Anna returned on Thursday with the key and a packet of biscuits. She had planned to stay ten minutes. Michael asked whether she knew which record George always chose first. She did not. He pointed to a sleeve on the shelf and waited while she worked out the switches.
They listened without speaking. Anna noticed a small notebook beside the chair. Her father had written the record titles in large letters so Michael could find them. On the last page was the telephone number of the shop that repaired the player.
When Ruth came back, Anna had missed her bus. She stood up to leave and put the key on the table. Ruth reached for it, then stopped. “Would you like to come next week?”
Anna looked at Michael. He was already searching the shelf for another record. She picked up the key again. Before putting it in her pocket, she wrote “number nine” on a piece of card and tied it to the blue ribbon.
