The Other Side of the Door, Nicci French [new reading .TXT] 📗

the printout to me to read.

‘Terrific,’ I said, putting my hand on his arm and seeing his cheeks glow with pleasure. ‘You should be very proud of yourself.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Go and celebrate,’ I said, as a boy hollered at him to join them. ‘I’ll see you this evening.’

‘You will?’

‘Our dry run—at the barbecue. You’re the one who arranged it.’

‘Oh, that.’

‘You’ll be there?’

‘Sure. I’d be going to the party anyway. It’s a celebrate-or-drown-your-sorrows thing. Our gig can just be a little break in the drinking.’

By the time we started to play, it was threatening rain. A hot wind shook fat drops from the sky. There must have been at least 150 young people there, most of whom were already drunk when they arrived—and if they weren’t, they quickly proceeded to become so, swilling back cans of beer, smoking joints and eating burned sausages or grey burgers. I saw a boy I had taught several years ago vomit into the shrubbery, groaning and weeping as he did so. Nobody really took much notice of our music, except to cheer and cat-call Joakim. Many of them knew Sonia and me, at least by sight, and there was a comical double-take when they saw us standing there. But they quickly forgot about us and all of the old hierarchies. The ex-school captain took a year-twelve girl behind the shed where he seemed to believe they were invisible. The leader of the school council threw a stone at the cat. The band played on.

‘Did you hear about Joakim’s results?’ said Guy in the break, a look of barely restrained smugness on his face. ‘Did he tell you?’

‘I know. Fantastic.’

‘He’s a star,’ added Sonia.

‘It’s a relief as much as anything.’

Hayden had taken himself off to a group of teenagers, including Joakim, who were gathered at the end of the garden. Ripples of their laughter drifted over to where we stood. They were passing round a thick joint and I saw Guy glance at them, then away.

‘He’s going to Edinburgh, isn’t he?’ I asked, to distract him.

‘Yes. Less than six weeks. His mother will miss him.’

‘What about you?’

‘Me?’

‘Won’t you miss him?’

‘It’s different for a father,’ said Guy. I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it again. ‘Anyway, we’ve been squabbling so much lately it’ll be good for us both to get a bit of distance. He’s itching to leave home. I said’—he raised his voice for his son and Hayden, who were making their way down the garden towards us—‘that you’re itching to leave home.’

‘I wouldn’t say that, exactly.’ Joakim cast a pleading look at Hayden.

‘I don’t blame you,’ said Guy. ‘Maybe I’ve been a bit hard on you lately.’

‘Nah.’ Joakim shuffled his feet.

‘I was saying to Bonnie and Sonia that your mother will miss you. But so will I.’

‘Oh, but you don’t need to say goodbye just yet,’ said Hayden, buoyantly.

‘Six weeks.’

‘Six weeks, six months,’ said Hayden. ‘Who knows in this crazy old world?’

‘What?’

‘It’s about Edinburgh, Dad.’

‘What about Edinburgh?’

‘I’ve been thinking I might take a gap year after all.’

‘What for?’

‘I think we should play the next set now,’ Amos interrupted.

Guy ignored him. ‘When was this decided?’

‘I’ve been thinking about it for ages.’

‘But you know what you want to do. Go to university.’

‘What about the university of life?’ This was Hayden.

‘Is this your doing?’ said Guy.

‘We’ve talked about it,’ said Hayden, with a slow smile, as if he was enjoying the effect this was having on Guy.

‘Have you even asked Edinburgh if they’ll defer your entry?’ asked Sonia.

‘I’ve only just decided,’ said Joakim.

‘Decided?’ said Guy, his voice rising.

‘You should talk about this afterwards,’ I said. ‘Privately.’

‘Maybe I’ll make it and not have to go anywhere,’ said Joakim, talking to his father over me. ‘I don’t know anything. I’m starting from zero.’

‘Make it?’ Guy’s voice was a croak. ‘What do you mean, make it?’

‘Hayden said he’ll help me.’

Hayden lifted his hands modestly. ‘I’ll do what I can. Joakim has definite promise.’

‘You stay out of this,’ said Guy. ‘Don’t do this, Jo. Please. Don’t just throw everything away.’

‘It’s my life,’ said Joakim.

‘Is that what you want? To be some ageing failure sleeping on other people’s floors and sponging off friends of friends, waiting to make it?’

‘Enough,’ said Sonia. ‘Now we’re going to play.’

‘I don’t feel like it,’ muttered Joakim.

I leaned towards him. ‘You want to make it as a musician, Joakim? The first thing you have to do is learn a bit of professionalism. Play now, we’ll talk later.’

‘I’m ready.’ Hayden picked up his guitar.

‘You’ve got a lot to answer for,’ Guy said.

‘I’ve nothing to answer for.’ The smile disappeared. Hayden’s face became hard with dislike. ‘Because I’m free. That’s what you can’t bear, isn’t it?’

The cat a boy had thrown a stone at earlier brushed against Guy’s legs and he kicked it viciously so that it ran away with a high mew of pain.

‘Dad!’

‘One—and—two—and—three,’ I said, and the music filled the garden and the rain began to fall.

Later, Hayden said cheerfully, ‘That wasn’t too bad. Now, let’s go and celebrate.’

‘Do you mean have a drink?’

‘No. This is for kids. Let’s go somewhere adult.’

I had a sense of foreboding: his pupils were dilated and his speech was faintly slurred.

‘I’m going home,’ said Guy, his voice thick with hostility. ‘My wife will be waiting and there are things she and I need to talk about.’ For some reason, he always called Celia ‘my wife’ when Hayden was around, as if he needed to remind himself of his own unassailable stability.

Hayden shrugged. ‘As you wish. But one of my mates is throwing a party. We might as well drop in, see what it’s like—it isn’t far from here. Ten minutes’ walk, if that.’

‘What kind of party?’ asked Amos.

‘A grown-up party.’ Hayden grinned at him. ‘You look a bit anxious.’

‘Why should I be anxious?’

‘I don’t know. Why should you?’

‘I’m not.’

‘So you’re coming?’

‘Yes,’ said Amos.

‘I thought we were going to have a meal together,’ said Sonia. I could see that she was trying to give him a way out.

‘I’m not hungry,’ said Amos. ‘I