Painted into a Corner

Penny Bassett is nervous. She has been invited to show her paintings at a fancy charity auction to raise money for the art ministry at the juvenile center, and her husband Wooton is out of town helping his cousin Hadley open an Alaskan-wilderness-themed laundromat, complete with moose heads and bear rugs, to pay off Hadley's debts. Penny already feels out of place among the caviar and expensive cars when she makes a shocking discovery: the event's organizer is Wooton's mother, Evangeline Bassett, a woman who skipped their wedding and has never once acknowledged that Penny exists.

To Penny's surprise, Evangeline is warm and welcoming, setting her up in the best spot by the windows. But when Wooton's father, Winston, unexpectedly arrives, Evangeline quickly introduces Penny to him by her middle name, Noelle. Privately, she explains that Winston and Wooton do not get along, and that she came to Odyssey hoping to give Penny's ministry a hundred-thousand-dollar grant from the family foundation, something Winston would never allow if he knew who "Noelle" really was. Penny objects. She wants a real relationship with her father-in-law someday, and it cannot start with a lie. Yet when she tries to confess, Winston is admiring her painting of a rusted, abandoned swing set and tells her, "I don't think I've ever seen a painting that moved me quite this much." Penny loses her nerve and says nothing.

Over the phone, Wooton gently reminds her what she ought to do, and Penny resolves to tell the truth the next day. But at the auction dinner she finds herself seated at Winston's table, fumbling through questions about her mysterious husband, who illustrates cereal boxes and "definitely has a father." Later, Evangeline opens up to Penny. She has received and kept every one of Wooton's letters, but she never answers them, because when Wooton became a Christian, Winston said terrible things, and defending her son nearly tore the marriage apart. Winston's mother died a month ago, and Evangeline, who loved her dearly, had hoped to become that same kind of encourager for Penny.

Then, in front of the whole crowd, Evangeline unveils the swing set painting and announces that the grant will go to Noelle. Called up on stage, Penny cannot go through with it. She thanks them, refuses the grant, and rushes out of the room. She phones Wooton, only to learn he is trapped in the laundromat, where a runaway washing machine has knocked the moose head off the wall, broken the door, and tripped the breakers, making him miss her big night. Each tearfully admits the other was right, and Evangeline, overhearing, is struck by their honesty and obvious affection. Penny explains that she cannot accept the grant while Winston does not know the truth, and when Evangeline confesses that her whole life feels as rusted and broken down as that swing set, Penny insists it is not hopeless: she and Wooton have a policy that "it's never too late to communicate."

Winston storms in demanding an explanation, and Evangeline takes the blame, revealing that Noelle is really Penny Bassett, Wooton's wife. Then Winston makes a confession of his own: his board meeting was never canceled. He canceled it himself and made up an excuse to come, because Evangeline had been so quiet since his mother died and he wanted to be near her, though he was afraid she was tired of his grouching. Softened, Evangeline announces she wants to buy the swing set painting for their library and give Penny the grant after all, and Winston agrees. Turning at last to his daughter-in-law, he says warmly, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, young lady."