Page 2 of Our Song

‘They wereseriouslygood,’ says my younger sister Annie, pulling out a chair next to me and sitting down.She lives in London but she’s come home for the weekend to celebrate Mam’s retirement.

‘How do you know?’says Dad.‘You were still in school back then!’

‘Laura sneaked me into one of their gigs,’ says Annie.‘I thought they’d be terrible.’

‘Wow, thanks,’ I say.

Annie turns back to Dave.‘But you should have seen Laura on stage.She was incredible.’

‘I’m sure she was!’says Dave.‘I only meant that loads of people are in bands in college and they don’t make a career out of it.It wasn’t an insult!’

And Annie says, ‘Well, Laura’s bandmate has made a pretty good career out of it.’

Oh shit.

I try to subtly give her a ‘please change the subject’ look but it’s too late because Dave is saying, ‘What do you mean?’

‘She was in a band with Tadhg Hennessy,’ says Annie.Her eyes widen in gleeful disbelief.‘Oh my God, didn’t you know?’

I never knew what a stunned silence felt like until this moment.Everyone at the table – and some of my mother’s friends who are standing nearby – are staring at me.I think at least one mouth has literally dropped open.

‘What?’says Dave.

‘TadhgHennessy?’says Dad.‘Who sings ‘Winter Without You’?’

‘Your cousin Cass saw him play the 3Arena!’says an aunt.

‘Annie, don’t be ridiculous!’says Mam.‘Laura wasn’t in a band with Tadhg Hennessy!’

‘Yes, she was!’says Annie.‘Tell them, Laura.’

The only other people who know I was in a band with Tadhg Hennessy in college are my friends who were around at the time.I’ve never told anyone since.

But maybe it was ridiculous to think I could keep it a secret forever.

‘Itistrue,’ I say reluctantly.I meet Dave’s eye and he raises his eyebrows in exaggerated shock, which I hope means he’s not too freaked by this revelation.‘But it wasn’t a big deal.’

Well, that’s another lie.

‘What was he like?’says Mary.‘He seemed very nice on theLate Late Show.’

‘Was he always that good at singing?’says Gerry.

‘He was the best-looking man I’ve ever seen in real life,’ says Annie unhelpfully.

To my relief, I can see waiters bearing down on us with large platters of triangular sandwiches.

‘He was just my bandmate,’ I say.

And there’s one more lie.

I’m heading to the loo when I bump into Annie coming the other way.

I glare at her.‘Thanks very much for that announcement earlier.’

‘I’m sorry!’says Annie.She doesn’t look that sorry.‘How was I to know you’d never told yourfiancéabout Tadhg?’

‘I never told him because the band was a million years ago!’I say.‘I can’t remember the last time I picked up my guitar.I don’t even know where my electric one is.’

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