‘Fine.’
‘Great. I’ll see you both soon. Have a good afternoon.’
All of a sudden Alfie felt very uneasy.
‘I know you want this, Alice, but please at least sleep on it,’ he heard Sarah say. ‘In fact, why don’t you do what we used to do … write it out? The pros and cons list. We can review it tomorrow morning if you like? You’re never one to make a rushed decision about anything. Don’t let this be the one time you do.’
‘You’re right. I know you’re right.’ Her voice was thick with defeat.
‘Now, why don’t we get Alfie to take us all back to Hogwarts again, hey?’ Sarah shouted across to him. Alfie quickly slid back to the middle of his bed. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to discover him eavesdropping.
‘Were you asking me or were you telling me?’ The odd sensation of anxiety was still rumbling in his stomach, but he managed to inject lightness into his voice.
‘Telling,’ Alice and Sarah both confirmed in unison.
‘As the ladies wish …’ And so he began to lose himself in the wonder of words yet again.
43
Alice
She knew she wasn’t going to sleep a wink that night. There was so much going on inside her head that keeping it all in was becoming unbearable. She grabbed the piece of paper next to her bed, switched the reading light on and searched frantically for a pen.
When in doubt, write it out.
Sarah was right. It was always her solution whenever Alice was faced with a problem she couldn’t easily solve. Do I take this job? Do I buy these shoes? Do I spend £3,000 on a kitchen I am never going to cook in?
‘Pros and cons – write them down.’
It was always the same advice, and nine out of ten times it worked.
As Alice snatched the clipboard from the end of her bed to lean on, she couldn’t help but smile at seeing the piece of paper she’d grabbed. It was the schedule Alfie had made for her. The wonderful attempt he’d crafted to help her get through the days.
Don’t think about that right now.
Focus.
And so, for the next hour, Alice created a pros and cons list: to have the surgery or not.
Pros:
– Look like less of a freak
Come on, Alice, be serious.
– ‘Reduced scarring and more even skin tone’ – says Mr Warring
– Potential to look more ‘normal’
– Help me gain more confidence
– Less afraid to be seen
Cons:
– Might not work as well as I hope
– Complications of surgery – could I die if it went wrong?
