The Sunshine Potluck Society

Chapter 15

Joanna hung up the phone, her face grim.

“What is it?” Emily asked as she wiped down the benchtop after their lunch things were cleaned up.

“It’s Gwen. She had a fall yesterday and broke her ankle.”

“Oh, no!” Emily’s eyes widened. “That must’ve hurt.”

“I think so. She’s wearing a boot and finds it hard to get around. I agreed to go with Debbie to visit her.”

“That will be nice,” Emily said carefully.

Joanna could see what Emily was thinking. It was written all over her face. She was worried about how Joanna would go, leaving the house. She hadn’t been out of their yard in weeks. But Joanna was ready to try. She wouldn’t ever get well if she didn’t step outside her comfort zone. And besides, Gwen needed her. She wasn’t about to abandon her friend in a time of need.

“I’m going to make a casserole while I wait for Debbie to get here. She’s going to drive,” Joanna said.

“I’ll help you,” Emily said. “It’s the least I can do. Poor Gwen. How horrible for her.”

“Let’s make a lamb and potato casserole. It’ll be the perfect comfort food for her and Duncan.”

“It would go great with cornbread,” Emily said. “Don’t you think?”

“Yes, it would,” Joanna agreed. “Let’s bake some. In fact, I’d love some cornbread. Let’s make two casseroles and two loaves and keep one of each for ourselves for dinner tonight. I think Aaron would enjoy that.”

“Great idea.”

They sliced up lamb into thick chunks, along with onion, garlic and potatoes. Before long, the lamb was roasting, and the delicious scent had filled the house. While Emily worked on the vegetables and gravy, Joanna set about mixing up the loaves of cornbread.

She slipped the pans into the oven, then excused herself to freshen up in the bedroom. She changed out of her casual clothes into a pair of slacks with a silk blouse. Then she curled her hair and applied a little makeup. When she was done, she could hear Debbie’s voice in the kitchen, so she hurried out to greet her.

Joanna kissed Debbie’s cheek. “You made good time.”

“The traffic wasn’t so bad. Are you ready to go?”

“Let me put this casserole and cornbread into a carry bag, and we can leave.”

She was in such a rush that she barely noticed the walk to the car. Debbie chattered on about her day as they walked and helped Joanna put the food into the back seat on the floor. Then Joanna climbed into the car and fastened her seat belt. Her thoughts were absorbed with what Debbie was saying as well as concern over Gwen’s predicament.

“Did Gwen tell you anything other than that she fell?” Joanna asked suddenly, interrupting Debbie’s train of thought about a client who was giving her trouble.

Debbie frowned. “Something about little Eva running for the water and Gwen chasing her. I think she tripped in a hole in the sand.”

“Ouch,” Joanna replied. “That can happen so easily.”

“She’s a little down in the dumps,” Debbie said. “Apparently Duncan and the others in her family didn’t help her put away the leftovers or clean up after the picnic, even though she was at the hospital all alone.”

Joanna’s eyes widened. “They didn’t stay with her?”

“Nope.” Debbie shook her head. “I don’t understand her kids. She’s given her entire life to raise them, has sacrificed so much for them, but they don’t seem to appreciate her at all.”

“It happens,” Joanna said. “They have their own lives, and they don’t tend to think of Mum as a person. Although most grow out of it at some stage. Hers seem to have stuck with their teenaged worldview. She should snap them out of it.”

Debbie laughed. “I agree. Although it’s not really something Gwen is going to do. Is it?”

“No, that’s true. She’s the peacemaker of the group.”

When they arrived at Gwen’s big house, Joanna stepped out of the car with the realisation that she hadn’t gotten anxious on the drive over. The anxiety hit her then as she made her way to Gwen’s front door. But she couldn’t help being a little proud of herself and worked hard to ignore the building dread in her gut.

When Gwen opened the door for them, Joanna hurried inside and felt the anxiety fade. “Oh, honey,” she said. “Did it hurt?”

Gwen nodded, her lips pulled taut. “It was so painful. Thankfully, everyone was there to help. The ambulance didn’t take long, and they had this lovely whistle they gave me that made me loopy but really helped with the pain.”

They all laughed at that.

“I’m glad it helped,” Debbie said. “Now, you shouldn’t be on your feet. Come on—let’s go to the lounge room and get you a seat. Then Joanna and I can wait on you.”

“That would be a nice change,” Gwen said. “Duncan went to play golf this morning and left me to my own devices. I had to try to give myself a bath—that didn’t go well. And then, to make myself breakfast. I’m still a bit hungry and thirsty, to be honest. I had to sit down for a while to recover after my bowl of cereal.”

“You sit, and we’ll take care of you,” Joanna said as they helped Gwen into her favourite armchair. “Also, I brought you and Duncan a lamb casserole with cornbread for dinner, so you don’t have to make anything.”

“Oh, thank you. That is very thoughtful.”

Once Joanna had put away the food in the refrigerator and Debbie had made them all a cup of tea and a slice of hummingbird cake she found on the counter, they headed back into the lounge room. They all sat in armchairs and ate the cake, sipped the tea and talked about Gwen’s experiences the day before.

“I’m sorry your family didn’t think to take better care of you,” Joanna said. “Next time, just call us. We’ll be there in a flash.”

“I can’t believe I skipped our monthly brunch for this.” She waved a hand at her big blue boot.

“We had a nice time,” Joanna said. “But it wasn’t the same without you.”

“We ate Bangladeshi food,” Debbie said. “Not my favourite.”

“Hey!” Joanna objected.

“You did a great job,” Debbie said with a laugh. “But it’s just not my style. Sorry.”

“I guess that’s okay. We all have our preferences.”

Joanna looked at Gwen. She seemed so sad. She was staring at the empty plate in her hands. Joanna reached out to take it from her and set it on the coffee table.

“You okay, hon?”

“Not really. I’m at the end of my rope with Duncan. I should’ve asked him about the perfume. But I’m not sure I want to hear what he has to say.”

Debbie reached out to squeeze her hand. Gwen looked up at her with a grateful smile.

“What if he says he’s in love with someone else? Or that it’s over? I don’t have anything without him. This house, our family—it’s all I’ve got. If I leave him, what will I do?” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Are you thinking of leaving?” Joanna asked.

She nodded. “I have to. I can’t stand him right now. Can’t stand hearing his voice, looking at him. I’m so angry with him. He abandoned me at that hospital all alone for four hours when I was high on painkillers and had a broken ankle. I was scared, and they left me lying there for so long. I didn’t know what was going on. I had to pee, and I was hungry and thirsty. There was no one there for me.” She sniffled. “Am I being unfair?” She looked from Joanna to Debbie with the question written on her face.

Joanna shook her head. “You’re not being unfair.” She was angry too. Angry that Duncan would treat his wife that way after everything she’d done for him over the years.

“I’m so sorry that happened,” Debbie said. “Maybe you two need a little space from one another. Don’t make any rash decisions yet. But you could take a break. Come and stay with me for a night or two. Give yourself a little room to breathe.”

Gwen wiped her eyes with her fingertips. “That actually sounds good.”