DIVORCE

CHAPTER 5- Meeting him

Meryl left the office, and as she was walking out, her phone rang. She answered the call, and a voice on the other end said, "Is this Mrs. Channell?"

"Yes, this is Miss. Channell," Meryl replied. "Who's calling, please?"

"This is the principal of your daughter Michelle's school," the voice said. "We need to inform you that Michelle was involved in a fight at school, and we would like you to come in to speak with us."

Meryl's heart sank.

"What? I'll be right there!" Meryl said, her voice shaking with worry.

She hung up the phone and rushed out of the office, heading straight to her daughter's school.

As she arrived, she saw Michelle standing in the hallway with a girl her age.

Meryl's heart was pounding as she made her way to the principal's office.

"Mrs. Channell, please come in," the principal said, gesturing to a chair.

Meryl sat down, and the principal began to speak.

"It seems that she was in a fight with her classmate, and during the fight, Michelle ended up injuring her classmate with a pen," the principal said.

Meryl was stunned. She couldn't believe that her daughter had done something like this.

She was angry and upset, but she knew that she needed to stay calm and hear the whole story.

"I understand that this is a serious situation," Meryl said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I'll talk to Michelle about what happened, and I promise that it won't happen again." She looked at Michelle, who was staring at the floor,

As Meryl and Michelle's eyes met, Michelle looked away, avoiding her gaze and biting her bottom lip.

Then, Meryl stood up and took Michelle by the hand, leading her out of the office.

They walked out of the school in silence, and got into the car.

As they arrived home, Meryl turned to Michelle, her anger evident on her face.

"What else do you have in store for me, you sick child?" she yelled, grabbing Michelle by the shoulders.

Michelle flinched and looked down, not knowing what to say. She felt horrible for what she had done.

"Why did you have to get into a fight at school?" Meryl asked, her voice stern.

"I've told you time and again that fighting is not the answer. Didn't I warn you about the consequences of getting into fights?"

"Mom, you're not even letting me explain what happened!" Michelle protested, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to hurt her with the pen, she provoked me. She's always calling me names, saying I'm a witch, and she said my dad abandoned us - is that true?" Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"You don't have a father, as far as I'm concerned," Meryl said, her voice shaking with anger.

"That man is dead to us. It's better that you forget about him."

Tears welled up in Michelle's eyes. She couldn't believe that her mother would say such a thing.

Without a word, she ran to her room and slammed the door behind her.

Cassie walked in. "What's going on here?" she asked, a look of concern on her face.

"Why are you talking to her like that? She is just a kid" Cassie said, her tone concerned,"she is so stubborn she won't even listen to me, why does she care about her father"