Page 4

‘Seriously, Johnny? It’s utter rubbish,’ Mia complained.

‘It’s good fun,’ he said, walking out of the room with his daughter in tow.

Sarah waited for the door to close, then asked her sister, ‘Mia, I need you to be honest with me. Is Izzy falling behind? Is she holding up the class?’

Mia shook her head firmly. ‘Absolutely not. As you know, I was a bit worried about her because she’s the youngest, but Izzy is well able to keep up, Sarah. She’s got more common sense than half of the kids in her class.’

‘Yes, but is she able to keep up academically?’ Sarah persisted. ‘The teacher said I need to encourage her to read more and help her learn her tables, but she never said there was a problem. Is there?’

‘She didn’t say there was because there isn’t. Look, you know I’d tell you if there was, for Izzy’s sake as much as yours. I speak to Vanessa Dixon all the time and Izzy is doing fine. Don’t let those women get into your head.’

Sarah exhaled, relief flooding her. Izzy was OK. She knew Mia would be honest. Mia was always honest, plus she had Izzy’s best interests at heart because she adored her.

‘I’m worried they might complain to the headmistress about Izzy, like they said, or after tonight they’ll probably complain about me.’

Mia snorted. ‘They wouldn’t dare, and if by some tiny chance they do, she’ll dismiss them. We see this type of parent every year, the ones who think their kids are geniuses and need to be challenged more. They want the teacher to give them more difficult maths problems and higher-level reading material. The head knows as well as I do that they’re delusional. Sure, their kids might be slightly ahead of the game at seven and eight, but in a year or two the others willall catch up. Honestly, Sarah, don’t worry. Keep calm – think of the baby.’

Sarah placed her hand protectively on her stomach. ‘Thanks, Mia, you’re a star.’

‘The only thing you need to worry about is looking after yourself and that little miracle inside you.’

Sarah smiled. The little thing inside her did feel like a miracle. It had been a long, bumpy road, but so worth it. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you, Mia.’

‘Thank God you were sober tonight. Imagine if you’d been drunk when you heard them.’ Mia giggled. ‘You’d probably have punched their lights out.’

Sarah laughed. ‘Well, that’s the last mums’ night out I’ll be going to, I can tell you. I don’t need that drama in my life.’

‘At least it’ll be something different to write in your diary.’

‘It’ll certainly make a change from my fairly boring entries recently.’ Sarah stifled a yawn. ‘Now that the adrenalin has died down, I feel exhausted.’

Mia nodded. ‘Go home and get some rest. For the moment, it’s probably best to stick to nights in with herbal tea and Netflix.’

Sarah groaned as she pulled on her coat. ‘I’ll have to go to the school gate in a wig and dark glasses.’

‘Hold your head high,’ Mia said, as she walked her sister to the front door. ‘You aren’t the one in the wrong.’

Sarah kissed her. ‘Night, Mia, and thanks.’

‘Sleep well.’

As Sarah drove home, she thought about Izzy, vowing to keep a close eye on her schoolwork and encourage her. She’d had her reservations about starting her in school when she was only four, and she often found herself wishing she’d stuck to her guns. But Adam had been so certain that an early start was right for Izzy. Her birthday was in June, whichmeant she started in junior infants when she was only four years and two months. Some of the other kids had turned five that summer, which gave them a big advantage, Sarah reckoned. Adam had argued and argued, insisting that Izzy was clever enough, ‘the next Sheryl Sandberg’ apparently, and that leaving school at almost nineteen was ridiculous. Sarah had argued, too, but he was so sure that she’d ended up giving in and enrolling Izzy. It was her fault, really, if it affected Izzy in the long run, and she hated herself for that.

She tried to push away the dark thoughts and focus on what Mia had said. She was right: she shouldn’t let those nasty women get into her head. She took a few deep breaths, reminding herself that Izzy was happy to go to school and ran out smiling each day. There was no evidence of her being under pressure. Thank God for Mia, who had always been her go-to person. Five years older, Mia had always seemed to know what to do and say. While Mia had been really close to their mum, it was to Mia that Sarah had always gone for advice or help. She was her rock. A rock that drove her nuts at times, but her rock, nonetheless.

2

Mia opened the door to her daughter’s bedroom and stepped over the piles of clothes, the discarded shoes, the guitar lying on its side, the scattered schoolbooks and the damp towel. Riley was buried under her duvet, like a hibernating animal. Only a few strands of her long black hair were visible.

Mia tried to suppress her irritation at the state of the bedroom and not start the day with yet another argument. She gently shook the mound on the bed. ‘It’s seven thirty, Riley. Come on, up you get.’

Riley didn’t budge. Mia could hear her deep inhalations. How was it that teenagers never wanted to go to bed and then never wanted to get up? Mia shook her a little harder. Nothing. She put both hands on the duvet and rocked the body underneath.

The top of the duvet snapped back. ‘For God’s sake, you don’t have to be so rough.’

‘I tried to … Never mind. Just get up now or we’ll be late for school.’

Riley pulled the duvet back over her head and groaned.