Her immediate concern was for her daughter, however, as she had never really taken the time to discuss the things a mother should pass on to a daughter. After Sheri had announced that a boyfriend was coming to visit them during Christmas vacation, several times in the few days that followed that statement, Donna had wanted to call her daughter and talk about it. Yet she hadn't, and somehow she felt that Sheri was more aware of sexual matters than she.

It took fifteen minutes to drive from the school to her Pasadena home at a safe speed, and although she was in a hurry that evening, Donna drove at her usual pace. She knew that she would be there in plenty of time, yet she still felt apprehensive. As always, there was that little nag, that tiny feeling of guilt. It was her biggest regret in life that she didn't have more time to be a mother to her children, instead of their sole support.

Donna Howell, long ago, had decided that her children should have the best education possible within her means, and to her way of thinking this meant private schools. Her decision, influenced by the necessity to teach in order to support herself and her children, was also predicated on a belief that they would benefit from the close ties and relationships of a private school that would hopefully fill the gap left by her absence. This thinking, however, was far from what either Kevin or Sheri really needed, and while it was true that they both had developed intellectually, physically and socially in the private school environment, there was a glaring lack of parent-child love.