Providence

"I've had a wonderful afternoon!"

Her Mother's voice was light and happy as she described spending the day; the anniversary of her husband's death.

"Providence was looking out for me today."

She described phone calls from caring friends and cups of tea with a couple who timed their visit perfectly. They were aware of the day, the date, what it all meant.

"Then Joan arrived!"

Julia had told her Mother a few days before that the Swiss woman would call on her at some point in her travels north. None of them could have guessed the serendipitous timing; that she would arrive on this day. A day when visits and phone calls and spontaneous trips to the rainforest and the beach where just the thing.

Aileen recounted enthusiastically the trip to the pub on the hill then the car ride further north to the rainforest and the beach where Joan had found a star fish - a mysterious creature for a woman who had spent her 60-odd years living in cold, landlocked Switzerland.

"She's very brave!"

Aileen was impressed by Joan's courage, travelling alone in a camper van in a foreign land.

The new friends - two single women of a certain age, one widowed, one divorced - rounded out their afternoon adventures with the local tradition of fish and chips at the harbour.

"And you wouldn't believe it!"

Julia smiled as she listened. She lay on the day bed on the front verandah of her cottage over one thousand kilometres south and let the soft evening air envelope her. It comforted her to hear her Mother happy today. She made approving, delighted sounds of encouragement as she listened. Her own heart ached with joy to hear the wonder and delight as her Mother continued the tales of serendipity.

She described the old friend they bumped into at the harbour and shared dinner with. Another Joan. And two Mollys! The second Joan was a great friend and former neighbour of Aileen and Brian. Joan's grand-daughter Molly was with her this evening and together the foursome ate their fish and chips on the boardwalk. Then along came another Molly with a young friend of Joan's. The second Molly was a fluffy white dog.

"It's a bit weird really isn't it?"

Julia's throat tightened and her eyes welled up. She understood the significance of fluffy white dogs, dear friends and multiple Mollys.

Molly was her father's cousin and though they had become estranged over the last many years, they had spent much of their childhood and young adulthood best friends, inseparable.

"And then we arrived home and there were flowers on the doorstep! Wait I'll get the card. I haven't even had a chance to read it yet."

Julia's heart swelled and the tears fell softly as she heard it again. The word that had fallen so easily but presciently from her Mother's lips at the beginning of the story ten mintues before. She had gasped gently at the first hearing, wondering if it was intentional on her Mother's part. But now it was here, written in ink on the card that had laid unread until this moment. Her Father's pride and joy. The boat that had meant so much to him for the 40 years that she had known him. A beautiful, comforting idea that had truly captured his heart and soul.

  "... Providence..."