Music From Standing Waves Read Online Free PDF Page B

self-importance when I
went to visit Hayley and her new baby, Oliver.
     
    I sat beside her on the couch. The baby
wriggled in her arms and waved his tiny fists.
    “I kissed someone,” I whispered. Andrew was
leaning against the doorframe and I didn’t want him to hear.
    Hayley smiled. “Who?”
    Her hair was pulled into a knot on top of her
head. It made her look older. I chose not to hear and held out the
wrapped up teddy bear I had bought with my peg money.
    “Here,” I said.
    “Thank you, sweetie,” said Hayley. “You can
open it for him.”
    I unwrapped the present and held it out to
the baby.
    Hayley kissed my cheek. “It’s gorgeous.
Oliver will love it.”
    I made the bear dance on my knees and
blathered on at Hayley for a while with all the questions I had
saved up since the saga of the New Year’s kiss.
    “What should I do next?”
    “Do you think he really likes me?”
    “Did it hurt a lot?”
    “Can I baby-sit?”
    Finally, Hayley announced she was putting
Oliver to bed and Andrew walked me to the porch.
    “Pooey nappies for you,” I told him.
    “Yeah I’m up to my elbows in crap,” he
laughed. “Thanks for the visit. Are you ready to start lessons
again soon?”
    “Sure. Look.” I held out a finger. “I got a
blister cos I practised for three hours last night.”
    Andrew put his hands on my shoulders. “Listen
Abs, take it easy okay. I’m really glad you’re practising so much,
but make sure you have a holiday as well.”
    “I will,” I promised.
    “Good. Three hours a day is a lot at your
age. It’s a lot for anyone.”
    “I can handle it,” I said. “I’m going to be a
concert violinist.”
    Andrew smiled. “Yeah. I got that after the
four billionth time you told me.”
    “Melbourne Arts College sent me some stuff,”
I said. “All about scholarships and things.”
    “Great. Are your parents letting you
audition?”
    I shook my head despondently. “Not yet. I’ll
work on them.” Sarah was hopeless, I knew, but maybe I could
somehow convince Dad.
    “I’ll call you next week about lessons,” said
Andrew, shooing a fly away from his face. I ran across the nature
strip and back to my house, without thinking of Justin once.
     
    ***
     
    That year was the busiest winter rush I could
remember. The caravan park had been booked out for weeks and our
house was always surrounded by cars, tourists with Akubras and kids
in see-through bathers. Justin’s dad kept saying:
    “What is this, bush week?” and we all
laughed, even though no-one really knew what he meant.
    Rachel and I ran down to the rock pool with
the boys in tow. Andrew and Hayley had taken Oliver to the
beach.
    Rachel grabbed my arm. “Oh my God! Look! It’s
your hot violin teacher!”
    I dropped my towel on the sand. “Would you
stop saying that?”
    “You’re such a square,” laughed Rachel,
tucking her glasses into her beach bag. “I’m just looking. It’s not
like I’m going to do anything.”
    “I never know with you.”
    Justin, Hugh and Tim thundered up behind us,
spraying sand over our towels. Rachel huffed dramatically.
    “Wanna play Marco Polo?” asked Tim.
    Rachel’s anger vanished. “Okay!”
    “Maybe later,” I said. “I have to go ask
Hayley something.”
    Justin grabbed my arm. “Come on. You never do
stuff with us any more.”
    “In a minute,” I promised.
    Hayley was spreading her beach towel over the
sand with the baby on her hip.
    “Can I play with Oliver?”
    “Sure. Look, he sits up by himself now, don’t
you, baby?”
    I sat on the edge of the towel and bounced
him on my knees.
    “Are you going swimming?” I asked, letting
Oliver’s sticky fingers wrap themselves around my thumbs.
    “Maybe. I’m going to do some serious
sunbaking first.” Hayley lifted her blonde curls and massaged a
handful of sunscreen into her neck. It smelled of coconut and left
her shoulders shiny like a swimsuit model’s. The sunscreen my mum
had given me had sand around the rim and