve puts a hand on her shoulder waving his hands in front of her face. She was so deep in thought she didn't realize she was at Steve's truck.

"Steph, you okay honey? I've been talking to you for the last five minutes?" Stephanie looked into her father's concerned blue eyes and almost wanted to tell him how she was feeling except she saw her baby sister in the corner of her eye. She didn't wanna bring this up in front of her. Julie was extremely sensitive when it came to their mother, everytime Catherine would leave after a visit she would run down the driveway crying trying to catch her car.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Steve looked at her and knew she was lying he figured she'd come to him whenever she was ready.

"Okay, but I'm here if you wanna talk. I know this a lot for you. Its a lot for me as well. This is all new." Stephanie nodded at Steve and climbed in the truck. It dawned on her while driving down the road this was all new to him too, a week ago he wasn't a father and now he had two kids.

"Sissy, isn't the beach really pretty? Daddy can we go swimming soon? What causes the waves" Julie started rattling off questions. She was getting to the age where she asked a million questions. It drove Stephanie crazy.

"Listen Jules, I love you but can we not do one hundred dumb questions today. I'm exhausted, pipe down. They are just waves." Stephanie looked back at her sister who shrunk into the seat, frowning.

"Why are you being so mean to her Stephanie?" Steve sharply asked her.

"I'm not being mean to her."

"Yes you are, you just called her dumb. And you called her dumb on the plane." Stephanie bawled her hands into a fist.

"You know what Steve, mind you're own business. She's my little sister I can call her what I want."

"And I'm your father and I'm telling you to be nice to her, no more calling her dumb." Stephanie laughed or scoffed more like it.

"Stop calling yourself my father, I barely know you." Steve sighed as he put the truck in park in the driveway. He knew his daughter was going through a lot right now between Nonna's death and moving halfway across the country as well as a new found father. On top of it all she was fourteen and going through puberty and hormones. Why couldn't her and Julie be twins and both be cute eight year olds?