Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

‘Oh.’
I could feel her watching me. I didn’t know what to do with my face.
‘I’m really desperate to use my brain again. Doing the flowers is doing my
head in. I want to learn. I want to improve myself. And I’m sick of my hands
always being freezing cold from the water.’
We both stared at her hands, which were pink tinged, even in the tropical
warmth of our house.
‘But –’
‘Yup. I won’t be working, Lou. I won’t be able to give Mum anything. I
might … I might even need a bit of help from them.’ This time she looked quite
uncomfortable. Her expression, when she glanced up at me, was almost
apologetic.
Downstairs Mum was laughing at something on the television. We could hear
her exclaiming to Granddad. She often explained the plot of the show to him,
even though we told her all the time she didn’t need to. I couldn’t speak. The
significance of my sister’s words sank in slowly but inexorably. I felt like a
Mafia victim must do, watching the concrete setting slowly around their ankles.
‘I really need to do this, Lou. I want more for Thomas, more for both of us.
The only way I’ll get anywhere is by going back to college. I haven’t got a
Patrick. I’m not sure I’ll ever have a Patrick, given that nobody’s been remotely
interested since I had Thomas. I need to do the best I can by myself.’
When I didn’t say anything, she added, ‘For me and Thomas.’
I nodded.
‘Lou? Please?’
I had never seen my sister look like that before. It made me feel really
uncomfortable. I lifted my head, and raised a smile. My voice, when it emerged,
didn’t even sound like my own.
‘Well, like you say. It’s just a matter of getting used to him. It’s bound to be
difficult in the first few days, isn’t it?’