Chapter 7: Anette is Doing Well

A month after Anette and Stef moved to Korndamst, Anette started taking riding lessons again at a riding school outside town. Being able to resume one of the activities she had enjoyed before her mother died meant a lot to her, and she became noticeably happier. Two girls from her riding class became her best friends. She and Cecilie often rode their bikes to and from the riding school together. They frequently ended up at one of their houses after their weekly lesson. Sometimes Beatrice came along, too. They talked, listened to music, and did other things together. They also did their homework together and helped each other with schoolwork. If they had chores to do around the house, they did those together as well. They were often invited to stay for dinner before biking home.

As promised, Helene gave Anette beginner guitar lessons. Anette practiced but found it difficult. She learned a few tunes that she sang and played along to, but she never got very good at it. She gave up playing in seventh grade, when she had a lot of other things going on.

Anette was still interested in birds, but she wasn’t as active in that area anymore. Now that she was living in a family with six children, they had less time to go on birding trips. She knew many common and easily recognizable species, but she found it difficult to identify new species using only her field guide, and she didn’t know any other birdwatchers, so her interest gradually faded.