by Cowley, Joy
I’m the one that’s had three years of piano practice and Grandma says I have guitar hands, but you know, it is Will who is extremely fanatical about learning, and he’s good, I mean he knows more chords than I do, and he’s begging Grandpa to teach him flamenco, that Spanish music that sounds like planes taking off. My brother’s such a strange child. The other day Dad mentioned the money in the trust for our education and he told Will maybe he could save up for an iPad. Will simply stared at him. I swear he’d entirely forgotten about the iPad and all that betrayal business he talked about.
I’m going to make ravioli next weekend. I don’t think Mum will come, but Grandma will show me how to make it, little pasta purses full of ricotta cheese and herbs, and maybe we can invite Mr and Mrs Hoffmeyer and Conrad for dinner.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Will always sleeps in the top bunk now, which is good in case a mouse comes in at night. I usually go to bed late, but tonight he is still awake when I come into the room. He says, “Do you think Grandpa is going to die?”
“Everyone dies,” I say.
“You always give such pathetic answers!” His voice sounds muffled and I wonder if he’s been crying.
“Grandpa is going to live for ages. Didn’t you hear him say he can walk up stairs now without getting breathless? The only problem is his arm and that will soon be better.”
“I thought he was going to die.” The same muffled voice.
“Will, Dad says those two are as tough as old boots.”
He is quiet for a moment, then he says, “Lissy, do you want to go to Queenstown next year?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’d rather come back here,” he says.
Actually, so would I, but I’d find it extremely difficult to explain that to my friends who think Queenstown is heaven with frills. “We’ll talk about it in the morning,” I say. “Good night, poo-face.”
“Good night, slime-brain,” he says.
For a while I listen to his breathing, then I say, “You know, I’m sure we could talk Mum into coming, too.”
But the only sound is from the wind outside. Will is already asleep.
This edition first published in 2013 by Gecko Press
PO Box 9335, Marion Square, Wellington 6141, New Zealand
[email protected]
Distributed in New Zealand by Random House NZ
Distributed in Australia by Scholastic Australia
Distributed in the United Kingdom by Bounce Sales & Marketing
Distributed in the United States by Lerner Publishing Group
© Joy Cowley 2013
© Gecko Press Ltd 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted or utilized in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand.
Gecko Press acknowledges the generous support of Creative New Zealand
Cover by Keely O’Shannessy, New Zealand
ISBN paperback: 978-1-877579-46-2
ISBN e-book (epub): 978-1-927271-19-3
ISBN e-book (mobi): 978-1-927271-20-9
For more curiously good books, visit www.geckopress.com
