Right As Rain by Tricia Stringer Page B

good to be here with her sisters, even if it had been a rush. Caroline lived closer and had come to visit after Lyle’s first stay in hospital, but she’d only spoken to Marion on the phone. Usually they lunched together once a month, but the last two lunches had been cancelled due to Marion’s urgent dash to babysit grandchildren in Melbourne and then Lyle’s illness.
    A waitress appeared at their table.
    â€œI ordered us a pot of tea to share,” Caroline said as the young woman set out cups. “They make such delicate brews here.”
    Once the tea was poured Marion asked after Lyle again.
    â€œHe’s been improving every day since they put in another stent. It seems to have done the trick.” Louise could think about her husband’s brush with death calmly now. Although she did still panic easily if he wasn’t where she expected him to be. “This morning he wanted to draft some lambs for market, that’s why I’m late. He needed a hand.”
    â€œI thought Mackenna and Patrick were home?” Caroline said.
    â€œAnd didn’t you employ a working man?” Marion added.
    â€œEven with all of them, we have days when there’s not enough people for the jobs to be done,” Louise said. “I’m sure the sheep could have been shifted later when one of the others returned but you know men, they want everything done yesterday. It’s a sign Lyle’s feeling better, though. A week ago he would have left them to it.”
    â€œAlfred was like that after his gall bladder op.” Marion tapped her neatly manicured nails on the table. “Nothing to show for it on the outside and after a week I had the devil of a job to keep him resting.”
    Louise and Caroline smiled at each other. Alfred was a chemist and these days only worked a couple of days a week. The most physical work he did was swinging a golf club or tending his rose garden.
    â€œYou’ve been so brave, Lou.” Marion patted her hand. “I am sure I’d go to pieces if I’d found Alfred having a heart attack. How did you know what to do?”
    â€œSomehow my first aid kicked in and the ambulance crew were fantastic.”
    â€œIt took them a while to reach you, though,” Marion said. “It must have been terrible on your own.”
    Flashbacks of that evening flitted through Louise’s mind. It didn’t seem real now that Lyle was on the mend. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I was terrified.”
    Her sisters took a hand each and gripped firmly. Tears threatened and she had to pull away to rummage for a hanky.
    â€œSorry,” she said. “I try not to think about it too much.”
    â€œDon’t be sorry.” Marion gave her back a gentle pat. “It’s been a tough time. We’ve all been so worried about you both.”
    Louise took a sip of her tea. “Let’s talk about something else,” she said.
    â€œI have some exciting news,” Caroline said. “Jade is having another baby.”
    â€œThat’s wonderful,” Louise said. “When is she due?”
    â€œNot till October.”
    â€œYou’ll be catching me in the grandmother stakes,” Marion said. “It’ll be lovely to have another baby in the family. We’ve had a bit of a gap.”
    Marion gave Louise a quick smile then picked up her phone to show the latest pictures of her grandchildren. The smile wasn’t pitying, but that was the message it conveyed. Poor little sister Louise was missing out on grandchildren. Marion had two sons and then a daughter who was Mackenna’s age. The three of them had two children each. Caroline had Jade, who was now expecting baby number three and a son younger than Mackenna, who had two children.
    Louise looked at the sweet little faces smiling from the screens as her sisters flicked through their photos and felt a pang of envy. Neither of her children had partners. She was