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She raised her eyebrows at that.

"You know his father died and he feels he bears responsibilities for them."

"Maybe," she said, nodding. "Okay, so we don't really need him anyhow. If he keeps his trap shut, we'll be all right." She thought a moment and then looked up. "Did Misty go through with the plan anyway?"

"Yes."

"Who drove?"

"I did and we went to the hospital and back. She sat in the chair by the window."

"Think your father saw it all?"

"I don't know. He hasn't called again."

"Then it worked," she concluded.

"I hope so, but we don't know for sure that he was out there watching. Jade's called a meeting tonight."

"Tonight? What time?"

"I don't know. Around dinner, I guess," I said.

"It's Larry's last night here. We're planning on going to a nice dinner somewhere special," she moaned.

"Oh. Well, maybe we can get Jade here earlier then."

"Yeah. That's what we'll do. I'll make her come about three, even if I have to go over there and drag her over."

"I'm sorry, Star. I don't want to make anything difficult for you."

"No, no," she said, shaking her head. "We're all in this together. There won't be a problem," she assured me with a smile. Then she stood. "Let's make some breakfast."

"I already ate, but I'll have coffee with you."

"Good." She turned and went to work while I sat there hating myself for being the one OWP with the most serious and troubling problems. All I could do was make things more difficult for them and ruin their chances at happiness. Soon, I thought, they'll all hate me as well.

.

When Larry came to the table, he and Star did seem like the most lovey-dovey couple I had ever seen. They were unable to keep their hands off each other. If she would get close enough to him for him to lean over and kiss her, he would, and when they handed each other things, their fingers lingered around each other's and their eyes locked on each other's eyes. I almost felt like I was intruding just being at the same table. They talked about their future as if they were alone. Larry was planning on flying Star to Germany during the holidays this coming year.

Finally, they looked at me as if they just realized I was there, too. Star laughed about it, but Larry looked embarrassed. Afterward, she and I cleaned up the kitchen and he returned to the living room to watch TV.

"I'm going to have a nice church wedding," she told me. "His parents would want that, and I'm not going to invite Ma'ama," she added firmly. "If she came, she would only ruin it, and that's one event, she isn't going to ruin, no ma'am."

"What if she comes anyway?" I asked.

She thought a moment and shook her head.

"She won't. I'm not about to tell her either. Besides, she's gone again and maybe for good this time. Even Granny hopes so, and she's her daughter. She just thinks it's best for everyone all around."

"That's sad," I said.

"It's not Granny's fault. She did what she could to bring her up right. Some people," Star said, turning to me, "are just bad inside, Cat. They're like spoiled apples. If you keep cutting out the rotten parts, you'll end up with nothing but some seeds. It's not worth the effort. Shine the good ones," she advised, and then she stopped and smiled and hugged me.

"Thanks. I've got to go home for a while, but I'll be back with the others at three. I'll take care of Jade myself," she promised.

Larry said goodbye. He didn't think he would see me again before he left for Germany. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and a hug and said he looked forward to when we would all be together again. I watched them leave, feeling both sad and happy at the same time. Larry certainly appeared to have put the joy back into Star. I couldn't recall a time when she looked more radiant and alive. I was happy for her, but I also knew that some day she and Larry would be off and we'd probably drift far apart.