Page 105 - The Midnight Library

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bomb-shell. ‘Since I got into a mess aer Mum died. I think he was like,

“Who is this guy?” But he was fine. He was cool. He’s working as a
cameraman now. Still doing some music on the side. Not rock stuff. DJ-ing
apparently. Remember that band me and him had, years ago. e
Labyrinths?’

It was becoming easier to fake vagueness. ‘Oh yeah. e Labyrinths.
Course. at’s a blast from the past.’
‘Yeah. Got the sense he pines for those days. Even though we were crap
and I couldn’t sing.’

‘What about you? Do you ever think about what could have been if e
Labyrinths had made it big?’
He laughed, a little sadly. ‘I don’t know if anything could have been.’
‘Maybe you needed an extra person. I used to play those keyboards Mum

and Dad got you.’
‘Did you? When did you have time for that?’
A life without music. A life without reading the books she had loved.
But also: a life where she got on with her brother. A life where she hadn’t

had to let him down.
‘Anyway, Ravi wanted to say hi. And wanted a catch-up. He only works
one tube stop away. So he’s going to tr y and come to the talk.’
‘What? Oh. at’s . . . I wish he wouldn’t.’

‘Why?’
‘I just never really liked him.’
Joe frowned. ‘Really? I can’t remember you saying that . . . He’s okay. A
good guy. Bit of a waster, maybe, back in the day, but he seems to have got

his act together a bit . . .’
Nora was unsettled. ‘Joe?’
‘Yeah.’
‘You know when Mum died?’

‘Yeah.’
‘Where was I?’
‘What do you mean? Are you okay today, sis? Are the new tablets
working?’

‘ Tablets?’
She checked in her bag and started to rummage. Saw a small box of anti-
depressants in her bag. Her heart sank.