The Divorce Club Read Online Free PDF Page A

devices. That'd save me lots of time and
money spent on calling Sam's friends since my beloved daughter
can't be bothered to pick up the phone.
    With a sigh, I dial her number. A second
later, her phone rings somewhere upstairs. I follow the unnerving
Black Eyed Peas melody to the upper floor, knock on the door and
enter.
    "What?" Sam asks. She's cowered underneath
her duvet; the curtains are drawn, bathing the room in
darkness.
    "Are you all right?" I draw closer and put a
hand on what I assume to be her back.
    "I'm fine." She doesn't sound okay. Her voice
is hoarse and choked like she's been crying for hours.
    "Did anything happen?" I sit on the edge
because I'm worried now. A metropolitan city's not a good place to
raise a child. Hundreds of thoughts race through my head. Did
someone hurt or threaten her? Is she being bullied? Did the
boyfriend break up with her?
    "I said I'm fine," Sam snaps.
    I hesitate. The right thing to do would be to
get up and leave her alone until she's ready to talk about it, but
she might take that the wrong way and think I don't care.
    "Come on." I push back the covers and grab
Sam's arm, pulling her gently to her feet. "I know something
that'll make you feel better."
    "What?" She eyes me suspiciously.
    "You'll see."
    She follows me down to the kitchen and slumps
into a chair as I take out the chocolate chips and start stirring
them into a ready-made muffin dough. Sam doesn't say a word but I
can tell from the way she peers at the chocolate that she won't
complain.
    "Want to help me?" I push the muffin tray
toward her and watch as she pours in the dough. "You know I'm here
for you, right?"
    "I know, Mum."
    "Whatever it is, I won't be angry because I
love you," I say. "And if anyone's threating to hurt you or me,
don't believe them. It's just a trick to reel you in and keep you
silent."
    The dough spills over. Sam wipes it off with
her fingers and licks them clean. "You told me that a hundred
times. No one's threatening me."
    "That's good." What else could it be? I
strain my brain to come up with more possibilities.
    "I might fail math," Sam says.
    "What?" I drop the spoon in my hand and gape
at her.
    "You said you'd never be angry. Now prove
it."
    "Well, yeah." I need to play this cool and
keep my word because otherwise she might not trust me again. But
failing in school wasn't part of the deal when I made the offer.
"What happened? You said the last exam went just fine."
    Sam shrugs. "I couldn't focus."
    "Oh, Sam." I wrap my arms around her and pull
her close. She gives into my hug and presses her head against my
chest, first sobs rippling through her skinny body like a tremor.
Sam's always been proud of her good marks, but since her father and
I split up she's been having concentration issues. "It's okay.
We'll figure something out." A pang of guilt hits me full force.
Even though I know it's not my fault I can't stop thinking that
maybe I somehow provoked Greg's betrayal and our consequent
divorce.
    Sam nods and pulls back. I wipe away her
tears and heat the oven, chirping as I work. "I can help you with
your revision. We'll work out a schedule to get you back on track.
Everything will be fine."
    "You're right. Thanks, Mum." Sam places the
tray inside the oven and turns to face me. "How was your first day
at work?"
    I feel the heat scorching my cheeks as
Jamie's image pops into my head. A crush's not going to happen, so
I push him to the back of my mind and start recalling the first
meeting, leaving out the juicy details. Fifteen minutes later, we
cuddle on the sofa with a plate full of chocolate chip muffins. I
should be cooking a proper dinner for my daughter, but I see Sam's
spark has returned and I don't want to spoil the mood. Time to put
the mother role aside and play friend.
     
    ***
     
    I spend the next day trying to make sense of
Sam's curriculum. Three years of statistics at college and I can't
figure out a few simple mathematical formulas. Thank God for Yahoo! Answers . By the time