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Harry glared at Rachel. “Did you run over here to tell Magenta I thought she was dyslexic?”
Everything within Magenta stilled. What? Her eyes snapped to Harry. He was still glaring at Rachel, who was staring at the floor like a naughty school kid.
“Rachel?” he rumbled.
“No. I didn’t mention that.” Rachel was speaking to her feet.
Magenta’s heart thudded. She was missing something. Something important.
“What’s dyslexic?” she asked Harry.
His eyes shot to hers, and his expression softened. “It’s a learning disorder. It means you have problems processing written words. Your brain deals with language differently than most people. It can make it harder to read and write. It isn’t a reflection on intelligence. Einstein was dyslexic—so were Picasso and Agatha Christie. Tom Cruise and Richard Branson are too.”
He crouched down in front of her. Thoughts were zooming through Magenta’s mind so fast she could barely keep track of them. Harry’s eyes darkened with intimacy as he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“After what you told me, I thought you might be dyslexic. So I went to talk to Mrs. Adams. She agreed. That was the assessment she wanted to have done when you were in high school. She wanted you to be officially designated as dyslexic. That way you would have had the help you needed in school. She said you were—are—exceptionally bright. All you needed was some support with reading and writing.”
/> “They weren’t going to send me away?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“No.” Harry cupped her cheek, the warmth of his palm soothing. “No one was going to send you away. That was your mother’s imagination. She has a lot to answer for. Being assessed would have meant you’d get more time on tests, maybe someone to read things to you. You’d learn tricks to cope with writing. That sort of thing.”
Magenta stared at Harry for a long time. His smile was gentle and reassuring. He didn’t push her to process. A rush of emotions hit Magenta hard. The strongest one being hope. She blinked at Harry, almost scared to talk in case the emotions slipped out and overwhelmed her.
“You really didn’t know about dyslexia?” he said.
“I dropped out of school when I was thirteen, Harry. All I’ve worried about since then was how to hide my problems. Maybe if I’d talked to a teacher, or my doctor, I might have heard of dyslexia, but the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself.” She looked up at him. “I’m not stupid am I?”
“No, baby, you’re far from stupid.”
“I’m not stupid.” Magenta said, more to herself than anyone else. To her shame, a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.
“Aw, baby,” Harry muttered. He sat on the floor, right in the water, and pulled Magenta onto his lap. His arms engulfed her, offering comfort and protection. Two things Magenta normally shunned.
She knew she should have objected. She knew how weak it made her look to be held like a child, especially in front of Rachel, but she didn’t care. She needed the contact, the support. In the seconds it’d taken Harry to tell her there was a reason for her difficulties, her whole world had changed. Everything she’d thought was real had been wiped away. She wasn’t sure who she was anymore. She’d spent her life thinking she wasn’t as clever as those around her; it would take some time to believe otherwise. As the weight of feeling inferior began to lift, hope that she might be normal blossomed in her mind. She rested her cheek on Harry’s chest and let him comfort her as her brain raced.
“There are these glasses you can get,” Harry said softly. “They have coloured lenses and they help to stop the words from dancing around the page. We’ll get you some of those. There’s also a society for people with dyslexia, they have loads of information on their website to help people cope. There are strategies you can use. We’ll go through them together. Dyslexia is different for each person. Some people have more issues to deal with than others, but all of it can be handled with support. It shouldn’t stop you doing anything you want to in life.”
Her heart stilled. She looked up at Harry. Her stomach clenched as she dared hope. “I can take the caving tests?”
“Yeah, baby, you can take the tests. We’ll tell them you’re dyslexic and they’ll accommodate you.”
Magenta buried her face in Harry’s shoulder. “I can become an instructor. Maybe start my own holiday caving business. I’ve always wanted to do that. I didn’t dare think about it. I knew it would never happen. I knew I was too stupid.”
“Sh. You aren’t stupid. You’re smart and talented and creative and ingenious. Nothing’s going to stop you now. You can dream all you like.”
He kissed the top of her head as his arms wrapped tightly around her.
Someone cleared their throat, and Magenta remembered that Rachel was still in the room. She couldn’t look at the woman who had deliberately tried to hurt her.
“You two go,” Rachel said. “I’ll clean up.”
Harry glared at his friend. “That won’t make up for what you did. You betrayed my trust and attacked Magenta.”
“She hit me first,” Rachel snapped.
“You hurt her first. You came here to make her think she was stupid. That’s cruel. I’m not sure what’s going on in your head. I’m not sure who you are anymore. You and I are going to have a long talk later.”
“Yeah.” Rachel sounded defeated. “That’s probably a good idea.”
