BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Dedication
  4. Dedication2
  5. 1994
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 2006
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 2018
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. Acknowledgements

‘Maybe you should keep a list of every time it happens?’ Dell said. ‘In case.’

They looked at her and she was making sense. ‘In our notebook,’ Greta said.

Dell pulled something out of her pocket. ‘You could use this one,’ she said. The notebook was empty and new.

‘We could.’ Peggy took it.

‘Keep it by the phone and just jot it down every time one of those phone calls comes through,’ Dell said.

‘I guess it makes sense,’ Greta said.

‘You don’t need to tell Heidi,’ Dell said.

‘We don’t see Heidi,’ Peggy said.

‘Yeah,’ Dell said. She was wrapping her wet hair up in the towel. She was wearing day clothes, so she must have washed her hair over the sink. ‘But, like. If you see her. You wouldn’t need to tell her.’

8

8

They’d been hearing about the picnic for weeks in meetings but none of them expected to go – hadn’t given it a second thought. No one actually went to those things, did they? Dell was clearing out her bag and pulled out the flier. Someone had made photocopies of it. Peggy and Greta couldn’t imagine how someone would have the wherewithal to photocopy something. It had a picture of a tree and under it was a picnic table. The type with chairs attached to it. There were some dates on the flier. Dell was looking at it. And soon, because there wasn’t anything else going on, Peggy and Greta got up and came and had a look. It was on that weekend. There was a number if you needed a lift. It looked like there’d be volleyball. Dell was holding the flier and Peggy and Greta stood either side of her and held the two top corners up so they could read it.

‘Are you working?’ Greta raised it first. They were all thinking about the possibility of going, but Greta was the first and backed into it slowly.

Dell shook her head.

‘Who’ll be there?’ Peggy asked.

Dell shook her head. It was a mystery. God only knew who would turn up.

‘Why are they having a picnic in winter?’ Peggy asked.

‘It’s spring,’ Dell said.

‘Is it?’ Peggy said.

‘Is it for couples?’ Greta asked.

Dell and Peggy didn’t think so.

‘Is it to get into a couple?’ Greta asked.