The Meeting

Teacher

Once we had calmed down, Leah and I headed back to the house, Leah wouldn't be calm for long. Amanda let us know that all the children were in bed, she looked disapprovingly at us for not being home earlier, not knowing what exactly had happened. Expecting her to be as angry as we were at the letter, Leah placed it down in front of her, gently rubbing her back as she read it, I couldn't see any anger boiling though.

"So, what's the problem?" Amanda said, confused at our reaction.
"Are you joking me?" Leah scoffed.
"No. If his school failed to notice things wrong with him, then I could understand. This is just duty of care." Fuck. Leah's going to lose it.
"Oh my God! So you think it's right? You think they can say that we overlooked something? You think it's fair to brand him with some kind of disorder just because he isn't mainstream?" Leah flapped her hands about as she spoke.
"I think you need to be a grown up." Noooo.
"That's a bit unfair, Amanda." I piped up.
"Stay out of this, Alex." Amanda snapped.

Wow. Amanda's comment took me aback, even though I knew she wasn't meaning that I wasn't relevant in this conversation, she just didn't want me getting involved in hers and Leah's arguments, I couldn't help but be brought back to the time Leah told me to leave the room over Leah being pregnant with Aoife. Leah knew that though, she knew that would be in my head the second the words left Amanda's mouth.

"No! You don't get to do that. You don't get to tell my wife, the mother of my kids, the only person that actually listens to my concerns, to stay out of an argument I'm having with you. Alex isn't just a puppet that does as we all say, she's a human with feelings, and if she wants to tell you that you're being unfair then I'll back her, always."
"I didn't mean that she couldn't. I just think the two of you should realise that maybe Theo isn't what they describe as normal. Maybe he does have what they think, maybe you need to prepare for that. It won't change anything, but it might just give him the identity that he has, so far, struggled to find."

Leah thought for a minute before she spoke, Amanda and I stood silently waiting for her reaction, knowing that there was every chance it wouldn't be pretty.

"Get out." She said quietly, but aggressively.
"Le-" Amanda attempted to reason.
"I said - Get. Out."

Amanda looked to me for some kind of defence, but I knew I had to respect Leah's decision; and I knew that this wasn't the time to sort out the issues that were going on. I walked Amanda to the door, bypassing the stairs and whispering to her on the step.

"She's just upset, she'll be on with you tomorrow." I smiled.
"I know. I didn't mean to - with you - earlier - I would never - never take your right to defend your family away." Amanda looked guilty.
"I know. Drive safely, I'll see you tomorrow."

I watched as Amanda made her way to the car before I closed the door and turned to walk back into the living room, my heart dropping as I saw Theo sitting on the stairs in his pyjamas.

"How can I be normal?"

Those words shattered my entire heart.

I held my hand out for him to take, his small little body looking like he was pondering every life decision he had ever made. How could we have been so stupid? Arguing when we knew they were just upstairs? I led him into the living room, finding Leah still stood by the sofa, her heart also dropping as she saw him.

"What're you doing awake, baby?" Leah whispered, dropping to her knees to hug him.
"Just came down to ask how I could be normal. I don't want you to fight with Grandma because I am not normal."

Leah picked him up and brought him to the sofa, both of us taking a place at either side of him, spending the first few minutes embraced in a cuddle. Leah's hand squeezed my shoulder, something she often did when she had no idea what to say.