Chapter 30: The Naked Housewife

“Come on, honey. Get a move on. Your ride will be here any minute. In fact I think I can see the car now at the end of the street.”

Glenda Harper pulled back from the curtains of the lounge room window that faced out onto the street of their lovely little Redsands home. As the curtains swung back into place Glenda turned to see her daughter coming into the room with a load of stuff hanging around her shoulders and a slightly harried look on her face.

The girl’s mother smiled then quipped, “I’ll just go and fetch the kitchen sink. I think you may have forgotten that. I’m sure it will fit into one of those bags you’ve got draped around your neck.”

Poor Jessie Harper did not smile or laugh but just scowled at her mother before replying with, “Well, no one will tell us a jolly thing about this camp. Not even you! Everyone’s been so secretive about it. So with out any real details about anything what’s a girl to do? I want to be prepared but in this case I don’t really know what I have to be prepared FOR! So I decided I would just bring EVERYTHING I could think of. You can only blame yourself for not giving anything away. And I know all you guys know something that none of us choir members know. You’ve all been so weird lately. So you can stop laughing at me and perhaps give me a hand or something!”

Glenda Harper put a hand over her mouth to try and suppress one little burst of uncontrolled laughter which just made Jessie scowl even more at her mother but then added, “Yes, dear. I’m terribly sorry. Let me help you get all that stuff out onto the front porch. And look I can see Bjorn’s father pulling into our driveway as we speak.”

Glenda then looked hard at her only child and said, “Oh, you do look lovely in that top and skirt and to think I used fit into clothes like that once.”

Jessie Harper suddenly felt a little bit sorry for her mother so she dropped all her stuff hard on the floor and flung her arms around her mom’s neck and said into her ear, “Oh, mom. You are the most beautiful woman on the earth. I love you so very much and I still reckon there’s a wonderful man out there somewhere that God has put on this earth just for you!”

Jessie gave her mother a long hard squeeze which was reciprocated just as fervently by Mrs Harper herself. Mrs Harper then gave her daughter one big hard pat on her butt and said, “Come on now, girl. There’s no time for this. Let’s get you loaded into that car so you aren’t holding everyone one up.”

As the two pulled apart Jessie notice a funny little smile sweep ever so briefly across her mother’s face.

“MOM! What is it? What’s going on? What are all you guys up to. Come on. You have to tell me! You can’t keep me guessing like this. What is it!?”

Glenda Harper looked at her daughter then replied just as they heard car doors opening and closing outside, “It’s nothing dear. There is nothing to worry about. You just go and have a great time at your Music Retreat. I’ll come out and visit you on the Thursday with the other parents. Now come on. Get yourself moving now.”

With those words Glenda opened the front door and welcomed in Bjorn Erikson and his father as the two men then loaded Jessie and all her stuff into the car. All three were soon heading off down to the church where a big bus was waiting to take this group of happy choristers off to a six day Music Retreat.