Lotte Carmichael wore a faux fur stole and long Bohemian skirt

and bounced into the party, interrupting the small huddles of

conversation like a whirlwind.

‘Hello, my dears,’ she announced and laughed, then gravitated

towards a polite waiter offering an assortment of wines and juices.

She helped herself to a Riesling and swam over to talk to Josephine

and Fred.

Fred waved affectedly. ‘Hello, darling’ He fluttered. Fred broke off

his conversation with Josephine to hug Lotte and kiss her sweetly on

each cheek. Josephine turned aside in a huff until Lotte touched her

lightly on the shoulder.

‘Hi, Josie,’ she said soothingly, ‘any work yet, my love?’

‘No, Lotte, I nearly had the chance to work in a TV commercial,

but Shirley stole it. She had the long hair they wanted and the posh

English accent. They didn’t give me a chance. I could have done it too,

but if only they’d given me the part.’

‘Oh, darling, how awful,’ said Fred. ‘Bob and I tried out for a TV

serial last month, and we both got a job—Two Old Queens and Their

Alsatian. Funny lines but very effective. Doing the lines now. Bob loves

it. So do I. Lot of outdoor scenes in Hyde Park with the dog. Welltrained

he is too, darling.’

Lotte swanned off. Everyone was used to her quirky ways. No one

expected her to act conventionally, so her departure was not regarded

as impolite. She bumped into Jo and Frances and had a few minutes

with them, then off to another little group.

Around her, the waiters carried trays of canapés. Gentle music

played in the background, with the hum and chatter of voices and the

occasional peals of laughter. The mirrored walls gave the impression

of wide open spaces with sparking chandeliers reflected and reflected

ad infinitum. The shade of apricot on the walls further warmed the

interior, whereas outside the winter rain was unfriendly and cold.

Josephine had broken away from Fred, and he had joined Bob and

Charlene nearer the orchestra at the end of the room. It was really a

quartet—two violins, a cello, and a clarinet. Josie edged her way around

the room to search out Lotte.

‘My dear,’ she said, ‘I’m getting quite discouraged by the lack of

work. Oh, look at those roses. The smell is intoxicating. It is pure

bliss, and don’t they look superb with the lilies and gypsophila?

Mauve, orange, pink, and white. An unusual but strikingly effective

combination.

‘Don’t you adore roses, Lotte? Do you remember that big bouquet

we got after we played the ugly sisters in Cinders a few years ago at the

Winslow Street Theatre? I do so miss the stage.’

‘Yes, me too, Josie. I think we’re just too old. The last job I had was

reading A Tale of Two Cities on the ABC. I’ve even applied for voiceovers

for cartoon productions.

‘My options are limited since I had the surgery and chemotherapy

for bowel cancer. The chemo has damaged the nerves to my hands

and feet, and I can’t dance any more. I can barely walk in high heels.

I couldn’t manage on the stage.

‘Josie, you have a most cultured voice. I don’t know why you can’t

get a go at something.’

Two months later, Lotte rang Josie to see how she was.

‘Hello,’ drawled Josie. ‘Who ish there? Who ish it?’

Oh no, thought Lotte, Josie’s been drinking again!

‘Stay there, Josie, I’m on my way.’

Arriving at Josie’s place, Lotte found the front door unlocked. She

let herself in and went straight to the lounge room. She found Josie

asleep in the chair with two empty bottles of sherry next to her. Lotte

tried to wake her friend and half-carried her to the bedroom. Oh, why

did you do it again, Josie? You know it doesn’t help.

Lotte cleared away the evidence and checked the fridge to make

sure there was some food in the house. Then she phoned May, Josie’s

daughter, to tell her the situation. May’s reply was terse and unkind:

‘Well, what do you expect me to do?’

Lotte sat down and wrote a note to her friend: ‘I’ll be around

tomorrow. Please phone me if you need anything. Love, Lotte.’

She didn’t know what else to do. Last year, Josie had hit the bottle

for about three weeks in July. She had been seriously depressed. May

and Margaret had no time for their mother’s plight, and Lotte had

asked the local Older Adult Mental Health team to be involved. Josie

had spent two weeks in the lodge and come out so much improved and

happier than she had been for years. So Lotte decided to phone the

community mental health nurse to see if they could help Josie again.

Intuitively, Lotte knew that Josie would need her when she woke

up, so she was there early next day with tea and toast ready for her old

thespian companion. Lotte wasn’t ashamed to tell Josie how she felt.

Lotte said to Josie, ‘I love you, my dear, and can’t bear to see you so

sad and so intoxicated, you silly dear. I’ve called the nurse, and she’ll

be around about eleven o’clock. Come on and eat some toast. I’ll help

you have a shower before she comes.’

She and Josie had a healthy nurturing relationship that made each

other feel warmly loved. Therefore, after she was showered, dressed,

and sober, Josie was full of apologies.

‘I’m so sorry, Lotte. But there’s no hope for me, my dear. No one

wants me any more.’

The Older Adult Mental Health nurse arrived and offered Josie

the option of hospital admission or attendance as an outpatient or a

psychiatric nurse to visit her regularly. Josie chose the last one, and

Lotte backed her up.

‘I’m staying for a few days. I’ve brought my things.’

She made lunch and dinner and put Josie to bed that night.

The Older Adult Mental Health psychiatrist visited next day and

commenced Josie on some antidepressants, and arrangements were

made for the nurse to call regularly until the depression had lifted.

Josie and Lotte sat watching TV that night.

‘There’s always something to look forward to, Josie,’ Lotte said.

‘Come and stay at my place for a week. I’ve got tickets for The Back

Alley, a new production at the Winslow Street Theatre, with Bob

Langton and Michelle Groves. You’ll love it. We can go backstage

afterwards.

‘Do you know I’ve arranged with Jenny Upton for you to help her

learn her lines for next month’s Chameleon and Co.? It’s such a help

to these young actors, you know, to have someone to listen and offer

encouragement. And it’s so much better when you have experience

yourself.’

Josie and Jenny Upton got on together marvellously. They found

common passions—Shakespeare and gardening.

‘It’s like the daughter I always wanted,’ said Josie.

Lotte smiled. She loved her dear friend, and to see her happiness

was so precious.