Women Who Talk Pt. 02

"You're not going to tell Sigrid about my dress?" Louise eyed her briefly.

"My lips are sealed," she zipped them closed, much to Birgit's amusement.

"So, what brings you down from the mountain?" Caroline propped against the door jamb.

"I came down to see Robyn."

"Understandable," Caroline smiled crookedly, "she made quite an impact on all of us."

"Sigrid mentioned her last night," Louise glanced up, "her mother sounds like mine. What church does she go to?"

"One up in Warbie I assume," she sat down on one of the chairs that had been pushed up against a wall, "although I never asked. I've never paid much attention to churches in general."

"You and me both," she replied, "even Cathy wasn't big on the church, oh, she went to youth group, we both did," she went on, "but as soon as we were old enough to make our own decisions we kind of drifted away from the church. It was just mum's thing."

"I get the feeling she's doing the same thing," Penny mused as she glanced down at Birgit who was playing with model dinosaurs, "I've agreed to have her up at my place once a week for sessions."

"Sessions," Caroline pushed away from the door jamb as the kettle stopped boiling.

"Yeah, the sex education sessions."

"Fair enough," Caroline commented, "you want instant or plunger coffee?"

"Instant will do," she shrugged.

"So, what do you hope to achieve?" Louise asked her a minute later as Penny rose to inspect the dress a little more closely.

"I'm not sure, right now I'm not in the right frame of mind."

"That sounds promising," she grinned, "here, hold that down please," she nodded at a seam.

Penny held the seam back while Louise inserted a tailor's pin.

"What do you mean by promising?"

"Sigrid was in much the same position as you about the time we got together and it sounds as if Robyn is in a similar head space to me back then. She's curious," she kept inserting more pins, "but there are differences. My relationship with mum was all but dead, Cathy's funeral was about the last time she and I exchanged anything resembling a civil word."

"She gets on well with her dad but he's an atheist, which sounds like an odd mix considering his wife is so homophobic but they say opposites attract."

"They can also repel," she pulled a wry grin, "trust me."

Caroline came in not long after with coffee and biscuits on a tray and Penny told them more about the unique arrangement she'd worked out with Robyn, including her plan to visit the coffee shop that night. The discussion went on for the better part of an hour and it felt good to unburden herself to these two women but as Penny was about to leave Louise hinted that she might drop in on the coffee shop that night.

"I can't make a firm promise, I think Sigrid was kind of planning a quiet night in but she might be up for a quick trip down the mountain for an hour or so."

Louise's offer genuinely surprised Penny because it was unexpected. She hadn't thought of asking anyone else along and with that in mind she called Cindy and Mary as she drove away.

"A coffee shop," Cindy sounded doubtful.

"A Christian coffee shop," Penny glanced at the phone mounted on her console, "but we'd be there an hour or so and then we can sort out this blouse you're going to make me."

"You're bribing me?" Cindy almost sounded shocked and Penny grinned.

"Guilty as charged, your honour but Louise and Sigrid might come down and I'm pretty sure that Kathy's going to drop in for a bit to see if they're going to book her band. I don't feel like staying that long but perhaps if some of us could put in an appearance."

"If they try to convert me I'll charge you double," she replied.

"No worries, I'll protect you from all these women with bibles stuffed down their bras."

"All right, an hour and a half at the most, Mary's watching Runaway Bride before we have to take it back to Blockbuster and I was just going to do some work in the sewing room."

The irony of the situation made her smile. Here she was, a gay woman trying to entice another gay woman to come along to a Christian coffee shop to honour a promise to a straight woman.

Where is this going?

Penny coasted to a halt outside her house. She stared up at the room she was intending on turning into a sewing room for Cindy.

I've got to arrange a quote for that, she opened the car door.

"And the bloody climate control," she grabbed her handbag.

But first there was housework to do.

***

Helen set the sewing machine down on the coffee table along with the pattern folder and perched on the edge of the couch to study her purchase. It represented a sizeable investment for her campaign to seduce a woman who was more than likely friends with a few gay women, none of whom were likely to keep quiet if she made a move on Robyn.

The folder of patterns was a good starter but the sewing machine was a walk up start if she wanted to keep some skin in the game. She'd already worked out her cover story. The machine had come out of her mother's place in Box Hill when she'd gone down to help her clean out some junk. She had remembered Robyn saying something about wanting to get into dressmaking and decided to grab it and just give it to her. It was either that or a charity shop and besides, her mother had been quite fond of the machine, it should go to a good home.

Giving her the machine should help to forge a connection but it was only a start, she'd have to get her back here to make something for her but if she'd never made anything before, Helen frowned as she got up to walk to the window. It had to be something simple, she glanced at the curtains.

Like curtains, she touched one, that should be easy.

There was a risk however that she might ask Cindy for help and she was pretty sure that Cindy might just tell Robyn all about the aborted attempt to seduce her some years ago that had ended in a slap to the face and a forceful, "fuck off." As far as she knew, Cindy had put it behind her but she still had to tread carefully, still waters ran deep.

Helen went upstairs after that to add to her notes, she now had the church service times as well as a brief history of the church from a pamphlet. She'd also dropped by her work, Robyn hadn't seen her though but Helen had no intention of dropping in, she needed office hours and the phone number. All this information was added to the file she'd started on Robyn, she still hadn't printed the file out just yet, there was more to add but already she'd amassed a decent amount of information. Starting Monday she would park her car in the carpark at Kilsyth Shopping centre to monitor the times she left for work.

***

Despite her eagerness to honour a promise, Penny felt decidedly weary as she pulled the mottled brown leather jacket over her shoulders. She'd spent the last few hours doing housework, emailing the pictures of Robyn's grandmother to her and calling to arrange quotes for the sewing room and a climate control system. The latter tradesman had promised to come around late Thursday afternoon, which worked in well considering Robyn would be coming in the evening. Heating had always been an issue with Penny, it was one of those major jobs that she'd put off for years because she knew it would take longer than a day to complete. It would almost certainly entail working from home whilst the contractors were here, her house represented a unique architectural challenge that would mean erecting a scaffold in the middle of the living room.

She squinted at herself in the wardrobe mirror. She couldn't remember the last time she'd worn this particular blouse, perhaps two years ago when she was in Venice or was it Amsterdam? It had black stars emblazoned on an off-white background, it was tucked into grey, stone-washed jeans and she frowned as she suddenly recalled the charity shop in Carnaby Row. It must have come from there she mused and sat down to put on her sneakers. The overall intention was to look casual, she'd sent a text to Robyn earlier to ask about the dress code.

Robyn: Just dress casual, no need for high heels.

A second text had followed a minute or so later.

Robyn: P.S. Don't park in the main carpark, there's a smaller one off to the side. Just turn left in front of the building.

Penny: Why not the bigger one?

Robyn: We don't have parking bays painted on the ground yet but the side one has parking bays marked out. People get too creative when they park in the bigger one.

Some fifteen minutes later she left the house and slid behind the wheel of her Commodore, feeling just a little strange about spending a Saturday night at a Christian coffee shop.

Is this what my love life has come to?

Cindy did a double take when she slid into the passenger seat some forty minutes later.

"Wow, love the jacket. Where did you get that?"

"Stockholm," she replied, "I fell in love with the colour and the city."

"Next time you go to Stockholm let me know, I'll slip you some money," she shut the door, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this night out."

"It's an hour or so at the most, promise."

"Whatever," she fastened the seatbelt, "Mary will be curled up on the couch watching Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, I liked Pretty Woman but Runaway Bride is just not my thing."

"Julia Roberts is hot though," Penny backed out of the driveway.

"I know, I think it's the romcom genre I'm so tired of," she replied, "give me a gritty political drama or a serial killer movie. We watched Seven last night and then I watched All Saints with Mary doing her medical commentary," she chuckled.

"I've told her before she should offer her medical expertise to the producers of All Saints, it'd be a lot less stressful than actual doctoring."

"I'm afraid I don't know the producers," she waited for a couple of cars to pass the driveway, "but if I meet them I'll be sure to drop the hint."

"So, all this to please Robyn?"

"I made a promise that I intend to keep but I didn't promise not to take someone with me," Penny tapped the accelerator and backed out onto Cambridge Road.

"And you chose me?"

"She knows you and while she's talking to you I can check this joint out. I've got their flyer on my noticeboard at work for Christ's sake," she shifted into first and accelerated.

"I emailed those pictures I sent you to her as well."

"So, now she knows what you looked like as a sixteen and seventeen year old."

"I was skinnier then," she pulled a wry grin, "I hadn't really thought about it for years but when I looked at myself alongside the other girls it's kind of obvious and it's not like I had body image issues. I used to eat big meals but it all went to my legs."

"Can't fatten a thoroughbred," Cindy grinned.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she rolled her eyes.

The Community Coffee Shop was on Mt Dandenong Road and set back a bit from the dual lane thoroughfare that connected Ringwood to Montrose. You could literally drive past it and not see it due to the carpark between it and the road. A folding stand displaying the name had been placed at the entrance to the carpark and both Penny and Cindy thought it a little obscure.

"If you blinked you'd miss it," Penny remarked as she pulled into a vacant space.

"My God, look at those kids outside," Cindy stared at the kids gathered outside. Most seemed to be in their late teens but there were a few who looked to be about thirteen or so. Quite a few were near a Harley Davidson, a largish man stood chatting with some of them, a second motorcycle was not far away. This one however was a Japanese motorcycle and the rider had obviously just arrived, he'd just taken his helmet off and was still sitting on the bike.

"She said to park in the side carpark," Penny replied as she veered left and drove past the entrance and around to a smaller carpark that had just as much room as the larger one but offered more privacy.

"This used to be a community hall at one stage, but I'm going back years," Cindy murmured.

"I've driven past it for years and only looked at it once or twice," she replied.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Cindy opened the door and took out her cigarettes.

"What?"

"The church youth group I used to go to when I was a teenager," she took one from the pack, "I was sixteen and one night this guy called Spud picked me up to go to youth group in his Monaro. We sat out the front smoking fags and I thought I was the coolest chick there. I seriously thought I was going to lose my virginity in the back seat."

"And?" Penny opened her door and put a foot on the ground.

"Ah, that's the story of unrequited love," she lit her cigarette and got out of the car, "he had the hots for someone else and he only took me to this youth group to make Amanda jealous," she too got out of the car, "I'm so glad I'm not sixteen anymore, everything was so fucking serious."

They slowed their pace somewhat so Cindy could finish her cigarette and Penny detoured to the wide verandah in front of the church itself. She hadn't realised it was such a large building because the coffee shop/offices were wider than the church. The buildings formed a T-shape and she peered through a glass double door at the pews illuminated by security lights. At the far end of the church was a large wooden cross but Cindy's eyes were drawn to the basketball markings on the wooden floor.

"It used to be a basketball court," she murmured.

"It still is," Penny squinted a sign on the door that gave times for basketball practice.

"Well I'll be buggered," Cindy glanced at the sign, "they must push the seats against the wall."

"Nice to see a church building being used by the wider community, I suppose."

"The best use I saw for a church building was that one in Bridge Road, Richmond, it was turned into a bar bistro. I took a few girlfriends there over the years," she looked down as Cindy butted her cigarette out into an ashtray by the door.

"Well, come on. Let's do our bit."

They rounded the building in front and slowed down as they spotted a group of kids gathered near a tallish man in leathers. A second person on a Japanese bike had just pulled up and when the rider took off the helmet both women paused in mid stride as she fluffed out her hair and nodded at the other man.

"A dyke on a bike?" Penny glanced at her.

"Maybe, I wonder if the dude is the minister?"

He was tall and heavyset with a short back and sides and a goatee and moustache, when they got closer they saw he also wore a Metallica windcheater. He gave them the once over briefly before turning back to a lanky teenaged boy as the woman got off her bike.

"Most likely, don't they all ride Harleys?"

"That's the general consensus," she opened the door for her.

The coffee shop was really just a glorified netball court with a servery at one end serving drinks and hot food, a set of double doors directly opposite that obviously led to the church itself. She'd seen the larger building at the rear with a dark cross against the white exterior. Two rows of tables ran the length of the hall along with high-backed bench seats. It looked as if the hall had other uses at other times of the week. A P.A system blared out The Angels, No Secrets, and then she heard Robyn's voice breaking over Doc Neeson's gravelly voice.

"Hey, you made it."

Penny turned to find Robyn approaching from her left. She was wearing a white blouse and jeans under a three-quarter length apron tied at the back. A badge on the apron had her name on it.

"Yeah," she grinned, "I brought a friend."

"Fantastic," Robyn threw her arms around both of them and then kissed both of them on the cheek, "you'll never wash that spot again," she stepped back and then ran a hand through her hair, "wow, I thought you'd lash on me."

"I always keep my promises."

"No worries," she glanced over her shoulder at a table down the far end of the hall, "do you want to sit with your mates?"

It was only then that Penny and Cindy noticed the women at the table, Sigrid and Louise sat next to each other and on the other side of the table she saw Abigail and Belinda.

"What the fuck? Sorry, I mean."

"It's fine, we're not prudes here," Robyn gestured, "apparently Kathy got on the blower and told them to meet her here or she'd huff and she'd puff and blow their houses down."

"She would too," Penny grinned, "I'm impressed, perhaps Mary should have come after all, she's at home watching Runaway Bride."

Robyn only heard the last few words as she led them past the first table, which was fully occupied by teenagers, a mixture of girls and boys. The latter were the rowdier and at least two of them stared at the two women strolling past their table. Penny's smile remained fixed as she registered the fact they were probably mentally undressing her. The next few tables were also occupied by couples or smaller groups and then they were at the end table occupied entirely by well-dressed older women who looked as if they were dressed for an afternoon coffee at a café.

"Pull up a pew, literally," Sigrid gestured to them.

"Ladies," she sat down next to her, "long time no see."

"We're here to make sure it's not a cult," Belinda broke in, "I haven't seen any Koolaid yet."

"No Koolaid here," Robyn chuckled, "but there's Pepsi, Seven Up, Fanta, and Diet Pepsi," she nodded at the menu, "do you want to order now or later?"

The menu consisted of pancakes, veggie and regular burgers and chips, along with the usual assortment of coffees, teas, hot chocolate, with or without marshmallows, and soft drinks.

"Hot chocolate," she eventually spoke up and looked at Cindy, "and you?"

"Cappuccino," she replied.

"What about pancakes?" Penny traced down the menu listing.

"Not for me, I just ate," Cindy tapped her belly, "any more food and I'll be running a marathon to try and work it off."

"We were discussing the pancakes Abigail spoke up.

"Well, how's about we order some?" Penny replied, "my shout."

There was general agreement to this idea and even Cindy looked agreeable when Penny added corn chips and melted cheese.

The two bikers came in not long afterwards and Sigrid leaned over to speak into her ear.

"The man with the goatee is Danny O'Keefe, Elke ran a background check this afternoon while she was at work, he has a history."

"Well he's ex Hell's Angels," she nodded as Kathy stepped inside with Melissa.

"Another name came up as well."

"Whose?" Penny kept her eye on Kathy as Robyn moved swiftly to introduce Kathy to Danny.

"Your father's law practice were the defence for a bunch of Hell's Angels fifteen years ago, some guy was bashed but when it got to court he suddenly changed his testimony but here's where it gets interesting," she too glanced at Danny.

"Three months after the case collapsed, Danny was dumped at Saint Vinnies in Carlton by some bikies in a car. He'd been bashed unconscious and spent six weeks in a coma but while he was out to it the Angels burned his house down and put out a contract on him. When the cops finally got to sit down for a formal chat he just clammed up but after that his record is spotless, the contract was never paid out because he kept his mouth shut."

Penny's eyes narrowed.

"I have vague recollections of that case, dad was sitting with a glass of Scotch one night talking about the one who came back to say sorry but he didn't go into any specifics and I was still in high school. He was always guarded about talking shop at home because he and mum always got into an argument, she wanted to bring back the death penalty and he was defending the guys she wanted strung up."

She traced her finger around a knot in the tabletop.

"I might give dad a call tomorrow and ask the question," her eyes shifted as Danny walked down towards them along with Kathy and Melissa.