(aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2179 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad
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“I won’t be coming to Guildford after all, Mummy.”
“Okay, sweetheart, I’ll ask one of the youngsters if they want to come.” I wondered why the change of heart but wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing I was curious.
“I’m going out with Sammi and the boys.”
“Boys?” I was trying to pick up the stitch in a cardigan that Livvie had caused to run and it was dark green so required good light.
“Yes, Rudi and Steffan.”
“Oh those boys–okay.”
“Steffan looks really nice.”
“I thought as much.”
“What, Mummy?”
“This stitch, it needed to go over and under, there got it.” I fixed it with a stitch to the row above which hardly showed at all.
“You haven’t been listening to a word I said, have you?”
“Have I what?”
“Why do I bother?”
“Because you love me,” I called to her disappearing back.
“Silly old bat,” was received a moment later and I chuckled. I’d heard every word and I knew in advance why she changed her mind, it had to be because she suddenly fancied him ergo he had to be reasonable arm candy.
I ran the iron over the cardigan and folded it carefully with the other school clothes before taking them all up stairs. The girls were all asleep, the younger ones anyway. Danni was reading something which she hid before I could see what it was.
“What are you reading, kiddo?”
“Just a magazine.”
Bums and tits illustrated or playgirl? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know but the way she was blushing she had something I wouldn’t approve of–now do I walk away or ask?
“Which one, sweetheart.”
“Soccer Weekly.”
“I don’t know that one, do I?”
More blushes.
“Um no, it’s new.”
“Let me see.”
“You wouldn’t be interested in it, Mummy.”
“Probably not but I like to see what you’re reading.”
More blushes and finally it emerged. It wasn’t a magazine at all, it was Mr Whitehead’s journal.
“Where did you find that?”
“In your study...”
“And?”
“I was looking for something on insects, I have to write an essay on them.”
“Does that look like an insect?”
“No–I’m sorry, Mummy, it fell out when I pulled out the book next to it an’ I saw the pictures.”
“You’ve seen the pictures before.”
“I know–you were really pretty as a girl.”
Now I was blushing. “So you were reading it, were you?”
“I’m sorry, Mummy.”
“How much have you read?”
“Just a few pages.”
“Danni, you’ve been here a whole hour, just a few pages?”
“Okay, about half of it.”
“Put it back when you finish and don’t discuss it with the girls.”
“I’m sorry, Mummy.”
“And don’t tell me fibs again.”
“I won’t,” I turned to leave after placing her laundry on the chair. “Mummy?”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“This man, Mr Whitehead, was he in love with you?”
Why don’t they ask me a question I can actually answer? “He loved his wife, Pru. I think he felt sorry for me because he knew I was getting a rough time in school.”
“He taught you English, didn’t he?”
“He tried.”
She chuckled at my weak joke. “Is that because you’re Scottish?”
“Possibly.”
“I wish I was.”
“Wish you were what?”
“A Scottish girl.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re all so pretty.”
“Pretty? There’s plenty of less pretty girls in Scotland as well, you know.”
“But you an’ Alice are really pretty an’ I’m–not.”
“Don’t be silly, darling, of course you’re pretty.” I sat beside her and held her as she sniffed and tears ran down her face.
“No I’m not, I look like a boy–I wish I was dead.” More tears.
“Don’t be silly, your friend up in Scotland thought you were okay.”
“Which one?”
“How many were there?”
“Just Richard.”
“Well then, him. He wouldn’t have kissed you if he thought you were a boy, would he?”
“I think he did know.”
“Did you tell him?”
“No.”
“So why d’you think that?”
“He said he liked boys as well as girls.”
Sometimes I wished I had got me to a nunnery, these kids were hard work. “Do you know why he said that?”
“I dunno, ‘cos he knew I was a boy?”
“I doubt it, now don’t read too much more or you’ll be tired tomorrow–and, kiddo.”
“Yes, Mummy?”
“I think you’re beautiful.”
I left her room and went downstairs. “Tea?” called Simon’s voice from the kitchen.
“Oh yes please.”
“Damn if I’d known you were so desperate I’d have bargained a lot harder.”
“Oh don’t, I’ve just had Danni in tears because she’s ugly.”
“Ugly? None of my children are ugly–okay, she’s not the prettiest, but she ain’t ugly by any means.”
“She was reading Whitehead’s journal.”
“I thought you’d locked that away?”
“No it was on a bookshelf in my study and she says it fell out when she was looking for another book.”
“D’you believe her?”
“Does it matter?”
“I suppose not unless you told her not to read it.”
“If I did that, she’d have picked the locks on a safe to read it.”
“I suppose, so you should have told her to read it.”
“Reverse psychology doesn’t always work with teens.”
“So what about her reading it?”
“She told me I was very pretty as a girl.”
“Oh the Lady Macbeth photos?”
“Yes.”
“She’s right, you were very pretty as a girl, and are totally stunning as a woman.”
“Simon, be sensible.”
“I am, my wife is the most beautiful woman I know.”
“Be careful where you say that, people might think you don’t know many women.”
“I know enough. That journal upset me for days.”
“Because it reminded you of what I really am?”
“We’ve gone down that path too often so I refuse to go there again; and no, it was about how much children like you were suffered at the hands of bullies and parents. I’m so glad we’ve helped one or two avoid that experience.”
“Simon, sometimes I think you’re the most wonderful man in the world.” I felt my eyes fill with tears as he hugged me.
“If I am why are you crying?”
“Because I’m so happy.”
“Oh jeez, bloody women–I don’t understand you one bit.”
Comments
We always cry when we're happy;
us women are emotional beings.
S.
Yep.
It's what we do. Sad or happy the tears come ... and it's nice!
Oh the joys of parenting.
Still lovin' it Ang.
A wonderful episode,
A wonderful episode, Angharad, thank you!
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Of course, he doesn't understand
He doesn't understand because he's a man. Men are not supposed to understand women and how they think. It's that simple. He can't help it.
Much Love,
Valerie R
Smiling at Simon's
"Ugly? None of my children are ugly"
Great one Simon! Perhaps he needs to say it to Danni who is having a bit of a crisis (continuing crisis).
Danni really
should know Mums have a sixth sense, If she hasn't maybe she should speak with her older sister , I'm sure Julie could could give her chapter and verse of all the times Cathy seems to know just what she is thinking, Some call it intuition , Others suspect their mothers of spying on them, Yet more are convinced there mother must have some knowledge of occult matters, Fact is our mothers love us and know us probably better than we know ourselves, Add to that those eyes in the back of their heads and you get to accept that when your mum called your name in that special way, You knew that (a)lying was pointless (b) you were in BIG trouble..
Kirri