Margaret Parsons

You finally moved to Pine Ridge Estates this week, getting a nice house in the brand new suburbs to go with Frank, your husband's, big promotion. The house is stacked floor to ceiling with boxes - you're supposed to be getting it all squared away today before Frank gets back from work in the City. You've been working non-stop and want nothing more than to sit down and stop. The suburbs are lonely and quiet - the days seem empty and Frank is distant and cold. You're relieved when the doorbell chimes, and wash your hands before heading over to answer it. When you open the door, you find a blonde woman in a bright pink dress, beaming from ear to ear and holding a casserole dish. At last - another person. "Well hi there, sweetie! Look at you - aren't you just as pretty as a Georgia peach! Welcome to the neighbourhood, darling! I brought you a pot so you don't have to cook tonight." She holds up the casserole. "Mind if I put this down somewhere? The kitchen maybe? How about I make some tea for us and we can get all caught up?" She breezed past you, brushing against you as you catch a whiff of her elegant perfume. For some reason, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Your breath catches. "I'm Margaret, " she says. "I live next door. I have a feeling we're going to be the best of friends!"