Page 108 of Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society
‘True!’ Lorraine looks out the window and her eyes widen. ‘Don’t tell me,’ she breathes.
‘What?’
‘Shirl’s in adress!’
Elizabeth grins. ‘I know. I almost didn’t recognise her – she’s not wearing her tool belt either.’
She hasn’t told anyone, not even Lorraine, about seeing Shirl out of uniform at the surgery so has to pretend to be as surprised as the others to see her in civvies.
Lorraine squints. ‘Who’s the bloke with her? They look a bit cosy.’
‘That’s, uh, Doctor Simpson.’
‘YourDoctor Simpson?’
‘Yes.’
Lorraine puckers her mouth and raises her eyebrows. ‘Wooee, Shirl has a boyfriend!’
With a laugh Elizabeth starts to move towards the back door, then she hears the front doorbell ring.
‘That’ll be Cyn,’ Lorraine says. ‘She called to say she was running a little late because Odette had to get back from class or something.’
‘Class?’
‘She’s doing some course. Secretarial, maybe?’
Cynthia hasn’t said anything about Odette studying. Then again, Cynthia doesn’t say much about Odette at all; nor has Elizabeth asked, so that’s probably on her.
‘Hello,’ she says as she opens the door to see Cynthia holding a frame under her arm.
‘Hi.’ Cynthia steps inside. ‘I almost went via the side gate but then I remembered we’re not gardening.’
She holds the frame out to Elizabeth, who sees under its glass a fine-lined drawing of small round flowers clustered together on long stems, and in small cursive the wordsYellow buttons.
She hears Lorraine gasp behind her.
‘This is for you,’ Cynthia says. ‘I thought …’ She pauses. ‘My mother drew it. And it’s dated – if you look down the bottom, it saysMarch 1963. As it’s a March drawing and Charlie was a March baby, I thought it would be appropriate to give you that one.’
‘But …’
Elizabeth doesn’t know what to say, first because she is sure this drawing is precious. She knows that Cynthia’s mother died last year and also knows that they weren’t close, and the other day she and Lorraine were talking about a sketchbook that was recently found. And also because it’s not her birthday, so she doesn’t know why she’d be given a present.
‘You made it, Elizabeth,’ Cynthia says, and although she’s smiling Elizabeth can see a certain weariness in it. Or perhaps it’s recognition of the long road they have both been on as mothers. ‘You have raised your son in the most trying of circumstances and here you are, over a year later, throwing him a party and creating wonderful memories for him in Jon’s garden. That deserves recognition. That deserves apresent.’
Cynthia gestures to the frame. ‘I could have kept my mother’s sketchbook as it was and pulled it out every now and again, but I think the drawings deserve to be looked at. Especially by a member of the Sunshine Gardening Society. I think she’d approve.’ Cynthia pulls a face. ‘Actually, I don’t really know, but I hope she would. My father did when I asked if he minded me taking one of them out.’
Lorraine sniffles.
Cynthia laughs. ‘Loz approves.’
‘How dare you make me cry at Charlie’s party!’ Lorraine says.
Elizabeth feels like crying herself – at the unexpectedness of the gift as much as for its sentiment – but she has a party to run.
‘This is so special I don’t know how to thank you enough,’ she says, putting one arm around Cynthia and hugging her.
There’s resistance for a second then Cynthia relaxes into it.
