The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1151 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

Henry was a bit crabby when I phoned him the next morning. When I challenged him, he explained he’d had too much to eat and drink last night at the Mansion House. This is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, so Henry would have been rubbing shoulders with the great and the good; thank goodness I’ve avoided that so far.

“Oh, is this a bad time to come with my begging bowl?”

“Cathy, this is a bank not a charity.”

“What big teeth you have, Grandmama.”

His response was to roar with laughter. “How much?”

“If you had  £83 billion to spare, we could have aircraft on our carriers and a functioning library.”

“Don’t get me started on that,” he warned.

“We need some chain link fencing around some woodland. It was damaged by timber thieves, and if replanted, will be liable to deer eating all the trees.”

“What’s so special about this woodland that it needs a fence round it?”

“It’s one of my key dormouse sites and we lost eight nest boxes yesterday and five dormice.”

“How much are we talking?”

“I don’t know, I hope a couple of thousand–but it would give you a chance to use it for publicity–the bank comes to the rescue of endangered dormice, that sort of thing.”

“Get me some quotes, oh and will you appear in the photos for it?”

“If I say yes now, why won’t you?” I was learning to negotiate.

“Because you haven’t told me the price involved.”

“Okay, if you say yes in principle, so will I.”

“Okay–but don’t make a habit of it.”

“Just tell that lovely hubby of mine he has to make a bit extra to pay for my dormouse fence.”

“I’ll do no such thing, he’s under enough pressure as it is.”

“Why, what’s he doing today?”

“Showing the mayor of Portsmouth round the proposed offices there.”

“He didn’t tell me,” I said indignantly.

“Why, would you have wanted to be with him?”

“No thanks.”

“There’ll come a time when you’ll have to do the dutiful wife thing.”

“Perhaps, but I won’t be breast feeding then, I hope.”

“Oh yes, I forgot about that aspect of your current life.”

“I have this built in reminder who squawks louder than a fire alarm when I keep her waiting.”

“Ah the joys of motherhood–this is the little one whose family all died, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I still feel guilty about that.”

“Why? You didn’t kill them. If I remember the mother took her own life didn’t she?”

“She couldn’t bear to be parted from her husband and daughter.”

“Very sad.”

“Indeed.”

“Okay, get the estimate to me–email it, I’m going to be out of the office the rest of the day.”

“What, just to avoid me?”

“Cathy, it’s lovely to see a woman with such a healthy ego who isn’t also entirely wrapped in her own importance.”

“Me important–nah, I’m just a cow on two legs to one young lady, now she is important.”

“I think you’re a bit more important than that, say six or seven times more if I include your eldest child.”

“What Julie?”

“I was thinking more Simon.”

“Ah but he’s busy showing some horse round Portsmouth.”

“Horse? The mayor–oh now I get it, you are too quick for me this morning, young lady.”

“It could have been worse, Henry, it could have been a night mayor.”

“I’m going to my meeting before you drive me completely insane. Bye.”

“Bye, Daddy in law, and thanks.”

“Go away, you wicked woman.”

“I’m gone, ’bye.” I put the phone down chuckling as I did. I had a very good relationship with my pa-in-law, who indulged me almost as much as his son did. He told me that he thought of me as his daughter, except he fancied me like mad which I think was just a little boost to my ego from him. Although he had a reputation for being a ladies’ man, I trusted him implicitly–and there aren’t many bankers one could say that about.

I emailed Gareth to say the bank wanted estimates for the fencing and to make it snappy, as I didn’t know how long the money would be available. I’d caught Henry in a good mood, tomorrow he might be different, though I doubted it. Anyway, Gareth didn’t know that.

Jenny was out with the baby in the pram giving me time to do some proper work not domestic slavery. I was so into what I was doing, I’d forgotten Stella was still in the house.

“Cuppa?” she said poking her head round the kitchen door.

“Um, yes please. I’ve been so busy I didn’t notice the time.”

“So I see.”

“I’ve just emailed Gareth.”

“He’s coming over tomorrow night.”

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know, can you keep an eye on Puddin’?”

“Yeah, one of us will, no probs.”

“Thanks.”

“You really fancy him, don’t you?”

“So d’you.”

I blushed, “I did, but I’m happy with what I’ve got, or would be if he lived here, not just stayed for weekends.”

“Simon’s a good man.”

“Can you put that in writing, please–maybe better not, if he saw it, it would probably kill him.”

“Cathy, you can be so cruel, sometimes.”

“Only sometimes, you told me ages ago that I was a psycho.”

“You misheard me, I said, cyclist.”

“A likely tale, and my hearing is pretty good.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t, you were probably distracted at the time.”

“Yeah, living with you does tend to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Drive you to distraction.”

“Huh,” she pretended to be hurt, and huffed about the kitchen–I was nearly persuaded that she was hurt until she began to snigger. Then she said, “Bitch,” and left me to my computer.

I began to wonder where Jenny and the baby were because they arrived back after I’d started preparing lunch. I’d made a fresh loaf which we had with a bowl of soup made with leftovers from the chicken and stock from the vegetables, plus of course some new chopped vegetables including potato and celery with a carrot, onion and some garlic.

Apparently Jenny had run into an old friend and stopped for coffee. I nearly told her to let me know next time, but she’s so good and I was worrying about nothing. I had to feed tiny wee, but that was to be expected, she was coming on nicely and had gained half a pound in the last week or so and was definitely teething the way she was chewing on her teething ring, or her hand. She already had one tooth in the front as my tender nipples would attest, looked like it was getting some company in the near future. I hoped it wouldn’t mean disturbed nights.

Stella came down with Puddin’ as I dished up the lunch, she was able to chew on a piece of crust and ate some of the soup, even though I knew it was likely to go through her, all those vegetables–but it would hopefully do her some good en route.

“What time is Gareth coming tomorrow?” I asked Stella.

“Sevenish, I think, why?”

“I’m trying to work out if you’ll be here for dinner or not, or if I’ll have an extra mouth to feed.”

“No–we’re going out to eat, I think–I’ll check and let you know in plenty of time. He’s supposed to phone me later,” she beamed.

Jenny and I looked at each other and smiled.