Page 1 of Silver Fox's Twin Babies

1

AMBER

Everything was perfect in this classroom—bulletin boards organized, students’ desks neat and tidy. It almost made me chuckle at how absurd it felt to see a second-grade classroom so clean. But Mrs. Newsome had always been the sort of woman to run her classroom the way a drill sergeant ran boot camp. I smiled as I sat down on the small wooden chair across from her desk.

I’d been waiting in the hallway for the past fifteen minutes as her previous parent-teacher conference ran late. It was my lunch hour, but I had flexibility to step out when I needed, thanks to Jacob. My boss—my late father’s best friend—really understood how important my children were to me and supported me as if I were his own daughter, which I really needed at times.

“Ms. Lawson, it’s so good to see you again,” Ms. Newsome said as she sat down in her chair. Her wavy blonde hair flopped over her shoulder and she tossed it behind her back. The powder-blue suit she wore felt too formal for a teacher’s attire, but today wasn’t a classroom day. She was entertaining parents, some of whom had children like my son Parker, who really struggled.

“Same…Thank you for hosting these conferences.” I winced at how dumb I sounded. It wasn’t like she had a choice. It was something the school made every teacher do this time of year, nearing the midway point of the first semester. The last two years’ conferences hadn’t gone as well as I hoped, so anxiety knotted my stomach for this one too.

“Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to come in. I know as a single mom this has to be a challenge, so I won’t keep you long.” What may have sounded like condescension from others came across as genuine compassion and understanding, which put me a little more at ease.

Last year’s teacher was a snooty woman who was stuck in old-school thinking that I was a bad mother for not settling down and giving my children the two-parent home they needed. She never missed an opportunity to make me feel belittled, and I disliked her very much. But this year, I felt like I was on a team with my twins’ teacher to help them grow and learn, and that was all I could hope for.

“Well, let’s start with Vera,” she said, and she slid a report card across her desk. The first nine weeks of school had boasted all A’s on her report card in every subject. Vera was so smart, which I knew before I even enrolled her in school. She could read at four years old and got frustrated with Parker when she tried to share things with him. He just struggled, right up until school, where he was diagnosed with dyslexia. We’d been battling that ever since.

“Wow, all A’s again. I’m not surprised.” I pored over the high marks and comments from Vera’s other teachers. The music teacher and art instructor both left high praise, and the gym teacher left a smiley face sticker in the comment section. My eyes popped up to Mrs. Newsome’s face where she held a bright smile.

“I’m recommending her for the Gifted and Talented Program. If she gets accepted, she will have a great chance to fully explore her abilities and excel in special classes.” Her hands folded together over her desk and she cocked her head as she waited for my response.

Warmth spread through my chest, which I knew was the feeling of pride swelling up. I knew Vera was only seven and that a child who excels at this age isn’t necessarily a genius, but it was special that she was doing so well that the teachers were already pushing her toward greatness. I didn’t know what “special classes” meant, but it might be good for her. Parker, however, might not like it. He’d already shown hints of jealousy when Vera received praise and he didn’t.

“Special classes? What does that look like?” I set the report card down on her large honey-colored desk between the box of tissues and her mug of steaming coffee, and she nodded at me.

“Well, it would place her in a gifted classroom with other students who also excel. Some of those children would be a bit older than her, but no more than two years. They’d have a special instructor who?—”

“A different classroom?” I said, frowning. I hated the idea of separating them. Even when they were nursing infants they slept in the same bassinet. They slept in the same crib until they were too large. I wanted them to always feel as close in life as they were in the womb.

“Well, yes. The Gifted and Talented Program is run by Mr. Temple, and he works with a range of students who excel. She wouldn’t be in my classroom at all.” I watched as Mrs. Newsome’s cheery smile turned more serious. I’d never been faced with the idea that Parker and Vera would be split up at school. Each year when their teachers were assigned, I made sure to speak directly with the principal to ensure they were in the same classes. Eventually, that might not be possible, but theywere so young, and thankfully Jacob pulled some strings for me financially to make it possible thus far.

“I just don’t like the idea of them being separated.” The tension that was starting to lift slightly, returned, pressing down on my chest. I clutched my purse against my stomach and gripped the leather strap. I would go to bat for my kids any day, but I just didn’t want to do it with their teacher today.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want the best for Vera either. I wanted her to have all those chances, just not at the expense of leaving Parker behind or severing their close connection. The chair beneath me squeaked as I shifted nervously in my seat.

“Well, that’s the other thing we need to discuss.” Her expression fell into somewhat of a look of concern. She pursed her lips and her brow furrowed as she unclasped her hands and picked up the second report card under her grip.

When she passed it to me, she continued, “Parker is showing signs of major struggles in his reading. Unfortunately at this age, he’s at a critical juncture. He’s quite lucky you discovered his dyslexia when he was young. If not for that, he’d have been held back. As you can see, every subject that requires reading he is failing or nearly failing. History, English, science…He is just not keeping up with his peers.” She pointed at the paper in my hands, and I didn’t even have to read the comments to know what his other teachers would say.

He had an A in gym, a B in music, and an A in math too, but the F’s lined the rest of the paper. It made my heart ache. We’d spent so much time and put so much effort into helping him. Jacob gave me such good ideas too, considering how Evan, his brother, struggled with severe dyslexia like this too. Parker had been to therapists and learning coaches, and it wasn’t connecting with him yet. It made my heart so sad to know he was struggling like this, especially when he was so smart. His little brain just didn’t see the world the way mine or his sister’s did.

“Parker needs help, Ms. Lawson.” I looked back up at Mrs. Newsome’s face and saw her worried eyes. “I’m recommending him to a program too, one that will pair him with tutors and therapists to help him get up to speed. He isn’t ready for this classroom, and if he stays here he’s just going to continue to fall behind. I’m afraid I may have no choice but to hold him back and I know you don’t want that for your twins.”

The words were a dagger to my heart and my breath hitched at the idea that Vera would go on to third grade next fall while Parker had to stay behind in second grade. I couldn’t let that happen, but separating them to different classrooms was also on my list of things I’d never do. It felt like an impossible situation.

“Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness on this,” I said carefully, “but I’m not ready to make any choices on that. I need to talk to a few friends about it.” I blinked back the tears fighting their way to the surface and set his report card back on her desk on top of Vera’s. It was so disheartening to learn that my baby boy was struggling so badly, yet I still felt so proud of my little girl for how well she was doing.

I hated that intelligence was being measured by a tool that wasn’t even. Every child’s brain was so different; it made it seem unfair that because Vera was a strong reader whose brain functioned normally, she was hailed as super smart and excelling. Meanwhile, Parker was just as smart, but he was being labeled as a slow learner. If they could only see him playing his games at home, they’d know he was just as intelligent.

“Think about it, but I really believe it’s what’s best for them. I’d never want to do anything that you think may hurt them though.” She stood and offered me her manicured hand, and I stood, hugging my leather purse to my belly, and shook her hand.

“Thank you, Mrs. Newsome. I’ll be in touch.” Nodding, I backed away and slunk into the hallway and out toward the door.I tried to look at the bulletin boards on the hallway walls for any of Vera’s or Parker’s artwork, but my heart was heavy. It was never an easy thing to hear that your child was struggling, probably every parent’s worst fear, but to me, it felt even more daunting.

As I drove back to work in heavy traffic, I cried softly. Maybe I felt a little sorry for myself too. Being a single mom was hard enough, but add to that a struggling child and it made the weight of the world crush me. Mom and Shelby would be there for me and help me make a good decision. I knew that. But I also knew Jacob had probably heard similar things from his parents about Evan…

Evan…My mind wrapped around his name for a moment before I pushed it away. The most obvious source of information for this situation was the only one I was never going to seek out. I couldn’t. Not after the way things happened.

I parked in my usual spot and headed into my office. Shelby wiggled her fingers at me as I passed her desk and I nodded at her with my sullen expression. She looked fresh and happy in her festive sweater, and I probably looked like the Grinch. I just couldn’t hide my discouragement. She was in the middle of things too, or I’d have stopped by her desk for a venting session. As it was, I was behind though. I had to catch up before day’s end.

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