Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

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18‘Disneyland is good.’‘I told you, no theme parks.’‘I know you said that, but it’s not just roller coasters and whirling teacups. AtFlorida you’ve got the film studios and the science centre. It’s actually quiteeducational.’‘I don’t think a 35-year-old former company head needs educating.’‘There are disabled loos on every corner. And the members of staff areincredibly caring. Nothing is too much trouble.’‘You’re going to say there are rides specially for handicapped people next,aren’t you?’‘They accommodate everyone. Why don’t you try Florida, Miss Clark? If youdon’t like it you could go on to SeaWorld. And the weather is lovely.’‘In Will versus killer whale I think I know who would come off worst.’He didn’t seem to hear me. ‘And they are one of the top-rated companies fordealing with disability. You know they do a lot of Make-A-Wish Foundationstuff for people who are dying?’‘He is not dying.’ I put the phone down on the travel agent just as Will camein. I fumbled with the receiver, trying to set it back in its cradle, and snapped mynotepad shut.‘Everything all right, Clark?’‘Fine.’ I smiled brightly.‘Good. Got a nice frock?’‘What?’‘What are you doing on Saturday?’He was waiting expectantly. My brain was still stalled on killer whale versustravel agent.
‘Um … nothing. Patrick’s away all day training. Why?’He waited just a few seconds before he said it, as if it actually gave him somepleasure to surprise me.‘We’re going to a wedding.’Afterwards, I was never entirely sure why Will changed his mind about Aliciaand Rupert’s nuptials. I suspected there was probably a large dose of naturalcontrariness in his decision – nobody expected him to go, probably least of allAlicia and Rupert themselves. Perhaps it was about finally getting closure. But Ithink in the last couple of months she had lost the power to wound him.We decided we could manage without Nathan’s help. I called up to make surethe marquee was suitable for Will’s wheelchair, and Alicia sounded so flusteredwhen she realized we weren’t actually declining the invitation that it dawned onme her embossed correspondence really had been for appearance’s sake.‘Um … well … there is a very small step up into the marquee, but I supposethe people who are putting it up did say they could provide a ramp … ’ Shetailed off.‘That will be lovely, then. Thank you,’ I said. ‘We’ll see you on the day.’We went online and picked out a wedding present. Will spent £120 on a silverpicture frame, and a vase that he said was ‘absolutely vile’ for another £60. I wasshocked that he would spend that much money on someone he didn’t even reallylike, but I had worked out within weeks of being employed by the Traynors thatthey had different ideas about money. They wrote four-figure cheques withoutgiving it a thought. I had seen Will’s bank statement once, when it had been lefton the kitchen table for him to look at. It contained enough money to buy ourhouse twice over – and that was only his current account.I decided to wear my red dress – partly because I knew Will liked it (and Ifigured today he was going to need all the minor boosts he could get) – but alsobecause I didn’t actually have any other dresses which I felt brave enough towear at such a gathering. Will had no idea of the fear I felt at the thought ofgoing to a society wedding, let alone as ‘the help’. Every time I thought of thebraying voices, the assessing glances in our direction, I wanted to spend the daywatching Patrick run in circles instead. Perhaps it was shallow of me to even
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JOJO MOYESMe Before YouPENGUIN BOOK
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Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapt
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To Charles, with love
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‘Right,’ he says. ‘Got to go.
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‘I didn’t catch that.’The tax
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‘Yup.’ I hung my jacket on the
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My mother’s hand stilled. Her gaz
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‘Bernard.’ Mum shot him a warni
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sure they do a grant for people lik
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He shrugged. ‘You said you liked
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‘I’ll ring them to confirm the
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I was twenty-six years old and I wa
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old days you wouldn’t have dreamt
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‘Frank - the owner - sold the caf
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the French windows. Finally, she tu
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Treena made a face. ‘I think it w
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3‘This is the annexe. It used to
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‘Then let’s go and introduce yo
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mostly my bag, but you do need to k
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‘Will it help?’I blinked, my mo
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hum of the television in the living
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His head had sunk into his shoulder
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‘Oh.’I could feel her watching
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with him, so I’d usually go and s
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I got the feeling that this was in
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Sasha? I’ve been doing a lot of w
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for you and I hope you do want to s
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Diet Cokes. When they, finally, ord
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to stick with them? To help them th
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I blinked. ‘Well … I think some
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5The thing about being catapulted i
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You said that you were hiring me fo
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‘He says you’re trying to poiso
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By the time Hunchback Man died, I w
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divided into ‘transport’, ‘in
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to lose patience. Then, finally, I
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drew closer, I could see the consul
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I took a step backwards, closed the
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I left.I read my magazine, lifting
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Nathan was crosser than I’d ever
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I could hear my father’s exclamat
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‘I suspect you’re going to.’
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lucky. And she said from the day sh
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‘Will … ’ I said, quietly.
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7Spring arrived overnight, as if wi
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It’s not that I was some kind of
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‘What does she have to be insecur
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There were all sorts of things that
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I twisted his straw round so that h
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dehumanized briskness that characte
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‘Please. Georgina.’ Mrs Traynor
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another long silence. And then Geor
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8CamillaI never set out to help kil
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It was that I could suddenly see no
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When Will first told me what he wan
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9I didn’t sleep that night. I lay
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I had been tidying the living room.
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probably ask why I couldn’t be mo
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I slid out from the porch and was d
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‘No. That’s not it.’‘Which
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whatever it is you’re going to th
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I looked at my sister hard. ‘You
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10They looked a bit surprised. Actu
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We all stared at our cups of tea.
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‘You’re probably going to have
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‘Can quadriplegics get drunk?’
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‘Would you jump in my grave so qu
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Four hours later I had the beginnin
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‘You look cheerful,’ Will said,
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I backed Will’s chair down carefu
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We watched the Sisterwood Cup, and
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fears at all that I was going to or
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Will his posh lunch in a restaurant
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‘It’s not going to happen,’ s
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Nathan was staring at the cans of l
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badges we might have had a nice lun
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And I had ideas. Things I wanted to
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‘You’ve never been to a concert
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‘And it’s incredibly tedious,
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Nathan went to pack Will’s bag. I
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Will looked sideways at me, his fac
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‘Are you all right?’ I found my
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13Patrick stood on the edge of the
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‘Yeah? Well it’s still better t
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‘I get nervous when a girl says s
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‘So … ’ Dad opened the fridge
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‘If you do that,’ Will observed
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it’s like a brain synapse - it ca
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‘It does, Mum.’ My eyes had fil
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‘Good to meet you, Patrick,’ Wi
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I stared at it. Will’s card. I ha
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I looked up the same piece at the l
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Perhaps it was something to do with
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Like it was some kind of contest.I
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Will was silent for a moment. I wat
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He swallowed. ‘The day we go and
Page 195 and 196: Mrs Traynor had waited until Nathan
Page 197 and 198: She and Leo’s father had been int
Page 199 and 200: television?’‘No,’ said Will.
Page 201 and 202: ‘I’d be finding out what I coul
Page 203 and 204: him twice, bringing him music and n
Page 205 and 206: I scanned down to the next one.Dear
Page 207 and 208: their lift was out of order. Others
Page 209 and 210: ‘Because your boyfriend says no.
Page 211 and 212: ‘Nathan will enjoy it. Oh, come o
Page 213 and 214: and Dad decided it would be best if
Page 215 and 216: my problems. They seemed embarrassi
Page 217 and 218: ‘Was he with someone?’I put the
Page 219 and 220: ‘Oh, well. Here’s my stop.’ D
Page 221 and 222: ‘Are you okay getting your own te
Page 223 and 224: His voice, when it came, was carefu
Page 225 and 226: he could not live without his girlf
Page 227 and 228: In the afternoon, there was a knock
Page 229 and 230: ‘The Regent Street? Nice.’‘Ye
Page 231 and 232: And then, as he left to go running,
Page 233 and 234: She blinked hard, as if trying to t
Page 235 and 236: ‘How dare you suggest I would do
Page 237 and 238: ‘Come on. It’s finally stopped
Page 239 and 240: moving on with their lives. I made
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Page 243 and 244: minutes, perhaps talking, and then
Page 245: world, the warmth of Will’s hand
Page 249 and 250: The morning of the wedding dawned b
Page 251 and 252: ground. Across the road from us in
Page 253 and 254: I just wanted to make it better.‘
Page 255 and 256: tense. They were like two dogs circ
Page 257 and 258: Will looked as if he were about to
Page 259 and 260: Something happened that evening. Th
Page 261 and 262: ‘Come on. Let’s give these fuck
Page 263 and 264: 19NathanThey thought we couldn’t
Page 265 and 266: propped him up, placing his legs ov
Page 267 and 268: I couldn’t really blame the guy.
Page 269 and 270: 20‘You what?’We were on the hil
Page 271 and 272: ‘But Will Traynor seems to take p
Page 273 and 274: Ritchie, had remembered my previous
Page 275 and 276: She glanced through it all in silen
Page 277 and 278: ‘I could apply for a grant. Or ma
Page 279 and 280: ‘All that said, the college idea
Page 281 and 282: sure that I didn’t lose sight of
Page 283 and 284: ‘But I -’‘Nearly seven years,
Page 285 and 286: We never got to the bottom of what
Page 287 and 288: and that wretched Alicia running of
Page 289 and 290: 22I ran into Accident and Emergency
Page 291 and 292: sure his own passport was still val
Page 293 and 294: I took his fingers gently in mine a
Page 295 and 296: ‘How does he look?’‘Bit bette
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We sat holding our mugs. From the c
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‘I can’t.’I stared at my pass
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moved from his power chair until we
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cover of a blanket. The airline sta
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The hotel had, as promised, come up
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worked out that if he gave Will the
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I walked to the window and pulled b
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Two things happened on the last day
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‘It’s a hard place to leave.’
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Will’s mouth closed on his words.
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I … I can’t live with that know
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24There is nothing more disconcerti
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So although I looked childish - alt
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My voice broke into the conversatio
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25KatrinaLouisa didn’t come out o
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Her voice was small, like Thomas’
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‘Just leave me alone, Treen. Okay
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‘Oh, that.’ She looked distract
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goodness’ sake. You’d think a m
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her umbrella and smiled, reaching r
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Twenty-six. Twenty-six of the bugge
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26In other circumstances I suppose
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knowing what … what he’s …
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I didn’t look back. I ran all the
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things being better for him, then I
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‘I know.’And there it was. He k
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‘You look absolutely beautiful.
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Mr Traynor some questions may be as
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EpilogueI was just following instru
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You’re going to feel uncomfortabl
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Q&A with Jojo1. Tell us a little ab
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highest or lowest, or be the most t
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purpose. I sat upright in bed, drag
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shaven, impassive. Even in the dark
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terrify two women and brutalize an
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as she crouched to hug her daughter
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PENGUIN BOOKSPublished by the Pengu
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