

# White Tulips

# &

# Wedding Cake

## White Tulips & Wedding Cake

## By Jonathan Solomon

Copyright © Jonathan Solomon 2017

This book is copyright. All rights reserved. Except for private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Australian _Copyright Act_ (1968) as amended, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

First published in 2017 by

Jonathan Solomon (self-published)

PO Box 67

Thornleigh NSW 2122

Australia

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Creator: Solomon, Jonathan, 1983- author

Title: White tulips & wedding cake / Jonathan Solomon

ISBN: 9780646975603 (paperback)

9780646974798 (ebook)

Subjects: Same-sex marriage--Fiction.

Book Design by Stu Flynn, Advert Ideas.

### Note to Readers

This novel is a work of fiction. At the time of writing (July 2017) same-sex weddings were not legal in Australia. This novel takes as its premise that same-sex marriage is legal in Australia. Again, this novel is a work of fiction with the author utilising an over-active imagination and a way with words. All characters and events are fictitious and figments of the author's imagination.

Saturday, 15 September – 3:35 pm

There was a stunned silence.

"No, this cannot be happening!" agonised Daisy. "In all my time as venue manager of _Orange Blossoms Vineyard_ , this has never happened. Not once on my watch."

Daisy continued to look aghast. She kept looking up and down. Up at the newly married couple Anthony and Heath. Standing behind the newlyweds were six grooms-maids, Rosie, Orchid, Yasmin, Gardenia, Blossom and Violet. Each grooms-maid wore a shimmering goddess dress in each distinctive colour of the rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. The grooms had their mums standing by their sides, Camille and Jonquil. They were both wearing sharp and stylish tuxedos. The floral designer Iris and her assistant son, Ollie, were standing nearby, as well as the wedding photographer, Jean-Paul.

The heavy silence continued.

And they looked down. Down at the sight that beheld them. Once, only five minutes before, the wedding cake had stood on a vintage wine barrel. The cake, a white one-metre-tall six-tiered edible structure, coated lavishly with a floral freefall of roses in rainbow colours, was now a crumpled mess on the wooden floor of the cavernous vineyard reception hall.

Daisy looked at the dismembered cake on the ground as if debating whether to accept the reality of the situation.

"No, this just did not happen!" yelled Daisy. "I will find the perpetrator who did this."

Daisy shook with rage and stared at each of the faces in the group before her. Then they all looked back at what used to be a wedding cake.

### Chapter 1

Six Months Previously

Friday, 16 March – 8:54 pm

Iris Windmill trudged up and up the concrete steps, mustering the energy to move her leaden legs to her unit. Iris and her only child, Ollie, lived in a unit in a plain-bricked building in Penrith. A 1960s-built bland block, which had no lifts. Iris was carrying shopping bags, brimming with essential items, and holding the mail in her left hand. She was relieved to finally reach the landing of the fourth level. She let herself in and carefully lowered the shopping bags onto the tiled floor.

Iris closed the front door behind her, turned on the lights and placed her handbag, the mail and keys on the table near the front door. She looked up into the mirror above the table and saw her miserable round face stare back at her. Her short curly brown hair looked flat, limp and tired. She could also see her mouth turning downwards. She was 52 years old and still working in the same job at Flowering Fusion Studio in Bexley or FFS as she liked to call the business. She had to wake up at the unfriendly hour of 5:00 am in order to get ready to purchase flowers wholesale at the Sydney Flower Market in Flemington. From Monday to Friday, Iris was required to bring the newly purchased flowers back to FFS. She was the very definition of sleep deprivation. She could not stand her cranky and moody boss, who was also the florist shop owner. Often Iris was made to stay back on unpaid time to help finish several urgent flower orders. Thank goodness it was Friday.

Walking over to the tiny kitchen, Iris put the water on to boil. Iris knew exactly what would calm down her nerves. Yes, it was the ever-reliable chamomile tea. She reached up into the overhead cupboards and felt around for the box of chamomile tea bags. Her stomach lurched. The box of chamomile tea felt empty. _No, no, don't be empty_ , Iris thought. She shook the small box but no teabags were inside. Tears started to fill up in her eyes and she angrily threw the box down on the kitchen floor.

Iris then remembered the mail and walked back to the table. She saw that the first letter was from the electricity company. She opened the envelope and saw the outstanding amount. Iris made a choking sound as she covered her mouth in disbelief. Having double-checked the figures, she placed the bill back on the table in resignation.

She walked sluggishly over to the lounge room and sank heavily into the fraying, brown two-seater sofa. She normally did not like to cry openly, either in public or in private, but right at this very moment life sucked. She had little savings. She was still renting. She hated going to work. The pain of losing her husband five years ago still stung. Iris let the tears flow down her cheekbones, feeling the wet tracks slide across her dry skin. She closed her eyes.

But she still had Ollie. Her 27-year-old handsome son. Ollie would now be working in his shift at a Balmain pub as a bartender. They rarely saw each other during the week due to their different working hours. They kept in touch through text messages or notes written on the fridge door. It was really only on the weekends that they were able to have a proper face-to-face conversation.

The tears were wiped away and Iris got up to unpack the shopping bags, slowly allocating each shopping item to their respective storage areas in the kitchen. A muffled ringtone sung out. Iris's heart stopped momentarily. _Please don't be the boss, please do not be the boss,_ Iris thought frantically. She had enough of Dahlia Knight-Shade for the week. Actually, more like for the rest of the year. Or forever. Yes, that would be an accurate assessment of their working, or more fittingly, not-working relationship.

Iris faced the mirror as she rummaged in her handbag for her mobile phone. She noticed her mascara had spider-webbed under her eyes. She glanced at the mobile phone's screen and a wave of relief released through her body. It was her mother, Gladys, calling.

"Hi Mum," Iris answered, accepting the call.

"Hi darling. How are you? Am I calling at a bad time?" asked Gladys.

"No, not at all. I've just come back home and have packed all the shopping away. So, how am I? Good question," said Iris, struggling to sound cheerful.

"Iris, you know what I keep saying. You need to get out more and try to find..."

"Another husband," Iris completed the sentence.

"Yes," Gladys paused at the other end of the line.

"Well, I haven't found him yet. I've been really busy with work and making sure Ollie is being looked after. And I'm trying to catch up on my sleep. I haven't had time to do much else," said Iris.

"Have a better life, Iris. You know you don't have to stay in Sydney. You could move back to Grafton and live with me. The house is all paid off and there are spare bedrooms for both you and Ollie. You could live rent-free and I'd help with the cooking and shopping," offered Gladys.

"Thank you, Mum, but we've been through this countless times before. My life is in Sydney. Sydney is where I had my life with..." Iris's voice faltered.

"With Roddy," finished Gladys.

Iris did not say anything.

"Well, I just wanted to call and say I have some sad news," said Gladys quietly. Iris's head swam slightly. She had had enough of sad and bad news. She needed a high dose of good news more than anything at this point in time.

"Go on," Iris murmured.

"It's about my brother," said Gladys. "Your uncle, Jack."

"Jack?" said Iris. "I haven't heard much about Jack for a while. He moved to France didn't he?"

"Yes, that's right. I don't know if you remember him," said Gladys.

"I vaguely remember meeting him. Let me think when this was. It would have been some time back in the early seventies," guessed Iris.

"Yes, that's him. Well, he passed away a few months ago," announced Gladys.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Mum. Was it a peaceful passing?" asked Iris.

"Apparently he passed away in his sleep. He was seventy-six," said Gladys.

"So you're an only child now," said Iris as she leaned against the front door for support.

"Yes, an orphan," Gladys said. "Well, that's the reason for my phone call."

"Mum, did you have a close bond with Jack?" asked Iris.

"We weren't particularly close. He did visit us when you were growing up and he did come up for a few Christmases. But you were very young. Jack left Australia for Paris, was it 1973? I remember it was after Labor came into power. Yes, it was 1973," Gladys paused. "The last time we saw Jack was at Sydney airport, for Easter. You must have only been about seven when Jack left for overseas."

"When I was seven? Can you believe that was over forty years ago?" Iris said. "I remember vaguely that he wore trendy waistcoats. I think you also told me Jack left Grafton for Sydney when he was 17 and you sort of never forgave him."

"Yes, he left home at 17 but I didn't begrudge him that badly. Well, not anymore anyway. He knew what he wanted and he went for it. In a way he always sought out to find happiness. His happiness," said Gladys. "Well, this news got me looking at my photo albums. And I can see quite a few photos with you and Jack. You both look so happy and delighted to be in each other's company. Oh, and there's the ice-cream photos. I don't think I recall seeing him look as happy as he was when he was with you."

"Mum, do you mind sending me a copy of those photos?" asked Iris.

"Sure darling, I'll try to get the copies posted to you in the next few weeks."

"Thanks Mum. Was there a funeral in Paris?" queried Iris.

"Not that I know of. Jack's Australian solicitors contacted me as next of kin. It seems that Jack was in a hospice being cared for by professional nurses. I was told he did not have a partner or any children at the time. He must have decided to live a quiet life."

"That's sad," opined Iris.

"Well, you know I'm still here in Grafton if you ever change your mind and want to live with me," reminded Gladys.

"Thank you, Mum. I will keep that in my mind."

"Well Iris, you look after yourself. Who knows, one day you might be surprised. Have a good night dear," said Gladys and with that she hung up.

One day she might be surprised? Iris was not sure what her mother was talking about. What was there be to be surprised about? Iris could not stand surprises. There was something ambiguous about surprises. You never really knew if they were going to bring good or bad news.

Iris placed her mobile phone back into her handbag and returned to the sofa where she soon fell into a deep sleep.

### Chapter 2

Saturday, 7 April – 11.09 am

Ollie was in the kitchen making blueberry pancakes in his blue singlet and black boxer briefs. The smell of pancakes floated throughout the small unit, spreading its aroma like an enthusiastic hug.

"Mum, are you up?" called out Ollie. He glanced at the clock above the sofa and saw that it was 11.10 AM. He knew his mum liked to sleep in on a Saturday morning. His mum lived for Saturday mornings.

"Yes, I'll be there in a minute," said Iris from her bedroom.

Ollie used the spatula to flip the pancakes over, the thick mixture slowly hardening into a golden brown. He waited patiently for the pancakes to form but with fixed eyes on the fry-pan to avoid any burnt pancakes.

"Mmm, smells delicious, as always," said Iris as she walked into the kitchen, wearing an oversized T-shirt and tracksuit pants. She rubbed her eyes and then stared, perhaps for a moment too long, at Ollie. Ollie, as a man, held certain features that reminded her heart-achingly of Roddy. Ollie had the caramel-coloured hair, the warm brown eyes, the well-rounded shoulder blades, the unmistakable forehead and the distinctive square jaw of his father. Iris soon distracted herself as she went searching for the bottle of maple syrup.

"It's all good, Mum. You relax now and I'll bring the pancakes over to the dining table," persuaded Ollie.

The small dining table seated four people and was positioned in the lounge room along with the sofa. Iris slowly sat herself down at the dining table and started fidgeting with her fingers. She still wore her wedding ring. Iris looked out through the glass doors, which connected the lounge room to the small balcony.

"The weather looks nice. Maybe we should do something together today, unless you have plans," said Iris.

"Mum, I'm free this afternoon. I have no plans. I'm still single, you know that," said Ollie quietly. "I don't have that special someone to make plans with."

"You never know. You could be bartending at that pub and someone gets your full and undivided attention," suggested Iris.

"Mum, you know I'm not ready for another relationship."

"Neither am I," sighed Iris.

"I'll let you know when I'm ready. That is, when I'm ready to have my heart torn apart, kicked, and trodden on," said Ollie.

"Ollie, you're way too serious," said Iris with concern on her face.

Ollie shrugged and walked over to the dining table with the plate of pancakes, two spare plates and cutlery in his hands.

"Mum, I think you're the one that needs to go out and date. I am fine with you dating other guys. You don't need my permission," said Ollie as he sat down next to Iris at the dining table.

"Have you heard back from...?" Iris asked tentatively.

"Mum, we broke up over three years ago. It's over! He doesn't want me. He's probably found my replacement by now," said Ollie as he placed a few pancakes on Iris's plate.

"But Ollie, you don't act like it's over," said Iris as she put her left hand over Ollie's right hand. "Well... at least we both have our appetites back."

"Yes, let's enjoy the pancakes," said Ollie cheering up a little. "Oh, I'm just going to grab the maple syrup."

Ollie got up from the chair but stopped moving as he detected a sound.

"Mum, I think can hear your phone ringing," said Ollie.

Iris arched her ear. Yes, it was her phone ringing. She got up and went to her shoebox of a bedroom. She found her handbag and extracted her phone. It was an unfamiliar phone number. Should she answer or let it go straight to voice message. Iris put the phone tentatively to her ear. At least it was not her boss's number.

"Good morning?" answered Iris uncertainly.

"Good morning! May I speak to Iris Windmill?" asked a female voice.

"Yes, speaking."

"Hello Iris, how are you?" asked the woman.

"Not too bad."

"That's good. My name is Sakura Tsubaki and I am calling on behalf of Foxglove Mimosa Snowdrop Lawyers. I am a solicitor who specialises in wills and estates as well as commercial realty. Are you available for a chat?"

"Yes, sure," said Iris as she sat down on her unmade bed. She reached across for a pillow to hold against her stomach. Ollie then peered in through the bedroom doorway. Iris pointed at her phone and Ollie nodded his head and returned to the lounge area.

"So first of all, just letting you know that I obtained your mobile phone number directly from your mother," advised Sakura.

"My mother?"

"Yes, I'm managing the deceased estate of Jack Gardner, your mother's brother and your uncle," confirmed Sakura.

"Oh yes," said Iris as she massaged her forehead. "My mother told me the news."

"Well, are you available to come into my office for more details? I have a few things I need to disclose to you and it would be best to do this face-to-face. Is today possible? Sometime this afternoon perhaps? I apologise for such short notice," said Sakura.

"That shouldn't be an issue," said Iris. "Where is your office based?"

"The firm is in the city. Is 2 pm today all right with you?

"Yes, that's sounds good," said Iris. "Can I bring my son along?"

"Yes, you can. Oh, and if you could bring a passport and identification information that would be great," said Sakura.

Iris swallowed, thinking about the overseas trips she had with Roddy and Ollie.

"Yes, that should work out," said Iris.

"Thank you, Iris. I will text you the office's address and I look forward to meeting you in person today."

"Thank you, Sakura."

"See you soon, Iris," said Sakura before hanging up.

Iris put the pillow across her head and lay back on the mattress.

***

Ollie had finished eating his pancakes and was worried that his mum's serving was getting cold. He hoped the phone call was not about her work. He knew that she could not stand her boss Dahlia. He listened patiently to the struggles, battles and tribulations she experienced at Flowering Fusion Studio. It was _"Dahlia spoke rudely to me"_ , _"Dahlia gave me the silent treatment"_ or _"Dahlia put me down in front of a customer"_. Ollie had suggested she find another job but she seemed reluctant to leave. He remembered her saying it took her eight months to find her current job and she never wanted to go back to being unemployed, even if for a shorter period of time. Currently, Iris needed a full-time position in order to stay in Sydney since Roddy passed away.

Iris walked slowly back to the dining table.

"I just had the strangest phone call," she said.

"Was it about work?" asked Ollie.

"No."

"Well that's good news!" said Ollie in a happy tone.

"That call was from a lawyer, actually. A lawyer managing my uncle Jack's estate."

"The one who passed away in Paris?"

"Yes. The lawyer, Sakura, is her name, wants to meet me today in the CBD," said Iris as a burst of cacophonic sounds came from the phone in her hand.

"That will be the address of the law firm's office," Iris said as she looked down at the phone's screen. "She said she could meet us at 2 pm. And you're coming with me."

"I'm your support person now am I?" said Ollie.

"Ollie, you know how I hate surprises. I hate news coming out of the blue."

"Of course you don't like surprises," said Ollie.

"We'll need to look our best. You'll need to wear your suit," said Iris looking up at Ollie.

"My suit?"

"Yes. Who knows what this meeting could mean," said Iris.

"Okay, but have your pancakes first," Ollie prompted.

"I probably should eat if I have an unusual day ahead," said Iris. She picked up her fork with trepidation and started to eat.

### Chapter 3

Saturday, 7 April – 1:45 pm

Iris and Ollie were sitting in a colourfully-graffitied and dirty train carriage rattling towards Town Hall station. They were the best-dressed people in the carriage. Ollie was wearing a black business suit with a crisp white shirt and thin black tie. Iris was wearing a dress that had not been worn in public for over ten years. It was a long-sleeved black velvet dress that had a low cut neckline, which Iris only discovered as she used her public transport card to enter Penrith train station. People had been looking at her and when she looked down to her ample cleavage on show, she now knew why.

"We're looking glamorous aren't we?" said Ollie.

"I should have worn a blouse underneath," said Iris with a frown. "At least my scarf sort of covers me."

"Relax! You look really nice," complimented Ollie.

"Next stop, Town Hall," the train's automated voice service stated.

"This is where we get off," said Iris as she got to her feet, which were getting used to the sensation of being in high heels.

Ollie got up to stand and they both made their way to exit the carriage, along with the tourists, bored teenagers, and grandparents babysitting their grandchildren.

Iris and Ollie walked up the Town Hall station stairs and walked over to Park Street and headed towards Elizabeth Street to the building where the law firm was located.

"This is the building," said Iris said as they walked into the foyer of a skyscraper.

"Luxury!" said Ollie in awe.

"I'll just text Sakura that we're here," said Iris as she located her phone in her handbag.

"Excuse me, are you Iris Windmill?" asked a Japanese woman as she approached Iris and Ollie. She was in her late thirties. She wore silver-framed spectacles, a charcoal-grey business suit and pointed high heels. She was also carrying a leather folder.

"Yes, I'm Iris, and you must be Sakura."

"Yes, that's me," said Sakura. She gave a slight bow and put her hand out for a handshake and Iris shook Sakura's hand. Sakura turned her attention to the young man standing next to Iris.

"This is my son, Oleander," introduced Iris.

"Everyone calls me Ollie," said Ollie as he shook hands with Sakura.

"Nice to meet you, Ollie," Sakura said. "Well, I've organised a taxi to take us to our destination."

"Our destination?" asked Iris. "Why? Where are we going?"

"Yes, I will explain everything once we arrive at the required destination. There's our taxi," said Sakura as she pointed outside the foyer's huge windows.

The trio walked out of the marble foyer, onto the pavement on Park Street and into the waiting taxi.

"So, where are we going?" asked Iris as she clipped in her seatbelt.

"Paddington, towards Centennial Park," informed Sakura.

"Oh, that's a posh area," stated Iris. "And it's right next door to Darlinghurst." Iris good-naturedly nudged Ollie.

"Yeah," Ollie said with hesitation. The taxi was now moving onto Oxford Street and already a flood of memories were rushing back into Ollie's consciousness. There were strobe lights, thumping bass music, beautiful drag queens, the friendly show host Victoria, and sweaty dancing bodies. He diverted his eyes away from the passenger window and looked down at his shoes.

Iris was looking out the window as the shops and the general public zoomed by. There was a whole array of different stores including restaurants, fashion and wig stores, travel agencies, bookshops and bars. However, it was clear to Iris that there were a lot of vacant stores, with "For Lease" signs plastered over shopfront windows.

The taxi passed Taylor Square and continued up to Victoria Barracks.

"So, we must be in Paddington now," Iris said as the taxi stopped at a set of traffic lights near the library.

"Yes, that's correct. We are almost at our destination," said Sakura.

The taxi drove for an extra minute after passing the Reservoir Gardens before coming to a complete stop, across the road from a primary school. Sakura pointed to the taxi driver to stop at a certain section ahead. The taxi slowed down before coming to a complete stop.

"Enjoy your day," said the taxi driver with a Lancashire accent.

"You too," said Iris. She and Ollie exited the taxi whilst Sakura arranged payment of the taxi.

"This is like being on a treasure hunt," said Ollie.

"I know! Today's been a very bizarre day, so far," said Iris as she placed a loose curly hair behind her ear.

Sakura waved off the taxi and walked up to Iris and Ollie. She opened up her leather folder.

"I'm just getting the keys," said Sakura as she started walking towards the more exclusive pocket of the suburb.

"The keys for what?" said Iris in surprise. _Is it for lockable furniture? Is it for a car? Or even for a house?_ thought Iris.

"You'll find out very soon!" said Sakura as she walked to her intended location.

Iris and Ollie walked behind Sakura, passing an aquarium store, an antique store and a beauty parlour until Sakura stopped abruptly in front of a vacant art deco commercial building with a raised step. There were two sets of doors in the middle and there were large curved and dusty windows, covered with newspapers. Sakura looked closely at the collection of keys before she found the appropriate key and opened the door into the left vacant store space. They all walked in and were met with a musty smell of sawdust, disuse and emptiness. Walking over to the switch, Sakura turned the lights on, which blinked intermittently into life, and then walked back to lock the store's front door behind them.

Iris reached for Ollie's arm and held on tightly, becoming very nervous. There were high ceilings with beautiful ornate detailing and cornices. She could see a set of stairs going upwards at the back of the store.

"Now we can get down to business. I'm so sorry for keeping you in suspense! So, the news I have been authorised to tell you is that your deceased uncle, Jack Gardner, owned this commercial building, which contains two store spaces and an upstairs living area. We are standing in the left-side store area and there is also the identical right-side store space next door. Iris, you have been named the sole beneficiary of this building!" Sakura announced.

Iris became speechless. Ollie looked thrilled at the news.

"Are you serious?" said Iris when she finally found her voice. "You're telling me that this building now belongs to me?"

"Yes, that's correct. This building was built in 1935 and leased out to various businesses. Currently, both spaces have been vacant for around ten years. This particular space used to be a butcher shop, whereas next door used to be a restaurant. The space we are standing in also has a cold room. And the space next door has an industrial kitchen. Of course, it's up to you if you want to keep this building to rent it out to businesses or even sell if you wish. Of course, you don't have to make any decisions right now," said Sakura.

"But how did Jack obtain this building?" Iris wondered out loud.

"According to property data Jack settled the purchase of this building in 1973 for $75,000. I can tell you with full confidence that this building's value has soared considerably since 1973," assured Sakura.

Iris was speechless again, still clinging onto Ollie's arms. Ollie was looking amused at the news.

"Would you like me to give you a full tour of both spaces?" asked Sakura. Iris nodded her head.

"As you can see, each store has quite a large glass storefront to allow exhibition of sale items. Although the street is not what it once was, there is a lot of potential here for the right business," said Sakura.

Sakura guided Iris and Ollie to the back area where a separate cold room was viewed, as well as a small bathroom. Iris and Ollie were taken up a few creaking steps to the top level to see the large open space, which had walled-off areas for a kitchen and a bathroom. Private access was only available through the left-hand store.

A tour was then given of the former restaurant space. The industrial kitchen was out in the open so you could see it from outside the window, and as soon as you walked inside.

"That's the tour of both these store spaces," said Sakura in the industrial kitchen.

"I'm so overwhelmed, Sakura," said Iris.

"But that's not all," said Sakura.

"What?" said Iris in confusion.

"In addition to this building, Jack also left $500,000 to you," announced Sakura.

"This is insane!" Iris said and started walking around in small circles. "I can't believe this is happening."

Iris was now shaking and Ollie took her hand as they followed Sakura out of the former restaurant space and onto the pavement.

"After you've had some thought, let me know your decision about what you would like to do with this building. If you would like to retain it, I can brief you on the running costs and documents that need to be signed. With probate already granted and no contests, this estate is ready for handover," said Sakura. "I will ask you to return with me to my office so I can verify your identity and obtain your bank account details to make the bank transfer."

"Yes, I've brought all my documentation," Iris said pointing to her handbag. "But how did my uncle get $75,000 in 1973? Mum said they grew up in a very modest home."

"I'm not sure I have that information. What I can tell you though is that the building was held solely in Jack Gardner's name," said Sakura.

"But then my uncle left Australia in that same year - 1973," said Iris. "In any event, that's for me to find out. My homework, if you like."

Sakura smiled as she locked up the restaurant space and started calling on her mobile to book a taxi back to her office. Behind Sakura, Iris and Ollie smiled.

### Chapter 4

Saturday, 7 April – 3:15 pm

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you're making it out to be," said Heath as he and Anthony were walking along Hickson Road towards a café near the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Walsh Bay. Heath and Anthony had stopped by the piers to look out at the sparkling water in Sydney Harbour. They were a couple in their forties and had dark brown hair and beards. They were on a special mission today.

"You've never met her," said Anthony with a worried expression as he touched his brown beard. "Why did I even think this was a good idea in the first place?"

"Because, I'm about to become part of your family, Anthony? Remember?" teased Heath.

"You shouldn't have proposed to me," said Anthony.

"You shouldn't have said yes," said Heath.

Their faces broke out in smiles and they held hands in appreciation of each other. Yet, the happy expression did not last for long on Anthony's face.

"Heath, I'm worried that you meeting my mother might scare you away," said Anthony.

"Anthony, I love you so much. Nothing will change my mind. Not even your mother. Although, I think you're exaggerating about her personality. Anyway, it's over a cup of coffee. A harmless cup of coffee," said Heath. "Let's enjoy this special moment ourselves."

A ferry honked its way across Sydney Harbour. A gaggle of teenage girls wearing oversized jumpers and ballet tights giggled past Anthony and Heath as they left their dance classes. Shirtless joggers were making their way through the piers. Power-walking couples were out and about with their dogs.

Anthony and Heath resumed walking towards the café that Anthony had chosen to introduce his fiancé to his mother for the first time. They walked past theatres, art installations, Italian bars, and under walkways. They finally came across the café, _Smell the Coffee_.

A beautiful Thai girl wearing a starched white shirt and black apron smiled at Anthony and Heath as they arrived.

"We have a reservation for Anthony. A table for three, please," said Anthony.

"Sure, please come this way," said the waitress leading Anthony and Heath to sit at the front of the café.

"Thank you," said Heath as they both sat down. They had a good view of the people walking by as well as the cars travelling slowly along Hickson Road.

Anthony was starting to take deep breaths and was pressing his hands against the sides of his dark blue denim jeans.

"Anthony, stop hyperventilating," said Heath slapping his hand on Anthony's thigh. "It'll all be fine. No matter what your mum says, I'll stand by you. That's right. I'm going to stand by my man."

"That's her," said Anthony as he nodded his head towards the other side of Hickson Road.

"Where?" asked Heath.

A red Audi had reversed parked into an available parking spot. Out of the driver's door stepped a dignified, elegant and tall woman in her mid-70s. She wore a striped black and white tweed pantsuit. She was wearing large bug-eyed sunglasses and her white hair was pulled back tightly into a ponytail. The woman looked to both sides and when it was safe to do so, crossed the road towards the café.

Anthony stood up in anticipation and the woman stopped as she arrived, and stared at Anthony before glancing at Heath.

"Hi Anthony," said Camille. "I thought I was having a drink with you. Alone. Who's this?"

"This is, uh, Heath," said Anthony as Heath stepped forward to give Camille a kiss on the cheek.

"What on earth are you doing?" said Camille as she stepped back to escape Heath's warmth.

"I just wanted to say it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I'm Heath. I've heard so much about you," said Heath.

"Anthony, can you explain what's going on here?" said Camille as she took off her sunglasses to reveal very steely grey-blue eyes.

The waitress had come back to the table and had menus in her hand.

"Mum, please! Can we all sit? Uh, thank you," said Anthony as he took the menus and sat down at the table and Heath followed suit. Camille weighed up her options and seemingly decided to sit down.

"I'll let you guys settle in," said the waitress. "Would you like some water?"

"Yes, please," said Heath in a friendly tone. The waitress nodded and left to get a carafe of water and several glasses.

"Mum, I know I haven't really said much about what's been happening in my life recently," said Anthony while Camille was perusing the menu, not making any eye contact with Anthony or Heath. "Mum, I'm getting married. To a man."

Anthony had successfully obtained Camille's full and undivided attention.

"What? To whom? A man?" asked Camille incredulously.

"To me," said Heath as he put up his hand in pride.

The waitress came back with the water and the glasses.

"Are you all ready to..." the waitress faltered as she sensed she had interrupted a pivotal part of the conversation. "I can come back."

"No, it's okay. I'll have a cappuccino, please," said Anthony.

"I'll have a hot chocolate with marshmallows and two sugars," said Heath

"Mum, what are you having?" urged Anthony. Camille stayed silent.

"Mum will have an iced chocolate, won't you? I know you love chocolate," said Anthony through gritted teeth. The waitress scribbled the orders down and collected the menus and was relieved to leave the trio alone. She was sensing a lot of negative energy emanating from their table. Heath began to pour water into the glasses.

"So, that's why you asked me to see you here. You had an announcement to make. You didn't want to spend time with me for the sake of spending time with your mother," said Camille quietly.

"May I call you Camille?" asked Heath. "Camille, I know that Anthony is important to you and I will do my best to make sure he is looked after."

"I wasn't talking to you," said Camille to Heath.

"Mum, I know I've stuffed up badly in my life, but Heath is the one, as corny as that sounds. We are so attuned to each other. I wanted to share the happy news with you," said Anthony.

"Is that why you chose a café in public to give me the news? So I wouldn't make a scene?" asked Camille as she looked around at the busy café populated by fit retirees, young families, and tourists.

The waitress returned to the table with their drinks. Again, there was an awkward silence. Once the drinks were placed down on the table, the waitress went hurriedly back to the café kitchen.

"You don't think I'm capable of making a scene in public? I know I love my chocolate but I'll make an exception this time. Watch this," said Camille as she picked up the iced chocolate. "You contact me after many, many months of not hearing from you. Yes, you live your own life, but I'm clearly not even a small part of your picture. And you're marrying a man. After everything that's happened! You've embarrassed me."

Camille got to her feet and poured the iced chocolate over Anthony's lap.

"What are you doing?" spluttered Anthony as he felt the ice cold liquid seep into his jeans. The café suddenly went into a silent hush.

"Oops," said Camille in faux surprise as she put a hand to her chest in mock apology. "Clearly, I wasn't thinking about what I was doing. That is, me coming here in the first place."

Anthony looked down at the mess he was in.

Camille put her sunglasses back over her eyes and casually walked out of the café. She looked both ways before crossing the road. She unlocked her car, stepped back into the driver's seat, slammed the door and drove off.

### Chapter 5

Saturday, 7 April – 8:02 pm

Iris and Ollie returned to their unit that evening. Iris checked her mailbox, and looked through the bundle of letters. As she moved one envelope behind each other, she had a smile she was not able to take off her face. It felt superglued on and she was helpless to dim its wattage. She stopped on the stairs when she saw a letter in her mother's handwriting. These must be the photographs of Jack that her mum was talking about. Iris walked quickly up the rest of the stairs so she could share these photos with Ollie.

"Ollie, I have some photos!" Iris excitedly called out.

"Photos? Of?" asked Ollie.

"My uncle Jack," said Iris as she moved to the dining table. Iris and Ollie both sat down at the dining table as Iris opened the letter. There was a short letter from her mother:

Dear Iris,

Here are the copies of the photos I said I'd get around to posting to you. I know you don't like surprises but I'm so happy you are inheriting Jack's Paddington property. I'm surprised myself. I didn't realise Jack had successfully bought a building in Sydney. But there's no denying that about Jack. He had ambition. You know the type. Nothing-getting-in-the-way-of ambition. Anyhow, the solicitors told me about Jack's estate and I am just so happy for you, Iris! Your fortune's changing and it looks like good things are finally going your way!

Love, Mum.

P.S. By the way I have received a parcel of Jack's personal effects that include mostly paraphernalia and quite a few letters but they're all written in French, I'm afraid.

Iris smiled and spread out the slightly colour faded Kodak photographs on the dining table. These photographs were taken around the early 1970s. Iris was now observing a much younger version of herself.

"Mum, you look so adorable," said Ollie looking closely at one photo. "Jack's certainly a very handsome man. Even through the waistcoats he looks like he has a barrel chest. And his face is very tanned with deep laugh lines. He looks very friendly."

There were photographs of Jack and Iris holding hands, hugging each other and eating ice-cream together. In these photos, Jack was looking adoringly at Iris, while Iris was laughing in sheer delight.

"It seems like such a lifetime ago. Time catches up with you so quickly Ollie," said Iris sadly.

"And you said he wasn't married? Or had any children?" asked Ollie.

"That's right."

"Was he, you know, attracted to...," asked Ollie tentatively. "Do you think it runs in the family?"

"I don't know. He may have liked men. Or he may have just enjoyed his own independence. A confirmed bachelor," answered Iris.

"Do you know why he had to leave for France?" asked Ollie.

"I'm not sure. Maybe Mum knows," said Iris.

As Iris looked at the captured images of happier times, her mind took her back to a fleeting memory.

1973

Iris recalled being with her mother as a child at Sydney Airport. They were walking to the Departures Lounge where they saw Jack waving and running up to them, giving Gladys a kiss and overwhelming Iris with a bear hug. She then recalled Mum and Uncle engaging in a very serious conversation while Iris was left to read a book, Rapunzel, on a bench. Iris realised there was another person, an older man, who joined the conversation. She thought it might have been someone who worked at the airport. Then her mother looked angry and had called out Iris's name. Iris had got up to her feet and put the book back into her mother's bag. Gladys grabbed Iris's hand and held it firmly as they walked out of the Departures Lounge. Whilst walking, Iris turned around to catch a glimpse of Jack, who now held his head in his hands. Iris could feel her mother's grip tightening on her right hand. Iris was perplexed by the whole thing, but had turned around to wave at her uncle. Jack had somehow seen Iris wave and as he lifted his head he waved back at her. Iris and her mother then left the periphery of the airport buildings and walked towards the carpark.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" asked Ollie, interrupting Iris's moment of reverie.

"Where do I start? So much information! It's like I'll need a full month to really absorb this news. But you know what? I think I'll keep the building. In that butcher space, there is a cold room. That would be really useful to have in a florist shop. In fact I think I'll start my very own floristry business. And I can quit working for FFS. That just makes me so happy! To no longer have to work for Dahlia. I can't wait to see her face when she reads my letter of resignation," said Iris. "Yes, I'm keeping the building. I'll text Sakura right now about my decision. Oh and the money, Ollie! I can now afford to pay the electricity bill. And on time too!"

"I am so excited for you, Mum," said Ollie as Iris typed out a text message and pressed send.

"And you can work for me if you'd like, as a casual. Earn extra money on top of your bartending job," offered Iris.

"Me work for you? Wouldn't that be weird?" said Ollie.

"I know family businesses get a bad rap, but we're really nice people and most important of all, we're genuine people," said Iris.

"What would I do? I only know bartending and I have done perhaps a bit too much travelling. I can't say that I know anything about the florist trade," said Ollie.

"You like riding bikes. You can do deliveries. I'll have a bike fitted out with a delivery box. That way, flower deliveries can be made promptly," suggested Iris.

"Will I have to wear lycra?" asked Ollie.

"You wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, Ollie."

"Awesome! I love wearing lycra. I can do bike deliveries. I don't have a driver's licence so I wouldn't be able to make deliveries by car," said Ollie as his mood became sad. "You know why I don't feel comfortable having a driver's licence."

"Yes, I know. I understand. I don't blame you for Roddy's death," said Iris.

"Okay, I guess if I'm helping you out and staying fit at the same time, I can't say no," said Ollie.

"I'll order a lycra bike uniform and I'll pay you as well. I want to help you. You may even reach the elusive dream of having savings," said Iris with a laugh.

"For a change!" agreed Ollie.

"And that upstairs space, I think it's actually liveable. I might move in there once the place has been spruced up and you are more than welcome to join me," said Iris.

"Doesn't this lease expire at the end of September?" Ollie posed the question.

"Oh, that's right. Well, you can continue living here if you want. In any event we'll get to see more of each other," said Iris. "I can make the car deliveries myself. I'm excited thinking about it! My very own floristry van."

"What about a name? What will you name your business?" asked Ollie.

"I am going to call my business, um, let me think. Oh I know! 'Late Bloomer Blossoms' because I feel that I have been given a second chance. I'm starting life again and I am already over 50!"

"To Late Bloomer Blossoms," Ollie toasted.

"To Late Bloomer Blossoms," Iris concurred. "And about that restaurant space, I might have that place spruced up for another business. It would be nice if the restaurant space was brought back to life. I'd be more than happy for a restaurant, bakery or café to make use of that space. I might get Sakura to manage applications and she can provide me with a shortlist."

"Look at you! All organised!" marvelled Ollie.

"I know right! So unlike me," said Iris. "Oh Ollie, if only Roddy was here. We would all be so happy. So happy together. If only I could share this happiness and amazing time with my Roddy."

"Maybe he's watching over us, and seeing how happy we are at this moment. Maybe Dad is here in this very room celebrating our success. Right here, with us," said Ollie.

Iris looked at Ollie and smiled.

### Chapter 6

Monday, 9 April – 5:00 am

"Bi-bi-bi-bi-beep, Bi-bi-bi-bi-beep, Bi-bi-bi-bi-beep," the alarm clock sounded.

Iris blearily opened her eyes. Even though she slept in on Saturdays and Sundays, she had nowhere near caught up on her sleep. The sleep deficit remained unchanged. Iris groaned herself out of her bed and started getting ready for the working week.

Over the weekend, Iris received an email from Dahlia outlining the fresh flowers required for this Monday. As usual, every workday morning, Iris went to the Sydney Flower Market, a 35-minute drive from Penrith. In the latest email, Iris was instructed to buy Asiatic Lilies, Banksias, Birds-of-Paradise, Callistemons, Freesias, Hyacinths and Roses. Even though it was so early in the morning Iris did enjoy, to some extent, visiting the large warehouse where the Sydney Flower Markets were held. Iris enjoyed walking through the many aisles of vendors, all standing under rows of bright lights, with their fragrant flowers in buckets, ready for appraisal by florists, wholesalers and retailers. Iris knew quite a few of the vendors on a first-name basis.

Iris pushed the trolley of flowers towards her car and once loaded into the car, drove the 25 minutes to Bexley. Among the flowers in the front seat was an envelope. This envelope contained Iris's letter of resignation. As much as she wanted to have a dramatic resignation, possibly with punctuating expletives, Iris knew deep down that she should never burn bridges. Generally it was Dahlia who did the burning. Bridges, people's feelings and self-esteems were Dahlia's specialties.

Iris said good morning to Dahlia quietly as she placed the flowers into the cool room of FFS. Dahlia was a beautiful, muscular and tall woman with long straightened auburn hair. Apparently Dahlia was a top athlete in her local softball team. Dahlia ignored Iris's presence and worked away at her laptop. Iris waved to the other staff member, Pahi Singh. Pahi, a woman in her late 30s, had bronze umber-coloured skin with long lustrous black hair and deep dark eyes.

Iris reached into her back pocket and brought out the envelope. She was not sure how to approach Dahlia. Iris cleared her throat and Dahlia glanced up at her with irritation and pursed lips.

"Sorry to bother you. I have this letter to hand to you. I've decided to resign," said Iris nervously as she handed over the letter to Dahlia. Dahlia took the letter with a perplexed look on her face.

Pahi was nearby, working on tying together a bouquet of roses with satin purple ribbons and her eyes widened with shock.

"What do you mean you're resigning?" barked Dahlia sternly.

"It's all explained in the letter," said Iris.

Dahlia gave the letter in her hand a dirty look and returned the same dirty look to Iris.

"I'll need a moment to read this, if you'll excuse me," sniffed Dahlia as she went into the cool room to read the resignation letter.

Pahi Singh huddled up to Iris and gave Iris a hug.

"You can't leave me alone with her. I'll go mad. You're my support network, my lighthouse amongst the turbulent waters of Dahlia's mood changes," pleaded Pahi. "Well, how did that happen? Did you win the lottery? And you forgot to share the winnings with me?"

"No," said Iris. "It's not that."

"Did you finally get the sugar daddy you always dreamed of?" asked Pahi.

"No. Not that either" said Iris. "And for the record I don't dream about sugar daddies."

"Uh huh," doubted Pahi. "Well, how can you afford to resign?"

"I've come into an inheritance," said Iris.

"Well, that is good news for you! You don't have to work for Dahlia anymore. You're a survivor!" said Pahi, who had cheered up at the thought that there was hope after all. This possibility may be open to Pahi. "You must be very excited."

"I am. I still can't believe it. But you'll need to leave as well. This place is not good for your mental health and you've been here longer than I have. In fact," said Iris, making sure that Dahlia had not yet left the cool room. "I would like to offer you a job at my new florist store in Paddington."

"No way! Get out of here! You do move fast!" said Pahi in astonishment. "Yes! I truly and absolutely do accept."

"I just thought we both have good colleague chemistry and it would be a shame to split us up," said Iris. "But don't resign just yet, otherwise Dahlia will think I'm stealing you from her."

"I follow you, Iris," said Pahi. "I will use my discretion and wait a couple of days before handing in my notice. Oh Iris, this is so exciting."

Pahi jumped up and down on the spot and gave Iris another hug.

Dahlia slowly rolled opened the cool room and Pahi fled back to her workshop space. Dahlia's face now had a look of disgust and walked slowly towards where Iris was standing.

"After everything I've done for you, you ungrateful bitch," said Dahlia in a raised voice. "I've given you five years of invaluable experience in the floristry trade and this is how I get thanked. I don't know if I can find another person with equivalent experience. The money I am going to have to waste on advertising and the time, oh, the time I have to waste to train this new person."

"Look Dahlia, my letter did state that I'm happy to serve out my notice period, which should give you enough time to find the right person. I'll even help train the new person," offered Iris.

"No, thank you. You'll be more of a nuisance than a help. In fact, I want you to leave. Right now, at this very moment. Get your things and just leave. I'll opt to pay you out in lieu," said Dahlia with fury. "Now, if you will excuse me, I actually have work to do."

Dahlia swanned off back to her laptop and started typing madly away.

Iris proceeded to walk over to her designated section in the workshop area. She had to collect a few items. Pahi looked over at Iris and gave her two thumbs up.

Iris found a discarded cardboard box nearby and started to place her personal items in the box. She did not have much to pack. A few coffee mugs, several framed photos of her family before Roddy died and thank-you notes from customers. She knew she had thrown herself hard into work, keeping herself busy and having a distraction from the gaping hole she felt in her heart from Roddy's passing.

Once Iris had packed her personal belongings she waved goodbye to Pahi and walked out of FFS. Her back relaxed in a way she never thought possible before. She started to feel that her breathing was less laboured. She felt a freedom inside that was finally released.

Iris turned around to face the place she had worked so diligently for the past five years. No, she was definitely not going to miss working there. Iris thought of the future and made a decision to call Sakura today to assist in finding a suitable tenant for the next-door store space.

### Chapter 7

Monday, 16 April – 10:09 am

"Thank you for coming back to my office," said Sakura as she greeted Iris in the foyer of Foxglove Mimosa Snowdrop Lawyers. Sakura waved Iris through to her office looking out over Hyde Park, past Rushcutters Bay and all the way over to Bondi Junction. Sakura's office had quite a few framed photographs of cats. Sakura saw Iris looking at the photographs.

"I live alone and I thought having cats would be a good idea," explained Sakura.

"They're beautiful," said Iris.

"Yes they are. So how are you?" asked Sakura as she gestured towards the chair.

"I'm good, thank you. I feel like I'm starting to turn a corner. I also want to say thank you for looking after the leasing side of things," said Iris as she sat in the chair facing Sakura's desk. "I'm very excited about the potential tenants for the store next door."

"Yes, I posted the advertisement online a week ago and I have now taken this down as we've received quite a few expressions of interest," said Sakura as she opened a few manila folders on the desk in front of her. "As discussed, you were happy for me to come up with a shortlist of three applications to meet your brief. My understanding is that you'll make a decision on which application is successful."

"Yes, that's right," confirmed Iris. "You've taken the advertisement down already?"

"Yes, the advertisement was quite popular due to the rental cost. I was aware you wanted to pitch a lower than market rate for the rental, in consideration of quite a few vacant stores along Oxford street," said Sakura.

"Well, there were a lot of empty stores. Maybe the local businesses couldn't afford the rent as they currently are," said Iris as she looked out again to appreciate the scenic view outside.

"Well, the reduced rent amount saw seventeen expressions of interest being received. According to you, the criteria to be applied are creativity, a good work ethic and the ability to complement your floristry business," Sakura continued. "I have considered all the applications but there were three that really met your criteria. These three applications were notified that they have been shortlisted for this lease."

"That's awesome," said Iris as she held her hands together in anticipation.

"The first shortlistee is a restaurant business, 'Sageia' that focuses on Asian-European fusion cuisine developed by a young female chef, Sage Whittle. This young woman appeared on a top-rating television cooking program called "You're Roasted". I don't know if you remember the episode where she accidentally torched a part of the stage kitchen? Was it because of a comment a judge made? I can't remember. Anyhow, she was the runner-up of season three. She got that nice red Mazda as the consolation prize. Sage stated in her application that she is hoping to use this space as a launch pad for her career," explained Sakura.

"That sounds interesting and an exciting opportunity for Sage," said Iris.

"The second shortlistee is a coffee shop within an art exhibition space called "Espressability Gallery Cafe". This business focuses specifically on artists who identify as having a disability. They loved the night city vibe and were enthusiastic about having regular art exhibitions. Also the artists are paid to make the coffee. That's their business model. The business owners have a belief where they want to empower people with disabilities by providing jobs," said Sakura.

"Wow, that sounds inspirational," Iris enthused.

"There wouldn't be much difficulty in getting local council approval for modifications to make the space accessible, for example that raised step," said Sakura.

"Yes, that's fine. I'm more than happy to be accommodating to modifications," said Iris.

"And the third option I selected is an artisan cake maker, Malik Zahra, who makes cakes for special occasions. I have had a look at the wedding cakes he has created and seriously, they make me want to get married. That's how artistic he is. I think I saw one in the shape of a chandelier," said Sakura. "Malik has been based predominantly in western Sydney and is seeking to build his name in the city and Eastern suburbs. He's won quite a few awards of excellence."

"Oh dear. You've put me in a difficult place Sakura," said Iris, feeling overwhelmed. "I do have a difficult decision to make. They all sound equally good."

"Well you don't have to make the decision straight away. Take as long as you need, whether it be a few days or several weeks. Once you've told me your choice, I shall draft the lease documents and ensure you are covered for all potential liabilities," said Sakura. "Here are copies of each of the three expressions of interest so you can study and analyse as much as you like."

Sakura handed over a big black folder, which had three dividers, a section for each application.

"Thank you, Sakura. Oh, by the way, is it okay for me to go through with the interior renovations for the building?" asked Iris.

"Yes, I have discussed the plans you raised with me to the local council. As you are only really replacing existing appliances and giving the place a freshening up, you can go ahead. From what you've told me, you're not intending to knock any walls down. Though, do let me know if you need me to undertake any significant alteration to the two spaces," said Sakura.

"Thanks again, Sakura," said Iris. "I'm looking forward to working closely with the tradespersons and making the two spaces and upstairs look really nice. And then I can move in upstairs. I'm excited to be living at a different address, especially in a more salubrious suburb. Let me tell you, that is one significant alteration."

Sakura and Iris laughed at the joke.

"Well that concludes business," said Sakura as she stood up to shake Iris's hand. Iris stood to her feet, holding the folder under her left arm and feeling a sense of confidence she had not felt for a long time.

### Chapter 8

Wednesday, 18 April – 11:09 pm

Rosie tapped the pencil against the empty piece of paper and started to yawn heavily. She had not written anything. Not even one single word. Today had been the first concerted effort for Rosie to return to a passion of her own. Writing. Rosie used to be passionate about creative writing. Here she was, 44 years old, a community care nurse, a divorcee and trying to write.

But nothing. No ideas or themes jumped out at her.

_This used to come naturally to me,_ thought Rosie. She placed the pencil on the blank piece of paper and stood up from her desk. She lived on her own in a small terrace in Woolloomooloo. She had a mortgage on the terrace, which she had acquired in her late twenties. Then she worked as a nurse, often staying over at people's homes overnight to ensure an adequate level of care was provided. But she still wrote from time to time. She had her writing journals as evidence, which included creative writing pieces and even some short plays. And then she met a man and got married. She stopped writing completely then. It seemed that the relationship needed her full attention along with her work. Maybe she should not have accepted so many weekend shifts at work, leaving her now ex-husband by himself. Rosie shook her head. She had done nothing wrong.

Rosie walked over to her bedroom and started to prepare her uniform for the following day. _This is my problem. When I am by myself my mind is constantly drifting away,_ thought Rosie. In her work, Rosie stood to attention but in her personal life she was lonely and just plain sad. _The divorce happened more than a year ago, why can't I just move on,_ Rosie thought as she went to retrieve a coat-hanger. In this action Rosie had accidentally knocked over a few items that were piled up in a compartment in the closet. Rosie finished putting her uniform on the coat hanger and then bent down to retrieve the fallen items.

Rosie picked up the deodorant spray, the sunscreen, the perfume bottle and the framed photo.

The framed photo.

_Why have I even kept this?_ thought Rosie as she made to throw the frame into her bin but stopped just as she was about to dispose of this item. Rosie stepped back and placed the spray, sunscreen and perfume back into the compartment. Rosie then stood closer to the middle of the room to get as much light onto the photo.

It was their wedding photo. A photograph was taken in front of the stone steps of a Catholic Church. There they all were. Bride and groom in the centre. The grooms were on one side and the brides-maids wearing pale frangipani pink on the other side. Rosie recalled the long walk down the aisle, being on her father's arm as he gave her away to the groom near the altar. She looked back at the photo. She felt so special on that day. She scrutinised her own figure in the photograph. She was positively beaming and glowing. Her months of shoulder work-outs could be seen in her taut upper body as she wore a beaded and fitted bodice that flowed into a beautiful white and ivory ruffled fishtail dress. Her long dark brown hair had been fashioned into an elegant bun.

Rosie then directed her attention to the man standing beside her. He looked very handsome in his wedding suit and he had a humble but joyous look on his face. _Anyone would think they'd still be together looking at that photo,_ thought Rosie. _Nobody would have guessed at the divorce._

This grinning man had moved into her unit where they lived together and then the fighting began to happen.

Rosie was forever grateful that he did not lodge a claim against her property. _Of course, he found somewhere else to live,_ thought Rosie darkly.

Yet, the divorce had been a big shock. She felt humiliated to have to tell her family and friends. The last thing she wanted was to be fodder for gossip and being on the receiving end of apologetic looks and sad smiles.

Rosie decided to keep the photo. It was a reminder of how important decisions can be made in blinkered circumstances. She placed the frame upright on her bedside table, switched off the light and went to sleep. She silently prayed to herself that her creative writing juices would flow back to their rightful places.

### Chapter 9

Thursday, 19 April – 8:02 pm

Iris was sipping her chamomile tea at the Penrith flat. She was sitting in front of her laptop searching for available tradespeople within the eastern suburbs. So far she had met one tradesperson in person earlier today, Ron. Iris's eyes drifted away from the screen of the laptop as her thoughts turned to Ron.

10:31 am

Iris was waiting to meet up with Ron Thistle, a handyman, who had decades of experience working in both domestic and commercial projects. An older gentleman walked towards the front of the store. He had snowy white hair and a well-trimmed moustache and beard. He wore a black T-shirt, faded pale-blue jeans and durable black work-boots. Iris noted that the t-shirt fitted perfectly over the man's muscular torso. He was very fit for his age.

" _Hello, I'm Ron. You must be Iris," said Ron as he held out his right hand to Iris, while holding an iPad in his left hand._

" _Yes, that's me," said Iris as she shook Ron's hand. She felt Ron's warmth and firmness in the handshake._

" _So this is the building," said Iris waving her arms in front of the building. "This space is where I intend to operate the floristry business."_

Iris checked the keys and placed the key into the door. Iris caught a glimpse of Ron's beautiful masculine face in the reflection of the shop window and a shiver went down the back of her spine. Iris pushed the door open. There was no need to turn the lights on as sunshine had beamed through the shop. Ron stepped into the shop after Iris and took an inspection around the ground floor.

" _Yes, basically I need a few repairs. There are quite a few chipped surfaces," said Iris as she pointed out to Ron about eight different areas of the store space that needed attention. Ron started taking photographs on his iPad. An unbidden thought of "photograph me!" entered Iris's mind. She obliterated the thought immediately._

" _The stairs especially need repairing," said Iris as she demonstrated the creakiness and some small chipped parts of the steps._

Ron nodded as he came over to the steps where he also took some more photographs.

" _If you come upstairs, there are even more repairs needed," said Iris as she creaked her way to the top level, which was bathed in lovely bright sunlight. Ron took a few more photographs and was soon standing next to Iris._

" _So the bathroom and kitchen will need to be checked for serviceability," pointed out Iris as Ron went to take photographs in those rooms_

" _This is a very nice space you have here," said Ron, looking around at the high ceilings. He walked over to the window, which looked out onto Oxford Street._

" _Yes, it's a lovely space. I'll take you over to the next door space," said Iris and walked back down the stairs with Ron following closely behind. "Am I imagining it but can I feel Ron's breath on the back of my neck? Don't be ridiculous," thought Iris._

Iris let Ron out onto the pavement and locked the door to the floristry space. After Ron had seen all the jobs that needed to be done in the next-door space, he then looked directly into Iris's eyes.

" _Let me make the calculations tonight and I will give you a quote in the morning," said Ron._

" _Thank you, Ron. I look forward to hearing from you," said Iris a bit too enthusiastically. Ron gave a grin and Iris could not help but return the smile. Ron waved and turned around to walk to his nearby parked ute. "He has a nice saunter. I could watch him walk all day," thought Iris._

Iris snapped back to reality as her mobile phone buzzed away on the dining table. It was Iris's mum. She felt guilty that she was caught thinking of someone else other than Roddy.

"Hi Mum," answered Iris. "How are you?"

"Hi darling. Not too bad. I'm getting through the day. And you?" asked Gladys.

"Not too bad, I've been so busy, what with making appointments for painters and tradies to find a reasonable quote, and I'm trying to find someone available on short notice. Some of these people are booked out for months. There's a renovation frenzy happening in Sydney," said Iris.

"It's good to hear you're keeping yourself busy," said Gladys. "I'm calling because I had another look at Jack's personal effects and I missed an envelope of photographs."

"Oh, did you find anything out of the ordinary?" asked Iris.

"He'd kept this photo of us as siblings when we were little. We were hugging each other cheek-to-cheek. We looked so happy," said Gladys with a shaky voice. "I'm starting to feel guilty about what happened with Jack."

"Oh, Mum. You shouldn't worry too much. The past is the past," said Iris.

"But Iris, when I'm looking at this photo I keep thinking to myself, what went wrong? Where did our good relationship go? This photo I see is proof that we genuinely like each other. These are loving and happy smiles."

Iris's mind briefly went back to the airport scene. There was a pause.

"You still there, Iris?" asked Gladys.

"Yes, I'm still here Mum. I was just thinking when we both went to see Jack at the airport. Was there another person with Jack? An older balding man? Did you know who that person was?" asked Iris.

"I think the person you're referring to is Pascal," said Gladys, her voice hardening.

"And?" asked Iris.

"And what?" Gladys answered with another question.

"Who is this Pascal person? How is he connected to Jack?"

"He was French and was working in Sydney at the time. I didn't really get to know him for long" said Gladys and emitted an audible sigh.

"Well that explains going to France. But wasn't Pascal much, much older than Jack? In 1973 Jack would have been what, in his early thirties but it looked like Pascal was well into his fifties," Iris said.

"Yes, Pascal was definitely a lot older than Jack," Gladys said.

"But it doesn't explain how Jack could afford to buy the building on Oxford Street," said Iris. Iris's phone buzzed again. "Mum I'm getting another call. It's the electrician, I've been waiting to hear from him all week. Can I call you back later?"

"Sure darling," Gladys said and the call ended.

### Chapter 10

Sunday, 22 April – 10:45 am

"I'm not sure your idea is going to work, Heath," said Anthony as he drove into Edgecliff and turned left into the road leading into Darling Point. "I've sent Mum countless text messages and she hasn't responded once. It's been two weeks since that incident at the café."

"Well, we can always give this plan a try," said Heath. "I know how much this wedding means to you and I'm one hundred percent with you that your mum should be part of the celebration."

"Hmm," said Anthony. "Well, if this plan doesn't work, at least I can say I did everything I could to involve Mum."

"It might work though, Anthony. Persistence can be a powerful thing," said Heath.

Anthony drove down into a few side streets.

"So, Mum lives up there, on the tenth floor," said Anthony as he killed the ignition and pointed to a white-painted 1950s boxy apartment block. "She lives in a one-level apartment. She has full title to the place since Dad passed away forty years ago of liver problems. It's been a while since I dropped by here. Okay, let's go Heath."

"I think, I'll stay in the car," said Heath.

"What? Don't be crazy! I'm not meeting Mum by myself," protested Anthony as he unbuckled his seat-belt.

"I saw how upset your mum was at Walsh Bay. I think she really needs to see you alone. I don't want to get in the way," said Heath.

"But Heath, you're my fiancé. Mum wasn't upset. She was being plain rude and unco-operative. Mum has just got to deal with the fact that you're an important part of my life now," said Anthony.

"Baby steps, Anthony. Don't worry about me, I've got my smart phone to keep me pre-occupied," said Heath. "Oh and don't forget the Belgian chocolates for the occasion."

Anthony glared at Heath for five long seconds. Anthony took the box of chocolates out of Heath's grasp and then got out of the car. Anthony shut the car door not too subtly and started making his way towards the apartment block.

"Good luck," yelled out Heath as he poked his head out through the passenger window. Anthony waved him away.

Anthony walked off the pavement and headed onto the apartment's walkway. At the end of the walkway was the security entrance. Anthony glanced nervously at the intercom. He had dressed nicely for the occasion, hoping to show Mum the debonair man he knew his mum always wanted him to be. He checked his appearance in the reflection of the glass and checked to see that no hair was out of place on his head and beard.

Anthony took a few deep breaths and reminded himself he was here to reunite with his mother. With that thought, he pressed the button for his mother's residence on the intercom. The button rang out a few times. Maybe Mum was out. Anthony felt a mixture of relief and disappointment and was about to turn back to the car when a voice answered.

"Hello?" said Camille's voice uncertainly.

Anthony directed his attention back on the intercom.

"Hi Mum, it's me, Anthony."

"Anthony? What are you doing here? Go away, I don't want to see you," said Camille.

"Mum, haven't you read my text messages?" asked Anthony.

"Yes, and please stop harassing me. I don't want to have anything to do with you or your upcoming wedding. Go ahead and marry! I don't care. As long as I'm not there," crackled Camille through the intercom.

"Can't you let me in and we can have a chat about this civilly?" begged Anthony.

"There is absolutely nothing to chat about. I don't want you in or anywhere near my home at all, Anthony. Can't you hear me loud and clear?" said Camille. "Please go away."

"I have some Belgian chocolates I wanted to give you. I know how much you love Belgian chocolates," said Anthony. "You love chocolates more than you love me."

Anthony was starting to get very emotional and was trying not to cry. And now he couldn't help himself. He was now crying loudly over the intercom.

"Look, I'm so sorry for not keeping in regular touch with you before. Obviously coming here was a bad mistake" Anthony sobbed quietly to the intercom but began to regain his composure. "I'm going to put the chocolates underneath the intercom. These were meant for you."

Anthony could see that his Mum had disconnected from the intercom as he placed the box of chocolates on the ground. Anthony wiped the tears away from his face and started walking back out onto the walkway and towards the car.

Heath looked up expectantly as Anthony walked over to the driver's side. Anthony shook his head and let himself into the driver's seat. Heath silently placed his hand on Anthony's shoulder.

"At least we tried," said Heath before Anthony burst into tears again and held his head over the steering wheel.

"Why, am I surprised though?" said Anthony as he again calmed down. "I haven't exactly impressed Mum in the past. I'm paying for my past actions. Anyway, let's get out of here."

"You sure you're all right to drive?" asked Heath.

"Yes, I've settled down now," said Anthony. They both clipped their seat-belts in. Anthony then drove the car to where they were living, at Heath's unit in Five Dock. While they were driving through Leichhardt, Anthony's mobile phone received a text message.

"Do you want to get that Heath?" said Anthony as he drove through the green lights.

"Sure," said Heath as he picked up Anthony's phone, which was in a compartment under the car radio.

Heath read out the message:

I've never heard you say sorry before. I've collected the chocolates in case anyone else steals them. Mum.

"Stop messing around with me Heath. What does it really say," said Anthony.

"I'm not lying, Anthony. That's the message," grinned Heath.

### Chapter 11

Friday, 27 April – 5:45 pm

"Wow, this place is looking great, Mum," enthused Ollie.

"I know! I'm very happy about how it's shaping up," said Iris.

The former butcher space had been freshened up immensely. The floors were professionally polished, giving it a very smart look with its blonde wood panelling. The greying walls were now painted a cream white. The ceilings were freshened up with a good cleaning and several coats of white paint. The light fixtures were updated with sleek designs. The cool room had been cleaned and refitted with new cooling technology. The shopfront window was sparkling clean and passers-by could not help but look inside out of curiosity before continuing on their way along Oxford Street. On top of the store window, the big gold lettering of _LATE BLOOMER BLOSSOMS_ could be seen.

"The workshop tables should be delivered tomorrow morning," said Iris. "Come on over and let me show you what I've done next door."

Iris and Ollie walked over to the neighbouring store space.

"It looks exactly the same except the restaurant counter is brand new," Ollie said.

"Yes, and come over to the kitchen," Iris said. "I've had a kitchen specialist come over and have a look. She said the metal racks are still solid and I only needed to buy an industrial oven and install new plumbing for the kitchen. The cleaners will be coming here tomorrow morning as well."

"Looks very cool," said Ollie.

"It'd better be! I wanted to ensure that there was gleaming chrome everywhere to impress the tenant. It was expensive! But I know it's a good investment," said Iris.

"Well, it's your money. You can spend it however you like," said Ollie. "So have you decided on the successful tenant for this space?"

"No, not yet. I'm tied between all three," said Iris. "They're all worthy and have their own unique merits. See that folder? That contains all the applicants' information." Iris pointed to the black folder on a nearby table.

"You don't mind me having a look?" asked Ollie. He went over to grab the folder but it slipped out of his grasp and fell onto the polished tiled floor.

"Oops," said Ollie. The folder had landed on its spine and was at a page showing the artisan cake maker.

"He's handsome. Who's he?" queried Ollie.

"That's Malik Zahra. He's been working in Australia in the food industry for over fifteen years," Iris said. "He came to Australia as a teenager with his parents from Morocco. He's worked in bakeries in Lakemba, Auburn and Punchbowl."

"It also says here that he is fluent in English, Arabic and French. How old is he?" asked Ollie.

"I think he is in his mid-thirties. Why? Do you like his application already?" Iris said as she looked at the portrait photo of Malik.

"It's your decision, Mum," said Ollie.

"He's fluent in French?" asked Iris.

"Yes, that's what I said," said Ollie. He handed over the folder to his mum, who put the folder under her arm. They both left the kitchen space and made their way back onto Oxford Street.

"Oh, I forgot to show you where I'll be living from this evening. I've now moved in upstairs," Iris said. They walked back into the florist store and made their way upstairs.

"Mum, the stairs have stopped creaking," Ollie said in surprise.

"Yes, I had these stairs repaired by this amazing handyman. Ron is his name. He is in his 60s but I can tell you he looked very fit and up-to-date with his iPad," said Iris. "Hmm, I'll need to find him something to fix to see him again."

"You're paying him in order to see him again?" asked Ollie.

"Yes," replied Iris after a moment's thought.

They both reached the top level. Iris turned the lights on and the space had clearly had a makeover. The walls were painted the same cream white as downstairs. The level had a very minimalist look. The ornate high ceilings looked refreshed. Iris also purchased a new white bed, a new elegant and plush white sofa, a glass dining table with six white chairs and a white cabinet with an enormous flat-screen television. Ollie looked in the kitchen and saw a fridge and dishwasher. All chrome.

"You certainly know how to treat yourself," remarked Ollie.

"I couldn't help myself. The moment I stepped into the store, I felt transformed. It's like I became this other person. I didn't recognise her. She was bouncy, determined, knew what she liked and only wanted the best. Budget was just a word," said Iris. "I also bought these curtains."

Iris walked toward the two large windows. They had thick white curtains. Even with the windows closed, the rumble of passing traffic going past was discernible. The streetlights were bright, hence the need for curtains.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you had a good time. You're looking different as well," Ollie said. Iris's hair was now looking very curly and had a lush brunette texture. Iris's face also had a rosy glow.

"Yes, I've been introducing myself to several of the stores along Oxford Street, and I went to have a beauty and hair treatment a few stores down," said Iris. "Speaking of which, there was a cycling store along Oxford Street so I purchased a delivery bike with a custom-made box to hold the flower deliveries. It's downstairs in the cool room.

Iris and Ollie walked downstairs and Iris opened the cool room and brought the bike out.

"Very nice, Mum," Ollie said, putting his hands on the seat of the bike and noted the box positioned out in front of the handle bars.

"So, the bike can stay here when you turn up and you can return it after completing all your deliveries," said Iris.

"Sounds like a plan. Well, it looks like you have everything under control," said Ollie as Iris returned the bike back to the cool room. "Well, I better head off. So, you're fine to live here by yourself?"

"Yes. I should be all right but can you keep your phone on in case anything happens?" Iris asked.

"You'll be fine, Mum. Upstairs looks really comfortable. You have a nice bed. You'll sleep really well," said Ollie.

"I hope so," Iris said. She kissed Ollie on the cheek and Ollie walked out onto the pavement of Oxford street. He was overtaken by a group of young women, one of whom was wearing a shimmering green sequinned dress. She was laughing with her girlfriends as they prepared themselves for a great night out. Ollie waved back at his mum and started walking to the nearest bus stop.

Iris remained standing by the storefront. She had not told Ollie what was found in the upstairs kitchen.

The day before, Ron, had been undertaking a few odd jobs in the kitchen where he had found an aged and yellowed page of a newspaper. Ron had handed it over to Iris and she was quite surprised that such a page still survived in its condition. Iris had a look at both sides and saw on one page an article about a French dignitary visiting Sydney. There was an accompanying photo and she saw with a jolt that there in the photo, with the visiting French dignitary Pierre de Lys, was the French ambassador Pascal de Tulipe, all posing in front of Bondi Beach. Iris had a closer look and saw that not far off in the background stood Jack, a stunningly beautiful man but a lone figure. Jack looked deep in thought about something. Iris checked the date of the newspaper and saw that the page was dated 20 December 1972.

Was Jack an employee of the French consulate? Or did Jack have a relationship with Pascal? Iris stood mystified. Perhaps the truth will eventually come out. In the meantime, her business was to start trading from the following Tuesday and Iris was nervous. She took a deep breath and turned off the store's lights.

### Chapter 12

Friday, 27 April – 9:17 pm

Ollie walked up the sets of stairs to the Penrith unit. He was not rostered on at the Balmain pub this evening. He felt uneasy. Here he was, the entire flat to himself. He was not sure what to do with himself. Perhaps, he could order Thai food and watch some television show.

Ollie let himself into the flat and walked over to the sofa and sat down. He did not have to be alone. He could invite a friend over but he was not in the mood for company.

Walking along Oxford Street had brought back so many memories. He just had to make sure his mind did not wander, but it was too late.

January 2015

Meggie, Jane and Clara all squealed in unison as Ollie entered The Hourglass, a cool and small licensed bar in Darlinghurst.

" _We're over here, Ollie," called out Jane. Meggie, Jane and Clara were co-workers from the Balmain pub._

" _Happy Birthday, Ollie!" cried out Meggie and stood up to give Ollie a hug._

" _You need to have fun tonight," said Jane, enjoying her third or fourth drink._

" _Yes, you so do," Clara said, glancing around the bar. "There's got to be someone you like here.''_

" _What about that guy over there," Meggie said, pointing out a young man with a tight tank top and equally tight jeans._

" _Look guys, I am not the type of guy to just pick up, not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm for quality, rather than quantity. I just want to have a proper date," said Ollie._

" _You mean you're boring and no fun?" said Clara._

" _That's not what I meant, I can be fun," protested Ollie._

" _Yeah right," said Jane. "Your idea of fun is reading a book. I've seen guys check you out but you're totally distracted by reading a book."_

" _I love books," Ollie said. "And I like guys too but I'd rather wait to find the right guy. I'm just going to head over and buy a drink."_

" _It better not be bloody pineapple juice again," said Meggie._

Ollie walked over to the bar to order his lemon, lime and bitters. There was definitely a big turnout of guys at The Hourglass. The balmy weather was the likely catalyst.

" _There you go. That's $4," the bartender said as she placed the drink on the bar counter._

Ollie handed over the correct change and grasped the drink in his hand. As Ollie turned around, someone else had walked towards him at exactly the same time. Half of the lemon, lime and bitters spilt over the other person's checked shirt.

" _Oh, I'm so sorry," said Ollie mortified as the drink fizzed and foamed across the other person's broad chest. He froze as he absorbed the drink and the indignity of the situation._

" _Sorry, totally my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going," the person said as he looked up and their eyes locked in a gaze. In that gaze it was almost as if they had recognised each other, yet they had never physically met before. "Can I buy you a replacement drink?"_

" _Sure," Ollie assented._

" _I'm mesmerised by this muscular and mature man," thought Ollie. Silver Fox was a lean and clean-shaven man with salt and pepper hair but mostly salt. Ollie looked over to Meggie, Jane and Clara, who all gave him the thumbs-ups. Jane was also making crude kissing gestures with her mouth. Ollie looked away._

" _Can I have a," the man smelt his shirt, "a lemon, lime and bitters, and one light beer," the man said. The bartender smiled and proceeded with making the orders. The man then turned his attention to Ollie._

" _Call me Silver Fox. It's what my friends call me," he said loudly over the hubbub of the bar._

" _Hi Silver Fox. I'm Ollie," said Ollie. Ollie was feeling a light and nervous feeling in his stomach._

" _Has anyone said you are looking very handsome today, Ollie?" asked Silver Fox._

Ollie blushed.

" _Thanks Silver Fox. It's my birthday today, I've turned 24," Ollie said loudly over towards Silver Fox's ear._

" _No way! We have to celebrate!" cheered Silver Fox._

" _You don't have to. Aren't you with someone here? Your friends or your partner?" said Ollie._

" _I'm single if that's what you're asking. And I just came down for a drink. This is my favourite bar," said Silver Fox loudly to Ollie._

" _I like this bar, too. I'm single as well," Ollie said._

Silver Fox gave a broad smile.

" _Did you want to join me and my friends over there?" said Ollie pointing his head over to where Meggie, Jane and Clara were sitting._

" _Sure, why not," said Silver Fox. Ollie and Silver Fox carried their drinks over to join Ollie's co-workers._

" _Ooh Ollie! Who have you brought over, said someone who doesn't pick up?" said Meggie excitedly._

" _Hello to you all," said Silver Fox shaking the hands of Meggie, Jane and Clara._

" _You know what, girls? I think we should let Ollie and Silver Fox get to know each other," said Clara with raised eyebrows and an insinuating tone._

" _Totally agree!" said Jane nodding. Meggie, Jane and Clara then all got up to leave._

" _No, don't leave me by myself," Ollie pleaded quietly to Meggie._

" _You'll be fine, mate," said Meggie. Jane nudged Ollie in his side and gave a not-so-subtle wink._

" _Bye!" said Meggie, Jane and Clara in unison as they tumbled out onto Oxford Street, looking for the next bar to frequent._

Ollie snapped out of the reverie. He did not want to think about what happened later that evening when Silver Fox officially asked him out on a date. Ollie went to his bedroom and soon fell fast asleep.

### Chapter 13

Monday, 30 April – 12:55 pm

Iris stood at the corner of the north side of Hyde Park as she had a few minutes to spare before meeting Sakura to confirm her decision of tenant. It was a very sunny day with a slight cool breeze. Iris could see corporate workers sporadically slumped over the green expanses of the park. They were still, calm and languid as they caught up on sleep and their daily dose of Vitamin D.

Iris walked by the various Moreton Bay Fig trees and saw several trunks were extensively scarred with incoherent scribbles and a scratchy image of a heart. She made her way down the steps, walked along Park Street and waited at the set of traffic lights before crossing the street towards Sakura's building. Iris walked into the foyer, stepped into the lift and walked into the office of Foxglove Mimosa Snowdrop Lawyers. The receptionist smiled and asked Iris to take a seat. Sakura soon came into the waiting area.

"Great to see you again, Iris," said Sakura. "How's everything going?"

"Things are going really smoothly. I'm going to officially start trading as a florist tomorrow," said Iris.

"That must be very exciting," said Sakura as she and Iris sat down in her office.

"It is, and the neighbouring store has been brought up to standard. So the successful tenant can move in straight away." Iris said.

Iris had booked Ron to double check the safety standards in the restaurant space. She had also used the time to get to know Ron a little bit better. Iris was shattered to discover that Ron was a happily-married man with six grandchildren. Wonderful for Ron but not so great for Iris.

"So, what is your decision, Iris?" asked Sakura.

"Oh, yes," said Iris, snapping back to reality. "I've decided to accept Malik Zahra's application."

"Great. So, if you're happy I'll make the calls now and get the legal documentation underway," said Sakura.

"Sounds good to me," said Iris.

"Let's give the successful tenant a call. We'll use speaker phone," said Sakura as she typed on her computer and brought up Malik's personal details. Sakura clicked a button and a phone call tone could be heard.

"Hello, Malik speaking," answered an accented male voice.

"Hello Malik. This is Sakura, the representative looking after the lease for Oxford Street, Paddington. How are you? I'm not interrupting you at the moment?"

"Not too bad, Sakura, and yourself? No interruption, I'm free for a chat," said Malik.

"I'm good, thank you. I have Iris, the commercial landlord, sitting in on this call," said Sakura.

"Hi Iris," said Malik.

"Hi Malik," said Iris, moving closer to Sakura's computer.

"So Malik, I just wanted to congratulate you on your successful lease application," said Sakura with a smile.

"Oh, thank you so much! What a relief! I wasn't sure if I would be accepted. This means so much to me. Thank you, Sakura and Iris," said Malik.

Iris was overwhelmed by Malik's outpouring of gratitude.

"I look forward to having you as the next-door tenant," said Iris.

"Me too," said Malik. "I can't say how happy this news makes me."

"Well, congratulations again. I have your email address, so keep an eye out for further updates and documents from me," said Sakura.

"Will do," said Malik.

"Excellent! Malik, you have a great day," said Sakura.

"No problem. Bye Sakura and Iris," said Malik.

"Bye Malik," said Iris and Sakura and Sakura ended the call.

"That was the easy part. Now we just have to inform the two unsuccessful applicants," Sakura started typing into her computer.

"Oh, would you believe it! I just got an email from the Espressability Gallery Café people," said Sakura. She took a minute to read the email. "Well, it looks like Espressability have decided to withdraw their application as they found Newtown's night life buzzier and demonstrated higher foot traffic than Oxford Street, especially on the weekends."

"Newtown?" said Iris.

"Yes. I'll just email back to say that their withdrawal of the lease application has been noted and wish them the best in their future endeavours."

Sakura typed away for a minute and sent the email.

"All right, so that leaves one phone call to make for Sage Whittle," said Sakura. Sakura brought up Sage's details and the call started ringing.

"Sorry can you hold for a moment," answered a young woman in amidst what sounded like a symphony of steaming and hissing noises. "This is Sage speaking. What's this call about?"

"Hi Sage, this is Sakura speaking," said Sakura.

"Sakura from?" questioned Sage from amidst clanking noises.

"From Foxglove Mimosa Snowdrop Lawyers. You sent in an application to lease a restaurant space on Oxford Street, Paddington," said Sakura. "You sound busy. Maybe I can call you back later."

"You lazy scumbag! Get those plates over to table 25. Now! Geez, you did not just drop them! Oh, that wasn't directed at you Sakura. No, it's okay," said Sage. The steaming, hissing and clanking sounds stopped. "When can I move in?"

"Oh! My apologies for the confusion. I'm calling to inform you that your application for the space was unsuccessful at this time," said Sakura.

"I don't understand. I need this space," remonstrated Sage.

"Unfortunately the commercial landlord made a decision for the space in favour of another applicant," said Sakura.

"This can't be true," yelled Sage down the line. "I'm certainly not very happy about this Sakura." There was a sudden loud noise of hissing.

"I wish you the best in your endeavours. And I'm going to now hang up," said Sakura as Sage's barrage of swear words were broadcast over the phone call.

"Oh dear, she sounded so disappointed," said Iris with worry in her voice.

"Oh Iris, I deal with unhappy people every day. It's not your fault that they set their expectations so high. It's theirs," reassured Sakura.

"Well, Malik sounded lovely on the phone. The space is ready for him to move in straight away," said Iris.

"Yes, he comes across as a gentleman. Well I'll start drafting up the lease and I'll inform you when the lease is ready," said Sakura.

"Thank you, Sakura. I look forward to meeting him in person," said Iris.

Iris smiled broadly as she watched Sakura type away at her computer.

### Chapter 14

Monday, 30 April – 4.23pm

Gladys was gardening in the front lawn of her Grafton house. She had her gardening gloves on and was wielding a whipper-snipper. She noticed that the front garden was looking unkempt and sought to prune the garden back into a respectable shape. She set aside the whipper-snipper and bent down onto her knees and began physically pulling recalcitrant weeds under a large frangipani tree. She needed a mattock this time. _Shoot,_ Gladys thought. The mattock was in the backyard tool shed. She was going to have to get back up. Gladys slowly brought herself upright and dusted off the dirt on her knees and hands. She looked at her watch. She had been steadily working for an hour-and-a-half. Gladys walked to the screen-door and took off her shoes and stepped inside her carpeted three-bedroom single-storey home. This house, her home, never failed to give her pleasure and reassurance. She had worked hard as a single mother to save up for a deposit. She could have married again. Yet she felt it was so empowering to buy her own home with her own hard labour. After her husband died of a heart attack, when Iris was three, she started her own cleaning business. She was able to fit her cleaning work around her parental responsibilities.

Gladys decided to take a break before going out the back to get the mattock. She walked over to her kitchen and put water on to boil. She got her china teapot out of the cupboard and placed several Earl Gray teabags into the teapot. She paused as she went to open the fridge. She looked at the photo held by a fridge magnet on the door. It was the photo of Jack and Gladys as children, where they were hugging each other closely. Gladys took the photo and brought over the milk to the kitchen bench. Gladys took a closer look at the photo. She looked away and returned the photo back on the fridge door.

Gladys collected her favourite mug and poured in the tea and milk. She sipped silently as she sat on a kitchen stool and let her mind wander.

December 1957

Gladys and Jack were both inside the bungalow their family lived in. Their father was likely to be at the local pub, drinking excessively ever since he lost his job after the abolition of the South Grafton municipality. Their father was not yet offered a job with the newly formed Grafton City Council. Their mother was working for a food vendor at the Grafton Showgrounds. They relied on their mother's income, which was small but better than nothing.

The weather was sweltering hot. The humidity was getting to Gladys. She lay under the shade of a Jacaranda tree on their front lawn to cool down.

Then she heard the front door open. Her older brother Jack had walked out carrying a big rucksack bag on his back.

Gladys sat upright. She had never seen Jack carry such a packed bag. When they both set out to walk to their high school, they were known not to pack too many items.

Jack glanced at Gladys and swore to himself. Jack still kept walking out onto the front of the bungalow. There was a small gate separating the front yard and the street.

" _Hey, where are you going Jack," asked Gladys getting up slowly from the grass._

Jack was silent and kept walking. Gladys was confused. Gladys walked just to the front of the gate where soon Jack and Gladys were face-to-face staring at each other. Gladys was standing in Jack's way, with her back against the gate.

" _Please move, Gladys. I'm just meeting some friends," said Jack as he wiped the sweat from his face. His tanned face and buzz cut made him look a lot older than his 17 years._

" _With that rucksack?" remarked Gladys. "What have you got packed in there anyway?"_

" _I already told you, I'm meeting some friends," said Jack and started to move forwards. Gladys stood her ground._

" _You're running away, aren't you Jack?" said Gladys, a tremor in her voice._

" _You'll be okay, Gladdie. You're the good girl. Mum and Dad love you," said Jack._

" _Have you told Mum and Dad, Jack?" asked Gladys, folding her arms in front of her._

" _No, I haven't," answered Jack._

" _But how am I going to explain that you've run away from home," asked Gladys. "They love you too, Jack. You'll break their hearts."_

" _Gladys! I feel like a prisoner here and there's nothing keeping me here in this valley. This place bores me to tears. I was born to live the city-life. Now please move and get out of my way," said Jack as he made to walk forward._

" _You're not going anywhere! You can't leave me alone with our parents. It feels like a prison to me too. Please don't leave me here by myself," pleaded Gladys as she grabbed Jack's arm._

Jack shook Gladys off, making her totter off balance. She slipped on Jacaranda blooms on the brick paving, subsequently landing to the right of the gate and onto the grass. Gladys was unhurt. However, in the shaking off motion Jack scraped his elbow on the edge of the gate. His elbow now had a gash and was starting to bleed.

" _Ah!" said Jack, covering his elbow. "Look, you may not understand, but I'm doing this for me." He unhinged the front gate with difficulty and hurried off onto the road, holding his elbow._

Gladys began to cry and brought herself, shakenly, back to her feet. She walked through the front of the gate and out onto the road.

" _You're only 17, Jack! You're not an adult yet," Gladys shouted out through sobs. "You can help us all get out of this mess! I know you can. You don't have to leave. Not now."_

She continued crying, as the grief overwhelmed her, from head to toe. Gladys could not stand to think how her parents would react.

Gladys shivered as the memory returned of the shocked look on her mother's face. It broke Gladys' heart to see such sadness and hopelessness. There were many angry and heated conversations about how Gladys could have done more to stop Jack from leaving. Gladys gave the memory no further thought and went to collect the mattock.

### Chapter 15

Tuesday, 1 May – 8.55 am

"This is amazing," said Pahi as she stepped in front of the window of _Late Bloomer Blossoms_. "I absolutely love it! Especially the gold lettering."

Pahi gave Iris a hug and stood back to appraise Iris's appearance.

"Iris, you look stunning. You've changed so much. You're so relaxed and...fresh," commented Pahi.

"Thank you, Pahi," said Iris graciously. "I'm thrilled that you agreed to work for me. I can't say it was easy for us to work with Dahlia."

"Iris, you should have been there. When I emailed her my resignation she started throwing things at me. Not big items as such, but still it was really scary. She was throwing buckets and flower refuse at me. She has anger management issues, I swear," said Pahi.

"Oh dear. I hope you're okay," said Iris.

"I'm fine now, but yeah, I'm glad I'm out of there. I served out my notice period because I had to train the new person. But then I just heard that the new person resigned last Friday," said Pahi.

"So, Dahlia is basically the only person left in that business?" asked Iris.

"Yup," said Pahi. "Oh and is this your flower delivery van?"

Pahi walked to the van parked metres away. It was a white van with big gold lettering across both sides.

"Yes, it is. This is the van that I will be using to collect and deliver flowers. Its temperature controlled which means the flowers are kept as fresh as possible," said Iris.

"You're becoming very tech-savvy, Iris. What would you like me to do today?" asked Pahi as they both walked into the store.

"If you could prepare the flower presentation in the store window that would be greatly appreciated. I trust your style," said Iris. Iris's phone rang. "Excuse me, Pahi, I just need to answer this call."

Pahi nodded as she put her work apron on.

Iris looked down and saw it was Sakura calling. Iris answered the call.

"Hello Sakura. Iris here, How are you?"

"Not too bad and yourself?" asked Sakura.

"I'm great thanks."

"I'm just calling to give you an update. I've now drafted the lease and I have couriered the original lease document for you to read and sign. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me," said Sakura.

"Sure, I will keep an eye out for the courier. And have you heard from Malik?" asked Sakura.

"Yes, Malik is very keen to move in as soon as possible so once I have received your signed document I will forward this onto Malik. He will very likely move in this Friday," informed Sakura.

"Great Sakura. Thank you for the update. I appreciate it," said Iris.

"My pleasure," said Sakura and the call ended.

"Sorry, that was my lawyer updating me on the progress of the tenant for next door," Iris said to Pahi.

"That's great. And the tenant next door is...?" asked Pahi.

"Malik Zahra. He is an artisan cake maker and makes cakes for special occasions. He has an interesting business name. _Fond of Fondant_. He will be moving in next door this Friday," Iris said.

" _Fond of Fondant_?" Pahi repeated.

"Yes. It's a tongue-twister. I guess he does not take himself too seriously. Here, I'll show you what he looks like," said Iris as she walked over to a shelf and collected the black folder and flipped over to Malik's portrait.

"Oh, I tongue-twist him for sure," said Pahi. "Very handsome and looks quite jovial too."

Iris frowned at Pahi.

"Hey Iris, I was joking, I love my partner. Malik is all yours," said Pahi.

Iris frowned even further.

"All mine? I think he's too young for me. There's about seventeen years difference between us," calculated Iris.

Pahi shrugged her shoulders and concentrated back on the flowers to present in the window.

"Pahi, I've asked my son to work as a casual. He will be delivering flowers by bike. The website is all set up and you'll need to have special access to receive online orders. Also, I think you have beautiful handwriting. I might ask you to handwrite the accompanying messages with the flowers," Iris said.

"Ooh, that sounds great. It will also be nice to see Ollie. From what you say about him, he sounds like a nice man," said Pahi.

"I love him to bits. He's had it difficult though, what with Roddy being gone, which I don't think Ollie has ever forgiven himself for. And he had a relationship break-up three years ago. I never met his boyfriend at the time but from what I gathered, Ollie was deeply in love with this person. Head over heels in his first love."

"The first love is always the most painful isn't it? I'm sure Ollie will find someone again. Just like I'm sure you'll meet a lovely man soon," said Pahi.

"I doubt it," said Iris and went to focus on setting up the wrapping and ribboning area.

### Chapter 16

Thursday, 3 May – 7:25 pm

"Promise you'll behave yourself, Mum?" said Anthony as he drove into the carpark of the restaurant, _Savour Thyme_ , a classy restaurant in Double Bay.

"Me? I'm always well-behaved," said Camille.

"Mum, please. I'm being serious. This dinner is really important to Heath and me. This will be the first time you will meet Heath's mum, Jonquil," said Anthony. The car came to a gradual stop and Anthony switched off the ignition.

"Heath's mother, Jonquil, is royalty, is she? So you want me to keep quiet and be a non-talking robot? Be seen and not heard?" said Camille. "Come to think of it, are you marrying Heath so you can marry into royalty?"

Anthony sighed. Anthony and Heath wanted both their mothers to be involved in their wedding preparations. Having grown up in single-parent households was one of the many things Anthony and Heath had in common. They were both an only child, with only their mums their remaining family. Heath's father had died in a freak horse-riding accident when Heath was in primary school. Anthony's father passed away in a chartered plane accident near Airlie Beach, when Anthony was aged ten. Introducing Camille and Jonquil to each other was a goal towards a combination of two different families. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Mum, you're not a non-talking robot. Heath and I want you to be involved in our wedding ceremony," Anthony said unclipping his seatbelt. "And I'm marrying Heath because I love him, not for any other reason."

"Wanna bet?" Camille grumbled to herself. She was 74 years old and was sick and tired of being told what to do. She got out of the car and straightened up. Camille wore a white Chanel pants-suit and her white hair was pulled back into a sleek pony-tail. Camille walked slowly to the front of the car and was joined by Anthony as he activated the car's security system.

Anthony looked towards the entrance to _Savour Thyme_ and was relieved to see Heath standing with his mum Jonquil. Heath was wearing a green shirt, which brought out his green eyes. His mother Jonquil, who was in her mid-60s, also had green eyes with big round red-framed spectacles. Jonquil had her platinum grey hair in a carefully maintained bob.

Heath and Jonquil stepped forward to greet Anthony and Camille.

"Hello Camille, my name is Jonquil. I'm Heath's mum. I'm pleased to meet you," said Jonquil in a warm manner.

"Hello to you too," sniffed Camille.

"Lovely to see you again, Anthony," said Jonquil as she gave Anthony a kiss and a hug.

"Hi Camille. Good to see you again," said Heath as he leant forward to give Camille a kiss but somehow this turned into another failed attempt. The opportunity was lost as Camille turned her attention to Anthony.

"Should we go inside or do you want me to catch a cold," said Camille. "By the way Heath, I guess you've gone from being a piece of meat to becoming a special person. Congratulations."

"Let's all go inside," said Anthony in a loud voice and they moved to make their way inside the restaurant.

The Maître D' welcomed the group and led them to the reserved table where they were seated.

"I've never eaten here before. Looks very fancy," said Jonquil.

"Oh, it's not that fancy. I've eaten here plenty of times," said Camille.

"So, um, as you all know," said Heath. "Anthony and I are getting married and we have set a date for Saturday, 15 September this year."

Jonquil started clapping her hands in excitement. Camille merely glared at Jonquil.

"Heath and I have decided to have the wedding ceremony with a civil celebrant at _Orange Blossoms Vineyard_ in the Southern Highlands," said Anthony. "We'll have the ceremony in a gazebo and for the reception the vineyard has this large old hall with these massive wooden beams. It's really beautiful inside. We're going to invite about 100 people to the reception."

"Sounds like you've organised everything so why do you need us?" asked Camille, pointing at both Jonquil and herself.

Heath and Anthony looked at each other.

"Camille and Jonquil, Anthony had this idea that you could both walk us down the aisle, one at a time," Heath said.

"Instead of a traditional wedding where the father gives the bride away, the mothers are giving the grooms away," said Anthony.

"Oh, I love it," said Jonquil, clapping her hands again.

"What a ridiculous idea. You want me to walk my son down like he's a woman? He's not a woman, he's a man. Well, he's supposed to be one," said Camille.

Jonquil stopped clapping and looked appalled.

"And not only that, we want both of you to wear a tuxedo. You'll be our Best Mums instead of us having best men," said Heath.

"Oh, how clever," enthused Jonquil. "I know the right tailor to fit a suit up for me. And will you both wear suits?" Jonquil asked Anthony and Heath.

"They'll be wearing dresses. We're walking them down the aisle," snapped Camille.

"Actually, we will both be wearing tuxedos," Anthony answered. "Mum, will you wear a tuxedo?"

Camille was now studying the wine menu.

"As long as it's a stylish and exemplary tuxedo, I'll co-operate," answered Camille without looking up from her menu. Anthony had a look of sheer delight in his eyes and was going to hug his mum but she had batted him away quite firmly with the wine menu.

"And the music? Will it be classical? Will you have a string ensemble?" asked Jonquil.

"It will be a surprise on the day. The idea is that the first groom is walked down the aisle to one music track and the second groom will be walked down the aisle to a different music track," answered Heath.

Camille was waving to get the waiter's attention.

"Who will go first?" asked Jonquil.

"Ladies first," Camille quipped before smiling at the waiter who arrived at their table.

"Mum!" Anthony said through gritted teeth.

"I'll have a glass of champagne, with natural bubbles please," requested Camille. The waiter nodded and left.

Camille turned her attention to the table.

"Well, there's no surprise there. I'll be walking Anthony down the aisle first," Camille said. "And come to think of it, I'll have to pay for the whole wedding as well."

"Mum!" protested Anthony.

"What was wrong with that girl? You've known each other for years. I feel so sorry for her," said Camille.

"Just drop it, Mum," fumed Anthony.

Heath laid his hand on Anthony's shoulder in a show of support.

"So, ah, good to see that this aspect of the wedding has been sorted," said Heath as he cleared his throat. "We also wanted to ask for any advice as to cakes or flowers."

The waiter returned with Camille's glass of champagne, to which Camille was relieved to receive.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked.

"Ah, we will be in a few minutes," said Anthony as Jonquil and Heath picked up their menus. The waiter nodded and left the table.

"I wouldn't know. I don't know anything about cakes or flowers. I've been working in education all my life," said Jonquil.

"What about you, Mum?" Anthony asked.

"Well, I happened to be walking along Oxford Street the other day on my way to Woollahra and there appears to be a new florist shop. I think they were called _Late Bloomer_ something. They might be worth a visit. I heard on the grapevine that a special occasions cake maker is moving next door. Maybe wait a week or two and then place an order for both your flowers and cake," said Camille.

"Thank you, Mum. Heath can you take note of that name, _Late Bloomer_ on Oxford Street," said Anthony.

The waiter returned.

"Are you ready to order," asked the waiter.

"Yes!" they all replied in unison.

### Chapter 17

Friday, 4 May – 9.28 am

"Pahi, I'm just going to pop out and meet Malik. If you could look after this order please," said Iris.

"Sure, no problem, will do that right now," said Pahi heading over to the workshop table.

Iris took off her work apron and brushed herself down. She hoped she looked presentable. She stepped down outside and paced up and down the front of the flower store. She was excited about meeting Malik in person.

A van drove up, which had the name _Fond of Fondant_ written in large blue letters. The van came to a complete stop and Malik, in the flesh, stepped out of the driver's seat. He was more handsome in person. He saw Iris standing out the front and flashed a great white smile.

"You must be Iris?" greeted Malik with his deep and accented voice He locked the van door and walked around the van with his arm outstretched for a handshake.

"Yes, that's me," said Iris, shaking Malik's hand.

Malik had dark tanned tone skin, was clean-shaven, and wore a crisp white shirt, with rolled-up sleeves. He had wavy black hair and intelligent dark brown eyes.

"I just want to say thank you again so much for accepting my application. I've worked for quite a few bakeries and I'm excited to finally go out on my own doing something that I love," said Malik.

"Well, I saw your portfolio. I have to say I am very impressed," said Iris.

"Thank you, Iris," said Malik. He grabbed the keys in his pocket. "Did you want to come in? I can tell you what I am going to do with the space."

"Sure, if you're okay with that," said Iris.

"It's no problem," said Malik.

Malik and Iris stepped into the store.

"I'm going to put my creations in the window space so people can see what I can make. I'll show different creations from time to time, birthday cakes, wedding cakes, and cakes for special occasions," said Malik.

"I look forward to seeing your edible works of art," laughed Iris.

"They are like artworks, except you get to eat them," Malik chuckled.

"You better not let me in the art gallery then!" said Iris. "So how did you get into baking cakes?"

"It's a bit of a long story. My parents were born in Morocco and they owned a small bakery shop. I used to help out from time to time," explained Malik. "We came here to Australia. I went to high school here and got a job in a bakery in Cabramatta and that led to jobs in Lakemba, Auburn, Punchbowl, Bankstown and Marrickville. But I also did some night-time classes at a local cooking school. My friends are always asking me to make them something for special occasions so I have been doing that. Through word of mouth my cakes became well-known. I've had to turn down friends' requests due to such high demand. A friend suggested that I should start a cake shop. So I was looking for a good place to sell my cakes and I came across this space. I'm very happy I was successful. But I do miss my parents. They moved back to Morocco a few years ago and they're now working in a new bakery shop. I still keep in touch with them by email and Skype. I do have a lot of family in Morocco."

Iris smiled at Malik. There was a fresh optimism in Malik's face, voice and posture. He was quite possibly the most upbeat person she had ever met. Every word Malik uttered was with an underlying sense of passion and meaning.

"And how long have you had your floristry business? We'll be neighbours!" said Malik.

"I only started trading in my business a few days ago but before that I had been working as a florist for small businesses on and off over the last 20 years," said Iris.

"Sounds like you're very experienced!" said Malik.

"And extremely fortunate. You see this building? My uncle bequeathed it to me. It's allowed me to be my own boss now. But I am confused by the whole thing because it looks like my uncle just bought the building and then moved to France straight afterwards. Anyway I should stop babbling," said Iris.

They were now both standing in the kitchen area. "So the kitchen looks very well prepared. I will just need to bring a few fondant making machines and equipment like tins, moulds and foam bases. I have all of that in the van. I need to call a few people to help out with the signage on the window, but apart from that I'm good to go!" said Malik.

"That's great to hear. If you need any help please let me know," said Iris.

There was the sound of the store door being opened and a young woman of Chinese descent appeared. She was wearing a crisp white buttoned-up shirt, black trousers and black shoes. Her hair was held up in a bun and she had a very friendly face.

"Morning, Lian," Malik waved.

"Morning, Malik," greeted Lian.

"Iris, this is Lian Hua Luli, my cake detailer. She has an extraordinary attention for detail. Lian, this is Iris, a florist, our next door neighbour," said Malik.

"Nice to meet you, Iris," said Lian.

"You too," Iris said. "Well I shall leave you two alone to settle in. I just wanted to say welcome and if you need anything stop by next door and ask for me," said Iris as she made her way back to the flower store.

### Chapter 18

Saturday, 5 May – 5:25 pm

"Hey Ollie," said Meggie as Ollie entered the Balmain pub, an establishment that refused to change its very 1960s pub aesthetics.

"Hey Meg," Ollie answered. "Looks like it's going to be a very busy night tonight."

"Tell me about it. We're hosting three 21st birthday celebrations. It will be great for business and fun to watch, although I hope they actually drink the beer and not spill it all over the carpet," said Meggie.

Ollie nodded his head. He headed over to the kitchen where he began to start washing the drink glasses. There were a lot of these to clean and he had better get onto this. He put on the washing gloves and started cleaning. His thoughts had been activated by a word Meggie had said. _Spill_. The spilt lemon, lime and bitters. The first time Silver Fox and Ollie had met. And Ollie's thoughts wandered even further.

April 2015

It was a beautiful and glorious sunny day. Ollie was waiting at the Paddington entrance of Centennial Park. He was excited that he was going to see Silver Fox again. Silver Fox had this habit of meeting first in public places only before heading back to Silver Fox's place.

Ollie was head over heels that someone could still want to be with him. After meeting up with Silver Fox, Ollie would lie back on his bed, with his head in the clouds, feeling amazement. They had been dating for three months so far and Ollie was thrilled. At this point in time it was still a date every weekend. Silver Fox had said he was very busy during the week but he would be happy to meet up once every weekend.

This was Ollie's first relationship and he was learning a lot. Ollie had questioned whether the age difference, some twenty years, was an issue but had set aside that worry. Here was Silver Fox, actually showing an interest in him, something he did not think was possible.

Ollie looked down at his watch. Silver Fox had texted he would be here soon. Ollie started to feel agitated. He hoped it was a delay and that Silver Fox had not changed his mind about meeting up. Ollie thought about Silver Fox all week and would be devastatingly crushed if Silver Fox did not want to see him again.

" _Hey Ollie," Silver Fox materialised. "Sorry to keep you waiting."_

" _Silver Fox!" Ollie said in pure happiness, his heart leaping with joy. Ollie walked over and gave Silver Fox a hug. Silver Fox patted Ollie on the back and glanced around the gates to see if anyone saw them. He scanned the park to see if he recognised any of the locals, who were jogging, walking their dogs or taking their children out for exercise._

A group of wiry and lean men ran past, their taut and topless bodies glistening with sweat. They turned around a corner and continued running in the opposite direction. Pairs of female cyclists were pedalling uphill in feats of stamina.

Ollie was blissfully happy. It was like Silver Fox was a missing piece of his life. Ollie plus Silver Fox equalled happiness. When Ollie was with Silver Fox he could relax, enjoy the present and be genuinely happy.

Ollie and Silver Fox walked around the park, holding light conversations and hands. They had paused by the duck ponds.

" _So, one of my friends from high school, Graham, is having a 45_ th _birthday party next month. Did you want to come along?" Silver Fox asked casually._

" _Sure, that sounds like fun," said Ollie._

" _It will be the first time my friends get to meet you," said Silver Fox._

" _Oh, okay. I will be careful to make a good impression and not embarrass you," said Ollie._

" _Yes, Graham is a good friend of mine and we talk every day. He's heard so much about you and is keen to meet you," said Silver Fox._

Ollie became silent. Ollie's head started to generate thoughts, "Silver Fox only texts me on Fridays and the weekends. Silver Fox is talking to Graham every day but not to me. Waiting for Silver Fox's text message to arrive is distressing and torturing me."

Ollie shook these thoughts away. He was happy where he was now, in Silver Fox's presence, in a beautiful park and in perfect sunny weather. Ollie kept tight hold of Silver Fox's hand as they walked further around the park.

After they walked around the park, they walked to Silver Fox's parked car. Ollie felt uncomfortable being in cars. Two years before his father had been giving him driving lessons when all of a sudden his father was having a heart attack as Ollie was learning how to reverse park. Ollie had called the ambulance and they had taken Roddy and Ollie to Emergency but it was too late. Ollie felt guilty that he somehow had been the reason his dad was no longer here. His mum was so distraught by the news. Ollie's desire to get his P plates dissipated and he now travelled by foot, public transport or by bike.

" _Are you okay, Ollie?" asked Silver Fox._

" _Yes, I'm fine," said Ollie and he opened the passenger car door to let himself in._

"Ollie, I think you've already washed those glasses," said Meggie as she came in to collect the racks of clean glasses. "Are you turning into a super-clean freak again?"

"Oh, sorry, I guess I was distracted," said Ollie apologetically. He took off the gloves and helped bring the other clean glasses to the counter, where he started to serve the patrons.

### Chapter 19

Saturday, 12 May – 5:59 pm

"Hi Mum. It's Iris here, how are you?" Iris talked into her mobile phone, as she closed the store door and made her way upstairs to her living space.

"Hello darling, I'm not too bad. I've been working on the front garden over the last couple of weeks and it's really starting to finally look tidy," said Gladys. "Taming those wayward branches takes work!"

"That's good to hear," Iris paused. "Mum, I was just letting you know that the handyman found an old newspaper article in the cupboards in the building. This article is dated December, 1972."

"1972?" Gladys repeated.

"Yes. The article has a photo about a French dignitary visiting Sydney. It looks like Pascal was the French ambassador at the time. And I can see Jack in the background of the photo. If you'd like I can post a photocopy to you," Iris offered.

"Yes, that would be nice, dear."

"I'll do that tomorrow," said Iris.

"Thanks Iris. So how's your store going?"

"It's going really well Mum. We're getting quite a few new customers because of the foot traffic on Oxford Street and we've got lovely feedback. I think the store is settling into the business community quite nicely," said Iris.

"I'm happy to hear that Iris. And you have a new tenant for next door?" enquired Gladys.

"Yes, Malik's store moved in a few weeks ago with his store, _Fond of Fondant_. You should see his creations, Mum. They are incredible. Only the other day I saw him place in the store window a cake in the shape of a waratah."

"That sounds amazing," said Gladys. "Is Malik a nice man?"

"He is a very lovely man. He has such a lovely smile and such happy eyes. He always says hello to me in the mornings and he even brings over cake samples he is working on. He brings a little plate with a slice and I give him feedback. He also does that to Pahi, my colleague, as well. She loves it," said Iris.

"Sounds like he's a catch Iris," said Gladys.

"Mum, he's too young for me. He's about seventeen years younger than me. He's closer in age to Ollie than to me."

"Keep your options open Iris. It's better to approach life with an open heart. But I guess I'm bad at taking my own advice. Anyhoo, I look forward to seeing that article."

"Okay, Mum. You have a good weekend," said Iris.

"You too, darling," said Gladys and Iris hung up.

_December 1972_ , Gladys thought. That was also the time Jack had visited Grafton to see Gladys and Iris.

December 1972

Gladys had her camera ready and was taking quite a few photographs at a playground by the Clarence River. Jack was helping Iris climb across monkey bars. Gladys gave a sad smile as she saw Iris having a great time with Jack. Gladys took a few photographs of the Grafton Bridge, a long metal grid structure supported over the Clarence River.

Jack had written to Iris to say he was visiting Grafton to see them. Gladys wrote back that they could meet up at a playground. Jack had made it clear he did not want to see Mum and Dad. Just Iris and Gladys.

It took a long time for Jack to be on speaking terms with Gladys. For a while Iris thought he must have moved to Sydney and this was confirmed when she received a letter from Jack in 1969. Mum and Dad also received a letter but they refused to say anything about Jack. Dad was drinking even more and poor Mum was getting frail.

Gladys then sat on the park bench and Jack joined her as Iris continued to play in the playground area, climbing up onto a slippery dip.

" _So, what are you doing in Sydney? Are you with anyone? A girlfriend?" asked Gladys._

" _Not at the moment. I'm holding down a job and I'm living at Potts Point," said Jack._

" _By yourself?" Gladys enquired._

" _No, I live with a flatmate," Jack said._

There was a pause as they both watched Iris swing her way under the monkey bars.

" _Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for missing your wedding, the birth of Iris and your husband's funeral," said Jack._

" _You weren't to know," said Gladys. "We didn't know your contact details until well after those events."_

" _I just hope you understand why I had to leave home," said Jack._

" _Of course I understand Jack, but you left me to look after Mum and Dad by myself. You know they are both unwell and ageing. I thought you would be intelligent enough to know they don't like to be upset and shocked," said Gladys._

Jack looked sullen and looked down at his leather shoes.

" _Anyway, it's clear you're now based in Sydney. A life away from your family," said Gladys. "But it would be nice to have some assistance."_

" _You mean money? Gladdie, I don't have a lot to spend. The money I do earn I spend on restaurants, theatre shows and rent. I've also been paying for quite a few French language courses over the past few years. I'm not rich," said Jack._

" _I meant your time," said Gladys. "I don't believe you about the money. Look at your clothes. It looks like you shop at David Jones. A lot."_

" _I want to look nice Gladys!" said Jack._

" _Don't we all," Gladys said bitterly._

Jack was about to say something but thought better of it.

" _Jack, what were you going to say?" asked Gladys. "Say it!"_

Jack shook his head. He left the bench and went over to see Iris on the playground equipment. His mood changed visibly to one of happiness as Iris laughed and giggled in her uncle's presence.

Gladys felt so guilty at the recollection. Why was she see-sawing between different emotions of anger and remorse for her brother? She thought she should have been a better sister so that Jack had someone to confide in. Gladys got up from her sofa in the lounge and went to help herself to some triple-chocolate Bavarian cake.

### Chapter 20

Saturday, 13 May – 11:07 am

Jonquil was sipping her cappuccino at _Tick Tock Coffee_ , a Paddington café on Oxford Street.

Camille walked past the café but stepped backwards to the front of the café. She had now found the cafe to meet up with Jonquil.

Camille took off her sunglasses and stepped inside where she nodded at Jonquil and sat down at the table for two.

"Hello Jonquil," said Camille in a stiff fashion.

"Hello Camille," greeted Jonquil. "I wasn't sure if you were meeting up with me. Heath said he and Anthony had booked a weekend away to Cairns and they couldn't come along to the florist and the cake store today."

"To be honest, I didn't want to come. But Anthony got really mad at me and said I had to go," said Camille.

"Well, I'm glad you came," said Jonquil. "It'll be fun. Do you have the list that Anthony and Heath wrote up at that dinner at Double Bay?" asked Jonquil.

"Yes, it's in my bag," said Camille as she showed off her expensive handbag to Jonquil.

"That's good. Did you want a coffee or something to eat here?"

"I'm good. We can go straight over to the florist," said Camille.

"No problem," said Jonquil as she finished off her cappuccino. "I've already paid, so we can head over now."

Jonquil and Camille both got up and hauled their handbags over their shoulders.

"So, are you nervous about the wedding Camille?" asked Jonquil.

"I can't say I'm thrilled. Anthony is my only child and I would like grandchildren," Camille said.

"Well, I'm delighted. I really passionately believe in marriage equality. Our society is better for it, don't you think?" Jonquil said.

Camille looked down at Jonquil.

"So, I've bought my tuxedo already online. At least I will look respectable. Have you bought yours yet?" Camille said.

"Ah, not yet, I haven't done my searching yet," Jonquil said.

"Well, the wedding is only four months away. Chop chop," said Camille.

"Yes, of course, I better get onto it tonight," said Jonquil, which made Camille nod her head.

"So Camille, when did you know that Anthony was attracted to the same sex?" asked Jonquil.

Camille stopped in the middle of the pavement.

"That's a personal question Jonquil," said Camille and resumed walking along the pavement.

"Oh, I didn't intend to offend," said Jonquil apologetically.

"If you must know, it was when I took Anthony to see a rugby union match when he was a teenager. I thought Anthony looked too lingeringly at the rugby union players. I blame the short shorts," said Camille.

"So you've known for a long time then?" Jonquil said.

"Yes, but I was hoping it was just a phase. I turned a blind eye and had hoped it would all go away. Clearly that strategy didn't work. Anthony did have a few girlfriends but they never lasted for long," said Camille. "How did you know that Heath was attracted to men?"

"Well Heath was in year 9 and he came to me and he said he thought he liked men. He told me directly and I've been as supportive as ever," said Jonquil. "Though, at the time, I gave Heath quite a lecture about the hard facts of sex, whether with a man or a woman. If it's not on, it's not on. I kept repeating to him, "There's no such thing as safe sex, only safer sex". I went through the catalogue of all the potential sexually transmitted infections. Then I talked about how powerful the hormones in our bodies can feel, that yes, our bodies can feel physically supercharged for never-ending sex. Yet, there are still real risks involved, no matter how out-of-this-world the orgasms feels. Certain hormone levels can lead to questionable choices being made."

"I'm surprised you didn't scare Heath off sex for the rest of his life," commented Camille.

"Well, I know Heath is going to have sex and I want him to enjoy it, too. I just hoped to give him as much information as possible. The rest is up to him," said Jonquil. "I've also always wondered why people go in that direction."

"Please don't say bossy mothers, Jonquil," said Camille. "It's just not true."

"You never know. There could be multiple causes. Sensitivity traits, various sets of genes, pre-natal stress, increased exposure to progesterone, probability or maybe even overpopulation," commented Jonquil. "I often wonder if masculinity and femininity is not just limited to the human body but also extends to the nature of our own spirit or soul, if you'd like. Or maybe, just maybe, the soul/spirit decided to be "different" when entering this world? For a new experience, perhaps?"

"This is all very fascinating," said Camille. "Well, here's the florist."

Camille and Jonquil stood looking at the storefront window, which were exhibiting silver buckets of white and pink hydrangeas and orange blossoms. They stepped inside the florist store. A woman with bouncy brown curls and wearing a glossy work apron approached them.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the woman asked.

"Ah, Iris," Camille said as she looked at the woman's name badge. "Both our sons are getting married in September this year."

"Oh congratulations," said Iris.

"Please tone down your enthusiasm," said Camille as she reached into her bag for the handwritten list. Iris's face dropped a little.

"So Iris, our sons have written basic instructions on the floral requirements for their wedding and reception," Jonquil said.

"Sure, would you like to join me at the workshop table?" said Iris as she moved three stools for the three of them to sit. "I'll just need to grab my diary."

Camille appraised the florist store around her and Iris returned to Camille and Jonquil with her diary.

"So our sons Anthony and Heath are having a same-sex wedding planned in the Southern Highlands at a vineyard. We were hoping you would be available," said Jonquil.

"Well, that sounds like a big job," Iris said. "But I would love to be the floral service provider. I'll check my availability. The date is?"

"15 September, this year," said Camille.

Iris flipped over several pages and came to the date in question.

"Yes, I'm free that day," said Iris. "Should I pencil in this wedding now?"

"Yes please," said Jonquil.

"So, according to this list, Anthony and Heath wanted the following," said Camille looking at the list. "Anthony and Heath to wear lapel flowers of rainbow dyed roses. There will be six bridesmaids, each holding a bouquet reflecting each colour of the rainbow. So they need a coloured bouquet each, preferably of Australian flowers only. There will need to be a nice floral arrangement for the gazebo where the wedding ceremony will be held. And for the reception, there will be about 100 guests so the idea is to have two long banquet tables for 50 people each, with flowers provided for the length of the tables. There's also a table for the wedding party. Oh and it says here that they would like flower arrangements on the walls of the hall as well."

Iris was scribbling all this information down furiously. Camille returned the list to her handbag.

"That job sounds doable. Pahi will definitely need to help me out on this job," said Iris as she finished writing down the notes. "So how did your sons meet?"

"Online," Camille and Jonquil said in unison.

"But can I tell you about the wedding proposal?" asked Jonquil.

"Sure. Why not?" said Iris.

"So a couple of months ago my son, Heath, organised this very elaborate wedding proposal. Heath asked Anthony to see an opera at the Sydney Opera House. After the opera they walked in the twilight to Mrs Macquarie's Chair and there was a crowd of people already there, just looking like they're relaxing and then all of a sudden they all turn into a flash mob choir singing Dean Fiorentino's signature song "You Complete Me Forever and Ever". I was there and it was so romantic. Anthony looked quite shocked when Heath bent down on his knee and proposed. Anthony said yes and I believe he was jumping up and down in excitement. I also saw the ring Heath had purchased beforehand. It was a gold band with ruby, madeira citrine, yellow diamond, emerald, sapphire and amethyst," said Jonquil.

"Wow, that sounds very romantic indeed," said Iris.

"I think I'm going to get sick," said Camille. "Let's go next door and book the cake maker."

Jonquil sighed and gave Iris an apologetic look.

"Well, thank you for coming by and pass my congratulations on your sons' engagement for me," said Iris as she waved goodbye to Jonquil and Camille as they left the florist store.

"Will do," said Jonquil.

Camille and Jonquil then walked out onto Oxford Street and turned to face the next store.

"Look at these marvellous cakes," said Jonquil looking into the storefront. There was a large wedding cake with lotus flowers alongside a very scrumptious-looking cake that was in the shape of a very large tower of pancakes and syrup.

Camille was already inside. She could see a dark-haired man in the industrial kitchen covering a cake with what appeared to be a large sheet of fondant. A young Chinese woman was nearby, astutely cutting petals out of gum paste.

The man placed the fondant over the cake and was smoothing down the sides. He then looked up and smiled at Camille and Jonquil as she walked in.

"Hello. My name is Malik. How may I help you?" the man said.

"Hi Malik," said Jonquil. "I'm Jonquil and this is Camille. We're here to order a cake for our sons' upcoming weddings."

"A double wedding? Two cakes?" asked Malik.

"I wish," muttered Camille.

"Oh! I meant our sons will be marrying each other. Heath and Anthony wrote down the concept of the cake they wanted," said Jonquil.

Camille fished back into her bag for the list. Camille collected the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Jonquil.

"So," said Jonquil looking at the list. "Heath and Anthony would like a white six-tiered cake with a rainbow theme. That's all they wrote."

"I can definitely create a cake to their requirements. What date is this wedding?" Malik asked.

"15 September," answered Jonquil.

Malik went over to pencil in the cake in his cake orders book. He picked up a book with laminated pictures and placed this on the counter.

"Please have a look here for the type of look and texture your sons would like. This book also gives you options of flavours," said Malik.

"Oh my, we're spoilt for choice," said Jonquil as she turned the pages.

"Nope, nope, nope, nope," said Camille as she saw each page being turned over by Jonquil.

"Oh, that looks beautiful," said Jonquil as she saw a fondant cake with a floral fusion of white and ivory rose petals. "It says this is an almond, pear and orange blossom cake with buttercream icing. My mouth is watering already!"

"The fruity aspect really fits in with the wedding theme too," said Camille. Jonquil gave Camille an appalled look.

"Well, I guess I'm happy as long it's not mud cake or chocolate fudge," said Camille. "I'm trying to stay skinny."

"Camille," said Jonquil, slightly irritated. "This wedding is not about you."

Camille stepped back as if she had been slapped.

Malik, sensing tension, started to pose ideas to Jonquil and Camille.

"Did you want rainbow coloured ribboning around the base? Or did you want inside each tier to be dyed an independent colour of the rainbow? Or would you prefer a standard white cake with rainbow coloured flowers gradually melting into each other?"

"That last option sounds really nice. Oh, it will look so beautiful," said Jonquil as she placed the book back on the counter and clapped her hands together.

"No worries. I will pencil this job in as a six-tiered white fondant almond, pear and orange blossom cake with buttercream icing. This cake is to have rainbow coloured flowers from the top to the bottom tiers," confirmed Malik.

"Yes please, Malik!" said Jonquil.

After Jonquil had confirmed with Malik the details of the wedding reception address, she and Camille left the cake store.

"Well that's the flowers and cake arranged for our boys," beamed Jonquil.

"Yes, they're finally sorted out," said Camille. "I've had an educational morning."

"So have I," said Jonquil. "Well, take care and enjoy your weekend."

Camille nodded and they then parted ways.

### Chapter 21

Saturday, 27 May – 7:45 pm

Ollie and Jane were working at the Balmain pub pulling pints for the patrons.

"Ollie, see the guy to the left standing by the bronze sculpture of the boxer, I think he's looking at you," said Jane. "I would totally go for him."

Ollie looked up to see the man, who nodded and smiled at him. He was in his mid-30s and was wearing a checked shirt and jeans.

"I think he likes you," said Jane.

"Yeah, he's a local here. His name is Bruce," said Ollie.

Bruce had finished off his beer and was about to walk over to the bar.

"He's coming over Ollie!" said Jane and made herself look busy by wiping the counter down.

Bruce placed the empty glass on the bar counter.

"May I have another schooner, please?" asked Bruce.

"Sure. Another beer coming your way," said Ollie. Ollie got a clean glass and poured the beer into the glass and laid the beer onto the counter. Bruce's hand covered Ollie's hand on the glass. Ollie flinched ever so slightly and withdrew his hand away from the glass.

"I like your hair style. Did you have it cut recently," asked Bruce.

"Yeah, I thought it was about time I got a crew cut," said Ollie.

"Well, it really suits you," Bruce paused and his face started to go red. "Sorry to be upfront but I would love to ask you out on a date. Would you like my phone number?" asked Bruce.

"Bruce, I'm incredibly flattered! But I'm not looking at the moment," said Ollie. Jane, who was witnessing this nearby, could be seen shaking her head, and placed both hands on either side of her head. This was not going to plan at all.

"No worries, Ollie. I thought I'd try my luck," said Bruce as he paid and carried his beer towards the horse-racing screens.

Ollie looked at Bruce and his mind wandered again.

June 2015

There was something not right, Silver Fox had said to meet outside Kings Cross Library at 2 pm but he had not turned up yet. Ollie had texted Silver Fox to let him know he had arrived but Ollie had so far received no response. Ollie was confused. He thought he was doing all the right things in the relationship. Staying monogamous, providing good company and being a source of enjoyable affection. So far the relationship had still stayed a weekend relationship with Silver Fox citing work commitments. However, Ollie had been introduced to some of Silver Fox's friends, but not his family yet.

Ollie decided to go into the library and waited for a response to his text message. As the clock ticked by Ollie's heart sank. Half an hour went by and then an hour went by. Ollie looked at his phone for the umpteenth time. No message.

Ollie had collected several graphic novels in the library to keep his mind off his sinking heart.

Maybe something had happened to Silver Fox. A medical emergency? Or even a family emergency. Ollie was too aware this could happen anytime, without notice.

Then a text message came through at 3:55pm:

" _Sorry Ollie, I was having lunch with my friend Graham. We had so much fun and time just went by. Will be there in ten minutes."_

Ollie was seething. Silver Fox clearly preferred to spend the time with his friend Graham than Ollie. Ollie had to grapple with this information. Were not Ollie and Silver Fox boyfriends? Ollie was experiencing another rush of anger and did not know how to handle this or rein this back.

Ollie made his way down the library lift and waited for Silver Fox to arrive.

Silver Fox sauntered up to Ollie to give him a hug. Ollie flinched.

" _You kept me waiting for almost two hours!" said Ollie, trying to contain the angry edge to his voice._

" _I'm sorry Ollie. My bad!" said Silver Fox with a chuckle._

" _You think this is a joke?" said Ollie._

Ollie was faced with a conundrum. He needed Silver Fox to be happy but he was furious with Silver Fox for not making him feel like he was a proper boyfriend. He took second place to Silver Fox's friend, to Silver Fox's social life. The painful thought crossed Ollie's mind that maybe Silver Fox was not in love with him and did not really care for him. Ollie began to feel horrified. He had given his all to Silver Fox, who was merely there taking every ounce of Ollie's energy in the relationship. The more Ollie thought about this, he realised that Silver Fox was not reciprocating. Ollie discerned that Silver Fox had a secure wall hiding his true emotions, which could not be broken down. And this anger! It was so strong! It seemed capable of extinguishing all of his loving feelings for Silver Fox.

" _Look let's have a coffee and settle down," said Silver Fox._

Silver Fox and Ollie went to a café nearby. There was small talk, but Ollie was dejected and only half-listening.

" _Silver Fox, why didn't you tell me that were going to be late?" asked Ollie. "You know I really look forward to seeing you."_

" _I've said I'm sorry. Life gets in the way," said Silver Fox._

" _Aren't I part of your life?" asked Ollie._

Silver Fox stayed silent.

" _I'm going to go home," said Ollie as he got up. "I'm not in the mood for being with you at this point in time."_

Ollie then left the café and headed to the train station.

"Earth calling to Ollie," Jane said as she tried to gain Ollie's attention.

Ollie snapped to attention.

"Why did you say no? This could have been your chance," said Jane exasperatedly.

"I'm just not ready," said Ollie and started serving the next customer.

### Chapter 22

Saturday, 2 June – 9.55 am

Rosie stepped out of her red Hyundai and found herself surrounded by university students who were laughing with friends, or walking alone on their way to the library. Rosie looked down at her phone as she checked the address for her writing workshop. She crossed City Road and was standing on Eastern Avenue and saw that she had a couple of buildings to navigate her way through. She then continued walking, holding onto her satchel bag. She made her way through the quadrangle and soon found the correct building. Rosie walked up the stairs of the campus building and saw a sign leading the way to the workshop, "Writing for Writers with Writer's Block".

She held onto her satchel bag, which held a few of her own journals to show the workshop instructor, and walked into the room.

"Hello, I'm the instructor, Zinnia. You're here for the writing workshop?"

"Yes, my name is Rosie."

"Welcome, Rosie, so you're experiencing writer's block," asked Zinnia.

"Oh yes, I used to love writing. I even brought my journals to show you," said Rosie motioning to her satchel bag. "I got married and before you know it, I got divorced. I'm just hoping to find the creativity again. I don't know where it went."

"You've come to the right place, Rosie. Please sit anywhere in the classroom and we'll start shortly," said Zinnia.

Rosie smiled at the several students already settled in at their desks. Rosie found a spare desk and placed her satchel bag down on the ground. Rosie took out a small pencil case and a notepad. Several more people entered the room and Zinnia marked their names off the attendance sheet. Soon, Zinnia went to close the door and faced the class.

"Welcome to this workshop everyone! Today we will hopefully unlock your writing potential. This topic is close to my heart as I started out as an author in my 30s and had written several books but then I found myself unable to write a word down in a new creative project. And it stayed like that for almost twenty years," said Zinnia.

Rosie looked around the group and saw that they were a mixture of men and women in their fifties and sixties. Rosie appeared to be the youngest in the group. They all attentively followed Zinnia's words.

"The reason I found that I could no longer write was that I was paralysed by personal events that happened to me. These personal events, which included illness and family circumstances, really sapped the life out of me. Writing as a process demands undistracted focus," continued Zinnia.

Rosie was feeling Zinnia's words resonate within herself.

"So I will share with you my secrets on how I learnt to overcome this paralysis. I started to finally write and succeeded in writing novels once again. So, I see that you all have your pen and paper. Please now write down the five things that matter most to you," instructed Zinnia.

_Five things that matter the most to me?_ thought Rosie. Rosie poised her pencil over her paper. She wrote down "Job" as she knew she loved being a nurse. Then she wrote "Woolloomooloo unit" as she loved her terrace. Rosie pondered on what to write for the next three items. She wrote "Love" but scribbled that out. Rosie then wrote "Marriage" and looked incredulously at why she would include this word on the list. She scribbled this word out as well. Rosie looked around the group. She still felt no further inspiration. She saw that everybody in the group had finished their lists as they began to put their pens down and looked expectantly up at Zinnia. Tears welled up In Rosie's eyes.

"By writing a very short list, we're starting with a small step. We will go around the group and read out the top five things that matter most to you," said Zinnia.

Rosie quietly put her pencil in the pencil case and put the pencil case and notepad into her satchel bag.

"The top five things for me are my children, my wife, my parents, my running group and my volunteer work," a man in his early fifties read out.

"That's a good start, Ben," said Zinnia. "Oh, Rosie, are you all right?"

Rosie had gotten up from her desk and put the satchel bag over her shoulder.

"You don't need to finish the exercises. Observing the workshop is perfectly fine," said Zinnia as she sensed Rosie's distress.

"Sorry, I have to go," said Rosie as she walked to open the door and left the classroom.

### Chapter 23

Wednesday, 6 June – 8:55 pm

It was late evening and Iris was looking out through the upstairs windows out onto the street below. It was fairly quiet with only several cars making their ways to the eastern suburbs or to the city. This was Iris's favourite thing to do in the evenings. She liked the neon ambience of the nearby stores and the gentle hum of cars passing by. She enjoyed the people-watching as well, seeing corporate workers walking to their homes and joggers with their backpacks puffing their way into better fitness. It calmed her down enormously. It was a beautiful way to wind down at the end of a busy day in the floral shop. Iris felt content for once, a feeling she had not felt for a long time. She was excited to see Ollie tomorrow, who was happy to make flower deliveries. She gave a yawn and closed the curtains. She climbed into her bed and was ready to float away into a deep sleep.

In the faint distance, there was a sound of tyres screeching. Iris raised her eyebrows. Then all of a sudden there was a loud smash. Iris bolted upright in bed. _That sounded really close_ , Iris thought. She ran to the living area window but not before there was another screech of tyres. There was little traffic and Iris couldn't see any cars. Iris put on her scarf, bath robe and slippers and walked quickly down the stairs when she felt a large draught of cool air on the ground. Iris gasped. Her storefront window was completely smashed through. Shards of glass were all over the wooden floors. The streetlights poured in refracted light. And then she saw the hunched hooded figure standing on the pavement. Iris's heart dropped further. It was the figure of Malik, holding his arms over his head in a protective gesture.

"Malik, are you okay?" Iris cried out as she walked gingerly across the shattered glass on the floor of the store, opened the store door and stepped out onto the pavement.

"I'm covered in glass. I was wearing my coat," said Malik. "I'm lucky that I had put my hood on."

Malik had little scratches across his face but no serious bleeding. Then Iris looked down.

"Malik your thigh!" said Iris as she saw bleeding from a cut in Malik's left thigh. There was a lodged piece of glass. Malik carefully pulled the glass out and yelled out in pain.

"Malik, I'm going to drive you to emergency now," Iris took off her scarf and started wrapping the scarf around the wound. "The hospital is just a few minutes away."

Iris went back inside the store to get her keys and soon was locking the store door, leaving the shopfront window unattended. She prayed that the store would not be pillaged and plundered.

Iris beeped the van open and helped Malik into the front seat. She could see that the blood was starting to seep through the scarf. Iris clipped Malik into his seat and Iris drove within the speed limit to the nearest hospital, St Vincent's Hospital.

Iris drove the van into the hospital entrance road and switched the engine off. Iris got out of the driver's seat and unclipped Malik out of his seat and brought him to the attention of nursing staff at the Emergency entrance. Iris saw Malik being taken in straight away and she just realised that she had not yet called the police. Iris started dialling. An operator answered.

"Hello, my name is Iris and I own a flower store on Oxford Street, Paddington. Someone threw a rock through my shopfront window and the window is completely smashed. I had to drive my next-door tenant to hospital because some of the glass landed on Malik. The police are on their way already? We'll be at emergency if I need to be contacted," said Iris and provided her personal contact details. The call ended. Iris then called Pahi to explain what had happened.

"What? Why? How?" said Pahi in shock. "I'll be over there now to help out the police. I'll be at the store in 20 minutes."

"Thanks Pahi. I'm going to stay with Malik and see that he is okay," said Iris.

"Ok. I hope Malik is all right and that it's nothing serious," said Pahi and hung up.

Iris walked into the emergency ward and went to the head nurse.

"Can I see how Malik is going?" Iris said.

"He is currently being attended to by the emergency doctor. Are you next of kin for Malik?"

"No, I'm the next-door florist. Malik doesn't have any family here, from what he told me," said Iris.

"If you could be seated in the waiting room, we will let you know of any updates," said the head nurse.

Iris sat down and held her hands together, trying not to shake. She could not understand what had happened. Iris had not been to a hospital since Roddy had died. Iris was starting to get flashbacks.

February 2013

" _Mum," said a distressed voice on the other line, "Dad's had a heart attack!"_

" _What, is that you Ollie?" asked Iris as she placed down the white lilies she was preparing for a client order._

" _Yes," sobbed Ollie. "It's my fault. Dad was giving me a driving lesson."_

" _Where are you Ollie?" asked Iris._

" _I'm at the emergency ward at Campbelltown Hospital," said Ollie._

" _I'll be there as soon as I can," said Iris and ended the call._

" _Is everything okay?" said Pahi with a look of concern on her face._

" _Roddy has had a heart attack. I'll need to leave work. Can you cover for me?"_

" _Yes. No need to ask. Just as well Dahlia is on holidays. Go and take care," said Pahi._

Iris hurried over to her car parked across the street from the florist. Iris then drove with a very dry mouth and finally drove to the hospital. She got out of the car, locked it, and went in search of the emergency ward.

She could see Ollie standing by himself, very pale and distressed. The head nurse came towards Iris and asked if she was Roddy's partner.

" _Yes, I'm his wife. That's me," said Iris as she saw Ollie give Iris a look of fright and self-blame._

" _If you could come this way please. The surgeon will speak to you, said the head nurse. Iris and the head nurse walked along the corridor to the operating theatre where the surgeon had a grim look on her face._

"Iris. Malik is here," said the head nurse. Iris looked up and her heart leapt with relief. Iris was so overwhelmed she gave Malik a hug. She did not know how long she was in the dazed state reliving that horrible afternoon at Campbelltown Hospital.

"They checked that there were no more foreign glass bodies in my thigh and they gave me stitches. They said I was lucky the glass didn't go deeper. I can leave the hospital but they've given me instructions on how to look after the wound and change the dressing," said Malik. "I've got to see this particular doctor to have the stitches taken out in a week's time."

Iris's phone started ringing and Iris answered. She listened carefully and started nodding her head.

"Yes, we'll head over there right now," said Iris and ended the call.

"That was the police. We need to give statements. I just need to drive us to the Surry Hills Police Station," said Iris.

Malik and Iris thanked the head nurse and they walked out of the emergency ward. Iris started walking alongside Malik who was walking slowly, being careful not to rip out the new stitches.

"Thank you, Iris," said Malik as he was helped into the passenger seat of the flower van.

"What a terrible evening," said Iris shakily.

"The doctor said I will heal and get better Iris," said Malik reassuringly.

Iris then drove to the police station and Iris helped Malik out of the van. They could see the entrance with big silver letters above the door spelling "Surry Hills Police".

Iris and Malik walked through the entrance and they were greeted by a police sergeant at the entry counter. They were then directed to wait until a detective attended to them.

Iris felt very uncomfortable in the waiting room. She felt a lot of unresolved tension as she saw other people waiting, each having distressed, uneasy and upset faces. There was muted yelling somewhere in the background.

"I'm here Iris," said Malik. "We're going to be all right. We haven't done anything wrong. We have nothing to be afraid of."

Iris looked into Malik's gentle eyes and breathed a bit more easily.

"Hello, Iris and Malik. My name is Detective Marguerite Hibiscus. I spoke to you earlier on the phone," said Detective Hibiscus. "Please follow me this way to the interview room."

"Thank you for coming straight here from the hospital. I appreciate this has been an upsetting event for the both of you. To assist the police as much as possible we would like to obtain statements from both of you," said Detective Hibiscus. She then explained to Iris and Malik their rights in giving a statement.

"So are the both of you happy to give your statements orally for audio-recording? Once I have made the audio recordings I will have these typed up. When they have been transcribed I will ask you to read them for double checking," said Detective Hibiscus.

"Sure," said Malik.

"I'm happy with that," said Iris.

"Okay, Malik, I will ask you to give your statement first. Iris if you could remain silent throughout the audio recording that would be appreciated," said Detective Hibiscus as she got up and went to operate an audio-recording machine. She pressed a button and a red button blinked on.

"Good evening this is Detective Marguerite Hibiscus on Wednesday 6 June. Time is 11:57 pm. I have Malik Zahra who is giving his statement regarding a florist shop window on Oxford Street, Paddington," said Detective Hibiscus. She motioned for Malik to begin.

"My name is Malik Zahra of Marrickville, Sydney. I was finishing a cake to get ready for tomorrow," Malik began. "So I was staying back at work. My assistant Lian was also working on the detailing but she left an hour earlier and I said I was happy to finish the cake. So I finished the cake detailing and I locked up for the night. As soon as I was getting up to leave, I put on my hooded jacket. As I locked my cake store's door I took a look at the nice flower display in Iris's window. There were a lot of red flowers. I was admiring the flowers for maybe a minute or two. There wasn't much traffic and then all of a sudden I see in the glass reflection a red car stopping suddenly. There was a loud screeching noise and I didn't have time to turn, but I saw someone throw something against the glass and the glass shattered before I had a chance to move. I covered my head as I was hoping to protect my face. Just as well I was wearing my hood. Then the car just screeched off. I couldn't identify the driver as the person was wearing a black balaclava. I saw this in the window's reflection. Then Iris came down to my aid through her front door and drove me to the hospital."

It was then Iris's turn. Although Iris did not see the car involved, she did give a statement outlining the sounds and the injury Malik had received.

Detective Hibiscus then collected the audio-recordings and informed Malik and Iris to remain in the interview room while they were being transcribed. After about half an hour, Detective Hibiscus came back with printouts of the statements, which Malik and Iris checked and signed, since they found no inaccuracies.

"Thank you, Iris and Malik for the statements," said Detective Hibiscus after she received the signed statements. "It's been difficult to find witnesses apart from you two. It was very quiet at that time. We're unable to ascertain if this was either a random or targeted attack. At this stage we have the rock that was thrown through the window. We might get both you and Malik finger-printed just to cover all bases."

Malik and Iris nodded their heads.

Twenty minutes later, Iris and Malik left the police station after being fingerprinted and were presented with a copy of their signed statements. Iris and Malik were soon back inside the van.

"I honestly don't know who would do this. I'm very new to the area. It is most likely a random attack. Probably a hoon," said Iris. "You live in Marrickville?"

"That's right," confirmed Malik.

"I'll drive you there," said Iris as she drove away from the police station.

### Chapter 24

Thursday, 7 June – 11:03 am

It was a sunny late morning as Ollie walked along Oxford Street in his black lycra bike suit with the gold lettering _LATE BLOOMER BLOSSOMS_. Ollie felt a bit self-conscious but soon forgot about this as he was doing this to help his mum out. Ollie saw his mum looking at the boarded up shopfront window with a frown on her face.

He walked up to Iris outside the shop.

"Mum, what happened?" asked Ollie. His jaw dropped as he gazed across the store. "Who would do something like this? Are you all right?"

"Hey Ollie. I'm still a bit shaken. Malik injured his thigh so I took him to hospital, the police station and I drove him to his home in Marrickville. He actually offered me a sofa to sleep overnight, so I stayed at his place."

"You stayed over at Malik's place?" asked Ollie.

"Ollie, it was strictly platonic. And anyway, he's too young for me," said Iris.

"So who would have done something like this?" asked Ollie.

"I honestly don't know. The police don't know either. It was probably an unhappy youth with too much time on their hands," said Iris.

"So, is Malik feeling any better today?" asked Ollie.

"He's got stitches in his thigh so he will take a day off today. I feel so guilty. Malik shouldn't have had any reason to get hurt."

Pahi walked out of the store entrance with the custom-made delivery bike.

"Look at you Ollie," Pahi said as she appraised Ollie wearing a lycra bike suit.

"Yes, I got a few strange looks. They might have thought why I didn't have my bike with me," said Ollie.

"Well Ollie, the bike is here for you. I'm just going to get the orders and bring them out," said Pahi.

"Thanks Pahi," said Iris as Pahi ducked back into the store.

"So the helmet is in the box," said Iris and Ollie took the helmet to fasten on his head. "And please be careful on the roads."

"I will be careful Mum," reassured Ollie.

"We have three orders for you today," said Pahi. She placed the three orders carefully in the box. "You'll also have to do a bit of travelling. You have one order in Bondi Junction, the second order is in Potts Point and the last order is in Newtown."

Pahi also handed over to Ollie a point-of-delivery mobile device.

"So every order is entered into this delivery point mobile. You will find the address in there. You will also need to confirm you have the right person and their name will be in the job information section. You need to ask the recipient to sign electronically on this device with this pen thing-y, which confirms receipt of the order," instructed Pahi as she picked up an electric pen attached to the device by a thin cord.

"So if for some reason anything goes wrong please call me or Pahi and we will sort out whatever issues that may arise," said Iris.

"Got it," said Ollie as he read the details of the first job and placed the point-of-delivery device carefully amongst the flowers in the box. Ollie entered the address into his GPS app on his phone and secured the earphones. Ollie fastened the helmet straps under his chin and mounted the bike. He double-checked his phone and saw that the first job was located a ten-minute bike ride away.

"Good luck," said Pahi as Ollie rode away in the direction of Bondi Junction.

"Stay safe," Iris called out and waved.

Ollie began pedalling away and cycled onto Oxford Street. He was soon on the Bondi Junction section of Oxford Street before turning left down into a side street. He took several turns and was now in the designated street. He slowed the bike down and then walked alongside the bike.

He was looking for house number 94. Ollie spotted it. The house was a single storey Federation house with a well-kept front garden.

Ollie placed his bike against a large tree and placed his helmet in the delivery box. The first order was a bunch of long-stemmed red roses. There was an accompanying envelope with the name "Poppy". This name matched with the recipient details in the mobile device.

There was something almost comical in how Ollie straightened up into a manly pose, almost like as if he was meeting someone for the first time on a date.

Ollie held the roses in his left hand and was pressing the doorbell. He could hear chimes faintly tingle away inside. Then there was the rustle of someone unlocking the door and the door opened. A lady in her early thirties appeared. She had deep, light brown eyes and thick wavy dark hair.

"Hello, I'm here to make a flower delivery to a person named Poppy," said Ollie in his most clear-sounding professional voice.

"That's me!" said Poppy as she brought both her hands to her mouth in half-surprise/half-laughter. "Oh they're beautiful!"

Poppy brought her hands out to receive the flowers into which Ollie placed the red roses. She graciously accepted them. While smelling the roses she felt a note tucked into the wrapping paper.

"I think I know who these flowers are from," said Poppy with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "My future husband!"

She opened the envelope with one hand and read the card.

"Oh, he's the sweetest thing! Can I read it out to you?" said Poppy before launching straight into reading the note, without waiting for Ollie's response.

My Dearest and Precious Poppy, You've changed my life. Every day I wake up like I have been granted a new lifetime. A lifetime to share with the most beautiful woman I have ever met. A joyful lifetime, where I hope to love you for eternity. Love Armand.

"Oh, that's the sweetest thing," said Poppy as she pressed both the roses and the card to her chest. "Thank you so much for delivering these flowers."

"No problem," said Ollie. "Oh, I almost forgot, you just need to sign off on the delivery." Ollie went back to his bike and obtained the device.

"Sure thing," said Poppy as she juggled the flowers and the card and signed off on the device. Poppy smiled a very happy smile to Ollie and closed the door behind her.

Ollie fastened his helmet back on and checked the location of the next delivery. He saw the address and entered this into the GPS app. Ollie got on the bike and manoeuvred the bike out onto the road. He now had to make his way to Potts Point. Ollie rode back onto Oxford Street and then cycled through Edgecliff before pedalling hard up the steep incline past Rushcutters Bay and into Kings Cross. He rode along Darlinghurst Road and then turned into Potts Point.

He rode to the front of a grand dark-brick 1940s apartment block. Ollie alighted from the bike and brought out an arrangement of white lilies. He spotted the intercom and pressed for unit number 15. A beeping noise occurred before the clunk of a handset being answered could be heard.

"Hello?" a scratchy and frail voice came through the intercom.

"Hello, I'm Ollie and I have a flower delivery to make for Delphine," said Ollie.

"Yes, that's me," said Delphine hesitantly.

"Did you want to collect the flowers here at the intercom?" asked Ollie.

"You can come in," Delphine's scratchy voice continued. "I'm on the third level."

A creaking sound occurred, which indicated the security door was now open. Ollie pushed through the door and placed his bike against the wall in the foyer, praying that nobody would steal the bike. Ollie left his helmet on. He came across a large stately and winding staircase where he walked his way up to the third level. He could see to his left a half-opened door with the number 15. As he approached the door holding the lilies and the mobile device, the door opened wider and Ollie could see an elderly and upset lady.

"Delphine?" asked Ollie.

Delphine slowly nodded as she reached out her arms to take the lilies. Ollie handed over the flowers and Delphine looked down at them, as if she was holding a newborn-baby.

"My husband died," explained Delphine. "The funeral was a couple of days ago. I miss him terribly." Delphine put a hand to her head as if she was experiencing a headache. "We were married for fifty-three years. Fifty-three happily-married years. Thank you for bringing these flowers up. I hope I can find a big enough vase."

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss," said Ollie as he handed the mobile device to Delphine. Delphine picked up the electronic pen and signed off on the order. She gave an attempt to half-smile at Ollie but instead looked even more sad. As Delphine turned away to close her door Ollie glimpsed the look of overwhelming loss, a person who had lost their bearings.

Ollie walked back to the foyer and felt somehow callous for leaving Delphine to deal with her grief alone.

Ollie was relieved to find his bike still located in the foyer with the final order to be delivered in Newtown. Ollie checked the device and sourced the Newtown address. He entered this into the GPS app. Ollie put the earphones back in his ears, pushed the bike out onto the street and started to ride into the city.

### Chapter 25

Thursday, 7 June – 12:40 pm

Ollie's legs were really getting a working out by now. He was definitely going to get aching legs the next morning. He was now riding onto George Street before moving onto Parramatta Road and then made his way onto King Street.

He found the side street he was searching for and slowed his bike down. It was a three-storey block of flats built in the 1970s. There was nothing out-of-the-ordinary about this building. It was a plain red-brick building surrounded by a brick boundary.

Ollie leaned the bike against the brick boundary and saw the final order was for a Gregory. Ollie reached into the box and brought out a bouquet of white tulips. There were a dozen crisp white tulips, ready to bloom and wrapped in white tissue paper. Ollie held the tulips, along with the device and walked up a concrete pathway to the security door. He saw the intercom system. Ollie pressed the button for unit 6. The intercom rang out for about ten seconds before the other side picked up.

"G'day," said a friendly man's voice.

"Hello, this is Ollie and I'm here to make a flower delivery for Gregory," said Ollie.

"Yep, that's me," said Gregory. "A flower delivery?"

"Yes. Did you want to collect the flowers at the entrance or for me to bring these flowers inside?" asked Ollie.

"I'll come down now. Won't be long," said Gregory and hung up on the intercom. Ollie looked about the front yard and saw there was a small garden of yucca and ferns, which were covered by wispy spider webs.

Ollie could then make out a figure approaching behind the security door. The man opened the door and held it with his back. He was of average height and wore a dark blue chesty bonds singlet, white footy shorts and black thongs. Gregory had the figure of a rugby player cross-bred with a ballet dancer. He had a dark blonde buzz cut, wide grey eyes, and a friendly smile.

Ollie was taken aback. Gregory was a handsome man. His age was unascertainable though. Ollie guessed between late thirties to early fifties. There was one thing Ollie was sure of. Gregory was in very good shape.

Ollie then remembered what he was here for and handed over the white tulips. This delivery somehow felt deeply personal, as if Ollie were giving flowers to his very own lover. Ollie felt his heart beat a little faster in his chest.

Gregory looked mystified as he received the flowers.

"You sure you have the right person?" said Gregory, and laughed. "I don't ever recall being given flowers before."

Ollie double checked his mobile device.

"Yes, it says it's for Gregory," confirmed Ollie. "Please sign here, for receipt of delivery."

Gregory electronically signed on the mobile device and looked at the flowers. He was searching for something.

"Was there a card, a message or anything?" asked Gregory.

"I'll check my bike in case something fell out," said Ollie as he went over to the bike. Ollie checked the delivery box but could not find a card. Ollie turned his attention to Gregory.

"Let me just make a phone call to see if it was left behind, I will only be a minute," said Ollie.

"No worries. Take your time," said Gregory. "I'm not in any rush."

Ollie took out his mobile phone and called his mum.

"Hi Mum. The first and second orders went smoothly. I just need to check with you if there was a card for the third delivery?" said Ollie. "Yes for Gregory. I will let him know. See you soon."

Ollie put his phone away.

"I've been told this order was made anonymously," Ollie informed Gregory.

"An anonymous order? I guess this falls into the secret admirer category. But seriously, these flowers could be from anyone," mused Gregory. "I have had quite a few relationships. But I don't know if any of them would be the type to send me flowers. Well, I won't keep you waiting Ollie. Thank you for stopping by."

"No problem," said Ollie as he put the mobile device into the delivery box. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

"You too," said Gregory with a smile that showed deep laugh lines around his mouth. Gregory turned back inside and let the security door clank shut behind him.

### Chapter 26

Sunday, 10 June – 10:30 am

Gladys took a deep breath and was very pleased with how her garden was looking. She took off her dirty gardening gloves and made her way back inside. She kicked off her shoes and opened the screen door to let herself in. While in the kitchen making herself a cup of tea she thought she should give Iris a call. Gladys picked up the landline phone and dialled.

"Hi Iris, how are you going? Ollie told me about what happened to your store," said Gladys.

"Hi Mum. Yes, I got quite a fright but I'm feeling much better now. It could have been worse. I'm just relieved that Malik is okay. He's back in his cake store now."

"Are the windows still boarded up?"

"Not anymore. The storefront has been replaced with safety glass and you wouldn't know the smash had happened in the first place. It's really just a small hiccup. I have faith the police will find the person who caused the damage," said Iris. "By the way, have you been able to find any other information about where Jack got the money from?"

"No, darling, I haven't. I still have the French letters that need to be translated," said Gladys. "Maybe I could come down to Sydney and show them to you."

"Mum, that would be lovely! I get to see you and then I can show you the store," said Iris.

"Sure, I might come down sometime in August. I've heard that Sydney can be miserable in June and July," said Gladys. "The weather that is."

"Sure, in your own time, Mum," said Iris.

"Well, I'll still keep in touch anyway. It'll be interesting to see the building that Jack somehow managed to buy. You look after yourself darling," said Gladys.

"You too, Mum," said Iris, and with that the call ended.

Gladys put the landline back into the receiver and thought again about the last time she saw Jack. It was at Sydney Airport.

21 April 1973

Gladys walked with Iris into Sydney Airport. Iris was excited as it was the first time she had been in Sydney. Iris had been absorbing Sydney with wide and curious eyes. Iris was also excited to see her uncle again. Gladys had mixed feelings. Gladys was in Sydney for a school friend's wedding. The church ceremony was to take place in several hours. Gladys called Jack's place at Potts Point several days beforehand advising Jack that Gladys and Iris would be visiting Sydney and whether they could meet up. Jack sounded cagey and said he was quite busy but if they needed to see him they could meet him in the airport. "Sydney Airport?" Gladys thought. Gladys did not have time to ask any more questions when the line cut out.

So here they were at Sydney Airport. There were people milling about. Pilots could be seen confidently walking across the tarmac with uniformed flight attendants following in tow.

Gladys walked with Iris into the Departures Lounge. Then all of a sudden there was a loud whoop and Gladys saw Jack waving and running up to them. Gladys received a kiss on the cheek, surprised by such affection on Jack's behalf. And, Jack was showering Iris with kisses and hugs.

" _You're looking great, Gladys," said Jack as he appraised Gladys' short yellow and white dress. Jack himself was wearing a short-sleeved collared shirt with grey trouser-shorts and knee high white socks and brown shoes. "He's really showing off his muscular legs today," thought Gladys._

" _Why are we meeting you at the airport?" said Gladys. "We could have met somewhere nice in the city, like the Botanical Gardens or Hyde Park." Gladys could see Iris was starting to fidget so she got a book out of her bag to preoccupy Iris. Iris then sat down on a nearby lounge seat. Iris kept grinning at Jack and giving him little waves. Jack waved back._

" _It was the timing. It could have been better organised I agree," said Jack._

" _Oh you mean you're actually travelling?" asked Gladys. "I was going to ask if you could come back to Grafton. Mum and Dad are not doing too well."_

" _Oh," said Jack. "I'm sorry to hear about Mum and Dad. Yes, I'm going travelling and was just about to check in my luggage."_

Jack nodded in the direction of his luggage about ten metres away. Near the luggage was a man in his mid-50s. He looked quite distinguished. This man nodded at Gladys and walked over to introduce himself, bringing two big bags over.

" _Bonjour, my name is Pascal. It's a pleasure to meet Jack's sister," said Pascal in a very heavy French accent. "I've heard so much about you. I met Jack while working here in Sydney."_

Gladys strained in her comprehension but was able to follow Pascal's speech. Jack then took a deep breath. Pascal put his hand on Jack's shoulder in a sign of support.

" _Gladys, I'm going to France," said Jack._

" _Well, that's nice of you to go travelling to France," said Gladys. "Whatever for?"_

" _Gladys, I'm leaving," said Jack._

Gladys was stunned.

" _Leaving. You're leaving permanently?" asked Gladys uncertainly, unsure how to react to this news. This very sudden piece of news._

" _Yes, Pascal has obtained my visa and I plan to work towards gaining French citizenship," said Jack._

" _Why?" Gladys asked. "You're leaving me here alone with Mum and Dad the way they are?"_

" _Gladdie, Pascal has finished his post as ambassador and he is returning back to France. I'm going with him," said Jack._

" _What's so special about Pascal?" said Gladys looking up and down at Pascal._

" _He has an apartment in Champs Élysées, and a villa in Nice," said Jack._

" _Are you out of your mind?" blurted out Gladys._

" _Pascal said I could live with him," said Jack._

Then it dawned on Gladys. Pascal and Jack very close to each other, they were clearly very comfortable in each other's space. Gladys was speechless. People milled about them, going on their way to their intended destinations. She felt frozen in time. Pascal and Jack were lovers. Gladys' heart was happy that Jack was able to find freedom and therefore his happiness but her head was giving stern warnings that Gladys would be overwhelmed by the care her parents required. For a few long seconds her heart and mind had a struggle, leaving her immobilised. Then a decision was made. The mind won.

" _Iris," Gladys called out. "Let's go. We don't want to be late for the wedding."_

Iris got to her feet and reached out for Gladys' hand. Gladys walked sternly out of the Departures Lounge, and out into the open-air carpark. Gladys did not look back.

" _Mum, is everything okay?" asked Iris as she was buckled into the car._

" _Yes, darling," reassured Gladys. "We just don't want to be late for the wedding."_

Gladys drove silently until they arrived at the Anglican church in The Rocks. Gladys looked at her watch. She knew they were here too early. The wedding did not start for another two hours. Gladys and Iris left the car and Gladys could hear there was an actual service inside. She walked into the church with Iris and sat down amongst the congregation.

The priest could be heard giving a reading. It sounded familiar to Gladys. Yes, that's right, the parable of the Prodigal Son. Gladys squeezed Iris's hand in comfort and then closed her eyes.

Gladys replayed this event over in her mind and wondered, had she stayed longer with Jack she could have tried to change Jack's mind to leave, to persuade him to stay in Australia. For Jack to still be an important adult figure in Iris's life.

Gladys wondered if she had stayed a bit longer she may have found out the truth about the commercial building in Paddington.

Well, Gladys reminded herself that she still had the letters and she would bring them down to Sydney soon. Maybe they held a clue of some sort.

### Chapter 27

Friday, 29 June – 10:30 am

"So how is your flower delivery job going?" asked Clara as she began stocking water bottles into the fridge behind the counter.

"It's really different," said Ollie. "It gets me outdoors and makes me really fit. When delivering flowers, you do really step into people's lives. So far I'm fortunate that it hasn't rained heavily."

"Well, maybe you could deliver some flowers here. That would make the place look really nice," suggested Clara. "Freshen the place up. Help reduce the mustiness of the pub."

Ollie was only half-listening. He thought about the time when the route took him through King Street, which was on the way to making the delivery of the white tulips.

August 2015

Silver Fox and Ollie were having a drink at a pub on King Street, Newtown. It was a Saturday afternoon. They were seated at the courtyard at the back of the pub. Ollie was having a lemon, lime and bitters and Silver Fox was having a beer. There was a fun vibe in the air as twenty-somethings relaxed into the potential of a memorable night out on the town.

Ollie's anger had subsided considerably and knew that his love for Silver Fox still held. However, his thoughts were causing Ollie to think twice about continuing the relationship.

" _It's a lovely night out, isn't it?" said Silver Fox._

" _It certainly is," agreed Ollie._

" _Oh, a funny thing happened at work. On Thursday all the staff in the team at my accounting firm wore the same colour. Purple. We had a photo together," said Silver Fox. He brought out his phone and showed Silver Fox the photo. Ollie smiled at the photo but as Silver Fox brought back his phone Ollie had seen there were received text messages from Graham._

" _Sorry, I just need to reply to this message," said Silver Fox as he typed up a text message._

There was a pause and Silver Fox looked over at Ollie.

" _What's up with you? Why are you looking so sullen now?" asked Silver Fox._

" _Silver Fox I can't do this anymore," said Ollie._

" _Can't do what?" said Silver Fox._

" _This relationship. Don't I make you happy?" asked Ollie._

" _You don't need to make me happy Ollie. You just need to be yourself," said Silver Fox._

" _I think I'm losing myself in this relationship. I love you so much but I feel so unhappy. I want to break up with you," said Ollie._

There was a pause as Silver Fox carefully thought over what to say next.

" _It's mutual," said Silver Fox. "I didn't let myself fall in love with you."_

" _Ouch," thought Ollie._

" _Then why did you bother asking me out," asked Ollie. "What was the point of those amazing meals at different restaurants, seeing quite a few theatre shows, and of course the sunny walks in the parks."_

" _Look, there was definitely a spark when we first met but it didn't really develop for me. And by the way you agreed to the date," said Silver Fox._

" _But what was it that didn't make you fall in love with me?" asked Ollie. "I say I love you but you don't say it back."_

" _Look it was a good relationship," said Silver Fox. "But as I said, I see this breakup as being mutual."_

" _You didn't answer the question," said Ollie. "I don't even know who you really are."_

" _Well, it's been a good attempt," said Silver Fox as he finished off his beer and got to his feet. "Take care and good luck for the future."_

Ollie watched Silver Fox as he walked his way out of the courtyard.

A barperson collected the empty glasses in front of Ollie.

" _Would you like another lemon, lime and bitters," the bar person asked._

Ollie shook his head and the bar person left to collect empty glasses at the next table.

Ollie could feel a flatness settling over his face.

"Ollie, you're in a daze again," said Clara as she was waving her hands in front of Ollie's face. "Were you thinking about your ex again?

Ollie snapped to attention and nodded his head guiltily.

Clara shook her head and her finger at Ollie.

"How many times have I said that self-pity is a health hazard?" said Clara as she titled her head to one side.

### Chapter 28

Saturday, 7 July – 10:45 am

"So ladies," said Jonquil as she stood up at the outdoor table in the Leichhardt café, Coming Back For Seconds. "We're excited to see you all here for the planned dress fittings."

"You mean, you're excited," said Camille, who was sitting nearby.

Jonquil and Camille had arranged to meet the six grooms-maids in Leichhardt, which was where the bridal specialist shop was located.

"We're all excited," repeated Jonquil. "So as you know, Anthony and Heath have gone to Hobart on a weekend away and they've asked Camille and me to accompany you all to the dress fittings."

Jonquil looked at the six women selected as grooms-maids sitting around the table.

Five of the women, Orchid, Yasmin, Gardenia, Blossom and Violet were friends of Heath. Only one, Rosie, knew Anthony.

Orchid had closely-cropped ginger hair and black statement spectacle frames and was smiling and relaxed as she sipped her iced tea.

Yasmin had olive skin and curly black hair and was finishing her cappuccino.

Gardenia was a woman from South Africa and had black and blonde dreadlocked hair. She was sipping a Diet Coke through a straw.

Blossom, a Korean woman with sleek, long and black hair, was holding her empty mug of hot chocolate.

Violet had pink and purple hair, and was drinking her milkshake.

Rosie was drinking mineral water.

"So, Anthony and Heath have said that we," said Jonquil gesturing to herself and Camille, "could pick out the dress design for you all but they did provide a caveat that each of you had to wear a different colour of the rainbow,"

There were gasps of "oohs" and "aahs" from the women except for Rosie who sat there in silence.

"I'll just go and pay the bill," said Camille to Jonquil and left without waiting for a response.

"So the bridal dress shop is just a few doors down. If we could all finish our drinks and make ourselves ready for this excursion please," said Jonquil. The women started to get up and collect their handbags, earphones, sunglasses, scarves and jackets.

Jonquil then lead the six women out of the café and turned left towards the bridal dress shop. They were all looking in the display window, which had three wedding dresses of differing designs.

A woman with a shock of blonde curly hair opened the door and popped her head outside.

"Hello there! I'm Anemone. Are you all here for the grooms-maids dress fittings?" asked Anemone.

"Yes, that's us," confirmed Jonquil.

"Then come on in!" said Anemone.

The women walked inside and were all directed by Anemone to sit on the plush and wide chaise lounges.

"So Jonquil and Camille came by a few weeks ago to have a look at dress options and they settled on this design," said Anemone as she walked to a nearby clothes rack and picked up a wooden coat hanger with the chosen dress. Anemone brought it over and held it in front of the women. It was a glittery satin dress of classic Grecian design infused with Hollywood glamour.

"Oh, it's beautiful," said Orchid.

"You've made a great choice, Jonquil and Camille," chimed in Yasmin.

"Oh, I can't wait to wear it!" piped in Gardenia.

"Are you sure we can sit down wearing that thing?" Blossom queried. "It's very glittery. Are you sure we won't look like drag queens?"

"I would love to dress up as a drag queen," remarked Orchid. "Let's be outrageous and not ordinary and proper."

"Oh dear, I'm definitely going have to buy some Hollywood tape. There's going to be some serious taping down action," said Violet. "I don't want anything falling out."

Rosie said nothing.

"I'm so relieved," Jonquil said. "I was worried that you would all be disappointed."

"Jonquil, none of them will ever be as disappointed as me," said Camille quietly through a forced thin smile.

"Although Blossom and Violet may not be comfortable," continued Jonquil, ignoring Camille's comment.

"Oh, it's all right. I'm fairly adaptable," said Blossom with a wave of her hand.

"Me too," said Violet. "But the Hollywood table will definitely make me less flexible."

"So what are you and Camille going to be wearing to the wedding?" asked Gardenia.

"Oh, our sons have asked us to wear tuxedos," said Jonquil.

"That's really unusual!" said Yasmin.

"On behalf of our unusual sons," said Camille.

"So," said Jonquil, again ignoring Camille's comment. "Anemone here is going to confirm the colours amongst the group."

Anemone now had a pad of paper in one hand and a poised pen in the other.

"So who would like to be purple? Actually, you with the pink and purple hair, I think you'd look great in purple," said Anemone pointing at Violet. Violet put her hand to her chest in a gesture of being flattered.

"Thank you. My name is Violet," said Violet. The group laughed.

"Well, there you go! Okay. Next is blue. Any takers?" asked Anemone. Blossom put her hand up.

"I'm Blossom and I'd like to be blue please," requested Blossom.

"Confirmed, Blossom. You are blue. And now I need a green," Anemone said.

"Me please. I'm Gardenia," said Gardenia as she raised her hand.

"Thanks Gardenia," said Anemone. "Ok so this is a tricky colour. Who wants to be bright yellow?"

Yasmin put her hand up.

"Me please! I'm Yasmin. Yellow is my favourite colour. It's a happy colour," said Yasmin. "And it's been confirmed by research."

"You're yellow, Yasmin," confirmed Anemone. "So we're now down to orange and red."

"I'd like to be orange as it will match my hair. I'm Orchid," said Orchid.

"Thank you, Orchid. Now noted. Which leaves red to...?" said Anemone looking across the group. Everybody looked towards Rosie.

"Which leaves red to me," said Rosie.

"And you are?" asked Anemone.

"Rosie," Rosie replied.

"Great! I have all the names against the rainbow colours," said Anemone delightedly. I now just need to spend around five to ten minutes with each grooms-maid, so I thank you for your patience in advance. Violet, if you could please come this way."

### Chapter 29

Saturday, 14 July – 2:27 pm

Ollie was inside _Late Bloomer Blossoms_ with his hand on the delivery bike. He was ready for more deliveries today.

Iris was finished speaking on the phone.

"That was the police. No more updates since last week," Iris said to Ollie and Pahi. "They advised that the CCTV footage available has captured quite a few red cars and they are still hoping for any witnesses to come forward."

"Well, it hasn't happened again, so maybe it was just a random attack," said Pahi. She then made her way to the workshop tables to collect the delivery orders.

"Well, Ollie, here are the three orders," said Pahi as she carefully placed the orders into the delivery bike's box and handed over the point-of-delivery device.

"Thanks Pahi," said Ollie as he walked out onto the street, fastening on his helmet. He looked to see where his first delivery was located, Rushcutters Bay, and entered the address into his GPS system. Ollie hopped onto the bike and started riding towards Kings Cross. Soon Ollie was riding around the side of the Yacht Club and then came to the house he needed. He brought out a box of roses of varying shades of pink. Ollie pressed the doorbell. Ollie could hear the sound of a baby's continuous crying.

The door opened to a woman in her early seventies.

"Hello, I have a flower delivery to make to a Myrtle Bartholomew," Ollie said.

"Oh how lovely! I'm her mother, Mia," said Mia. "Myrtle has just returned from hospital after giving birth to a girl. And she wants to go straight back to work. She's mad! Anyhow, I'll see if Myrtle is up."

Mia returned with a younger corporate-looking woman, who peered out at Ollie.

"Oh, they're beautiful," said Myrtle as she walked forwards to receive the flowers. "Oh they're from work. I can't wait to see my colleagues again!"

Mia rolled her eyes.

"I just need you to sign here," said Ollie and he watched as Myrtle electronically signed confirmation of the delivery.

"Thank you, again," said Mia as Myrtle carried the flowers inside before closing the door.

Ollie then checked the device for the address for his next delivery. He needed to go to Glebe. He put his earphones back in and put the helmet back on. He entered the required address into the GPS system and was soon on Parramatta Road before turning right into Glebe Point Road. Ollie coasted down the long road until he came across a large house across from Jubilee Park. Ollie glanced at the beautiful park with the mature trees and playground equipment. Then Ollie looked back at the large house.

Ollie reached into the delivery box and brought out a bouquet of red and white roses wrapped in red cellophane.

Ollie walked up the stairs to a regal and expensive looking door. Ollie pressed the doorbell.

The door opened and a tired-looking and greying man in his late-50s opened the door. He gave Ollie a stern glare.

"Hello, I have these flowers to deliver for Ivy," said Ollie.

"I'm her father," said the man and gave a big and unhappy sigh. He looked at the bouquet reproachfully. "I'll just be a moment."

The man turned to walk back indoors. Ollie could hear him yelling his daughter's name loudly. "Ivy, come down please."

Ollie heard the shuffling of feet and a beautiful raven-haired and grey-eyed woman in her mid-twenties came to the door. She had a strong jaw and high cheekbones.

"Hi Ivy, I have a flower delivery for you," said Ollie and held the flowers out to Ivy.

"It better not be from who I think it is," scowled Ivy. She saw the envelope and opened it.

"Dad, it's from Jake! What a nerve!" said Ivy before turning her gaze onto Ollie. "I'm not accepting these flowers. Return them. I will never in a million years take him back."

Ollie did not know what to do. He had never experienced a rejected flower delivery before.

"Uhh, these flowers have been paid for so....," Ollie faltered.

"Ivy, just take them inside," said Ivy's father.

"He screwed my best friend, Dad!" said Ivy. "Fine! I'll take the flowers."

Suddenly Ivy walked forward and grabbed the bouquet perhaps a little too forcefully.

"This. Is. What. I. Think. Of. Jake," said Ivy as she repeatedly smashed the bouquet against the ground, white and red petals floating about in disarray. Ivy then began to kick what remained of the bouquet as if it was a soccer ball. Ivy then began to sob and fell to a heap in the midst of the pool of red and white petals.

"Ivy," said the father gently as he got a hold of Ivy's sobbing shoulders and brought her back indoors. The father saw the device in Ollie's hand and motioned that he would be back in a minute to sign receipt of the delivery.

After a minute the father came back with his phone. He signed off on the device, then held his phone with both hands and took a photo of the messed up puddle of white and red petals at the front door. The father gave Ollie an apologetic smile, then closed the door.

Ollie stood bewildered by this incident and stood frozen in front of the door. He shook his head and walked down to his bike. He checked the device and searched for his next order. He looked in surprise. It was an order for Gregory in Newtown. Ollie looked in the delivery box. Sure enough, there was a bouquet of white tulips.

### Chapter 30

Saturday, 14 July – 4:15 pm

Ollie got off his bike and set eyes on Gregory's block of units.

Ollie felt a fluttering in his chest and laughed at himself. What was there to be nervous about? Ollie took off his helmet and placed this in the delivery box. He then retrieved the device and the white tulips. Ollie took a deep breath, walked to the security door and pressed for unit number six.

"Hello?" Gregory's voice crackled through.

"It's Ollie again. I have a flower delivery for you," said Ollie.

"Again?" laughed Gregory. "Are you happy to bring them up to my unit? I'm on the next level up."

Ollie was nervous now. He would have felt more comfortable if Gregory had collected them at the security door.

"Sure," said Ollie.

The security door automatically unlocked. Ollie walked in and saw a concrete staircase with a plain wooden handrail held up with thin balusters. He walked up the steps tentatively and stepped through a doorway leading to the first level. And there was Gregory standing, with his screen-door open. He gave a wave. He was barefoot, wearing tracksuit pants and a fleecy jumper, which had a large V-neck. Ollie could see the honey muscle texture from Gregory's neck to the top of his left shoulder.

"White tulips again?" said Gregory as he signed the mobile device and then received the flowers from Ollie.

"Yes, looks like it. Although there seems to be a card this time," Ollie pointed out. Gregory turned the tulips to one side and saw a card fitted beneath the ribbons.

"You're right," said Gregory. He looked at Ollie. "Did you want to come in for a cup of tea?"

"A cup of tea? I suppose that can't hurt?" said Ollie.

"Unless, I accidentally spill it over you," said Gregory. He saw Ollie's face whiten. "I'm kidding, Ollie."

Ollie failed to smile, and gave what is termed, a twitch.

"Come in!" said Gregory as he opened the screen door wider and Ollie walked past Gregory's body. Ollie could feel the warmth emanating from Gregory's sensuous being.

"Please have a seat," said Gregory as he gestured to the light-blue sofa. "I'll just put these flowers in a vase."

Ollie walked into a cosy one-bedroom unit. There was a fish-tank, a flat-screen television. And books. There were books everywhere, hidden in a variety of storage-saving boxes and shelves. Ollie could see quite a few books on Tibetan Buddhism, Aristotle and Patience. Several books by Dr Seuss were also sighted.

Ollie sat down obligingly as Gregory walked to what happened to be a small kitchen. Ollie could hear the sounds of a kettle being put on to boil.

"Any sugars?" Gregory called out.

"One please," Ollie responded.

Soon Gregory returned to the living room with two hot cups of tea and laid these down on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Gregory took out the envelope in his pocket.

"So I read the card and I still don't know who it's from," said Gregory. "There's no name. I can't recognise the handwriting. Mum might have done this for me but she passed away a few years ago. This is still an anonymous delivery. Did you want to have a read? I don't mind."

Gregory handed over the card to Ollie. Ollie reached out to get the card. Their hands both touched accidentally in the process. Ollie then took his hand away and he opened the card.

Dear Gregory,

I feel so guilty about what happened to us. I failed to see how good you were to me. You genuinely loved me but somehow I held back my love for you. Please forgive me for breaking your heart. I cry now, for what I have lost.

"That's certainly an intense message," Ollie observed. "Maybe if you could work out who has broken your heart in the past, you could find out who is sending these white tulips to you."

"Let me count," said Gregory. "There was Adam who had to move overseas. Then there was Daniel who had to move interstate for a new job. Then there was Timothy, a lovely tall man, but he was very independent. And there was one other guy, the one who loved himself a lot. He could stand in front of a mirror or any reflective surface for hours on end, but I can't recall his name, was it Nathan? Nigel? I don't know. I cried for weeks over the break-up but in the end I chose to forget about him. So that's being in love three, no, four times in my forty-eight years."

"You're forty-eight? You look much younger than that," remarked Ollie.

"I like to run and do weights regularly, and I meditate. But you know what, youth is not everything. I'm enjoying getting older and the wisdom that comes with age. I've also been single for the past seven years but it's been okay," said Gregory.

"Oh, okay," said Ollie. Growing up he felt bombarded by these impossibly good-looking young and muscular men. Gregory's comment seemed heretical.

"What's your story," Gregory asked as he went to sip his tea. Ollie totally forgot about his tea and went to lift his warm cup of tea.

"Oh, my dad passed away five years ago from a heart attack while he was teaching me how to drive," began Ollie.

"I'm sorry to hear about that," said Gregory.

"And I've been living by myself as Mum has recently moved into a shop she inherited from her uncle. She runs her own florist business. Um, what else. I work as a bartender in Balmain on top of delivering flowers. Oh and I've been single for the last three years. I got my heart broken in my last relationship," said Ollie.

"You're very handsome, Ollie. You should be dating, not moping around," said Gregory.

"I'm not ready. I still haven't really gotten over my last relationship with Jack," said Ollie.

"You need to forget about him, Ollie. Move on. Every day is a new day," said Gregory. "Why won't you let go?"

"Because I was so unbelievably happy. I had a great time and I'm just really sad it's over. I don't want to forget the good memories," said Ollie.

"But by holding onto the past you're not allowing yourself to be open to new experiences and meeting new people," said Gregory. "Ollie, you've got to stop living in the past. Stop punishing yourself and live in the now. Forget about the past."

Ollie finished his tea.

"I really should get going," Ollie said and stood up.

"No worries," said Gregory as he also stood up and opened the screen door to let Ollie out.

"I'll give the white tulips more thought as to who could be sending them to me. You enjoy your weekend, Ollie," said Gregory.

"You too. And, thank you for the tea," said Ollie as he left for the concrete stairs.

### Chapter 31

Saturday, 4 August – 1:57 pm

Iris was standing in the domestic arrivals area. Her mother should be appearing at any moment, having taken a flight direct from Grafton to Sydney.

Iris's face lit up when she saw her mother walk out behind a group of men wearing bright Hawaiian shirts.

"Mum, I'm here," yelled out Iris as she waved her hands in all directions, attempting to get her mother's attention.

Gladys scrutinised the people around the arrivals area and smiled when her eyes laid on Iris. Gladys gave a nod and walked over to where Iris was standing.

"Mum, I hope you had a smooth flight," said Iris as she kissed her mother in welcome.

"It was a good flight," said Gladys. She was holding a small backpack. Gladys always packed light. She was not the type to hang around in airports, waiting for luggage to finally turn up.

"And how have you been Iris?" asked Gladys.

"Not too bad. Though the police are still investigating the window incident," said Iris.

"I'm sure it was just a one-off attack, being in the city and all," said Gladys. "And how's Ollie?"

"Ollie's been living by himself in Penrith and he's really helped out with the flower deliveries. I'm happy to see him get out and about and meeting new people," said Iris.

"That's good to hear," said Gladys. "And I look forward to seeing your store."

"I'll drive you there now," said Iris as she and Gladys walked out into the carpark. Iris then drove out of the airport and towards the Eastern suburbs.

"I have the French letters with me," said Gladys as they were driving through Alexandria.

"Yes, thank you for bringing those along. The tenant next door, Malik, can read and speak French," said Iris.

"And Malik's the one that escaped the window attack with few scratches?"

"Well, a few scratches and a cut to his upper leg. He had to get stitches. But yes, that's him," said Iris as she carefully navigated the streets near Central Station. "I'll introduce you."

Gladys held onto her backpack in her lap as she looked out of the windows at the ever-changing Sydney landscape. Construction projects were popping up all over the place.

The flower van then stopped in front of the _Late Bloomer Blossoms_ store.

"What a lovely store! It's a beautiful building," complimented Gladys as she opened the van's front door.

Gladys was introduced to Pahi and was given a tour of the store as well as Iris's living quarters upstairs.

"You're doing well Iris," said Gladys giving Iris a few pats on the back.

"Thanks Mum. Let's go and see Malik next door," said Iris and they made their way back out onto the street.

Gladys looked through the window of _Fond of Fondant_. Today there was a cake in the shape of a high heel, a stunning light blue wedding cake and a cake in the shape of a horseshoe.

Iris and Gladys walked inside _Fond of Fondant_ where Lian was busy serving a customer. Lian nodded at Iris in recognition.

"Hi Lian," said Iris. "This is my Mum, Gladys. I was wondering if Malik is in."

"Nice to meet you, Gladys. Yes, Malik is in the kitchen," said Lian.

"Thanks Lian," said Iris and led Gladys towards the kitchen area.

"Hello Iris," greeted Malik as he was in the process of pressing dowels into the base of a wedding cake.

"Hello Malik, this is my mother, Gladys," introduced Iris. Malik wiped his hands on his white apron and gave Gladys a kiss on the cheek. Gladys was surprised by this gesture.

"So, Malik," began Iris. "Remember what I said about my uncle moving to France? Well, Mum has the letters that my uncle Jack has kept all these years but they're written in French," Iris explained. "I was wondering would you be able to help translate it for us?"

"Sure, no worries," said Malik. He moved over to a desk and brought over two chairs for Iris and Gladys to sit on. Gladys sat down and opened her backpack. She took out a display folder, which had the letters carefully inserted. Gladys handed over the display folder to Malik.

"Here we go," said Malik, squinting at the first letter due to the sloping and spidery handwriting style.

August 1972

Mon Jacques,

I am here for the week in Canberra for a government function and already I'm missing you so very much. I am so in love with you. How lucky I am to have had my posting to Sydney, otherwise I would never have met you. Alas, my posting is coming to an end in eight months and I need to make plans for the future. Would you consider going back to France with me? By the way, I got the leather jacket and dog collar you wanted.

Ton Amour,

Pascal.

September 1972

Bonjour Jacques,

Your demand is very high. You know that I'm a very rich man so I'm starting to think you only want me for me money. My heart is so in love with you but my head is more cautious. To pay you $80,000 is a lot of money in order to move with me to Paris. Please reconsider your request for such a large amount of money. Is my company not enriching you? Do you not find the presents I shower you with of sufficient value?

Pascal.

October 1972

Mon Jacques,

I have deposited the requested amount of money into your bank account. This is on the understanding that you shall move with me to Paris and live with me until I die. This money is also given on the basis that you stay faithful to me. If you cheat on me I will ask to have all my money paid back, with interest. Your visa has now been approved. This will be a new chapter in our relationship. And please dispose of those photographs.

Pascal.

"Blackmail?" said Gladys out aloud.

"Thank you, Malik," said Iris. "I appreciate you giving up the time to translate these letters."

"Anytime," said Malik as he handed the folder back to Gladys.

Iris and Gladys both got to their feet and left the cake store to return to the flower store.

"So, looks like Jack sold himself out," Gladys began. "Sold himself out of the country. And Jacques, how pretentious. Jack has been and always will be from a modest Australian family. I'm not having any of this 'putting on airs' business. And photographs. That sounded like blackmail."

"Mum," said Iris patiently. "To me it sounded like Jack wanted some form of security in case the move to France didn't work out."

"He'd got security all right. A sugar daddy," Gladys said.

"Mum! I hate seeing you this bitter," said Iris.

"I'm not bitter. I'm just, just," Gladys seemed lost for words. "Look, if you want to know the truth, I do feel guilty about how I treated Jack. I live with this guilt every single day. There's not a day where I don't think I should have minded my own business and for once be happy for my brother. And now I feel even more guilty because he thought of you to give you this building. I'm terribly confused, that's what I am."

Gladys took a deep breath.

"Anyway, I'll need to check in to my hotel so I'll go and do that now. We'll go somewhere nice to eat."

Gladys kissed Iris on the cheek and exited the flower store.

"Mum can act weird sometimes," said Iris to Pahi as she walked over to the workshop table.

"We all have that unusual family member," said Pahi and smiled. The telephone rang and Pahi went over to answer.

Iris directed her attention on the next flower order, a collection of banksias, grevilleas and bottlebrushes.

"Iris, it's a call from the police. They would like to talk to you," said Pahi.

"Oh, really?" said Iris, taking the phone from Pahi's grasp.

"Good afternoon, Iris speaking."

"Good afternoon Iris. It's Detective Hibiscus here. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good, thank you. And yourself?"

"Never felt better. I just wanted to ask if you could come back to the Surry Hills Police Station. We've made a breakthrough in the investigation and wanted to advise on the next steps we are going to take," said Detective Hibiscus. "I've just spoken to Malik and he advised he will wait for you before heading to the station."

"Sure, I'll be right down there with Malik. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

### Chapter 32

Saturday, 4 August – 4:27 pm

"Thank you for stopping by at such short notice, Iris and Malik," said Detective Hibiscus in the police station's waiting area.

Iris and Malik nodded their heads as they were led into an interview room.

"I just wanted to give you an update about the investigation into the window incident. We initially missed a CCTV point on a public thoroughfare and after review, we were finally able to get clear footage of the car about ten seconds before the incident occurred. We were able to see the car's number plates and have accessed the motor registry details to find out information about the owner of the car. A warrant was issued for the driver's arrest," said Detective Hibiscus.

"That's good to hear. And the driver has been located?" enquired Iris.

"Yes, as a matter of fact she is being held in a cell, here, at the moment. She's been silent and is not offering any information," said Detective Hibiscus.

"She?" repeated Iris. "I was thinking the perpetrator was a male youth under the influence of who-knows-what."

"You'd be surprised. In my line of work nothing surprises me anymore," mused Detective Hibiscus.

Iris and Malik exchanged looks.

"Well, to cover all bases, we need to confirm if this was indeed a random attack or a motivated act," said Detective Hibiscus. "We have footage of the car and the driver but the driver was wearing a balaclava. So we have asked you to come and see if you can identify this driver."

Iris was feeling very nervous. She was not sure what to expect.

"If you could please both now follow me to the police screening room," said Detective Hibiscus. They all walked into a dark room, which had a large and long glass window looking into a smaller identification room.

"The driver will be brought out in a minute," said Detective Hibiscus.

Two police officers walked into the identification room with a tall and dishevelled woman.

Malik's face remained neutral as he tried to see if he had seen this person before.

Iris's hands flew to her mouth in surprise and disbelief. She did indeed know this person.

It was Dahlia Knight-Shade.

"Do you know who that person is, Iris?" asked Detective Hibiscus pointing at the tall woman in the identification room.

"Yes," said Iris. "That's my old boss. I worked for her in a florist shop, in Bexley."

"Well, we saw a business card in Dahlia's car. We have ascertained that the flower store in Bexley has ceased trading. Were you aware of that fact?" asked Detective Hibiscus.

"No," answered Iris, "When I go my separate way, I really go my separate way."

"Would you know why she would undertake such an act? Is her ceasing trading connected with you in anyway?" continued Detective Hibiscus.

Iris thought back to when she resigned. She then thought about how she had been able to get Pahi to work for _Late Bloomer Blossoms_. Iris wondered if taking on Pahi as an employee at _Late Bloomer Blossoms_ was the catalyst for Dahlia's act of revenge.

"I don't see how I've done anything to upset Dahlia. Dahlia's the one who usually does the upsetting," answered Iris.

Then all of a sudden Dahlia started yelling at the window. Malik stood further back away from the glass.

"Who's in there? Are you in there, Iris? You broke my business bitch! May you be eaten by lions! By lions, you hear me? My business! My poor business!" yelled out Dahlia. The two accompanying officers then restrained Dahlia, and the trio left the room in an ungainly fashion.

"Let me rephrase that," said Iris. "I don't think I should be held responsible for Dahlia's business issues. I offered Pahi higher wages and Pahi was happy to work for me. It was up to Dahlia to find another employee."

"Well, thank you for your time Iris. It seems like we have now obtained a confession from Dahlia. I will note that this attack on your store was actually motivated. This will be important information when this matter is prosecuted. Hopefully a conviction can be secured by both the statements you and Malik provided. We don't require anything further from either of you at this time," said Detective Hibiscus. "You're now free to leave."

"Thank you, Detective," said both Iris and Malik as they left the room and made their way out of Surry Hills Police Station.

### Chapter 33

Saturday, 1 September – 2:30 pm

"Hello everyone!" said Violet as she hugged Orchid, Yasmin, Gardenia and Blossom. They were all waiting outside the Drawn from Life Art Studio in Balmain. Jonquil and Camille were talking to Rosie.

"So, Camille and I were thinking about somewhere tasteful to have a hen's night, but it's not really a hen's night either. What should we call the event?" asked Jonquil.

"Maybe call it the pre-commitment party? Actually, I think's it's referred to as a hag do," offered Rosie.

"What about a Cockerels' Night?" suggested Jonquil.

"I think we should just leave it as hens' night. A cockerels' night just sounds wrong. It might be taken the wrong way," Camille said.

"Anyway, whatever it's called, it's nice to have a classy party to signify the road to monogamy," said Jonquil.

"Or the end of monogamy. Oops, so sorry Rosie, too soon? Yes, I know. Silly me," said Camille.

"Yes, silly you," said Jonquil to Camille. "Rosie, we are so sorry that you had to go through a divorce.

"It's okay. For the most part it was amicable. I've got my nursing to keep me distracted. I've also tried to return to some writing but I'm seriously stuck," said Rosie.

"I'm sure the enthusiasm will come back, eventually," said Jonquil. "Oh look Anthony and Heath are here."

Anthony and Heath were walking down Darling Road, holding hands and wearing pastel pink business shirts and pale grey pants. They also both wore rainbow sashes across their shirts.

All of Heath's friends laughed and went up to Anthony and Heath to give them hugs. Rosie stayed behind with Jonquil and Camille.

"Can everyone please make their way into the studio?" said Jonquil as she opened the door of the art studio.

Once they were all inside, a woman in her late sixties with short spiky blue-rinsed hair welcomed the group.

"Hello everyone, my name is Lavender and I will be your art instructor for this afternoon. If everyone could please occupy an easel that would be good. There are aprons so you'll need to put this on to protect your clothing," said Lavender.

"I can't draw," said Blossom. "I can do stick figures and that's about it."

"I thought we were here to just stare at the model and pretend to be drawing," said Orchid.

"I love drawing. I can make a single line be passionate, meaningful and insightful. All at once," cheered Yasmin.

The model - a muscular and suave man wearing a satin, Japanese print robe - sauntered into the open space in front of the group.

"Look, here he is," said Gardenia. "He's a stunner, all right."

"Do you think he's straight or gay?" asked Violet.

"Doesn't matter! Let's start drawing!" said Yasmin.

"So everyone should have at the bottom of their easel a piece of charcoal and a pencil," said Lavender in front of the group. "Now for the next five minutes the model, in his robe, will be doing five one-minute poses to warm you up. Please use the pencil first."

The group then started to draw the model's poses. While this was occurring, Lavender brought out glasses of champagne. Lavender saw to it that everyone had a pencil in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other.

"Ok, so now that the warm-up exercises are completed, the model is now going to disrobe and do three ten-minute poses," said Lavender.

The model took off his robe gracefully and tastefully. He then positioned himself into a discus thrower pose. The sunshine dappled through the open windows onto the model's body, highlighting the contours and form of his muscular body.

"Oh, to see him every morning," sighed Gardenia.

"I second that," agreed Blossom.

"He just needs to bring me a cup of coffee and my life's complete," said Yasmin.

The next thirty minutes went quickly. The model had moved to the Thinker pose.

"Please switch to charcoal. Try to experiment with the texture of charcoal. And don't be afraid to get dirty. That is, to get it all over your hands," said Lavender.

The next pose was the David sculpture pose.

By this time, the group were onto their third glass of champagne.

"Orchid, your sketches are very accurate," said Jonquil as she walked around the room to see how the group was going.

"Oh, thank you, Jonquil. I went to art school. But to be honest, I think the female form is even more beautiful," said Orchid. Jonquil smiled and headed over to see Rosie, who had chosen one of the front easels.

"You're very close to the model," said Jonquil as she saw Rosie's efforts at smudging part of her drawing to indicate tone and light.

"Yes, I definitely have the best seat in the house," Rosie said and smiled.

"I'll need to finish off my drawing. I like your smudging efforts. I might do the same," said Jonquil before she returned to her easel.

Rosie did not normally drink but after knocking back a few glasses of champagnes she found herself in the mood for having fun. She was having an enjoyable afternoon. She felt an old cheeky part of herself come to the fore. All of sudden, Rosie had the urge to scribble a rude message on her large sheet of paper, just above her drawing. Rosie started writing in large capital letters, "ANTHONY IS SMALL". Orchid and Blossom, who were behind Rosie, started giggling. Anthony looked over to see where the giggling came over and saw in horror what Rosie had written. Anthony walked over and tore off the piece of drawing paper. He scrunched up Rosie's carefully smudged drawing.

"This is not funny, Rosie," intoned Anthony under his breath. The rest of the group, who had not cottoned on to what was happening looked up mystified before returning to their drawings.

Rosie ignored Anthony and went back to observing the model.

"Well, I guess I better go back to the drawing board," said Rosie to herself as Anthony returned to his easel with the bunched up piece of paper. Rosie looked at the large blank sheet of paper in front of her.

"To a fresh new page," said Rosie as she toasted herself with her glass of champagne, and began to draw the model anew, with newfound passion.

### Chapter 34

Saturday, 8 September – 10:55 am

Ollie walked up to the flower store, ready for another day of deliveries. A man walked past and wolf-whistled Ollie.

_Damn the lycra,_ thought Ollie as he blushed.

Ollie was greeted by Iris, who was standing in the front of the store holding the bike.

"How are you, Ollie?" said Iris as she accepted a kiss on the cheek from him.

"Good. I got a good night's sleep," said Ollie.

"I've finally been catching up on those. They're great aren't they?" said Iris. "I've placed the orders in the delivery bike box and you should be all set."

Iris handed over the bike and point-of-delivery device to Ollie.

Ollie saw that his first delivery that day was to Surry Hills. He added the address to his GPS system on his mobile phone and placed the earphones in his ears before securing the helmet over his head.

"I'm heading off now. See you later, Mum," said Ollie as he moved the bike out onto the pavement on Oxford Street.

The riding was becoming easier, and he gained muscles due to the frequent deliveries. He had in fact put on more kilograms but they were due to muscle gain.

Ollie rode towards the city before turning into Flinders Street and continuing onto South Dowling Road. He soon found himself negotiating small side streets and was directed to the street he was after.

Number 36. It was a very thin two-storey Victorian terrace. Ollie got off his bike and looked into the delivery box to find the flowers he needed. It was a large bouquet of gladioli. Ollie laid the bike against the terrace's wall and took off his helmet. He then brought over the flowers and the device to the door and knocked.

The door opened. At the door stood a radiant Indigenous Australian woman holding a bundle of papers in one hand.

"Oh my, are these for me?" asked the woman.

"These flowers are for a Deb-Evonne Freeman," said Ollie, double checking the details on the device.

"That's me," enthused Deb-Evonne as Ollie handed over the flowers so she could sign-off on the device.

"Enjoy your day," said Ollie as he returned to his bike.

"Oh! Can I ask you a big favour?" asked Deb-Evonne. "I need assistance with a script reading. It will only take five minutes of your time."

"Sure," said Ollie.

Deb-Evonne let Ollie in and closed the door behind them. Ollie could see that the walls were covered with framed production posters. They appeared to be promotion signs for past theatre productions in the 1990s and 2000s. Deb-Evonne walked over to the kitchen and laid the flowers on the kitchen bench.

"Oh, there's a card," remarked Deb-Evonne as she opened the envelope. "Dear Deb-Evonne, please accept these flowers as a token of our gratitude for your wonderful performances at Impermanence Theatre. Love from staff at NLFTC Company."

Ollie took a closer look at a poster, which featured Deb-Evonne standing on the Chard Steps in a passionate speaking manner. Ollie saw that the show was presented by the Nothing Lasts Forever Theatre Company.

Deb-Evonne clutched the card against her chest.

"It's moments like this that I live for. I've always dreamed of being an actor. By putting my heart and soul into this goal, I'm now reaping rewards," said Deb-Evonne as she gave a broad smile to Ollie. Ollie could not help but return the smile.

"So, that I don't take up too much of your time, here is the script for scene 5 of a new play by an accomplished playwright. I only just got the script a few days ago. The piece is called, "Catharsis". I'm, Margie, and you're, Jamie. From the top."

"Okay," said Ollie. He saw the top of the page highlighted in neon yellow. Scene five.

"But, I love you Jamie," said Deb-Evonne as she launched into her scene. "And now you want to throw away what we have? What we've accomplished. Accomplished together."

Ollie cleared his throat for his debut.

"Margie, I've been living a lie. I only married you because I needed to please my parents. They wanted grandchildren," Ollie read from the script.

Deb-Evonne's face took on an emotional affect with a glistening of her eyes.

"So everything is a lie? You never loved me? What about our wedding vows that we said tenderly to each other. In front of all our friends and family. You had tears in your eyes at that moment. At our very special moment," said Deb-Evonne.

"You're emotionally blackmailing me again. Look, I'm going to pack up and leave. I can't deal with this right now. This conversation is done," read Ollie from the script.

"You coward! Now that I think about it, you run away from any hint of conflict. You can't face reality. You're only good at destroying other people's realities," Deb-Evonne's voice rose.

"Margie, I'm leaving now," said Ollie from the script.

"Fine, go ahead. I can now see you're a hard-hearted and nasty person. Of course my life would be better without you," said Deb-Evonne said as she straightened up her back. "Please leave."

"How dare you! I am not a nasty person. I have a heart. You just can't see how much I have changed. Meeting this new person has done something miraculous. It's brought out the best in me. It's made me be the person I never knew possible. You, on the other hand, only bring out the worst in me," said Ollie.

Deb-Evonne then began sobbing.

"But we were together for five years before we got married. Wasn't that enough time for you to work that out?"

"Margie, even after all the time we spent together, I don't think we can ever truly know and understand each other. We don't have the keys to each other's hearts," said Ollie.

"You mean you threw away my key to your heart. I want it back Jamie. I want it back!" said Deb-Evonne, her face becoming stronger and more fierce.

"I don't where it is!" said Ollie.

"Well, find it then!" cried out Deb Evonne.

"Margie, it's over," said Ollie. "Jamie leaves the stage."

"Where's my key? Give me back my key...," said Deb-Evonne softly.

"And the scene ends," said Ollie as he handed back the script. "And your lines were correct."

"Oh, thank you. I only just got the script a few days ago. I really appreciate the practice. I'm really trying to explore all the emotional aspects of this scene," said Deb-Evonne who returned to her cheery and warm self with that wonderful smile. "I want to be as powerful as I can be with this Margie character. Strong but not melodramatic."

"It was a great performance," said Ollie.

"Thank you so much. I will let you out," said Deb-Evonne as she walked Ollie to the front door to let him out onto the street.

"All the best with your acting," said Ollie as he got onto his bike.

"Thank you! And thank you for delivering the flowers. They're beautiful," said Deb-Evonne and closed the door behind her.

Ollie returned to his bike and saw that the next job was in Bondi. He hopped onto his bike and made his way to Bondi Junction before turning off onto Bondi Road. He breezed down the steep road and hoped that he would not lose control of his bike as he was freewheeling down quite fast. Soon he came to Bondi Beach and found the apartment block he was searching for.

Ollie looked into the delivery box and retrieved the bouquet of Golden Wattle, Royal Bluebell, Kangaroo Paw and a Waratah. Ollie pressed the buzzer for unit number five.

"Hello," a confident woman's voice answered.

"Hi there. I have a flower delivery for a Lilian Rochfort," said Ollie.

"That's me. I'll be down in a moment," said Lilian.

Ollie stood waiting at the front door when the door opened and he saw a woman with greying hair mobilising in a wheelchair.

"Oh, they're lovely," said Lilian as she received the flowers from Ollie. "They must be from the court. I was appointed as a District Court judge yesterday. I'm thrilled by the appointment."

"Congratulations," said Ollie. "If you could sign off on the delivery here please."

Ollie handed over the device for her signature. After signing, Lilian retuned it to Ollie. She manoeuvred herself back into the building.

Ollie had one more delivery to do. He checked the device and emitted a noise of disbelief. It was Gregory's address in Newtown. Again. He saw the flowers and it was the same order, a bouquet of white tulips. Ollie started to feel nervous again and pushed his way onto the bike.

Ollie huffed his way up Bondi Road and finally returned to Oxford Street. Ollie cycled through Surry Hills and headed into Newtown after cycling through Cleveland Street.

_What a workout_ , thought Ollie as he took off his helmet and took a sip from his water bottle. He wiped away the sweat from his forehead and took several long deep breaths. Ollie sat on the brick boundary and tried to relax for a couple of minutes. He then got up and placed the helmet in the delivery box. He retrieved the white tulips and the device and proceeded to press the button for Gregory's unit.

"Hello Gregory, it's Ollie again. I have another delivery for you," Ollie said over the intercom.

"Are you serious? Again!" said Gregory and Ollie could hear Gregory's fit of good-natured chuckling. Did you want to come in or me to come down," Gregory asked.

There was a nervous pause.

"I'll come up," Ollie decided. The security door opened automatically.

Ollie walked up to the first floor and saw Gregory standing behind the screen door. He was wearing a loose dark blue singlet and black boxer briefs. Gregory smiled.

"Let me guess. Ahh, white tulips?" said Gregory as he covered his eyes with his left hand. Gregory brought his hand down and looked at the tulips.

"What a surprise!" said Gregory. He looked up and made gentle eye contact with Ollie. "What a lovely surprise. How have you been Ollie? It's good to see you again."

Gregory was glowing in a healthy and radiant manner. He seemed genuinely interested in Ollie's well-being.

"Not too bad. And yourself?" said Ollie.

"I feel great," beamed Gregory. "Ah, I see there's a card in here. Will this be the end of a long-running mystery? Let me read it out."

Dear Gregory,

I want to apologise for my past selfish behaviour. The reason I have been sending you these flowers is that I've realised the error of my ways. I recently had a near-drowning at a pool party with all these hot guys. I saw a glimpse of myself in a mirror set-up near the pool and I wasn't watching where I was going. I slipped and I hit my head before entering the water. Apparently I have been in a coma and was diagnosed as having a traumatic brain injury. For some reason you have been in my thoughts a lot and I just wanted to say how sorry I am again. You deserved better. So much better.

From Narciso.

P.S. I'll stop pestering you now. I hope that someone better than me comes along and loves you unconditionally, just the same way you loved me.

"Of course, Narciso!" exclaimed Gregory. "I thought his name did start with an N. Well, there you go. Mystery solved."

"Good to see you have the answer," said Ollie as he handed over the device to be electronically signed. There was an awkward pause as Gregory handed over the device to Ollie. Their hands touched as Ollie received the device. Ollie took his hand and the device away.

Gregory looked at his feet and was shuffling them side to side. Gregory then looked up into Ollie's eyes.

"Will I ever see you again, Ollie?" asked Gregory. "When you're ready, I'll be here. Ollie, I will always be here for you."

Ollie stepped back and turned towards the stairs but paused, standing fixed to the ground, his back to Gregory. He heard Gregory's soft treads behind him and in a brief and quiet moment, Gregory's right arm came across to rest upon Ollie's chest. Gregory leant forward, nuzzling his forehead into the back of Ollie's neck, which caused Ollie to move his head back in ecstasy.

Yet Ollie soon stopped himself from enjoying this moment of unfettered bliss, this unbelievable flow of warmth from Gregory. Ollie abruptly straightened up his posture.

"I should find someone closer to my age," Ollie said quietly. Gregory took his arm away and stood back as Ollie exited the building.

### Chapter 35

Friday, 14 September – 6:43 pm

"These are the gazebo flowers. Ollie, please place them carefully into the box and move them into the van," said Iris.

"Sure, will do," said Ollie as he began carefully placing the wired flowers into the box.

"So how are the bouquets going, Pahi?" asked Iris.

"They're going really well. I'm just finishing up on the purple bouquet. Iris had a look at the bouquets, all lined up neatly on the workshop table.

The red bouquet was Eucalyptus Macrocarpa, Anigozanthos, Callistemon, Camellia Japonica, Gymea Lily, and Waratahs.

The orange bouquet consisted of Nuytsia floribunda, Orange Eucalyptus flowers, Clivia Miniat, Anigozanthos, Gazania and Grevillea.

The yellow bouquet was composed of Grevillea, Australian Wattle, Native Golden Penda and Leucospermum, Yellow Flowering Banksia and Craspedia Globose.

The green bouquet included Snow Queen Protea, Eucalyptus leaves and Leucadendron Linifolia.

The blue bouquet was made up of Hedgehog Sage, Kangaroo Lobelia, Brunonia Australis and Cheiranthera Cyanea.

The purple bouquet, which Pahi was finishing up was Buddleia Black Knight, Callistemon, Indigofera Australis, Osteospermum and Tibouchina.

"There we go, the purple bouquet is now finished. I'll now move onto packing the reception hall flowers," said Pahi.

For the next half hour Iris, Pahi and Ollie helped pack the flowers and transported the flowers into the van.

"Phew, I think that's everything," said Iris. "Thanks for helping me out again, Ollie."

"Yes, you've helped out a lot Ollie. This is a huge job," added Pahi.

"No worries," said Ollie.

"So Pahi will manage the store tomorrow," said Iris. "I'll drive Ollie and myself to the Southern Highlands early tomorrow morning and start setting up during the day. Apparently, Malik said to me we will need to transport the cake, as he has to work on finishing five wedding cakes by tomorrow lunchtime. I said we would be more than happy to help out."

"Oh, shoot, I almost forgot, the lapel flowers," said Pahi and darted back into the flower store. The lapel flowers were single white roses but dyed rainbow colours using natural dyes.

"Sounds like a plan. Mum, I'll meet you here at 9 am then," said Ollie.

"Thank you, Ollie. Have a good night's sleep," said Iris as she waved to Ollie, who was now walking away.

Pahi brought over the small box including the lapel flowers and placed it in the van.

"Well I should be heading off Iris. Good luck with tomorrow," said Pahi. They exchanged hugs and Pahi crossed the road to catch the bus.

Iris locked the store. She was going to get a quick bite but noticed that Malik's store light was still on. She walked in front of the cake store window and could just make out Malik working. Iris pushed the front door. It was unlocked. Iris walked towards the kitchen space and she could see Malik was detailing Anthony and Heath's wedding cake. Malik was placing and attaching beautiful rose constructions onto the tiers of the wedding cake.

"Hi Malik," said Iris. "You're still working?"

"Hello Iris," said Malik as he gave Iris a friendly wink. "I didn't want to tire Lian out as we have a really busy morning tomorrow so I sent her home for the day. I'll probably need an extra hour to finish this cake."

"Do you mind if I watch?" Iris said. "I won't say anything."

"No problem," Malik said.

Iris watched Malik as he shaped gum paste into beautiful big roses. Iris thought Malik looked irresistible while in deep concentration as he took such care with each simple action in making the cake. Iris almost wanted to take a time-lapse video to show the beautiful progress of the cake. Iris imagined how those strong and steady hands would feel on her.

Iris watched as Malik carefully and gradually coated the six-tiered cake with gum-paste coloured roses, from red at the top, all the way down the rainbow, to purple on the bottom tier.

"Well, that's done," said Malik. "This cake will be all right at room temperature, so I will leave this cake here, and in the morning I'll have this boxed up and ready to go. At 9 am, as agreed."

"Yes at 9 am," confirmed Iris.

Then Malik's face brightened up.

"Iris, I just wanted to say thank you for looking after me when your window got damaged," said Malik. "It was so nice of you to take me to the hospital and stay overnight at my place to see if I was all right."

"Oh, don't mention it," said Iris abashedly.

"I was thinking how I never had a chance to say thank you properly. So yesterday when a cake order got cancelled, I used the time to create a cake for you," said Malik.

He walked over to the corner of the kitchen, where there was a sheet-covered object on a foam base. Malik carefully took off the sheet and Iris stood back in amazement. It was a four-tiered fondant white wedding cake. It was covered entirely with ivory buttercream roses.

"Oh, what a lovely surprise," said Iris, taking in the sight. "Such a lovely gesture. But, I'm not getting married. And it looks too good to eat."

"That's all right, Iris. I just wanted to use my creativity to say thank you, and I will place this cake in the window for passers-by to enjoy," said Malik.

"It certainly is a beautiful cake," Iris said.

"I decided on alternating vanilla and almond cake with chocolate cream filler for the inside. I had to order in almond essence."

"I love the smell of almond essence," said Iris.

"I have some right here," said Malik as he went to pick up a small bottle of almond essence. He opened it and placed the bottle between himself and Iris. They both inhaled deeply.

Iris looked into Malik's kind eyes and felt overwhelmed by his intense gaze.

Iris's mood changed, and she stepped back.

"Well, I should get going Malik. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for the both us. I'll see you tomorrow at 9.00 am," said Iris as she started walking to leave the cake store.

"Have a good night, Iris," said Malik as he put the lid back on the almond essence and watched Iris walk out into the dark night.

### Chapter 36

Saturday, 15 September – 8.30 am

Iris woke up as her alarm clock went off. She groaned at the awkwardness of last night. She was thrown and disoriented by the closeness to Malik. A bit too close. Iris was struggling with these confused feelings, which were a mixture of longing, frustration and the fact that Malik was just too young for her. She did not want to mess up his life if they got involved together. Malik had his whole life ahead of him. Iris got up and went to have a shower to get ready for the day ahead.

It was now 8:50 am and all that was needed was for the cake box to be moved into the flower van. Iris saw that Malik was already out the front with the cake on a trolley.

"Morning Iris," said Malik.

"Morning," said Iris. She averted her eyes as she unlocked the back doors of the van. Malik lifted the cake from the trolley and into the van. Iris could see how Malik's t-shirt stuck closely to his toned back. Iris made herself look away.

"There we go," said Malik as he stepped back. "You can borrow the trolley, Iris."

"I'll be sure to return it," said Iris in her most professional and detached voice. Iris then went to tie down the cake box securely amongst the flowers and then closed the van door.

"Thanks again," said Malik as he walked back to his store with a wondering and upset look in his eyes. Iris looked away and saw Ollie walking up the pavement with Lian. They were having an animated conversation.

"Morning Iris. We have a busy morning. Five cakes to prepare today! Have a great day," said Lian as she walked into _Fond of Fondant_.

Iris nodded. "So Ollie, are you all ready?"

"Yes," assented Ollie.

They both got into the van.

Iris started the engine and wordlessly drove into the direction of the city before making her way south.

Ollie sensing that his mother was quieter than usual, looked at Iris's profile.

"Mum, are you okay?" asked Ollie.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Iris, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.

"You seem, I don't know, really quiet," said Ollie.

Iris stayed silent and shrugged. The van slowed down at a set of red traffic lights. She opened the glove box, took out several CDs, and chose one at random to place it in the van's stereo player.

Ollie gave Iris a perplexed look before looking out the window. The lights turned green.

The van made its way past Liverpool. Iris was trying to blink away tears as the almond essence triggered a long forgotten memory.

December 1992

_It was a balmy night and Iris was having trouble sleeping. She turned over and saw that the other side of the mattress was empty. "Where was Roddy?" thought Iris. She got up to investigate. She peered out the bedroom door and saw light coming out from the direction of the kitchen. She stepped out and walked over to the kitchen. She saw Roddy, standing in just his underwear, preparing some sort of meal. Iris saw yet again why she was so happy to call Roddy her husband. He looked so handsome with his blonde and_ caramel-coloured hair, _broad shoulders and muscular legs, built like columns._

Roddy then turned right to find an ingredient he was after, and saw that Iris was standing behind him.

" _Iris, go back to sleep! I don't want to ruin the surprise," said Roddy in horror as he stretched his arms out to block Iris from seeing what he was doing._

" _I'm surprised all right. But what are you doing up so late?" asked Iris as she stepped forward. Roddy stepped forward to stop Iris coming any closer to the kitchen bench._

" _It's your birthday tomorrow. I wanted to make your favourite dish. From scratch," said Roddy._

" _You were going to make me tiramisu?" asked Iris and looked over at the ingredients._

" _Now you've spoiled the surprise. I was going to make amaretto almond tiramisu," said Roddy unhappily._

" _I can help out. At the moment I can't go to sleep. It's too hot," said Iris._

" _I suppose you can help me out with making your surprise dish," said Roddy._

Iris and Roddy then worked to make the tiramisu. Roddy then placed the finished product into the fridge.

All of a sudden, Roddy grabbed a handful of caster sugar and threw it at Iris.

" _What are you doing?" said Iris as she felt grains of sugar rolling off her body._

" _That's for ruining your birthday surprise," said Roddy._

Iris reached over to the leftover mascarpone and poured it over Roddy's head.

" _You didn't," said Roddy and went to get the bottle of almond essence, and poured this all over Iris. The smell of almond essence filled up the entire kitchen space. Iris responded by grabbing the coffee mix and heaping this over Roddy._

" _Roddy!" shrieked Iris. "We'll wake up Ollie."_

" _Too late," remarked Roddy._

A toddler walked into the kitchen and he took in the scene of his giggling parents in a mess of tiramisu ingredients.

Iris wiped a tear that escaped from her right eye. That tiramisu escapade had been the start of making many cakes together with Roddy. Black forest cake, triple-chocolate cheesecake, cherry flan cake, banana cake...

### Chapter 37

Saturday, 15 September – 8:45 am

Jonquil was looking out of the window of her kitchen. She had just made herself a cup of coffee and braced herself for the day ahead. She drank her coffee carefully as she put on her tuxedo, which was a shiny black and silky suit. The plan was that the wedding party, that is, Heath and Anthony, Camille and all the six grooms-maid would head over to Jonquil's home in Hunter's Hill. Then they would all be driven in limousines to their destination in the Southern Highlands.

The doorbell rang and Jonquil placed her mug of coffee down on the kitchen bench. Jonquil walked through the large living area to open the front door.

"Morning Jonquil," said Camille, who was beautifully made up and dressed up in her tuxedo and high heels. Her grey hair looked glossy and immaculate. "Your house is just absolutely huge, Jonquil. You could land an aircraft here. Commercial-grade."

"Yes, it's quite a large residence," agreed Jonquil and she let Camille in. "Would you like a coffee?"

"Yes, please," said Camille. "So the wedding day for our boys has finally arrived."

"Yes, a big and important day for our boys," said Jonquil.

Camille was watching the water views from Jonquil's living room. The views looked over the Valentia Street Wharf.

"Well, looks like we both share a love of amazing water views. This view is a stunner," said Camille as she looked over the water and saw the cityscape far off into the horizon.

"It is a unique property. This property has passed down through several generations. Though the maintenance costs drive me mad sometimes," said Jonquil.

"But the views! I'm sure the money spent is all worth it," said Camille as she joined Jonquil in the kitchen.

The doorbell rang again.

"I'll be back," said Jonquil and went back to open the front door.

It was Anthony and Heath. They wore casual clothes but held suit-bags including their wedding attire.

"You look lovely, Mum," said Heath, and kissed her.

"Thanks, Heath. Hello Anthony," said Jonquil. "I have cleared Heath's old bedroom, so you can use the room to get ready. The bathroom next door is also useable."

"Thanks, Mum," said Heath, as he and Anthony made their way upstairs to get ready.

Jonquil returned to the kitchen.

"That was Anthony and Heath. They've gone upstairs to get ready," informed Jonquil as she retrieved her mug of coffee. "Did you get much sleep? I can't say I slept well."

"I slept soundly. I use the most amazing pills," said Camille. "I'm not taking this wedding too seriously. I know people say the wedding day is the best day of their life. But that's such a silly thing to say. Their best day is probably yet to come."

"I agree with you, Camille. But I keep thinking to myself will my son's marriage last the distance? Many of my straight friends are divorced. And you know what, Heath asked me advice for a long-lasting marriage," said Jonquil.

"And you gave the correct answer that it's wine? Wine is definitely needed to keep any trace of romance alive," said Camille.

"Of course I didn't say that. I don't want to scare Heath away from commitment," said Jonquil.

"Darn it, I should have spoken to Heath. He would have broken off the engagement many months ago," said Camille. "So what was your advice?"

"I said to Heath to be on his best behaviour at all times and to never fight over money," said Jonquil. "Oh and I said if he ever got angry, to remember that by hanging onto that anger he is effectively poisoning himself."

"I like my answer better," said Camille. "Oh wait, I have an even better answer. To keep it in their pants!"

Camille laughed as she slapped her thigh, while Jonquil smiled on in amusement. Jonquil cleared her throat.

"Why didn't you remarry, if you don't mind me asking," asked Jonquil.

"I think one marriage is enough. And I'm busy. What with managing my tennis centre and my social life, I wouldn't have the time to be a wife," said Camille. "As I'm quite wealthy, I worry that a man will only get to know me in order to take half of everything. What about you?"

"That's a cynical view," said Jonquil. "Well, I've met some lovely men since my husband passed away, but I don't think I want to be remarried. I'm so used to doing my own thing and having my own space. I also have a very rewarding vocation in education. That's where my passion lies. Ensuring children get the best start as possible in life. Life is tough."

The doorbell rang. Camille finished her coffee and joined Jonquil to answer the door.

"Hi Jonquil! Hi Camille!" said the grooms-maids, who all had glamorously styled and flower-infused hair-dos. They were all very energetic except for Rosie who stood at the back of the group.

"Come on in," said Jonquil as she let the group in. "I'll take you upstairs to the two guest rooms, each with their own bathrooms. All your dresses are ready upstairs."

"You have such a beautiful home, Jonquil," complimented Yasmin.

"I didn't realise Heath grew up in this house," said Gardenia.

"Oh the dresses look gorgeous," said Blossom as the women arrived upstairs and saw the rack of shimmering dresses.

"Please all know that I've got Hollywood tape if anyone needs support," said Violet.

"I also have eyeshadow for each of the six colours," said Orchid. "We'll all look on trend."

"So, if you could all be ready by 10:00 am downstairs that would be appreciated," said Jonquil. All the women collected their dresses except for Rosie who stared at the red dress and took the dress off the rack with a big sigh. Camille gave Rosie a comforting pat on the back.

Jonquil pointed out the guest rooms to the grooms-maids and headed back down the stairs with Camille.

"They all sound like they're having a great time upstairs," said Jonquil as she heard the grooms and grooms-maids talking and laughing.

"A bit too much fun, if you ask me," said Camille.

"Camille, did you want to go out for a walk," asked Jonquil. "I feel that sitting around won't do my nerves any good."

"Sure. There are some amazing historical buildings around here. Jonquil, I'm in the mood for exploring," said Camille.

They gathered their handbags and left the house with Jonquil locking the door.

Camille and Jonquil went for a walk at a leisurely pace, stopping to observe old churches and even larger houses. By the time they returned to Jonquil's home, they saw the two limousines waiting outside. Each limousine had rainbow ribbons extending out from the front grille of each limousine and to either sides of the vehicle.

The front door opened before Jonquil and Camille and they saw Heath and Anthony in their tuxedos, looking exceedingly handsome. The women looked like fierce Greek goddesses.

"So are we all ready?" asked Jonquil.

### Chapter 38

Saturday, 15 September – 11.09 am

Iris then stopped reminiscing and sat up straighter in her driver's seat as she was now driving into Bowral. Iris input the required address into the GPS. After ten minutes of following instructions, Iris and Ollie arrived at their destination.

"Here we are," said Iris as she drove to a stop at _Orange Blossoms Vineyard_. It had been a two-hour drive, and they had listened quietly to the CDs. Iris and Ollie both stepped out of the van.

A toothy and energetic blonde woman with dimples waved and walked towards Iris and Ollie.

"Hello! You must be Iris. I'm Daisy the venue manager for _Orange Blossoms Vineyard_ ," said a smartly dressed young woman with a blonde ponytail. She wore a black satin waistcoat over a crisp white shirt and black trousers. She looked the consummate professional.

"Yes, that's me," Iris said as she shook hands with Daisy. "And this is Ollie, my assistant."

"Nice to meet you, Ollie," said Daisy, shaking his hand. "Well, are you happy for me to give you a tour of the venue now?"

"Sure, why not?" said Iris.

"Great. So we are standing on the driveway to the venue, and as you can see, there is a car park area towards your right. Further down from the car park is the gazebo in the vineyard where the wedding ceremony will take place. I'll take you there shortly."

Daisy walked up the driveway towards a building.

"We are now approaching the visitors' entrance, which opens out into a bar area and lounge. Guests can wait here and have a drink, before entering the hall. We turn to the left of the bar and we are now walking around into the hall," said Daisy.

Daisy, Iris and Ollie now walked from the bar into a huge vintage and wooden hall.

"As you can see it is quite a big hall. The ceiling is quite high with the wooden beams exposed. On the other side is a large roller door, which is currently open. The industrial kitchen right at the back of the hall is where the caterers will work. We have set up the tables in two long rows and a table in front for the wedding party. The wine barrel at the front here is for the cake to be positioned on," continued Daisy.

"Ollie, we'll need to move the cake over here first," said Iris. Ollie nodded.

"After the wedding ceremony at the gazebo takes place, which is scheduled to start in less than three hours, the wedding party will be taken around to be photographed over that side of the vineyard," said Daisy as she pointed out through the large roller door.

"Then the wedding party will come in and then settle in for the reception," Daisy advised. "The guests will be asked to mingle in the bar area I showed you earlier before we open up the hall for the wedding reception. All righty then, let me take you to the gazebo."

Daisy took Iris and Ollie on a ten-minute walk amongst rows of vines until they came across the gazebo. The seats were already set up.

"And this is the gazebo," said Daisy as she pointed out a beautiful ornate sandstone structure with marble stairs leading up to the raised platform.

"We'll move the cake into position now and then we will decorate the gazebo as required. After that we'll work on the banquet tables," said Iris.

"Sounds like a plan," said Daisy, and the trio walked back into the hall.

"Let's make this wedding a huge success," said Daisy, with a smile. "I'll leave you to do your magic. There's one of the grooms."

A lean man in his late-40s walked into the hall and was walking towards Daisy. He was wearing a black wedding tuxedo. He had gelled-back brown hair, and his beard was well-groomed. Daisy, Iris and Ollie looked at the approaching man with interest. Ollie turned his attention to the wine barrel.

Then he turned his head back slowly towards the approaching man. Ollie's eyes widened in horror. A feeling of familiarity, disbelief and shock overwhelmed his system.

It was Silver Fox. He had grown a beard now and must have dyed his greying hair the colour of his original hair colour, a dark brown.

"Hi Daisy. Heath and I were just wondering if the bouquets for the grooms-maids have arrived," said Anthony before stopping once he saw Ollie. A fleeting look of surprise passed through Anthony's face before settling into a pursed-lips look.

"Anthony, this is Iris and her assistant, Ollie, who are looking after the flowers for your wedding.

"Congratulations Anthony on your wedding today. I heard about the wedding proposal. So romantic," said Iris.

"Yes, it was very romantic," said Anthony.

Ollie felt his heart hurt even more.

"We'll be bringing the bouquets and flowers for the gazebo shortly," Iris said to Anthony.

"I'll let the grooms-maids know. Thank you for the update," said Anthony before he and Daisy walked to the bar area. Iris smiled and looked at her son who seemed to be looking faint.

"Ollie, you've gone really pale," said Iris.

"I know him," whispered Ollie.

"The groom?" asked Iris confused.

"That's Anthony. He was my ex-boyfriend," said Ollie.

"Really? Oh Ollie, are you okay?" said Iris out of concern. "What a coincidence!"

"This job is important to you, Mum," said Ollie as he took a deep breath. "I can be professional about this. Let's install the cake."

"Okay, Ollie. Just let me know if you need a break," said Iris.

Iris and Ollie made their way to the van and placed the cake carefully on the trolley. They transported the cake to the hall and both lifted the cake box onto the wine barrel.

"We'll leave it in the box and Daisy can take the box down later," said Iris.

Iris and Ollie then returned to the van. Iris lifted a large plastic bag that contained the bouquets and handed these to Ollie while Iris moved two big boxes, onto the trolley, which included the flowers for the gazebo.

They walked through the carpark and saw straight ahead where the gazebo was located in the distance. The grooms, two older women in tuxedos and six women wearing dresses in various colours were sitting on the white seats placed in front of the gazebo, having conversations amongst themselves. _They must have just arrived_ , thought Iris.

The two older women in tuxedos waved at Iris. They had remembered her from the flower booking.

"Hello," Jonquil said as she came up to Iris. "I've forgotten your name."

"Iris," said Iris.

"That's right," Jonquil said. "How are you?"

"I'm good thank-you. Ollie has the bouquets for the grooms-maids and the lapel roses for the grooms," said Iris.

"I'll distribute the bouquets and the lapel roses," said Camille as she collected the bag from Ollie. She started walking towards the grooms-maids who stood up in excitement, except for Rosie who was sitting deeply in thought.

Ollie and Iris started arranging the flowers around the hand railings of the gazebo and across both sides of the steps.

Iris stood back to appraise her work. She walked over and checked with Jonquil and Camille if the presentation was to their liking. Jonquil confirmed by hugging Iris. Camille nodded her head.

Ollie had a look around to see if the other groom was there and his heart sank even further when he saw a very muscular fit man in his early 40s, and very handsome. _That could have been me_ , thought Ollie. _Anthony moved on so easily._

"Ollie, let's go back to the van to start preparing the hall," said Iris as she began to walk. They could see through the carpark that the guests were now starting to arrive. Women were wearing elegant little black dresses with impossibly high heels. The men looked smart wearing very sharp suits. Iris could see that Daisy was directing the visitors to the gazebo from the entrance of the vineyard building.

Iris was feeling a little overwhelmed by the wedding preparations. She thought about her own wedding to Roddy in Sydney. Iris glanced down at the wedding ring she still wore to this day. Had she let her husband down by looking for potential relationships with other men, such as Ron, the handyman, and perhaps even Malik?

Iris distracted herself as she opened the backdoor to the van to collect the remaining flowers for the reception hall.

### Chapter 39

Saturday, 15 September – 2:15 pm

"Looks like all the guests are here, and we don't want the celebrant to be waiting for too much longer," said Camille as she scanned the seated guests and saw the celebrant shifting from one high-heeled foot to the other.

"Are we all ready?" Jonquil asked around the group. Anthony, Heath, Camille, Orchid, Yasmin, Gardenia, Blossom and Violet nodded their heads. Rosie had a glazed look on her face and had not been paying attention.

"I've never felt more ready in my life," said Heath.

"Oh Heath, you're too good for me," replied Anthony.

"I'll let the DJ know to start playing the entrance music," Jonquil said as she walked towards the DJ's booth installed behind the seats. The DJ lifted his headphones off and listened to Jonquil before nodding and began to change the music. An electronic-fused classical track started playing.

"Ladies," Camille said. "The grooms-maids will be walking in order of the rainbow flag. So Rosie, you're first."

Rosie stood about nervously and walked to the front of the grassy aisle leading up to the gazebo. Orchid stood behind Rosie, with Yasmin, Gardenia, Blossom and Violet following suit.

"You can start walking now, Rosie. Remember, one step, feet together, one step, feet together," said Jonquil.

Rosie tentatively stepped her way through the seated guests and stood on the steps on the left side of the gazebo where she was joined by Orchid and Yasmin. Gardenia, Blossom and Violet stood at the right side of the steps.

"Here's the walk of shame," Camille quipped to Anthony. "Just joking, Anthony. I know you've been through a difficult couple of years. Deep down I know I want you to be happy. As a parent I should be supportive of any decisions you make, no matter how sensible or silly they are."

Camille smiled at Anthony and put her elbow out for him to link his arm through. The music changed to an upbeat house vocal track. Camille walked Anthony down the aisle and they walked up the steps of the gazebo. Anthony moved to stand in front of the celebrant. Camille stood a foot away, assuming the Best Mum position. The music track changed again. This time to a slow and heart-wrenching love ballad. Jonquil was now walking Heath down the aisle. Jonquil and Heath walked up the steps where he was to walk to the front of the celebrant. Jonquil assumed the Best Mum position for Heath.

"Family and friends, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a very special occasion. My name is Acacia Lynn, and I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law. Anthony and Heath, before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses. I am to remind you of the obligatory and earnest nature of this relationship into which you are now about to enter. Marriage is the union between two adults to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life," said the celebrant.

"I call upon the guests here present to witness that I, Heath Ginger, take you, Anthony Beer, to be my lawful wedded husband," said Heath. Heath turned to Jonquil for the wedding ring. Jonquil smiled as Heath took the ring. Heath faced Anthony again and took his hand.

"I give you this ring as a sign of my undying love and our shared dream to grow old together. I promise to love you, care for you and support you." Heath put the ring over Anthony's wedding finger.

Anthony smiled at Heath and then turned to Camille for the ring, which she gave to him in a rarely seen smile.

"I call upon the guests here present to witness that I, Anthony Beer, take you, Heath Ginger, to be my lawful wedded husband," said Anthony. "I give you this ring as a sign of my eternal love and our dreams to have the most amazing future. I promise to cherish you, look out for you and be a shoulder to lean on. " Anthony manoeuvred the ring over Heath's wedding finger. "Until you lose your good looks. Just kidding!"

Heath swatted at Anthony.

Acacia Lynn beamed at both Heath and Anthony.

"I now pronounce you husband and husband," said Acacia. "You may now kiss."

Anthony and Heath gave a brief kiss and hugged each other. The guests cheered and clapped.

"To conclude this ceremony, on this beautiful day, may we wish Mr and Mr Ginger-Beer a successful and nourishing marriage. Please join me in giving this lovely couple another round of applause as they enter this new chapter of their lives," said Acacia.

There was an enthusiastic round of applause and cheering.

"Now let's get the paperwork signed," said Acacia.

Heath walked over to one side of the gazebo stairs.

"Rosie and Orchid, are you able to sign as witnesses?" asked Heath.

Rosie looked appalled but steeled herself and joined the celebrant in sorting out the paperwork on a nearby makeshift table in the gazebo.

Rosie signed all three certificates and was relieved to finally hear a music track for the recessional once Orchid finished signing the last certificate.

Anthony grabbed Heath's hands and they started to step down the stairs to the clapping crowd. The guests were throwing handfuls of multi-coloured petals as Mister and Mister walked down along the grassy aisle. Anthony and Heath were followed by Jonquil and Camille. Then the reverse order of the grooms-maids walked out, with Violet walking at the front and Rosie walking last.

### Chapter 40

Saturday, 15 September – 3:36 pm

"This can't be happening. Tell me this is a bad dream," said Daisy, taking deep breaths. "Did any of you see anything?"

The cake remained crumbled on the ground.

"I was here with Ollie preparing the flowers on the banquet tables. We were located at the back of the hall. We were nowhere near the cake," said Iris. "We didn't hear anyone come in."

"What a mess! I was only away for five minutes to store the cake box, and checking the food caterers in the kitchen. I confirm I only saw Iris and Ollie. It appears no-one came through the entrance side of the hall when I was walking towards the kitchen," said Daisy. "It's got to be one of you."

Daisy was now pointing to Anthony, Heath, the two mums, the six grooms-maids and the wedding photographer.

"We've all just come back from having our photographs taken in the vineyard by the photographer, Jean-Paul," said Anthony.

"But then we, meaning me, Camille, the bridesmaids and the photographer left you to have a bit of privacy," said Jonquil. "Camille and I were the last to walk in the hall as we're not as nimble as the young ones."

"So, it's one of the grooms-maids or Jean-Paul," Daisy said. "All line up please!"

The girls looked miffed amongst a noise of utterances and shocked looks at each other.

"One of you did this and I want to know who. I am responsible for providing the most amazing wedding for Anthony and Heath. I am going to find the culprit," said Daisy as she glared at the seven persons of interest in the line-up.

"Well, if it's any help, the five of us lagged behind," said Orchid. "It was me, Yasmin, Gardenia, Blossom and Violet. Which leaves Rosie and Jean-Paul."

Daisy saw red. She had two suspects. Rosie in her red bridesmaid dress and the wedding photographer.

"So, which one of you was it? I want answers," said Daisy as she looked at the photographer and Rosie. "Wait a minute! What's that in your hair, Jean-Paul? You also have something on your back. Turn around."

Jean-Paul turned around. And there on his back was a patch of icing about the size of a dinner plate.

"It was you!" Daisy hollered at Jean-Paul.

"Yes, it was me," said Jean-Paul meekly. "It was an accident, I was preparing my camera for photographs against the wall behind the cake and I just kept taking steps backwards without looking where I was going, and then it was too late."

"You moron!" Daisy screamed at Jean-Paul. Daisy took another few breaths. "Well, at least now we know who caused this mess! First of all, the wedding reception doesn't start for another two hours. We've got to stop the guests from coming inside the hall. We need to close the doors to the hall straight away."

"Well, the cake isn't everything," said Heath. "It's only food. It's not the end of the world."

"But the cake is important. It's the symbolism. My job is to present the most amazing wedding and reception. And I am going to deliver. Jean-Paul, you start cleaning up the mess you caused. I will bring a few mops and bags over," said Daisy and went running back to the hall's kitchen.

The bridesmaids now went over to close the rolling doors to the hall and waited outside the door.

Iris witnessed the unfolding drama in front of her, and then an idea occurred to her. Iris looked at her phone. She dialled Malik's number. Even amongst the confusion of her feelings, she felt the wedding cake situation could be salvaged. He answered after a few rings and Iris disclosed to Malik the plan for that afternoon. The call ended as Daisy brought the mop, bucket and plastic bags over to Jean-Paul. She looked like she was going to do something to Jean-Paul with the mop.

"Daisy, I spoke to the cake maker. He said he can bring over a top-quality cake. It won't be identical to the specially designed cake, but it is a beautiful cake, I can reassure you. Malik should be here in less than two hours," said Iris.

Daisy looked at Iris and said nothing. She simply walked over to Iris and gave her a hug. Daisy's sobbing could faintly be heard.

"Thank you, Iris," Daisy mouthed.

"Wow, you are super organised, Iris," said Heath.

"No worries, Heath," said Iris.

"That's excellent news. So your wedding reception will still proceed, even with a small hitch," said Daisy, to Heath and Anthony.

"Yikes, Camille, that gave me a fright," said Jonquil. "It looked like we had to do without a cake for a while."

"I totally agree, Jonquil, but on the other hand I do need to watch my weight," said Camille. "Anyhow, I need something to drink."

"Well, a vineyard is a good place to start," smiled Jonquil.

"Let's raid a few cellars, then," said Camille. "The bar is a good place to start."

"And we can distract the guests from entering the hall until the cake gets here," said Jonquil.

Soon, the hall was quiet again. Jean-Paul and Daisy were busy cleaning up the last pieces of the cake. Iris was now giving Heath a tour of the floral arrangements around the banquet tables.

Ollie stood quietly observing the cleaning process. Anthony walked quietly over to where Ollie was standing.

"I got such a shock when I saw you earlier today," said Anthony.

"Me too. I didn't expect to see you. How random is that?" said Ollie.

"When I saw the cake on the ground, my first thought was that you pushed the cake over," said Anthony.

"Why I am not surprised you said that. You think I didn't get over you?" Ollie said.

"I'm not stupid, Ollie. Deep inside I knew I broke your heart," Anthony said. "We always remember our first loves. By the way, Graham moved to the U.S. He's there with his new boyfriend."

Ollie looked into Anthony's eyes but something had changed. Ollie's gut instinct was telling him that Anthony was not the man Ollie should spend the rest of his life with.

"For the record, I didn't cause the cake to fall. That's where your first reaction was wrong. Yes, you and I had a past but it will stay in the past," said Ollie, remembering something that Gregory had said. "I have to go and help Mum. I wish you and Heath a happy marriage. Congratulations."

### Chapter 41

Saturday, 15 September – 4:58 pm

Iris was bringing back the gazebo flower arrangements to the van to be recycled for future orders. She was pushing the trolley with the last of the flower decorations when she saw Malik's _Fond of Fondant_ van arrive in the vineyard's driveway. Malik stepped out of the van and was warmly greeted by Daisy who was hugging and sobbing at the same time. Iris felt incredibly jealous and then laughed at herself. Iris did take herself too seriously some times. She watched as she opened her van's doors and saw Daisy guiding Malik, who was now pushing the wedding cake on a different trolley. _Our wedding cake_ , thought Iris.

Iris finished packing the gazebo decorations into the van and shut the van doors. Her job was done. She just had to wait for Ollie. He must still be inside. Iris walked towards the entrance and was not sure what to say to Malik. If she left now, she would have more time to think about what to say to Malik back in Paddington.

Iris walked into the entrance and saw the bar was full of happy and intermingling guests. She heard snippets of conversations as she walked through.

"What a beautiful ceremony. Simple and understated," said a woman in her early forties.

"I brought my adult children along and would you know they all turned out straight? And, I'm a gay parent! Doesn't that tell you something?" said a man in his late fifties.

"I loved the Best Mums! They looked very classy," commented a woman in her seventies.

"'To the exclusion of all others?' That's mad! I'd like a bit of flexibility thank you very much!" said a man in his late twenties.

"This wedding can't have been cheap, though. That's why Neil and I decided to invest in a vacant block of land, on the outskirts of Sydney, rather than spend it on a wedding," said a woman in her late twenties, who was wearing a confectionery-inspired fascinator.

"I'm very thankful to live in a place like Australia. Gay people in other places have it so difficult," commented a sporty man in his early seventies.

Iris turned to her left and saw that the entrance to the hall was guarded by Jonquil and Camille, who appeared to be engaged in a topic of amusement.

"Oh, Iris, the cake has arrived. All is saved," rejoiced Jonquil.

"Yes, that handsome cake maker saved the night," said Camille. "They're getting the cake ready. We're just waiting for the go-ahead from Daisy. We'll let you through, though."

Jonquil and Camille both stood aside for Iris to move into the hall.

Iris could see that Daisy was holding the cake box and was admiring the cake.

"It's so beautiful, Malik!" said Daisy.

"Thank you," said Malik. He saw Iris and he lifted his arm to give a wave.

"I will store this box in the kitchen as well and then we're all set, the guests can now come in," said Daisy, and she raced off to the kitchen with the box.

Malik walked over to Iris. She felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Iris and Malik!" It was Heath. "Thank goodness I found you both before you left. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to stay for the reception. Anthony and I really appreciate your teamwork and we are more than happy for you two and Ollie to join us for great food and dancing."

"Why not," said Malik. "I'm happy to stay, if Iris is happy to stay of course."

Iris looked at Malik's infectious smile.

"I'd love to stay," said Iris.

"Great," said Heath, putting his hands on each of Iris's and Malik's shoulders. "It'll be a great night." Heath advised Iris and Malik where they were to be seated.

"Thank you for coming and bringing the cake," said Iris.

"Yes, at first I was shocked that one of my masterpieces had such an incident. At least I always take photos of my creations. It was a beautiful cake."

The guests were now gradually making their way into the hall, with necks stretched up to check out the high ceilings of the hall.

Soon there was a crowd forming around the cake.

"Hey, you there, young man! You're standing too close. Get back," said Daisy, as she stood near the cake, ensuring its security and safety before the allocated time in the reception schedule for its cutting. Under no circumstances was Daisy going to allow another cake to fall to the ground.

"They're all admiring your wedding cake," said Iris.

"Our wedding cake," said Malik facing Iris and looking down into Iris's eyes and smiled again.

"Mum, are we ready to go?" said Ollie as he caught up with iris. "Hi Malik, what a relief you had a spare cake."

"Oh, Ollie. There's been a change of plans. Heath said he wanted to thank us all and we have been given seats as part of the reception," said Iris with anticipation, not sure how her son would cope being at a wedding reception for an ex-boyfriend, being married to someone else.

"Oh," said Ollie in surprise. "I guess I'm all right with that. Heath is a genuinely nice guy."

"Good on you, Ollie. You remind me so much of your father, Ollie. As long as you're here I can never forget about Roddy," said Iris to Ollie "Rightio, let's all get to our seats!"

### Chapter 42

Saturday, 15 September – 10:45 pm

The wedding reception proceeded without a hitch. The speeches were given, delicious gourmet food was plated and served and the wedding cake was cut and distributed amongst the guests. Then the barrel and cake had disappeared and in its place, a dance floor took its place.

The guests enjoyed watching Camille take Anthony for the first dance. Then the DJ started playing high-energy dance tracks and soon the dancefloor was pumping and rocking with happy guests.

Ollie could see Iris and Malik dancing together and having a great time. It was like they were on a first date. Excited and very happy. Ollie was the wallflower, standing by the side.

"Hello there. The flowers are beautiful," said Rosie as she walked over to Ollie.

"Thank you. I came here to help out my mum. It's a beautiful venue, isn't it," said Ollie.

"Yes, it is," said Rosie. There was a pause. "Hi, my name is Rosie."

"Hi Rosie. I'm Ollie. You look lovely. The red eyeshadow makes you look fierce."

"You mean angry?" laughed Rosie then becoming silent. "I couldn't help but notice you were in deep conversation with Anthony a few hours before. Did you previously know each other?"

"Yes, we were boyfriends for about six months but it didn't work out," Ollie said. "I really enjoyed going to the Woolloomooloo unit he stayed in. He shared this unit with a female flatmate, though I never met her. But in the end the negatives outweighed the positives."

"When did you break up, Ollie?" asked Rosie.

"Over three years ago," said Ollie. "But you know what I'm so glad that relationship ended. Love makes you blind. As strange as it sounds while I was deeply in love, for the most part, I felt really unhappy being with Anthony. But he will always be my first love."

"The first cut is always the deepest isn't it? Relationships are difficult," said Rosie. I can tell you everything you need about relationship breakdowns. I got a divorce 10 months ago. We were together for ten years, five of those married."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear," Ollie said.

"Don't be. By the way, I'm Anthony's ex-wife," said Rosie. "I've really struggled through today but I'm so glad things have gone mostly to plan."

Ollie did a double-take and in slow motion realised that he had been with Anthony, when he was still a married man.

"I'm only here because he still wanted me to be a part of his life. We're still working to make this divorce as amicable as possible," continued Rosie.

Rosie then noticed Ollie's reaction and put her hand on his arm.

"Don't be hard on yourself. I have a feeling you were one of many guys he was with. Heath was the person that made him decide he wanted a divorce. It was a tough time," Rosie said gently. "But, I've coped really well over the last month. Last week my play 'Catharsis' was accepted by a theatre company as part of next year's programming."

"Congratulations Rosie. 'Catharsis', now why does that ring a bell?" said Ollie.

"Can I share a secret with you?" asked Rosie.

"Sure. Go ahead," Ollie said.

3:34 pm that day

The official wedding party photographs had taken place in the vineyard. The wedding photographer, Jean-Paul, wanted to see how the lighting in the Hall would fare so he went ahead to leave the wedding party to relax amongst the vines. Heath's grooms-maids were all chatting to themselves. Anthony and Heath were staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Jonquil and Camille were getting on like a house on fire.

Rosie felt awkward standing by herself amongst such a social scene. She thought she might as well join the wedding photographer and see how he was going. She rubbed her jaw. All that forced smiling for the photographs had caused her jaw to ache.

Rosie walked up to Orchid and advised her she was heading off to the hall. Orchid nodded her head and returned to the social conversation between Heath's friends.

Rosie walked off towards the hall holding her bouquet in her left hand taking in the beautiful scenery.

She soon came across the hall with its large side roller door open. To the left at the back of the hall she saw the florist and her assistant setting up flower arrangements. To the right she could see the wedding cake on the wine barrel. The wedding photographer was taking photos of the cake and stopped when he saw Rosie.

" _Hello, can I ask you to stand up against the front wall?" Jean-Paul asked, pointing to the front of the hall about ten metres behind the cake._

" _Sure," said Rosie as she stood against the wall while the photographer checked the lighting._

" _Please keep standing there," said Jean-Paul as he stepped a few steps backwards. "I just need to see if I can fit a group of people within the frame."_

Rosie nodded becoming aware that the wedding photographer was continuing to take small steps backwards towards the wedding cake without looking or checking where he was going.

" _You look beautiful. The red colour really suits you," said Jean-Paul looking up from the camera._

" _Thank you," said Rosie out loud. Rosie could now see that the wedding photographer was just metres away from the cake and the photographer was totally unaware of the cake behind him. She should really say something now to stop him from knocking the beautiful cake over. An unbidden thought went into Rosie's head, "Or you could keep silent"._

" _I'm just going to take a few steps back. And, oh! Fuck! No! This, the fuck, cannot be happening! Fuck!" exclaimed Jean-Paul as he collided with the soft mass of the cake before it fell to its untimely fate._

"What!" said Ollie in shock.

"It's our secret, Ollie," said Rosie, giving him the biggest smile. "C'mon, Ollie, let's have a dance. I'll dance with you."

Rosie took Ollie's hand and dragged him towards the thumping and enthusiastic crowd on the dance floor.

### Chapter 43

Saturday, 22 Saturday – 5:37 pm

"Almost all the ice blocks are stored in the van. Ollie, there's one block left," said Pahi, as she carried a block into the back of the van.

Ollie was helping Iris and Pahi with a special floral request. The client wanted flowers frozen in big ice-blocks. Iris had used the refrigeration unit to produce these blocks of ice. They were to be transported to the van, for their destination in an art gallery in Chippendale. Pahi was to drive the van to the art gallery, where the art gallery staff were to help Pahi unload the blocks.

Ollie was carrying the last ice block from the store into the back of the van when he noticed a display of red tulips in the shopfront window. Ollie must have been looking for some time because he was snapped to reality by Pahi, "Ollie, the block is starting to melt!"

Ollie looked down and saw water starting to drip onto the gravel. Ollie quickly placed the ice block into the back of the van and closed the van's back doors.

"All ready to go, Pahi," said Ollie.

"Thanks Ollie. I'll drive straight over," said Pahi with a wave and drove off into the traffic.

Ollie continued to look at the display of red tulips.

"Mum, can I buy some of those red tulips?" asked Ollie.

"Sure, I'll make up a bouquet. You don't have to worry about paying," said Iris, as she walked over to the bucket of tulips and extracted a dozen. "Are they for someone special?"

"Yes," answered Ollie.

"There you are," said Iris, as she handed over the tulips wrapped with red tissue paper and tied with red ribbon.

"Thanks, Mum," said Ollie. "I'm just going to borrow the bike. I'll be back before the store closes."

"No worries, Ollie. And, thank you for helping out with the ice blocks today," said Iris.

Ollie nodded as he placed the red tulips in the delivery bike box and moved the bike out onto the pavement. He placed the helmet on and started riding to his intended destination.

He rode into Surry Hills and pedalled onto Cleveland Street. He did not have far to ride now. He went into the intended street and looked at the block of units ahead. Ollie felt his chest burst with apprehension but also the early beginnings of happiness. He disembarked from the bike and placed the bike against the brick boundary. Ollie took off his helmet and pressed the button for number six.

"Hello?" said Gregory's unmistakable voice.

"Hi Gregory, it's Ollie here," Ollie said. "I have a special delivery for you."

"What?! I thought Narciso said he'd stop pestering me," said Gregory through the intercom. "I'm coming down. There in a second."

Ollie waited a few moments and saw Gregory appear at the security door, looking slightly grumpy. He opened the security door and stood on the landing.

"But those tulips aren't white," said Gregory. "And you're not wearing your bike-suit."

And then the realisation hit Gregory. His mood changed to one of hope and tentativeness. Gregory slowly stepped forward from the security door and accepted the red tulips. Then with arms outstretched, Gregory gave Ollie a hug.

And, Ollie hugged back.

### Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Mart and Duane for their incredible patience and editorial assistance in whipping this book into shape.

I would also like to thank family and friends who have been supportive of me throughout the writing this book.

A special thank you to the people I have met through Script-in-Hand. Submitting my short plays to Script-in-Hand gave me the confidence to embark on writing this work.

### About the Author

Jonathan Solomon is an office worker who was born in Sydney in 1983 and obtained a BA LLB at Macquarie University. In his spare time, Jonathan thinks of new ways to be busy and has an interest in all things theatrical, both on and off stage. He has also written and produced two plays, _Office Ink_ and _Out of Bounds_.

_White Tulips & Wedding Cake_ is Jonathan Solomon's first novel.

