Page 120 of The In-Laws

Frank chuckled. ‘Can I not even give a few inspirational quotes?’

‘NO!’ the twins said.

They all laughed.

Katie looked at her watch. ‘Right, time for my class with Amanda.’

‘Can we help?’ the twins asked.

‘Help your thick aunt to read?’

‘Katie!’ Amanda snapped.

‘Sorry, you’re right. I’m not thick, I’m dyslexic.’

‘And you’re doing so well.’

‘Thanks to you.’

‘Please can we help?’ the twins asked again.

Katie shrugged. ‘Okay, if you want to.’

‘We do. You’re always so nice to us, doing our hair, that we want to give something back.’ They headed into the small conference room with their two aunts and shut the door behind them.

‘We did well,’ Frank said quietly.

‘I’m so proud of them right now,’ Melanie replied. ‘It’s great to see them thinking of someone else and wanting to help.’

‘They seem to be adapting well to the change.’

‘I think so, but you’d know better. You see them more.’

‘I talk to them a lot about it and I really think they’re fine. You were right. Once they realized their lives weren’t going to change all that much, they accepted the new normal.’

‘How are you finding it?’

‘I’m adjusting, too. I miss you, but I’m busy and I’m getting so much out of teaching yoga. It’s good for the body but also the mind. You should come to one of my lessons.’ He smiled at her.

Melanie laughed. ‘Come on, Frank, you know I’d hate it and I’d only annoy you.’

‘Maybe,’ Frank said, ‘but you’re always welcome. Right, I have to get ready for the evening class. See you tomorrow.’

She walked her ex-husband to the door and watched him cycle away. She was so grateful to have such a reliable co-parent and friend. She looked at her plaque next to the door and smiled. She did not have a single regret. Her decision had been the right one and she woke up, every day, grateful for having had the balls to make it. She wasn’t cut out to be a mother. She knew her relationship with the twins would improve as they became adults. It felt like a shocking thing to admit to not liking motherhoodbut, really, she had been lying to herself by not confronting it. The sheer relief of being honest about what she wanted felt incredible. Living here alone and working here was bliss. She was finally able to be true to herself, and to her potential. The silence when the office was closed, her bookshelves, answering only to herself, she absolutely loved it. She was happy and content. This was the life she had truly always wanted.

40. Amanda

Amanda, the twins and Katie worked through the book Katie was currently reading, stopping on the words she struggled with. When Amanda had offered to help Katie, she had been shocked to find out how bad Katie’s reading was, so she had researched and found the best ways to help her. She wanted to make sure she was giving Katie the right tools to help with her dyslexia. Katie got frustrated at first and she was deeply embarrassed, but Amanda reassured her, encouraged her and nudged her along. In three months she had come so far. Katie was extremely determined and hard-working.

‘What’s that?’

Joni spelt it out: ‘T-o-n-g-u-e.’

‘Tongyouwee,’ Katie said.

‘It’s a really hard one because it doesn’t sound like it looks,’ Janis told her aunt. ‘It’s “tongue”.’

‘But that should be spelt t-u-n-g!’ Katie said, frustrated.

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