Her dad swept aside all his irritability and held her with outstretched arms as though she was a porcelain doll. Kate and Camille, in crystal-blue dre...sses matching Helen’s, gathered around and hugged her.“You okay?” Camille whispered in concern, squeezing her hand.Erica would have confided totally in Camille once; it occurred to do so now, but too much contact had been lost. Today her lot was thrown in with Helen. “I’m fine,” she said, shoring up her strength and forcing a smile. “It’s just. I meant what I said right before we got on the bus this morning one-hundred-and-ten percent,” I said quietly as I tried to tell her with my eyes what I really wanted to say, but there were too many other kids around.“Okay, come on, spunky,” she said, tugging at me by the hand.We got to Ms. Jenner’s classroom, and indeed, it was empty. Grabbing a couple of seats in the back corner, we sat facing each other. We both started eating our lunch (I was starving by that point). I made it a habit to. We knew most people present and were greeted as we walked through the room. Our host’s wife (whom I shall call Angela) was also present and she was talking to another woman when she saw us and waved us across to her. “Louise, Ruth,” she beamed at us, “you both look so ravishing tonight you really do put me to shame. Have you met Chantelle?” she indicated the other woman who smiled and air kissed us both. “Chantelle, this is Louise and Ruth, they are Michael’s daughters and I’m so pleased to see. I talked to Jeff." And?" I told him I couldn't go on as it is. Home alone, my needs not satisfied. I know he's more about image than anything. Me divorcing him is about the worst thing in his mind. I told him I wanted to be able to see someone. Discreetly." Holy shit, what did he say?" He said,he wasn't going to have me out fucking around making him look bad. So I told him I'd never go out, never sleep around, but that you and I had had a spontaneous, unplanned time over here and that's what I.