Women Who Talk Pt. 01

Penny turned to look at her with a bemused smile.

The first thing she noticed was the ceiling with its wide crossbeam that extended the length of the ceiling, smaller wooden beams sloped towards the other side with pine planks in between and she estimated that the ceiling was about twenty feet or so in height, which would make it darker at night if not for the massive windows looking out over the city of Melbourne. Extra lights had been placed around the living room and above them was a balcony surrounding the room on three sides, to her right was an open fireplace. On the other side of the room there was a large television screen next to a stereo unit with speakers spread around the lower floor. Robyn looked up at the balcony she'd just passed under and turned to look at the upper levels, noting the split log walls and wooden doors and railing. Two staircases on either side gave access to the first floor and one room had a large wooden sign above it that read: Office.

Her mouth opened and shut, and then she came out with an uncharacteristic, "oh fuck."

"Thank you," Penny nudged her, "and these are my equally gorgeous friends."

She turned her attention to the women seated on four L-shaped couches that had been pushed together to form the sides and corners of a rectangle, two smaller couches at each end completed the shape. There were two large coffee tables in the centre and a few women smiled as she looked at them, she counted eight in total and then she spotted a familiar face at the far end. She had put on a bit of weight around her hips Robyn noted as Cindy rose but her face looked almost the same as it had four years ago when she measured her up for a suit. The last time she'd seen her had been at her grandmother's funeral when she'd just been one of the mourners.

"Well, this is a sight for sore eyes," Cindy walked past the coffee tables.

"I haven't seen that suit in four years," she exited the rectangle as Penny put a hand on the small of her back and guided her forward, "this was one of my finest creations."

"So I see," Penny looked her up and down, "you've been holding out on me, sweetie. I'd wear that in a heartbeat and pay you handsomely as well."

"Hello," Robyn finally found her voice, "it's been a while."

"It's good to see you," Cindy stepped around the end three-seater couch to give her a half embrace, "Penny tells me we're neighbours."

"Yeah," she nodded, "we are," she felt the colour rising in her cheeks.

"This is Robyn, our newest member, sorry, potential member so be nice to her, ladies," she nodded at Robyn, "they'll introduce themselves to you in due course, come on through and I'll show you the kitchen."

Robyn ran her eyes over the women. A couple of them raised glasses of wine or cups of coffee and then she was following Penny and Cindy under an archway into the kitchen next door, it seemed smaller due to the lower ceiling. The kitchen was well furnished with a large hob, two ovens, an island bench and benches on three sides. The overhead cupboards and the ones below the bench were all made of polished wood giving it a warm look. She could see where the other archway at the entrance led to now, a couple of wine racks next to the archway were filled with wine. Kathy raised a glass of wine she'd just poured from her bottle.

"Well I'll be, fancy seeing you here."

Robyn chuckled as Penny introduced her to the other two women. The doe-eyed woman with the apron and dark brown hair was Wendy and then there was Cindy's partner, Mary. She'd met her briefly at the house years ago when she was taken into the sewing room for measuring but it was only at the funeral that she suspected the connection between these two women extended to more than just friendship. Even then she'd assumed that Mary was either her daughter, a niece or maybe a cousin, but when Cindy introduced her as, 'my partner,' her eyes widened.

"I thought she was," she stopped.

"My niece?" Cindy walked around the island bench to where Mary was standing with two bowls of salad in her hands, "she's my partner, Doctor McKenzie," she nudged her hips against her, "she really is a doctor.

Robyn ran a casual eye over Mary. She looked to be about thirty or so with ash-blonde hair that fell to her shoulderblades in soft waves and held back from her face by a hair band to show off a long angular-shaped face. Her attire was on the casual side, pale blue turtleneck jumper, dark blue jeans and trainers

"Which clinic?" Robyn found herself asking.

"The one on Dorset Road, just past the pub," she popped an olive into Cindy's mouth.

The social setting in that kitchen was pretty typical for an Australian get together she mused later, she'd been standing in a room with a doctor, a dressmaker, a spray painter and a lawyer and over the course of the next half an hour or so, she learned more about the other women.

Ruth was in her middle thirties with a thick mane of red hair and a roundish face, she worked at the Commonwealth bank in Lilydale, Diane, the diminutive woman with brown hair and large glasses was a computer programmer. The forty-something Melanie was a branch manager at the Westpac bank in Boronia but her younger partner, Elke was a policewoman based at Ringwood. Her sister, Sigrid was also there but her partner, Louise was on babysitting duties. Melanie and Elke lived next door to Sigrid and Louise in the nearby suburb of Olinda. Abigail, a buxom blonde in her late twenties worked at an employment agency, she was about the most well-dressed woman there apart from Robyn. Belinda worked part time at a local plant nursery, Vicki was a high school teacher and then Cindy introduced her to her teacher. Caroline was Elke and Sigrid's sister and taught night classes in fabric construction at Croydon High School.

"She's a local like us," she nodded at Robyn, "she lives in Ruskin Park Drive, she dropped her kids off at Sigrid and Louise's joint tonight, this is the first meeting she's been to in three months."

"Oh, don't worry about Louise," Caroline was telling Vicki, "she has their entire night planned out from start to finish, she was busy building their blanket jail if they misbehave."

"Hah," Melanie raised her glass, "my oldest boy will volunteer for that cell."

She turned her attention to Elke a few moments later, she had long blonde hair that reached past her shoulderblades, similar to her two sisters. She had the confidence of someone used to wearing a uniform to work and when she noticed Robyn looking at her she cocked her head to one side and offered her a sly smile.

"So, how many names can you remember now?"

"Um, all of them," she looked past her for a moment, "you might know my dad, he's a detective senior sergeant out at Warbie, John Smith."

"The name rings a bell," her eyes narrowed, "the furthest we go out is Lilydale but that's rare, so you're a copper's daughter."

"Yeah, I am," she nodded, "although I don't take advantage of the fact."

"That's a rarity," Elke patted Melanie's leg, "I'm going to head off to detective school at the end of the year so you never know, I might bump into your dad sooner or later."

"He is rostered on for sessions at the Academy," she nodded.

"Make sure and put in a good word for me," she grinned.

She found out more about Sigrid a few minutes later, she and her partner both worked at the same bank as Melanie but in different branches now.

"It's just to stop us raiding the safe," Sigrid winked.

The meat was cooked in the kitchen and consumed inside and it was towards the end of the meal that Cindy invited her to stop by her house any time she wanted.

"I'm home most days but I can duck out at different times to do various things," she eyed her for a moment, "Penny mentioned something you wore the other day that she'd like me to make."

"The blouse or the skirt?"

"The blouse primarily," she pushed the remains of her meal aside, "but she emailed me a class photo last night and said that Virginia had worn the same clothes for that photograph, so I get the impression she liked the outfit."

"Oh, okay," Robyn smiled crookedly and glanced out at Penny, who was standing on the balcony overlooking Melbourne with Kathy and Ruth, the latter two were smoking.

"That's a funny coincidence, I've been looking at some of the clothes she left me and thinking of copying them. I like that blouse too but I'd like to make one in a different colour like blue or pink, or even a patterned fabric but it's the formal training I lack."

"Well, there are courses you can do," she glanced at Caroline, "Caroline's courses are full for the rest of the year, but if you'd like to get a leg up, so to speak, you can volunteer some of your time to help me out and I can show you a few things," she scraped the remains from her plate onto another as she continued.

"But if I was you, I'd put my name down for one of Caroline's courses in the next month or so, she has a comprehensive course and if you spend some time with me you'll certainly put the knowledge to good use in her class next year."

"For sure," Caroline handed her plate to Cindy, "I've got old handouts I can give you too, as long as you keep quiet about it. If word gets out that I'm handing out secret knowledge I'll have a queue from here to Kilsyth."

"I'd love that, I have looked at the clothes before and even thought of buying something cheap out of an op shop and pulling it apart to see if I can make a pattern but the place I'm in now doesn't leave me much room to spread material out unless I use the dining room table."

"I know all about space," Cindy commented, "my sewing room was actually my son's bedroom and when he moved out I converted it but it's still quite small and I find I'm storing rolls of fabric in my daughter's old room. Both my kids have moved out but I'm always concerned that if they decide to move back home I'm going to be well and truly screwed."

They exchanged details and arranged a time, and then Robyn excused herself to go out and speak to Kathy and Penny.

"I'll talk to the guys," Kathy blew out a cloud of smoke, "they've been talking about playing at weddings but so far it's just talk," she nodded and winked at Robyn.

"Well, my cousin would pay up front," Penny replied, "the reception is out at the Brunswick Club and the meal would be provided too," she smiled at Robyn, "we're just talking shop."

"I'll certainly talk to them, Brigitte is keen to take the band further, she'll come on side just like that," she snapped her fingers, "Brian, Johnno, Dylan, and Stevo are a different matter but the hard facts are if we don't start earning money then it's just a bunch of guys and girls jamming together and Brigitte won't hang around long if another band approaches her."

"Why not play at our church then," Robyn leaned against the balcony gingerly, "the one just near Collins Place? They're always looking for musical talent for dances, they have one, once a month but the regular band they've got now are pretty shit."

For a moment she thought she'd lost her completely, Kathy just stared at her and then Penny nudged her gently.

"She's a Christian but apparently her church is quite laid back and liberal. Their pastor is an ex Hell's Angel so I'm told, and I've got an invite to their coffee shop tomorrow night."

"Wow," Kathy stared out at the view and then back at her, "I wouldn't have thought you were a bible basher."

"I'm in disguise," she spread her hands out along the balcony, "why don't you rock up to the coffee shop tomorrow night and I'll introduce you to our pastor, he's been there every couple of weeks or so to lend support, the local kids all want to sit on his Harley. If I give him a call tomorrow on my lunch break and mention it he'd be interested and they pay."

"We don't know any Christian songs."

"They don't play many Christian songs at the dances," she replied, "he's really big on Deep Purple, Cold Chisel and Suzi Quatro."

"She was my pinup girl in high school," Penny raised her wineglass, "and seeing as you just came out I'm that way inclined, but that's a concert I'd go to see. We could invite a few of the ladies inside as well, how do you think that'd go down?"

"It'd go down well, I've been to a few over the last year and a half," she glanced at Kathy who had fallen silent. She hadn't reacted to Penny's admission so this was probably for her benefit Robyn looked at the door beside the front window.

"That's two offers in one night," Penny leaned forward and stood up, "see, you stick around and she'll be right," she slapped her leg, "I gotta go clear up before we start the meeting," she checked her watch, "in about fifteen minutes or so," and with that she was sauntering along the balcony while Robyn stood with her back to the balcony.

"So, how long have you been a Christian?" Kathy asked.

"All my life, basically although I did get baptised again eighteen months ago when I joined this church in Kilsyth," she replied.

"Tell me more," she patted the seat beside her, "not that I'm interested in getting baptised, but my girlfriend struggles to make me understand her way of thinking but maybe you can tell me how it is for you. She's had a bit of drama with her family lately, they're all born again but they're totally homophobic."

"Which church do they go to?"

"She says it's the Charismatic one, something like that."

"Oh," she winced, "the crazies," she sat down in the seat beside her and stared out at the view.

"The crazies?"

"Even Christians think they're crazy," she replied, "but they all believe in the same God as us."

"So, what is it all about? I'm an atheist by the way."

Robyn frowned as she tried to think of something wise.

"It's the art of believing something you can't see or prove," she finally spoke.

***

Unbeknownst to anyone there, Helen was currently parked some eight feet from Robyn's car and she had raised the bonnet of her Landcruiser and taken off the radiator cap. An empty Coke bottle was stuck inside and she'd just rolled a smoke as she 'waited' for the car to cool down before moving on. She peered inside the car, wishing she'd come up here before sunset, but because she knew where Robyn would be it was an opportunity she couldn't miss.

She was looking for something to 'fix,' it was one of the oldest weapons in her armoury. Women liked someone who knew how to fix things and over the years she'd acquired enough information to not only perform minor repairs on her own car but also other cars. Granted, she was hopelessly out of her depth if it came to changing a gearbox, engine, ball joints or suspension, but oil changes and brake pads were doable along with repairing brake lights. She'd once bedded a woman simply by smashing her tail light whilst she was at work and then following her down the road before flashing her lights to pull her over and offer to fix the tail light.

Zara had been a nice little catch until she got tired of her and moved onto someone else and a few years down the track she was ready to move on from Roxy as well. She peered at the dashboard, it was clean and the seats had sheepskin covers along with the steering wheel she noted with disgust, she had two sheepskin covers in the cupboard at home, awaiting just such an auspicious occasion. She moved further back and then saw the back speakers, one looked like it had a hole in it but she could pick up speakers easily enough through The Trading Post.

Her phone rang and she took it out and stared at the number.

"Roxy," she sighed a moment later, "sorry, I fell asleep."

"You sound like you're outside?"

"I'm up at Penny's joint, I had to drop off some work and thought I'd grab a power nap before I drive back down the mountain."

"What are you doing dropping off work at this time of the night?"

"Fucked if I know," she scowled, "that stuck up bitch is a fucking slave driver. She wants the work by tonight so she can email the client and it's always fucking me who does the fucking work, the rest of those bitches are all sitting at home with their glasses of wine doing their nails while I'm risking life and limb driving up the fucking mountain."

"So, why don't you talk to her about it?"

"Talk to her?" Helen turned to face the house, "Penny? That spoiled brat wouldn't piss on me, oh she makes out she's one of the girls but trust me, she's a stuck up moll," she pulled the bottle out of the radiator.

"Listen, I'm not in a good head space right now, I need some time alone or I'm gonna go fucking nuts, I'll call you tomorrow sometime, give the boys a hug," she picked up the cap.

"Okay, call me if you want to talk, I understand your pain."

"No worries, I'll call you later," she ended the call and put the radiator cap back on but just as she closed the bonnet her eyes narrowed as a car approached and then she made out the shape of the lights and the front of the car. There was only one woman who drove a 2000 Ford Fairlane LTD, Colleen O'Hara, the only woman who had threatened to use a gun on her car if she ever drove onto her property again. But as the car cruised past at a snail's pace her anxiety dissipated as she stared at an older man with a receding hairline next to a woman of about the same age. The man gave her a cursory glance and then kept going.

She left a minute or so later, still trying to put the memory behind her because it had genuinely terrified her. Kathy's panel van was obvious and if Kathy thought that Helen was hanging around she might even say something to Robyn. She'd had a one night stand with Kathy but the younger woman had declined to stay for breakfast the next morning and to this day still avoided talking to her as much as possible. Cindy however, was a more potent threat because Robyn was interested in dressmaking but perhaps she could turn that to her advantage.

***

The formal part of the meeting began at 8:30 with a formal introduction by Penny.

"Welcome to another meeting of women who talk and you all know the format but for the benefit our our guest," she nodded at Robyn, "I'll outline it," she crossed her legs.

"I introduce the topic and a theme and then invite someone else to either give their opinion or share something that relates to the theme. After that person has shared for about five or ten minutes others can come in with suggestions or hints or just general support. Try to keep your comments as brief as possible because we want to give everyone a chance to contribute. If I ask you to respond then you can always decline and I'll move on, there's no rule that says you must speak. Sometimes it's best to just sit and listen, we learn more that way," she looked around the room.

"And with that introduction out of the way, let me begin with my holiday to Europe six months ago, and one of the spots I visited was the old Berlin Wall or what remains of it. I watched the wall come down years ago when I was in law school and I was literally in awe that a wall that was supposed to last for eternity was falling down under the weight of people divided by it for decades," she looked at Cindy and smiled.

"And it had me wondering about other kinds of walls, the ones we erect around ourselves to keep the world at bay and feel some security. Some are necessary walls, we keep our base impulses at bay because we believe in an ordered society governed by laws but other walls inhibit our ability to live a productive and fulfilling life," she glanced around the room.

"For years I've erected walls against religion because I am gay, I've had no problem with people who were trying to escape from what I believe is a fantasy about an invisible god who created the entire world in seven days and then decided to destroy it all in a childish rage except for one family and two of every animal, all stuffed into a big boat," she waited as a couple of women chuckled and then went on.