Page 61 of Mr. Principal

I didn’t know I was crying then until he reached up to wipe a tear from my cheek.

“Do you want me to drive you?”

I shook my head, feeling anger, probably misplaced, towards him. I’d made a promise to Meredith to protect her and I’d been unable to do that. Her father had taken her from me. I’d failed her, and I was so angry, so disappointed in myself.

And I turned all that anger and disappointment towards Carter. “I don’t want you to drive me anywhere.”

He grabbed my shoulder and I shook it off.

I quickly walked with Meredith in my arms to my car and buckled her up. Carter followed me and said, “Look, I’m sorry. I was just trying to help—”

I turned on him then. “Help? By beating her dad into a pulp in front of her?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was standing there—”

“Well, she was!”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. Let me apologize to her—”

“Stay away from us,” I said coldly, getting into the car. I could see Meredith crying softly in the back seat and it tore at my soul. Infuriated, I growled at Carter, “I don’t care if I don’t ever see you or Tom again.

He looked taken aback. “You don’t mean that.”

I rolled up my window and didn’t bother to respond as I pulled away and drove in the direction of home.

As soon as I got home, I sent Meredith to take a bath and waited, chewing my lips for the cops to show up. I didn’t know what Tom would tell them. That I attacked him? That I’d tried to force my way into his home?

But as one minute led to an hour, and an hour led to a day, I figured if he had called the cops on me, they would already have come.

I’d missed at least ten calls from Carter. But I didn’t want to talk to him. My emotions were everywhere. I didn’t know if I should have felt grateful to Carter for beating Tom to a pulp because I’d been a minute from trying to do the same. Or if I hated him for letting Meredith be witness to that type of violence directed at someone she loved. I knew she loved her father even if he was deserving of every punch to the face he’d received.

She hadn’t said anything about it. Nothing at all. And I hadn’t put her back into school. I was too shaken. She had missed at least three days and I knew I couldn’t keep her out indefinitely.

I didn’t know what to do. And of course, just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse. I received a letter. I was going to court. Tom had made good on his threat.

* * *

The next weekend,Becca said that Tom had contacted her and asked her to take Meredith. He said it was neutral ground. I agreed, not knowing what else to do. I knew withholding Meredith would put me in contempt with the court and I didn’t want Tom to have any ammo on me even though he had withheld visitation himself.

I knew I could trust Becca and so I’d let her have Meredith for the weekend. She promised that she wouldn’t let her out of her sight and assured me she wouldn’t let Tom go anywhere without her.

Meredith had also seemed a little frightened, but I’d assured her that Tom wouldn’t dare try it again.

“Or Principal K will punch him in the face again?”

I’d looked at her in surprise and apologized for Carter.

She had shrugged. “He was just trying to protect me. And you. I love Daddy but he shouldn’t have done what he did.”

I’d hugged her and said, “You’re right. But fighting doesn’t solve anything.”

She had nodded. “Yeah, he punched Daddy pretty hard. I was scared for Daddy.”

“I know, hon.”

“Are you still mad at Principal K?”

“Mad? No. I just... I don’t know.”