Page 29 of Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society
‘This cactus.’ Shirl points. ‘Where did it come from?’
‘You’ve seen it before.’ Von pokes her cane into the grass as if she’s making a point.
‘Have I?’
Shirl looks to Barb, who raises her hands and shrugs.
‘I don’t remember it,’ Shirl says.
Von sniffs. ‘It didn’t grow overnight, Shirley. I know it’s been a few weeks since your last visit but I can assure you it was here then.’
‘Some leaves have fallen from those,’ Barb says, indicating the plants next to the cactus. ‘Perhaps it’s more exposed than it was.’
Shirl looks unconvinced.
‘Good to know that your one-woman war against everything that isn’t a native plant continues.’ Von’s expression is one of amusement.
‘I’m not the only woman,’ Shirl says defiantly. ‘You’ve been round the traps long enough to know that, Vonnie.’
‘True.’ Von looks towards Cynthia. ‘Your mother was of the same inclination.’
Cynthia nods. ‘I know – she liked her native plants.’
‘Wait – what?’ Lorraine says.
‘Um …’ Cynthia frowns. ‘I forgot to tell you – Mum was a member of the Sunshine Gardening Society.’
‘When?’
‘For years,’ Von says.
Lorraine thinks about Diane and what she remembers of her hobbies, and can’t think of anything. She never smiled much but she made a great sponge cake. Cynthia was always available on Saturdays because … because her mum was out and her father and Kit went fishing or something. So that’s when Diane must have been gardening. How did Lorraine not know about it? Cynthia never said anything.
‘I had no idea,’ Lorraine says.
‘Nor did I.’
Cynthia looks sad about that and Lorraine supposes you would be if you found out your mum had this whole part of her life that she kept a secret. It would feel like being lied to. Not thatLorraine shares everything with her kids, but at least she told them what she was doing today.
‘She never said anything?’ she asks Cynthia.
Cynthia shakes her head.
‘Almost like she was a druggie or something, trying to hide it.’ Lorraine makes a face. ‘Are we doing something naughty here?’ She looks at tightly done-up Barb and Shirl with her Midnight Oil T-shirt and her dirty old slacks and starts to laugh. ‘I mean, if the cops turn up they might arrest me for wearing shorts while gardening.’
She points to her legs, which are bare because she forgot to buy the pants to wear just for gardening. Skirts and dresses are more her style, so she doesn’t have trousers handy.
Shirl’s mouth twitches and Lorraine wonders if she’s cracked her.
‘Good to know your sense of humour is as well developed as ever, Lorraine,’ Von says approvingly. ‘And good to see you again, full stop.’
‘You too, Von.’ Lorraine turns back to the garden bed. ‘I’ve missed you, as weird as that sounds.’
‘Not at all,’ comes the authoritative tone from behind her. ‘I’d miss me too.’
Lorraine snorts and pulls out a weed.
‘This is turning out to be fun,’ she mutters to Cynthia, who looks almost relaxed, which is unusual for her.
