Throwback Thursday: ‘Stella Ryman and the Case of the Vanishing Resident’ by Mel Anastasiou

Outside the windows of the Fairmount Manor dining room a laurel hedge cast short noontime shadows that peppered the perimeter of the care home’s ragged lawn. Inside, Mrs Stella Ryman identified the united but unequal aromas of white bread and margarine. She tried to feel hungry, but could not manage it. After last night’s moonlit, blossom-filled stroll with Theo Longbourne, she had passed the morning in Corridor Park listening to the Greek Chorus gossip. All the while she had been trusting to her developing friendship with Theo, trusting that he would show up and walk with Stella down to lunch. The third member of the Greek Chorus, Sally — the Nodder — had been hoping the same for herself, Stella well knew. But there had been no sign of the man at all, and Stella had walked to lunch on her own.  

Sucking her lip, Stella plunked herself down at the table beside Thelma and across from the Greek Chorus, who had somehow beat her to lunch.  

“Poor dear, you’re late,” Iolanthe said. “Did you lose your way in the corridors on your own again, Stella?”

Lucille said, “I’ll be she was sulking. Theo was going to take her to lunch today and he stood her up.”

“I’m sure Theo was only…” Stella didn’t finish her sentence, partly because Theo had indeed stood her up, and partly because Sally  — The Nodder — who monopolized him the rest of the week, was giving Stella a look so poisonous that the words shrivelled up inside her mouth. There was a grilled cheese sandwich in front of her, cut diagonally. She ate half of it without thinking about it, and drank her cup of soup in two long draughts.

Stella turned to Thelma, who was waving away her grilled cheese sandwich. The care worker who had brought it over, a Nameless One, set it down smack in the middle of Thelma’s plate. “Mrs Hu, you must eat.”

Thelma said, “It’s Miss Hu.” She swept the plate off the table and it fell with a clatter onto the floor. The Nameless One rolled her eyes and took the sandwich away with her.

“Thelma, I can’t find Theo,” Stella said. “Have you seen him?”