Chapters 8-11 Summary

Paula sits at her table after Gerard leaves, trying to digest the information he has given her. As the knowledge begins to set in that her husband Charlo is dead, she puts more sugar into her tea. She thinks back over her formative years, trying to figure out how she has gotten to this point.

Paula remembers going to primary school at a school called Saint Mary's, where one kind teacher watched over fifty-four little girls. This teacher always praised Paula's writing and urged her to read her stories to the class. Paula learned to love writing in this chaotic school. When she entered high school, it was another story. Paula was assigned to class 1.6, which was only one step up from being in Special Education. On the first day, her seatmate, Derek O'Leary, groped her thigh during class. When Paula...