Page 31 of Second Verse

Norah didn’t have the energy for any jealousy to rear its head. Max wasn’t enormously secure in that department. If he saw her smile at someone a bit too long, his wheels came off.

Poppy walked back out of the room, only three minutes after she’d entered. She looked happy enough, so Luna was probably settling in OK.

‘See you at the gates,’ she said, sauntering past.

Norah turned to watch her go. She’d forgotten about that swagger.

‘Mrs Cauldwell?’

Norah spun to her quickly, like she’d been caught doing something wrong. But she hadn’t. She was just watching Poppy walk, for god’s sake. No crime in it.

‘Miss,’ Norah corrected Mrs Bauer, standing.

She and Maxweremarried, but she had kept her name and title. There was no planet on which Norah was swapping Cauldwell for Biggerstaff.

‘Sorry, yes. In you come,’ Mrs Bauer said.

Norah followed her in and sat down in front of Miss Potter, both on another set of small chairs.

‘Hi,’ said the young woman. ‘So, first of all, Freddie’s doing great with his lessons. Just great. You don’t need to worry aboutthatat all,’ Mrs Potter said.

An unnerving start.

‘But I did just want a word about some behaviour that has started to crop up,’ the teacher added carefully.

‘Oh?’

‘Yes. He’s... We’ve observed some imagination play we thought we should raise with you. He’s been playing with the dolls and making them have some rather... specific conversations. There’s a repetition to it. I’ve seen it three times now.’

‘OK...’ Norah replied, tensing.

‘He’s been making Woody from Toy Story tell Pocahontas that she’s... a cold fish.’

Norah wanted to die. ‘And how does Pocahontas respond?’

‘Pocahontas tells him that he should have divorced him before they had Olaf the Snowman. That’s their son.’

So Freddie had caught every word of that argument a week ago after a particularly bad session with the couple’s therapist. Itwas awful enough that he knew that his parents were unhappy together. But Freddie thought Norah regretted him, and that wasn’t what she’d meant. She’d meant that she felt tied to Max because they were a family unit.

If she’d divorced Max the moment she realised she was pregnant, Norah could have raised Freddie as a single parent and shared custody with Max as an ex. Freddie would never have known this version of his family, and it wouldn’t be on Norah to tear apart the only life he knew. Freddie was the only bit Norah knew she did want, but that nuance had been lost in the argument.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him,’ Norah told Miss Potter.

Miss Potter nodded, glad to have that out of the way. ‘But his phonics is coming along beautifully.’

Norah nodded. ‘Great.’

She walked out of the meeting in a daze, wondering when her life became this. When did it all become something to get through? What had happened to her? Was she just broken? Was she not able to be with another person in any way that worked? When was the last time it had worked with Max? With anyone?

Twenty Years Ago

Norah heard the credits roll on the soap. But she didn’t know how it had ended because about twenty minutes ago, she’d thrown caution to the wind and initiated a kiss with Poppy. Things were getting steamy, fast. And now they were rolling around on her single bed, handseverywhere.

‘I’m so glad I get to do this,’ Poppy whispered into her neck.

‘I wish we’d done it before,’ Norah said.

‘Do you?’ Poppy asked, surprised, pulling back to examine her.

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