The Monster: Chapter 3
Daylight brought no armistice. The Battle of the Breakfast Table continued raging into Wilma’s bedroom, where she refused to get dressed for school.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Wilma reiterated with firmness. “You’re not my real mommy. Go away!”
Jen tried pleading, bribing, and threatening, but it was to no avail. Conceding defeat, she returned to the living room and collapsed on the leather couch. Jen reluctantly admitted to herself that she didn’t know how to handle the situation, much less the child. She wished children came with an owner’s manual, or at the very least a quick reference booklet on how to operate.
For a moment she considered calling Tommy for advice, but quickly abandoned the thought. She didn’t want to look incompetent to him. Besides, she knew he was going to be in meetings all day, and would be very busy and preoccupied. Chances were he might get annoyed if she disturbed him with her mundane problems.
Time to make a decision. She found the list of emergency numbers fastened with a magnet to the refrigerator door. She hesitated a moment before dialing Wilma’s school.
“This is Wilma’s stepmother,” she said when Wilma’s teacher got on the line. “She has a sore throat, and I think there’s a small chance it could be strep. It’s probably nothing, but, just in case, I’m keeping her home today.”
The teacher thanked her profusely for caring about the well being of the other children and the teachers. Jen felt guilty for lying to her, but she was desperate and the problem was solved, at least temporarily.