Free Diamonds in the Mud and Other Stories by Joy Dettman Page B

struggled with the front cross member of a good looking Ford.
    â€˜You again,’ she said, rubbing aged grease onto her nose as he proffered the missing sandal.
    â€˜I tried it on every foot in town. You’re my last hope.’
    â€˜I bet Darlene cut off her big toe,’ she said, adding grease to her chin.
    â€˜The dragon lady did, with her carving knife – but the sandal still wouldn’t fit. It’s got to be yours.’ His grin was wide.
    â€˜I’ll tell you what, Priestly, you give me a lift with this cross member, and I’ll shout you a beer. You can drink it out of my shoe.’
    â€˜You’re on, Cinders,’ he said.

Cultural Exchange
    Dear George,
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    You’ll find tonight’s dinner in the freezer. All you need to do is take it out of its plastic bag and put it in the microwave, in its plastic container. Give it five minutes on medium, and another three on high. I’m sorry for doing it this way, George, but you’ll find forty-six dinners in there, all numbered. If you start at one and work your way through to forty-six, you won’t be eating the same meals twice in a row.
    I know I should have told you, but if I had, you would have convinced me again not to do it, and I want to do it. Wilma and I have been best friends since high school and back in form five we promised ourselves we’d go to England one day. As Wilma says, the bond that joins women is not a man-made ligature of gold, but an invisible non-restricting bond of mutual respect, trust and equality.
    I’ve used part of the money from our caravan account. I put half of it in, so it’s not as if I’m using your money, and we’ll never buy that caravan, because you’ll never leave your cat. Anyway, by the time you read this I’ll be on the plane. Wilma and Max are picking me up at six. My itinerary and the details of my travel insurance are in the green plastic folder you’ll find beneath this letter.
    Well, goodbye, George, and please write to me and tell me you forgive me for deceiving you, otherwise I’ll worry the whole time I’m away and won’t enjoy myself. The addresses of our hotels are all there. You’ll need to send your letters airmail, and allow a week for them to get there, so choose an address at least ten days ahead of the posting date.
    If you happen to be speaking to any of my workmates, don’t tell them you didn’t know I was going. They think you’re shouting me the trip for my birthday. Wilma thinks you paid for it too, so if Max happens to call, don’t tell him you didn’t. He paid for her, and booked everything too. It’s going to be a wonderful trip. Look after my African violets and don’t let your cat into the sunroom.
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    All of my love, Alice.
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    Dear George,
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    We’ve arrived and are in the hotel. Wilma is sleeping. I’m too excited to sleep. Seated high in the clouds for twenty-six hours was a truly spiritual experience, though the seats were very restricting. It’s amazing what old friends can find to talk about. We talked all the way. We were inseparable at school, and the years just fell away.
    Wilma is so worldly and well read. She went on to university, you know, only for six months, but it really shows. As she said to me on the plane, these weeks away from you will be a great learning experience for me.
    Don’t forget my African violets and please put the cat out at night. Love, Alice.
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    Dear George,
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    I’m writing this on the tour bus. We saw Windsor Castle this morning and I took a few photos. Wilma took an entire roll. Max bought her a new camera. It cost six hundred dollars. She said I can have her negatives if I want any prints. She’s very generous and she knows everything about everything. Please keep card, and do write to me, George. Love, Alice.
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    Dear George,
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    You could have written by now. I’m beginning to worry that