“Is that you, Rosemary?” called out Beth from the front door.

“Yes, mum,” called back Rosemary.

“Damn this front door,” said Beth, struggling to remove her key from the lock.   “Remind me to give a blast to the agent about this lock, the next time I go down to pay the rent.”

“All right, mum,” agreed Rosemary.

“Would you like a cuppa?”

“Yes, thanks,” said Beth, picking up her two suitcases, and carrying them inside the front door.

“What is that strange smell?” she asked.   Taking off her coat, she walked down the hall toward the kitchen.

“I don’t know, mum, I noticed it when I came home.”

“When was that?” asked Beth, folding her coat over the back of a kitchen chair.

“Couple of hours ago,” said Rosemary.

Placing her handbag upon the kitchen table, Beth picked up a newspaper from the table, looked at its date, then dropped the paper into the kitchen tidy.   She went over to the refrigerator to investigate the contents.   The kettle began to whistle, so Rosemary went over to switch it off, and then began to make the tea.

“It’s a damn nuisance, this tiny fridge,” said Beth. could save money by buying in bulk, if we had a model twice the size of this one.”

“But where would we get the money for the larger fridge?” asked Rosemary, carrying the teapot over to the tablet to allow the tea to brew.

“That’s a thought,” agreed Beth.   She made herself a snack of cheese and vegemite on Salada biscuits then asked, is your father home?”

“I don’t think so,” said Rosemary.

“Oh pour the tea for God’s sake,” said Beth.   “You know I don’t like it very strong!”

“All right,” said Rosemary, a coffee drinker herself, so she did not know whether tea should sit for half a minute, or half an hour.

Rosemary poured the tea for Beth, who took a sip, then ate part of a Salada and said, “Where can your father be?   He can’t afford to go anywhere.”

“He might be over with Uncle Jack and Auntie Norma,” suggested Rosemary without thinking.