Mallory’s chair. “You’re right. I was going to tell you last night. I drank almost a whole bottle of wine to screw up my courage. There’s no other way to say this except to say it. It’s Mallory.” She pushed Mallory’s unfinished pancakes aside. “I detest that little girl. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be saying this to you. Before you came home last night she threatened me the way she did you that day back in Edison. She said she would tell her teacher that I’m mean to her and that I do bad things to her. School officials don’t take stuff like that lightly, Donovan, and neither do I. Do you have any idea what could happen if she did say those things to her teacher? She could destroy our lives, everything you’ve been working so hard for.” She steepled her hands in front of her face. “I don’t care what that shrink thinks, and I don’t care what you think. She’s not normal.”
Carol grabbed an unused paper napkin and blew her nose. “There’s a problem here neither you nor I are qualified to handle. I’m going to lose it, Donovan. This morning before you came down, I had to hold myself in check or I would have throttled her. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself next time.”
“Jesus. Why didn’t you say something before this, Carol?”
“I thought I could handle it. I was wrong. I should have told you, but you’ve been working so many hours and then when you do come home you’re exhausted. I didn’t want to burden you. I love you, and I love Abby. I do not love Mallory. Hell, I don’t even like her. She’s sneaky, she’s nasty, she’s obnoxious, and she’s cruel. I will never love her.”
“What … what do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know. This is one time I don’t have the answer.” Carol burst into tears. “And don’t even suggest that I go for therapy. There’s nothing wrong with me. It’s her. All I know is that I can’t live like this any longer. I won’t live like this. I’m on the edge. I’ll crack if you don’t get her out of here.”
“You should have told me how bad it was. I would have punished her. When I don’t know something, I can’t act on it.”
“Don’t you see, Donovan? Punishing her isn’t the answer. She’s beyond punishment. It has absolutely no effect on her. Last night I made her stand in the corner with her face to the wall. Then, the first chance she got, she attacked Abby.”
“So, what’s the answer?”
“You have to make a decision,” she said with surprising calm. “Her or me.”
“Carol, listen to me. I’ll take some time off, and we’ll find help. Maybe we can send her to one of those schools that deal with troubled kids.”
Carol shook her head. “No, Donovan. She needs to be institutionalized.”
Donovan’s face fell. “Institutionalized? Don’t you thinkthat’s a little drastic?” The look in his wife’s eyes told him she wouldn’t settle for anything less. “Okay, I’ll make some inquiries.”
“Today,” she pushed.
“Yes, today. I’ll call in and tell Steve I’m taking the day off.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I wish you’d alerted me to the problems earlier.”
She took his hand and squeezed it. “I wanted to, but I kept thinking that with a little love and discipline, she’d be fine.”
Donovan shook his head. “I asked too much of you, Carol, when I asked you to marry me and take on John’s children.”
“My heart was with you. I wanted to help you, and I truly, truly wanted to help the girls.” She pulled her hand away and stared out the kitchen window. She shook herself. “Listen, you’d better go call Steve.”
“Carol, are you sure you’re all right? I mean—You look sort of frazzled.”
“No, Donovan, I’m not all right, and I won’t be all right until something is done about Mallory.”
It was eleven o’clock when Carol gathered up her coat and purse to head for downtown Charleston. The phone rang just as she was
Carol grabbed an unused paper napkin and blew her nose. “There’s a problem here neither you nor I are qualified to handle. I’m going to lose it, Donovan. This morning before you came down, I had to hold myself in check or I would have throttled her. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself next time.”
“Jesus. Why didn’t you say something before this, Carol?”
“I thought I could handle it. I was wrong. I should have told you, but you’ve been working so many hours and then when you do come home you’re exhausted. I didn’t want to burden you. I love you, and I love Abby. I do not love Mallory. Hell, I don’t even like her. She’s sneaky, she’s nasty, she’s obnoxious, and she’s cruel. I will never love her.”
“What … what do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know. This is one time I don’t have the answer.” Carol burst into tears. “And don’t even suggest that I go for therapy. There’s nothing wrong with me. It’s her. All I know is that I can’t live like this any longer. I won’t live like this. I’m on the edge. I’ll crack if you don’t get her out of here.”
“You should have told me how bad it was. I would have punished her. When I don’t know something, I can’t act on it.”
“Don’t you see, Donovan? Punishing her isn’t the answer. She’s beyond punishment. It has absolutely no effect on her. Last night I made her stand in the corner with her face to the wall. Then, the first chance she got, she attacked Abby.”
“So, what’s the answer?”
“You have to make a decision,” she said with surprising calm. “Her or me.”
“Carol, listen to me. I’ll take some time off, and we’ll find help. Maybe we can send her to one of those schools that deal with troubled kids.”
Carol shook her head. “No, Donovan. She needs to be institutionalized.”
Donovan’s face fell. “Institutionalized? Don’t you thinkthat’s a little drastic?” The look in his wife’s eyes told him she wouldn’t settle for anything less. “Okay, I’ll make some inquiries.”
“Today,” she pushed.
“Yes, today. I’ll call in and tell Steve I’m taking the day off.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I wish you’d alerted me to the problems earlier.”
She took his hand and squeezed it. “I wanted to, but I kept thinking that with a little love and discipline, she’d be fine.”
Donovan shook his head. “I asked too much of you, Carol, when I asked you to marry me and take on John’s children.”
“My heart was with you. I wanted to help you, and I truly, truly wanted to help the girls.” She pulled her hand away and stared out the kitchen window. She shook herself. “Listen, you’d better go call Steve.”
“Carol, are you sure you’re all right? I mean—You look sort of frazzled.”
“No, Donovan, I’m not all right, and I won’t be all right until something is done about Mallory.”
It was eleven o’clock when Carol gathered up her coat and purse to head for downtown Charleston. The phone rang just as she was
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