BooksBarbecue
Back The Library
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. THE LIBRARY
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. Questions for your Book Club
  55. Acknowledgements
  56. About the Author
  57. Become an Aria Addict

‘No budget,’ said Christine.

‘Hear him out,’ said Maggie, giving him a nod of encouragement to continue.

‘Those little loyalty cards where you get a stamp each time you get a coffee and then after ten or something you get a free one.’

‘But the books are already free,’ pointed out Farah.

‘I know. But we could give them something else.’

‘Like?’ asked Farah.

Tom’s cheeks flushed. ‘I dunno.’

‘A bookmark?’ said Christine, who was watching someone walk past outside. Her shoulders relaxed when they disappeared out of view. ‘My sister makes birthday cards. I could get her to make some bookmarks.’

The mood went a bit flat. ‘Stickers,’ said Farah. ‘Kids love stickers.’

‘That’s it,’ said Maggie with gusto making Christine jump. ‘We get a chart on the wall and for every ten books loaned they get a sticker. And with each sticker we get closer to the target of saving our library.’

Tom and Farah were nodding. ‘But we can’t put anything up in the library. The council won’t allow it,’ said Christine.

‘Then we stage a sit-in!’ said Maggie. Christine drew a sharp intake of breath.

25

TOM

I rang Dad yesterday because Maggie said he’d rung earlier but I’m not sure she was telling the truth. He didn’t seem to know anything about it. Maybe he forgot. Or maybe Maggie thought it was time we spoke. He asked when I was coming home. I said when he gets help for the drinking. He called me ungrateful and a few other things before putting the phone down.

Maggie explained that drink changes people. She said I was to think of it as an illness. The alcoholism is making him this way and it’s not entirely his fault. If it’s not his fault then I don’t know who’s to blame. He buys the whisky, he drinks the whisky – I don’t see anyone forcing him. Maggie says it’s not that simple. She describes it like a corkscrew, a downward spiral and doubts he’ll change until he reaches the bottom. She calls alcoholism a disease that haunts the soul. I think he’s just a pisshead.

Today I decided I would call in on Dad. I’m not sure why – guilt, duty maybe. The niggling feeling that I should. I walked there from school. It took ages but I’d only got enough money to get the bus back to Maggie’s. I went on the pretext of needing more clothes. It was Tuesday and he was due at work that evening. I didn’t know if he’d been going to work or not since that night. If he lost his job then he’d lose the house – I was starting to see how it was all connected.