Soulmate

Chapter 6

August, 1991

That night, Kevin received a call from his mother announcing that his father was suffering from cancer, and that he didn't have long to live. Apparently, he had been diagnosed some time ago, but both he and his mother decided to keep it from Kevin, as they didn't want to worry him.

The morning after receiving the call, Catherine and Kevin caught the first plane to Kentucky. Kevin's father died just two months after their arrival. Kevin spent these last months barely leaving the hospital, and Catherine was always by his side . She spent hours at her father-in-law's bedside, praying that the poor man would recover. There was one night when she literally had to force Kevin to go home and get some sleep, as she was afraid he would become ill from exhaustion. Finally, she was there to hold Kevin's hand tightly as he watched his father take his last breath.

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It was a Saturday evening. Conveniently, the day was totally overcast. Catherine drove to the church, where her father-in-law's funeral was to take place. She was not going alone; her father, stepmother and sister decided to accompany her to pay their condolences. They all sat together during the mass. When it was time for the burial, Kevin and his brothers, along with a few other men, slung the casket over their shoulders and walked out of the church. Catherine felt her heart break as she saw Kevin's pain-filled eyes as he carried his father's coffin.

A while later, she was at Kevin's house. At that moment he was hugging his mother-in-law. Ever since Kevin had first brought her home, Kevin's parents had been great to her. Especially his mother, Ann. Catherine had a complicated relationship with her mother, so it was very special for her to be able to relate to this amazing woman. Some women came over to talk to her mother-in-law, so Catherine walked away and started looking for Kevin. She started to worry when she couldn't find him. She decided to ask someone if they had seen him. She approached a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy standing in the kitchen.

"Excuse me." at the sound of Catherine's voice, the boy turned to look at her "Have you seen Kevin?"

The boy stood for a few seconds thinking "I think I saw him leave a while ago, but I don't know where he might have gone" he momentarily observed Catherine "You're Kev's girlfriend?"

Catherine couldn't help but smile " Yes I am. My name is Catherine."

"I'm Brian. I'm Kev's cousin."

"Nice to meet you, Brian."

After exchanging a few more words with Brian, she went outside, wondering where Kevin could have gone. Suddenly an idea popped into her head; she remembered that Kevin had told her that, when he was a boy, he and his father used to go to the open field near the woods to play football. After orienting herself, Catherine headed there.

Five minutes later she arrived there and saw the tall figure of her boyfriend. He was standing there, looking off into the distance. Catherine approached him and put her arm around his waist. They looked at each other. His green eyes glistened with tears. Then, she hugged him as tightly as she could. He wrapped his arms around her body and placed his head in the crook of her neck. When Catherine felt his tears wetting her neck, she hugged him even tighter and rubbed his back.

"I-I miss him so much..." whispered Kevin in a trembling voice.

"I know, my love, I know." she whispered kissing his head tenderly "I'm so sorry..."

They stood for a while hugging in the middle of the open field. The silence broken only by Kevin's sobs and Catherine's words full of affection.Finally they separated and Catherine held Kevin's face in her hands "Do you need to be alone?"

Kevin swallowed hard and shook his head "No, I think...I think it would be best if I went with my mother and my brothers. "

Catherine nodded as they shook hands and started walking towards Kevin's house. Catherine was aware that her father's death would leave Kevin with a deep wound that would take a long time to heal. But she would be by his side for whatever he needed.

"Cath." said Kevin suddenly snapping Catherine out of her thoughts. He stopped walking and gave her a soft kiss "I love you so much. Don't you ever forget that."

She smiled gently and placed her forehead against his "How could I forget."