Jamie: You’re quiet, sweetie – you okay?
Robin: Just sort of thinkin’ about stuff.
Jake: Anything you want to share?
Robin: Well…it’s not just that I missed a lot of school, I mean, why I can’t spell stuff very well. It’s cos I’m dyslexic. An’ I was just thinkin’ – well – I didn’t want to tell everyone, but it’s dead hard not to. Cos it’s better if I tell you why I can’t spell ‘birthday’ isn’t it? Instead of tryin’ to cover it up, like. So probably it would be better if me friends just knew.
Jamie: You’re obviously not comfortable with telling people, though.
Robin: I’m not much used to tellin’ people, to be honest.
Robin: It’s not like I’ve really had to stand on me own two feet all that much before, an’ there was always people around me that knew. An’ then the other lads in the band always teased me about it, an’ made me feel stupid, an’ I don’t want anyone to do that anymore –
Jake: Robin, none of your friends here are going to do that.
Robin: I know that, in me head…an’ then another thing is, most people think it’s just about not bein’ good at readin’ an’ writin’, it’s hard to explain to people, an’ I just don’t always feel like tryin’ to explain…
Jamie: Well, you don’t have to worry about explaining it all to us, okay? If there’s something you need help with, just say – and if there’s anything you WANT to explain further, you can just do it in your own time.
Robin: Thanks, Jamie. Sometimes it’s just a bit much, like, when you have to answer a whole load of questions, even if it’s cos people are bein’ nice.
Rowan: Robin, I’m going to have to ask just one question, because I’m dying to know –
Jake: Rowan –
Robin: Ah, well, okay then…
Rowan: Well – it’s just I remember hearing somewhere that people who have dyslexia tend to spell words how they sound, so I can’t help wondering – does being a Geordie put you at a bigger disadvantage…?
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