Chapter 12
As expected, David didn’t sign the papers.
Why would he?
L
He had it good.
It didn’t matter.
I hired a lawyer to help me file for divorce.
This time, I’d win.
The school year was about to start, so the
family ganged up on me.
They all wanted me to be a dorm mom for
Brittany.
Aunt Carol: “Sarah, Brittany is a genius! If she doesn’t get into an Ivy League school, it’s
your fault!”
<
Mother–in–law: “You can rent a small
apartment nearby and do the cooking and
cleaning. It’s like a vacation!”
David: “You went to a good college, so you
can help her study. If not, we can get more
tutors.”
I pulled out a contract and waved it at them.
“Sorry,” I said, smiling.
“I just signed a contract to plant five hundred
acres of farmland!
“I have no time for your children!”
く
They all stared at me, speechless.
I wasn’t lying.
I had just signed the contract, but the farm
was 3 hours away, making it nearly
impossible.
The farm was going to need me there.
I thought back to the time I turned it down, all because I was chasing this fantasy of what
this family could be, but this project was
meant for me.
This time, I knew.
<
“Well, what about Brittany?” David asked.
I laughed.
“She wants to live in the dorm,” I said.
“She said it at the graduation party,
remember? All our relatives and friends are
witnesses.”
Brittany sided with me for once.
“Yeah,” she said.
“I said I don’t need you. If you make her
come, I’m dropping out.”
<
The other three looked at each other in
shock.
I understood Brittany.
If I was there, how could she go hang out with
Jake?
After a weekend with him, they were probably
officially dating.
<
I’ve been busy getting the farm ready for
planting.
My business partner, Jake, and I were either
at the agricultural university or in the fields.
I didn’t have time for the family drama.
Since I hired a lawyer, I moved out of David’s
house and into a small cottage near the farm.
I was about to make my dream come true
when I got a call from Brittany’s high school
teacher.
She said Brittany skipped school and stayed out all night, and her grades were slipping.
<
She slept in class every day.
The teacher found out she was on her phone
every night.
I needed to come to the school right away, so I agreed.
I called David and asked him to go.
He said he was traveling and begged me to help.
Always traveling, huh?
Before, I was always too busy with the kids to
notice.
<
Now I saw how weird it was.
I went to the school.
The teacher also called Brittany to the office.
When Brittany saw me, she frowned.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Teacher: “Brittany, I called your mom to talk about your grades.”
Brittany knew what it was about and shut her mouth.
Teacher: “Your mom needs to pay attention
く
to her daughter. There’s something going on.
She has to be there for the emotional issues,
right?”
The teacher seemed uncomfortable.
“Well, she is newly in love, and we understand that, right?” she continued.
“It’s not like you’re the first teen who’s gone through it.
“Well, at this age it’s not good for teenagers
to sneak out at night.
“It’s a very sensitive topic,” the teacher
finished.
<
Brittany’s face turned red.
I played the part of the worried mom.
“Brittany, what happened to you?” I asked.
“Mom wanted to move closer, but you said
you could take care of yourself!”
I turned to the teacher.
“I promise to move closer to the school again and take care of her,” I said.
“From now on, I’ll drop her off in the morning and pick her up at night. She won’t go out
く
again!”
I promised the teacher.
The teacher nodded in satisfaction.
“I believe you,” she said.
“Raising the best student of the middle
school means you’re responsible.”
But Brittany was getting nervous.
She was probably obsessing over her fantasies about Jake and didn’t want me ruining everything.
く
She glared at me.
“I don’t need you,” she said.
“You’re not my mom, so stop obsessing!”
The teacher was shocked.
She looked at the teacher and said, “I’ll change if I do something wrong.
“Don’t call this woman again, because it’s none of her business. She got married with my dad after breaking the relations of my parents. Plus, now she is divorced!”
The teacher didn’t know what to say.
I smiled at the teacher and copied her real
parents‘ phone numbers on a piece of paper.
“Teacher, here’s her parents‘ numbers, so
please call them,” I said.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and left the
office.
As soon as I left, I smiled.
I wouldn’t get any more annoying calls before
the divorce.
I can finally live happily!
