MIDNIGHT - HarperCollins NZ

JOSEPHINE COX
George, her favourite pop star) sat on Libby’s bed, and
at night he came under the sheets and together they
cuddled up to sleep. He was her friend and to this day,
George still sat on her bed, waiting for his cuddle.
Sadly though, Kit’s family moved away and Libby lost
touch with them.
The truth was, Libby never really knew her father.
Her mother adored him, though. Apparently, during
their marriage, Ian Harrow chose countless women over
his wife. He had many affairs and once or twice even
left her, but he always came back. Until the last time.
Even then, her mother continued to love him; every
day and well into the night, she watched for him
through the window, and afterwards cried herself to
sleep. After a while, she became forgetful; she began
to lose direction. If it hadn’t been for Libby coming
home from school and clearing up, the house would
have been buried in filth. It was only a matter of time
before Eileen’s health really began to deteriorate, and
after a while it really did seem that she didn’t care
whether she lived or died.
It was a cruel, heartless thing he did, deserting them.
Over the years, Libby often wondered if that was why
she had shut him from her mind. In a way, because of
him – and because her mother increasingly withdrew
into her own little world – Libby’s childhood ended
the day her father abandoned them.
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