The Chain (A Catherine Diary) - Stamfield. Complete

Chapter 68

68

I waited with Gemma and Carla for fifteen minutes, dad hadn't shown up. When I suggested they left, they wanted me to come with them. I told them I'd wait a little longer. Truth was, I had been hoping he wouldn't show, but when I realized there a strong likelihood of him not turning up, I started questioning whether I was good enough for him or maybe he only wanted to meet Andrew. They were some of the same questions I had asked myself, when he left, after blazing the house with his huge roar of a voice, that made me quake in bed.

I was standing there looking at my mobile phone, watching the first minute tick by, making a decision to leave precisely on five minutes. The second minute came and went and just as the third minute turned, I heard a car pull up in front of me.

It could easily have been for someone else, so I decided not to look, I didn't want to look anxious.

'Catherine over here', it was him and an instant explosion of anxiety sent a current of nervousness through me, as my head jerked up.

He was older than I remembered, but then it was such a long time ago I'd last seen him. His hair had grey streaks, but he hadn't started balding, he wore a mustache that hung down joining to his greying beard, I couldn't remember if he had that before he left. He smiled at me, his teeth were stained brown and I remembered he smoked. Everything else seemed as it was.

I reluctantly walked over to the wound down window, with dad leaning over from the far side.

'Come on, get in', he said.

I was always taught not to get in the car with strangers and to all intense and purposes dad was a stranger, but he was also my father, I was born of his sperm. He had been there through all my early years. Yet, I knew nothing of this man I was willing to get in the car with.

I opened the door and sat down, pulling the door closed behind me. He didn't move for a moment, maybe wondering whether he should kiss me or not. He chose not to and turned on his indicator.

'Put your seatbelt on Catherine', he said concentrating on the road.

I did so like an obedient little child.