Six Ways to Sunday

by Karly Lane

  ‘Yep,’ he said, nuzzling her neck. The phone interrupted and Dan groaned when he pulled out his mobile and looked down at the screen. ‘Yes, Mum?’ he answered, sending a regretful look down at Rilee. ‘Okay, I’ll grab the extra seats as well. Yes, as soon as I finish my cuppa. Bye.’

  Rilee pulled away from his embrace and went back to clearing the breakfast dishes. ‘You better drink fast. I have a feeling that won’t be your last reminder call this morning.’

  The church service went on for what seemed an incredibly long time, and Rilee was surprised by the number of people in attendance. It was crowded and people were squeezed into the pews like sardines. Rilee concentrated on the stained-glass windows around the little church to take her mind off how hot and stuffy it was inside. She loved the way the light streamed in through the beautifully coloured glass, casting rays of reds, greens and yellows across the congregation seated inside.

  When the last hymn had been sung, Rilee stood with everyone else as the family rose from their seats and left the church. Betty was supported on either side by her brother and a younger woman Rilee assumed was her daughter. Her heart clenched at the sight of Betty dabbing her eyes with a scrunched-up tissue, her pain and sadness palpable. No matter her personal feelings towards Errol, Rilee felt the woman’s grief and she quickly wiped at a stray tear she felt falling.

  It was a welcome relief to move outside into the fresh air. People mingled in groups, and smiles and conversations replaced the sombreness of inside the church. Rilee stood beside Dan as he chatted with various people and as always the conversations centred around the usual farming topics: weather, crops, livestock and the market.

  From the corner of her eye Rilee saw Betty’s daughter disappear around the side of the church and quickly made the decision to follow her.

  She wasn’t sure what she expected Errol and Betty’s daughter to look like—a woman in her fifties maybe; after all, Betty and Errol were no spring chickens—but this woman looked to be in her late thirties. She clearly took after her mother, being somewhat short and plump, with curly black hair, and was currently digging through her handbag.

  ‘Hi,’ Rilee said as she approached, and pulled out a clean tissue. ‘Here,’ she said, holding it out.

  A flash of confusion crossed the woman’s face as she looked down at Rilee’s outstretched hand before she shook her head. ‘I don’t suppose you have a lighter?’

  ‘Umm, no. Sorry. I just assumed you were looking for a tissue.’ Being that you’re at your father’s funeral and all, she added silently, somewhat taken back by the dry-eyed woman who seemed remarkably calm.

  The woman gave a soft grunt. ‘I need a cigarette a lot more.’ She zipped up her bag with a defeated sigh before looking back at Rilee. ‘I picked a great time to quit smoking.’

  Rilee shoved the tissue back in her bag and held out her hand. ‘I’m Rilee Kincaid.’

  ‘Lisa,’ the woman said, hesitating only briefly before shaking Rilee’s hand and leaning forward slightly to add with a conspiratorial whisper, ‘the wayward daughter.’

  Rilee couldn’t help a brief smile. ‘I’m sorry about your dad.’

  Lisa brushed at her silky black top, lowering her gaze. ‘Thanks, but we weren’t close. I’m here for Mum.’

  ‘I’m sure she’s really glad to have you home. How long are you in town for?’

  ‘A few days. I can’t stay away from work too long.’

  ‘What is it you do?’

  ‘I’m a pharmacist.’

  ‘Oh.’ Rilee wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been that.

  ‘What can I say,’ Lisa shrugged. ‘It’s in the blood.’

  Rilee found herself biting the inside of her cheek as she pondered her next question. ‘Do you think you might…I mean, is there a possibility that you might take over your father’s pharmacy?’

  Lisa lifted an eyebrow at the question. ‘Leave Melbourne to move back to Pallaburra…to live?’

  Okay, clearly not a possibility then.

  ‘No, I don’t think so.’

  Rilee tried not to let her disappointment show. Betty wouldn’t be able to operate the business without a pharmacist in store. She’d have to advertise the position, but if they couldn’t get a doctor to open a practice out here, chances were they wouldn’t be able to entice a pharmacist either.

  Lisa was right. Who in their right mind would swap the lights of a big city for Pallaburra? ‘That’s a shame. The pharmacy has been in your family for a long time, I heard. The locals will be sad to see it close.’

  ‘That’s life. Things change…although not so much in Pallaburra.’

  Rilee exchanged a rather dry grimace of agreement. ‘Well, I better go and find my husband.’

  ‘Hold on…did you say Kincaid?’

  Rilee studied the woman cautiously. ‘Yes.’

  ‘I know you…the new witch doctor. My father’s words, not mine,’ she added and grinned at Rilee’s dismayed expression. ‘Oh, don’t worry, I heard all about the incident,’ she said, lowering her voice.

  ‘I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to upset him that day. I was just so…angry,’ she said apologetically. She was so going to hell for speaking ill of the dead. Errol was probably going to haunt her.

  ‘Seriously, it’s okay. Trust me, I had my fair share of stand-up arguments with the stubborn old bugger over the years. You’re preachin’ to the choir, girlfriend,’ she smiled sadly. ‘Anyway, thanks for coming today.’

  Rilee gave a sympathetic smile before waving goodbye and crossing back to Dan as he was saying his farewells. A few minutes later she spotted Lisa walking with her mother towards a navy SUV in the church parking lot. With Errol’s passing, lots of things had changed, not just for the town but for Betty and Lisa too.

  Thirty-three

  The bell above her door tinkled while Rilee was out the back making up a list of things to order.

  ‘Lisa, hello. It’s lovely to see you again,’ Rilee said once she saw who it was.

  ‘I just thought I’d drop by and take a look,’ Lisa smiled, turning to take in the shelving that housed a pretty display of natural creams and soaps. ‘Do you make all this yourself?’ she asked over her shoulder.

  ‘No, not the beauty range. They’re actually made by my mother. She has her own line of natural products. I have samples if you’d like some,’ Rilee said, getting them from behind the counter and handing them over.

  Lisa thanked her, tucking the little sachets into her small handbag. ‘Actually, I was hoping we could have a bit of a chat, if you’re not too busy? I could shout you a coffee.’

  ‘I’m run off my feet, as you can see,’ she said dryly, waving a hand around the empty waiting room. ‘I have a coffee machine out the back.’

  While Rilee prepared the coffee, Lisa surveyed the room. ‘I love what you’ve done with the place. This used to be a corner store when I was a kid. I remember buying bags of mixed lollies from a big glass display case,’ she said wistfully. ‘It never looked this classy though.’

  ‘It’s been a labour of love so far. It’s taking a while to build up the clientele.’

  Lisa gave a snort as she pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘I’m surprised you’ve done as well as you have. They’re a tough mob to crack.’

  Rilee detected an undercurrent of bitterness in the woman’s voice. ‘How long since you’ve been back here?’ she asked, placing the cup in front of Lisa.

  ‘Be close to twenty years, I suppose.’

  ‘That long?’ Rilee hadn’t meant to sound so surprised but it seemed a terribly long time without coming back to see her parents.

  Lisa’s lips twisted as she lowered her gaze to her cup. ‘My father and I had a difference of opinion. He told me not to come home until I changed my ways.’

  ‘Your ways?’

  ‘Until I decided I wasn’t gay any longer.’

  ‘Oh.’

  Lisa raised an eyebrow. ‘I thought you must have heard
by now. Wow, the gossip mill’s certainly slowed down on this one.’

  Rilee chuckled and shook her head. ‘No, I had no idea.’

  ‘Being a single woman in her forties wasn’t a giveaway?’ Lisa joked. ‘That’s the usual cliché, isn’t it?’

  ‘Maybe, although I’m pretty sure that’s not a scientifically proven method of determination. I can see how that would have been difficult with your parents.’ She couldn’t imagine Errol being supportive of something like that if his views on birth control were anything to go by.

  ‘Nope. Apparently it was too much for a God-fearing Christian to accept. I guess he and I were a little too alike when it came to being stubborn. It didn’t matter, I couldn’t wait to leave this place back then,’ she said, tracing her fingernail around the top of her cup thoughtfully. ‘It wasn’t the kind of town where you could be different and be accepted…if you know what I mean.’

  ‘What about your mum?’

  ‘She’s okay with it now,’ Lisa said, ‘and when I say okay, I mean as long as we don’t mention it.’ She gave a half-smile. ‘She chooses to believe I’m a spinster. But at least she didn’t cut me out of her life the way Dad did.’

  ‘So you left and never came back?’

  ‘I came back once. I don’t know why I thought he’d have changed his mind. I tried for Mum’s sake…Anyway, no huge loss. I haven’t missed this town at all. Mum would come down to the city to visit occasionally. She’d tell him it was a shopping trip. He knew what she was doing, but I guess he chose to ignore it to keep the peace. Big of him, huh?’

  ‘I think it’s sad,’ Rilee said softly. ‘He wasted all those years just because he wouldn’t accept that you were gay.’ How did a parent even do that?

  Lisa gave a half-hearted shrug. Somehow Rilee suspected she wasn’t as unaffected as she’d like people to believe. ‘Anyway, I’ve been thinking about what you said at the funeral…about taking over the pharmacy. Mum wants me to, and with Dad gone, I don’t know, I feel as though she might need me around for a bit. I guess it can’t hurt to keep it open for a while and see how things go.’

  ‘Really?’ Rilee felt herself gaping at the other woman, unsure she’d heard her correctly.

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘Lisa, that’s fantastic news,’ she said, slightly floored by the sudden announcement.

  ‘I know about Dad’s stance on contraception and the morning-after pill,’ she said, looking up at Rilee. ‘I wanted to let you know that I’m not of the same beliefs, in case you had any concerns.’

  ‘You have no idea how much of a relief it is to hear that.’ Rilee hesitated briefly. ‘Actually, I’m wondering if you’d like to be involved in a new initiative I’m trying to get up and running. I’m working with a youth program to bring health services and counsellors to town, and I think with your experience, you’d be a huge asset.’

  Rilee spent the next hour showing Lisa her plans and filling her in on everything she hoped to achieve, and by the end she could see there was a distinct gleam of interest in the other woman’s eyes.

  ‘I wish there’d been something like this out here when I was a kid,’ she said solemnly. ‘I think this is a brilliant idea. I’d be happy to help where I can.’

  The two women clinked coffee cups in celebration and Rilee sat back in her chair with a satisfied smile. With Lisa on board, the plan seemed that much closer to becoming a reality. Finally, she thought, things were beginning to look up.

  A week later Rilee sat down at her desk to check her emails when her gaze latched onto the name of the Kincaid family doctor. They’d struck up a good working partnership, especially seeing as Jacob was a difficult man to pin down—even more so when he was avoiding the doctor’s calls. Rilee had been working as the middle man and the arrangement was surprisingly successful. His GP had already run one blood test and examination and found that there was something to be concerned about and was following up with a second blood test. Rilee’s fingers hovered apprehensively over the keyboard before she hit enter and waited for the email to open.

  After a quick scan of the letter, she opened the attached pathology reports and read over them carefully. She’d been hoping the results would indicate something simple since there were many treatable ailments in men of his age caused by declining testosterone and other hormone levels. Deep down, though, she’d known it was something more serious.

  She picked up the phone and waited for it to be answered on the other end.

  ‘Kincaid.’

  ‘Jacob, it’s Rilee.’

  There was silence, and then a sigh of resignation. ‘You got the results back, I take it.’

  ‘Can you come into the clinic sometime today or would you rather I saw you at home?’

  ‘Just tell me now.’

  Normally she’d prefer to discuss things like this face to face, but Jacob wasn’t a normal client. ‘Your doctor is requesting a biopsy. But,’ she added quickly, ‘this is good. There’s still a chance that a biopsy will reveal the growth is benign, but even if it’s not, it’s early stages, which is good news.’

  Jacob snorted. ‘I’d hate to hear what you think is bad news then, girl.’

  ‘I know cancer is a scary word, but out of all the cancers you could have, prostate is one of the very few we have successful treatments for, and we’ve caught it in the early stages, which means it can be treated and managed.’

  ‘What’s involved?’

  ‘Well, your doctor will be calling you soon to explain this all to you, so answer the damn phone, okay? He’ll be referring you to an oncologist who will organise a treatment protocol for you. He’s happy to liaise with me if you still want that. I can provide a variety of supplements to complement the drug protocol from your specialist.’

  ‘So I’ll have to take another trip to the city then?’

  ‘You’ll probably be taking regular trips for a while,’ she said gently. ‘You’ll have to tell Ellen and Dan. You’re going to need their support with this.’

  ‘No. Not yet.’

  ‘Jacob, how are you going to explain taking so many trips to Sydney? It’s not going to be practical to do this alone.’

  ‘I’m not doing it alone. You’re supposed to be helping me.’

  ‘I am helping you. But you still have to be treated by an oncologist. I don’t see how you will be able to hide that, or why you’d want to, for that matter.’

  ‘Because Ellen will only nag. I can fly down and do what I have to do and fly home without causing all the drama and stress.’

  ‘They’re your family, Jacob. They’ll want to know what’s going on. Besides, you may not be able to fly yourself home after a treatment. You’re going to need Dan at least for that.’

  ‘I’ll manage.’

  The man was so damn stubborn. ‘Okay,’ she sighed. ‘We’ll wait until you’ve spoken with the doctor, then we’ll be in a better position to work out the details. In the meantime, I can start you on some supplements to boost your testosterone and help with some of those symptoms of yours.’

  ‘Just remember the deal. This is between you and me.’

  Rilee opened her mouth to warn him it wasn’t a good idea, but heard the beeping of a disconnected call and bit back a sharp curse as she hung up the phone.

  ‘Small victories,’ she muttered quietly. With Jacob Kincaid, that was all she could hope for.

  Thirty-four

  Rilee let out a short, impatient huff as she stared at the schedule book and her nonexistent appointments. She couldn’t understand it. She’d tried everything: the free samples, the mini consultation, the flyers, and still there was no show of clients. She knew damn well this town was full of potential ailments she could treat, but no one was giving her the chance. Last night she’d made a serious decision: she was giving herself a deadline of six more weeks. After that she couldn’t justify flushing her hard-earned money down the drain in wasted rent when she wasn’t generating enough business to pay for it.

  Rilee looked up when th
e screen door opened and her mother-in-law stormed into the kitchen. Clearly this was not going to be a social visit.

  ‘I want to know what’s going on, and don’t deny it. I’ve been watching you two. What have you been giving him?’

  ‘First of all, you could actually try knocking before you come in. This is my home. And, secondly, I can’t and won’t answer any of your questions about client matters. If you want answers, you’ll have to ask your husband.’

  ‘You think I haven’t?’ The tightness of the older woman’s expression would have been cold if it weren’t for the slight shimmer of tears in her eyes. Rilee felt her irritation slip a notch.

  ‘I’m sorry, Ellen.’

  ‘You’re not sorry!’ she snapped. ‘You’re practising this naturopathy stuff on him and I demand to know why.’

  ‘There’s nothing I can say.’

  ‘I am his wife,’ she declared, clearly outraged that Rilee refused to discuss the matter.

  Rilee crossed to the door and held it open. ‘Then go and act like one. Talk to your husband.’ At any other time, the stunned look on her mother-in-law’s face would have been priceless.

  Rilee closed the door behind Ellen and realised that her hands were shaking. Oh God, what had she done? Ellen wasn’t a woman you kicked out of your house without there being some kind of fallout.

  The next day, as Rilee headed down the driveway on her way to work, she found Jacob leaning against the side of his four-wheel drive and she slowed down to a stop beside him.

  ‘Everything okay?’ she asked, watching his stern face staring into the distance behind her.

  ‘Ellen wants to know what’s going on. Tell her,’ he said before getting back behind the wheel.

  Rilee watched as he drove off. ‘Thanks, Rilee. If you wouldn’t mind, Rilee,’ she muttered. Would it hurt to say please? She had to admit, though, that she was relieved she wouldn’t have to stonewall Ellen again. Despite being annoyed by his blunt demand, a bud of optimism began to unfurl inside her chest. This might be the new beginning for her in-laws she’d been hoping for. It was a baby step, but a step nonetheless. She cranked up the radio and sang along to the music as she headed into the clinic.