Chapter 3 I felt suffocated in this house , but that woman looked even more miserable than me . ] I kept trying to suck up to her , and she stayed ice - cold , completely ignoring my attempts to get on her good side . [ ] Whenever this happened , Dad would publicly take her side , telling me not to bother " Aunt Quinn . " [ ] But privately , Dad would slip me money to make up for it . [ ] I was totally satisfied . Who needs love when you've got cash ! [ ] I'd been living there for less than a month and had already saved up five thousand bucks . [ ] When summer ended , I had to go back to school . [ ] I was in seventh grade - still five years until college . I could handle it ! ] On my first day back , I walked out of school and saw Mom waiting for me . [ ] She'd gotten skinnier and looked exhausted . [ ] I walked up to her and said flatly : " What are you doing here ? " [ ] She didn't say anything , just looked at me with red - rimmed eyes . [] Her hand started to reach out but stopped , like she didn't dare touch me . [ ] I simply grabbed her hand and put it on my face : " If you want to touch , then touch . " Mom's hands were rough from years of housework , nothing like Quinn's smooth ones , but they felt solid and real . " You've lost weight … Is Lincoln mistreating you ? Not taking care of you properly ? " [ ] " Do you … want to come back and live with me ? "[ ] I looked at the hope in Mom's eyes and slowly shook my head . [ ] 1 said quietly : " My living expenses , school fees , tutoring costs - they'd crush you . " [ ] " You haven't worked since you got married . What would you use to support both of us ? " [ ] " That house you're living in now ? Sure , you got it in the divorce , but it's Lincoln's work unit housing . He could take it back anytime . " " No money , no house - how would we surviver I wasn't bring heartless . This was just brutal reality # Chapter 3 After their divorce , Mom had no clue how much money Dad had , and their only house belonged to his work unit . ] Even with me staying with Dad this time around , Mom still couldn't squeeze any money out of him . [ ] Mom's eyes dimmed , and she said sadly : " You're right … What could I use to support you … I'm useless … " [ ] I pulled out all the money I'd saved - bills and coins totaling $ 5,121 - and put it in Mom's hands . Mom tried to push it away , but I was firm : " Mom , take the money . Figure out some small business you can do to make money . Only when you can stand on your own and earn an income can I come back to live with you . " [ ] Tears started streaming down Mom's face . She quickly turned away . I didn't say anything , just waited for her to pull herself together . [ ] When Mom had calmed down , she faced me again , but only took two thousand dollars and handed the rest back : " This is enough . Just wait for me , honey . I'll work hard to make money so I can bring you home soon . " [ ] " I believe in you . " I knew Mom was stubborn - when she said two thousand was enough , that's all she'd take . [ ] My confidence made her eyes light up instantly . [ ]