‘No.’ I walked away.
Lex was silent the whole car ride home, and quiet all through dinner as well, speaking only in monosyllables when my parents asked about their day. ‘Goodisn’t an answer,’ Dad boomed, jabbing his finger into the dinner table. ‘Is that what you’re going to write in your essays? They’ll ask you to give an informed critique of a text, and you’ll just writegood?’
‘No.’ Lex stabbed morosely at a pea.
‘Dad, leave them be, okay?’ I topped up Lex’s water glass. ‘They had a big day. Give them time to process.’
‘This isimportant,Fiona. You might not understand—’
‘Christian,’ Mum said sharply, ‘listen to your daughter.’
Dad looked at her, startled.
‘Mummy,’ Rosie said, ‘did Daddy write back anything about the flower girl video?’
‘Yes, he did,’ I replied. ‘He said you both looked gorgeous, and you did a great job.’
‘Is that all?’ Georgia asked.
‘I’m sure he’ll have more to say when you see him.’ I would text Matt back and make sure he knew he better.
My dad and Lex made identical scoffing sounds in the back of their throats.
After dinner, once I’d got the girls to bed and my parents had gone back to their hotel, I tapped on Lex’s door. ‘Sweetheart? Can I come in?’
They grunted in response, which I chose to interpret as assent. ‘I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing,’ I said, perching on the end of their bed.
‘I’m fine.’ They hadn’t emerged from behind their book.
I hesitated for a few moments. ‘Starting high school is a big leap. And maybe there are some kids who don’t know you yet, who haven’t quite got their heads around your pronouns, or—’
‘School’s fine. I met another non-binary kid within, like, the first five minutes. It’s heaps better than primary school.’
‘Oh, that’s great!’
I held out my knuckles to them, but they didn’t move.
‘Lex, sweetheart, please tell me what’s wrong.’ I paused. ‘Is it Dad?’
‘It’syou, Mum!’
I blinked. ‘What?’
Lex put their book down. ‘You broke up with Satoshi, didn’t you?’
I stared.
‘You both disappeared at the wedding,’ they said. ‘Then when you finally came back, it was obvious you’d been crying, and he didn’t come back at all.’
‘He – um—’ My mind, normally so far ahead, was struggling to catch up. ‘Lex – how did you…?’
‘I’ve known for ages. Henry’s mum saw you kissing at the graduation barbecue last year. He told me the next day.’
I closed my eyes. GoddamnfuckingMichelle.
‘And I was really happy,’ Lex said. ‘But now you’ve ruined it.’
It took me a few moments to get my thoughts together enough to speak. ‘Yes, Satoshi and I were… seeing each other. But it’s complicated, sweetheart. He’s – well, he’s in a different place in his life to me. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is set someone free.’
