Page 131 of The Silent Appeal

Tell Kevin to get half a pound per person, so if he’s right that forty-six are signed up, we’ll need twenty-three pounds minimum. Better to have too much than too little, so get thirty pounds. All the ladies in the group can help peel and if you have a masher at home, bring it because Myra gave ours to Kahleesi and it’s in the garden now.

Onions are a pain as well. All that peeling, chopping, and crying. Tell Kevin we’ll need quarter of an onion per person and some extra in case anyone wants seconds. Thirty onions.

If only it was sausage and chips we could’ve done them in the oven. Joyce

P.S. How many sausages did you get?

To: Joyce Walford

From: Sarah-Jane MacDonald

Date: April 26, 2025

Subject: Re: Sausage and mash

Joyce, I bring good news. You won’t have to peel, wash, boil, or mash a single potato. We have four large trays of catering mash that need only be popped in the oven for thirty minutes or kept warm in a bain-marie.

There are no onions to prepare because we’ve got a big jar of onion gravy granules that are made with boiled water from the urn. The sausages (100 meat and 30 vegan) are in catering packs that also slot straight into the oven.

Kevin will stand in the kitchen and supervise if you’d rather not shoulder the responsibility yourself, but let me assure you the catering for this sleep out could not be any easier if we had a genie granting our every wish.

Sarah-Jane MacDonald

Independent Retail Marketing Consultant

To: Sarah-Jane MacDonald

From: Joyce Walford

Date: April 26, 2025

Subject: Re: Sausage and mash

That’s a shame. The preparation and cooking is half the fun. Powdered mash and gravy? I’ll bring sandwiches thank you. See you in a minute. Joyce

Message exchange between Kevin MacDonald and Celia Halliday on April 26, 2025:

6:49 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Are you joining us for the word rehearsal?

6:50 p.m. Celia wrote:

Look at your timetable. I can umpire the Ping-Pong OR I can attend the word rehearsal. The choice is yours.

6:50 p.m. Kevin wrote:

I’d like you to attend the rehearsal.

6:51 p.m. Celia wrote:

I’m already word perfect.

6:52 p.m. Kevin wrote:

I know, but it would be good to have Veronica Craye here in person so the other actors can bounce off her…

6:54 p.m. Celia wrote: