When You Were Mine: An utterly heartbreaking page-turner by Kate Hewitt

Author:Kate Hewitt [Hewitt, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781838886493
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2020-10-18T18:30:00+00:00

17

BETH

In the car on the way to my third visit with Dylan, Susan asks me how the Triple P class is going. We’ve had two sessions now; more forced sharing and positive parenting tips that I don’t need, but I like Margaret and Diane feels like a sympathetic soul. She drove me home again, but she didn’t talk about her son or the fact that she might want to give him back, and I didn’t ask.

Still, I think of Diane’s wild confession in the car, of Angelica chewing her gum, and Margaret telling us all yet again to be nice to our kids, and I struggle to say something positive about the experience.

I’m determined to be upbeat, though, to show Susan that whatever she’s suggested I do is working. I know now that she’s actually doing a lot for me—after talking to Angelica and Diane about their caseworkers before the last class, I realize Susan is going above and beyond for me—taking me to visit Dylan, checking in with how I’m doing. I don’t know whether to be appreciative or not, though; why is she being so nice? Is it because I need so much help, or because I don’t?

I can’t second-guess myself or Susan too much, though, or I’ll drive myself crazy. It’s been hard enough keeping an even keel—going to the parenting classes, keeping my jewelry business afloat, getting through my endless evenings without falling into despair. I’ve gone up to Angela’s a couple of times to write letters for her, which is a poignant and painstaking process. She struggles to think of something to say, and I end up making so many suggestions that the letter might as well have been from me. There’s been no reply yet, as far as I know.

“The class is okay,” I tell Susan, because I don’t want her to think I’m being completely fake. “I’m not sure why I have to take it, though, to be honest.”

“Oh?” Susan gives me a friendly smile, encouraging me to say more. “Why is that?”

“Well, it’s not as if I neglect Dylan,” I say a bit recklessly. “I mean, Margaret, the teacher, is always going on about how we have to spend time with our kids, even if it’s just ten quality minutes. That’s not exactly my problem, is it?” I was trying to speak levelly, but my voice has risen.

I take a calming breath and look out the window. I wasn’t trying to pick a fight, but I love spending time with Dylan. I give him affection, and positive reinforcement, and hugs and cuddles all the time. Or at least I did, when he was with me. The two times I’ve seen him with Ally have been so short, they hardly count.

In fact, the visit last week was a bit of a disappointment. Dylan had just had his third day at school—which seems so strange—and he was really tired. He hugged me hello, but he didn’t want to do anything, and so we ended

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.