Rachel had pulled the car over to the side of the road in the middle of the story, because Gladys looked so upset. She was now the one holding Gladys' hand, giving her a squeeze of reassurance. Gladys thought that after 10 years that story would be easier to tell, but it wasn't. She had only told her own children that story a couple of years ago, but here she was telling a complete stranger the whole story. Rachel drove off, still holding Gladys hand and Gladys gave the rest of the directions to her house.
They sat in silence for a little while, neither one quite knowing what to say. They didn't want to make the situation any more uncomfortable. Rachel stopped outside an old weatherboard house. It used to be an off-white or eggshell colour in its prime. Now it had yellowed with age and had become weather beaten over time. The paint had chipped off in parts; the roof had holes in it. The grass was mown weekly by Wrightways Mowing, but there were no flowers to speak of and only a large gum tree in the middle of the front yard that her kids used to play under when they were little. As Rachel pulled into the driveway she could see the rusted metal clothesline, which was now tilted off centre and squeaking in the breeze. Finally Gladys let go of Rachel's hand and asked her in for a cup of tea, but Rachel refused saying she had to go and take care of some things, but promised to call or come and see her very soon.
Gladys was a little taken back by that, but understood just the same. Rachel got out and ran around to the passenger side to help Gladys out of the car. As she gave Gladys a hug she said "I really do promise to call. I really appreciate all that you did for me today."
Gladys smiled and replied "You take your time. There is no rush. I will be here if you need me. Thank you for driving me home, it was very kind of you. Feel free to stop by anytime."
"Thank you. Can I help you inside?" she said moving towards the front door.
"No, no" Gladys said stopping her. "I'm fine, you go on now. I will talk to you later." She smiled at Rachel and made her way towards her worn front door.
She waved to Rachel who tooted as she drove away. Gladys couldn't explain why she felt such a wave of disappointment. She opened the rickety security door and unlocked the front door, pushing it open with a hard shove and an unyielding creak. She stepped inside, slammed the door shut and locked herself in.
She changed out of her good clothes and into a housecoat. She made herself a nice cup of tea. Real tea, property brewed tea from leaves, not like the light brown coloured water you get from tea bags nowadays Gladys thought. She sat down and decided to call her children. She dialled the numbers of her daughters, she dialled the number of her son. No one was home. No one was ever home. She stopped leaving messages ages ago because they simply never returned her calls. She sat back in her chair, sipped her tea and felt sorry for herself.
As Rachel drove away she had a sense of unease. She didn't really want to leave she was enjoying talking to Gladys, she just thought Gladys would be growing tired of talking about topics that upset them both. She was the first person Rachel had really got to know here, and she didn't want to lose that. She knew Gary would want her to move on. She made a decision that she was not going to ring Gladys until she had good news to talk about. She had a week until the possibility that they might run into each other at the wishing well. She needed to stop focusing on the negative. She would think of Gary every second and still feel the pain of his loss, but she would not let it get the better of her. Unless she wanted to wallow forever in self-pity she had to start to do something. She needed a place to live and she needed a job. In an odd way she wanted Gladys to be proud of her. She hardly knew anything about her but she felt a strong connection to this woman. She felt very close to her. She shook her head and knew how foolish it sounded. Things like this only happen in movies and fiction, but it was true, she felt a deep connection and would make Gladys proud of her. She felt a little better now that she had a goal to work towards.
