Norma Smith held the first washed plate out to Jack and said, “Well, don’t just stand there, Collie and Rosie should be here any minute now.”

“I thought Collie said she wasn’t going?” asked Jack, wiping the plate dry, and then placing it in the cupboard above the sink.

“That’s what she said originally,” agreed Chris.   “But mum and I … Norma and I went around to see her, and with Rosie’s help we managed to make her change her mind.”

There was a knock at the front door and Norma turned to ask, “Will you get that, Chris?”

“Sure,” said Chris standing and walking up to the front door.   He returned a few moments later followed by Colleen and Rosemary Bennett his half-sisters.

“Let me give you a hand, Auntie Norma,” said Rosemary, taking up a tea towel to help with the drying up.

“Is anyone reading this?” asked Colleen, picking up the newspaper from the kitchen table.

Jack looked back toward Chris who said, “No, I’ve just finished with it.”

“Would you girls like a cup of tea before we go?” asked Norma.

“Yes, please,” said Rosemary.   “Coffee if you’ve got it.”

“Would you mind making it, Collie?” asked Norma.

Colleen stopped in the doorway, on her way to the lounge room, and sighed heavily.

“Never mind, sis,” said Rosemary.   “I’ll make it once we finish with the dishes.”

“Thanks,” muttered Colleen, walking through to the lounge room.   Sitting upon the sofa, she turned the newspaper to the television page and called out, “We’ll be missing a great movie tonight, one I’ve always wanted to see.”

“You can watch it another time, love,” said Norma.   “I’m sure Beth would be upset if you didn’t go to see her.”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” said Colleen reluctantly.

They finished the dishes, and then Rosemary made the tea and coffee, and took a cup of tea in to Colleen.

“Just put it on the coffee table,” said Colleen, reading through the fashion pages,

“We don’t have a lot of time,” said Norma.   “So don’t let it sit for too long.”

“Most of these things are straight out of a Bogart movie,” said Colleen, referring to the fashion pages.   “Except they looked a lot better on Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable, than on the stick figure women that they call models these days.”