The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1145 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

Phoebe arrived downstairs about the same time Julie came in, I did manage to say that I’d loaned her some clothes before Julie started on like a character from the three bears–who’s been wearing my jeans?

Once Julie had changed–she was a bit scruffy after her ride in the rain, I properly introduced them, then left them to it.

Trish the self-appointed spokesperson for the rest of the family followed me out to the kitchen. “How long is Phoebe staying?”

“I don’t know, tonight, possibly tomorrow: why?”

She blushed, “I–um wondered if it was worth getting to know her.”

“Of course it is, she might be very interesting, Julie seemed to think she was worth the effort.” Just then Julie came into the kitchen.

“Mummy, can me an’ Phoebe go into town?”

“I’m just about to get dinner.”

“We’ll get a burger.”

“I don’t know, Julie, I promised Neal that I’d look after his sister–has she told her mother she’s staying with us?”

“I dunno, do I?”

“Please ask her to do so.”

“Can we go out then?”

“Remember you’re working tomorrow, and no alcohol; oh and take your phone with you. Make sure Phoebe’s mum has our phone number.”

“You worry too much.”

“It’s my job, make sure you do what I say or I won’t let either of you go. Oh and do any of you have a charger for Phoebe’s phone?”

“It’s the same as Livvie’s an’ it’s on charge now.” Julie scampered off while I worried if I’d done the right thing. I’d only moments before got the dinner on, when Simon arrived and then the baby wanted a feed.

I greeted Si with a kiss which had Trish tutting like an old woman, then I got the baby and started to feed her. “We have a visitor,” I told Simon as he sat watching me feed baby Catherine.

“Where, I don’t see anyone.”

“Neal, the lab tech from the Uni, his younger sister, Phoebe.”

“Where’s she going to stay?”

“With Julie, on the blow up mattress, if you could blow it up for me.”

“I suppose.”

“Well my hands are rather full at the moment.”

“Tell you what, send the baby to do the mattress and I’ll suckle you.” He grinned and stepped back out of range.

As he turned to go out of the kitchen, so Julie and Phoebe came in. “Oh, hi Daddy,” offered Julie to an astonished Simon. “We’re off out in a mo, can we ‘ave some dosh for the burgers?”

“But your mother is cooking?”

“Yeah, I know, she said we could go,” argued Julie and Simon surrendered and gave her ten pounds. Phoebe was absolutely transfixed watching me breast feeding.

“Anything wrong?” I asked her.

“Uh–what? Um no, I’ve never seen it before, that’s all,” she blushed.

“Can you save some for me cornflakes?” cheeked Julie and Phoebe’s jaw dropped.

“Don’t you listen to her, Phoebe–she’s an awful teaser,” I cautioned.

“Where are you going?” asked Simon.

“The Sailor’s return, they have live music on Fridays.”

“It’s raining, c’mon, I’ll drive you there?”

“What, in the Jag?” asked Julie expectantly.

“No, I’ll use your mother’s car–I’m low on fuel.” His reply caused Julie’s face to fall.

By the time he returned dinner was ready to serve and I delegated laying tables and so on to the girls who seemed happy to assist once the older competition was out of the way.

“I don’t know about Julie and Phoebe sharing, I mean technically, Julie is still...” worried Simon.

“A boy, I know, but the pills she’s been taking mean it’s all but redundant. She couldn’t get it up with a fork lift.”

He nearly choked on the bottle of beer he was drinking

“Besides, where else could she stay, Jenny has the spare room?”

“Okay, you’ve convinced me.”

Stella came down with Puddin’ who seemed too sleepy to eat very much.”

“What’s the matter with Pud?” I asked her.

“I think she has a teething cold, she kept me awake much of the night.”

“Och it wis yers I could hear, I thocht it wis Cathy’s.”

“Sorry, Tom,” Stella shrugged.

“Och, it’s alricht, they cannae help it.”

“There’s some rugger on Sky tonight, Tom, if you’re interested?” Simon mentioned to our landlord.

“Aye, I could be.”

While Stella and I cleared up the girls went off to the dining room to play on their computers and Tom, Si and Danny went to watch the rugby–Heineken cup or something.

“So where did you pick up the latest waif and stray?”

“Outskirts of Salisbury, she had a card asking for Portsmouth and it was peeing down.”

“She could have been a druggy or mugger or anything.”

“Phoebe is Neal’s younger sister.”

“But you didn’t know that, did you?”

“No I didn’t, but she was a drenched kid, who looked about Julie’s age and I didn’t want her catching pneumonia while I had a spare seat and was going to the same place she wanted.”

“You’re too soft, you can’t save the world, you know.”

“I’m not trying to, I’m just looking out for a young woman who could have been a wrong ‘un, but she wasn’t. Her mother knows where she’s staying, and so does Neal.”

“You got off lucky this time.”

“Stella, I think I could handle myself against a kid.”

“What if she grabbed your baby, if you were driving she could have done all sorts of things to her before you could intervene.”

“Phoebe was sitting in the front with me, tiny wee, was on the back seat behind me. She was perfectly safe.”

“She could have attacked you as you drove, stabbing you or blinding you.”

“In which case she’d have killed or hurt herself, wouldn’t she? I appreciate your concern, big sister, but it is unwarranted. She’s probably at more risk now out with Julie at a pub.”

“Does she know about Julie?”

“I haven’t told her, and have no intention of doing so.”

“What if she sees her in the shower?”

“The bathroom door does have a lock, you know.”

“I don’t know, Julie is a bit slack sometimes.”

“That’s up to her isn’t it.”

“So you don’t mind if she’s discovered to be a girl with something extra?”

“She has to learn to take responsibility for herself, Stella, otherwise she’ll never learn. If she chooses to tell Phoebe, which I think would be unnecessary; she has to live with the consequences.”

“But if she finds out half the kids here aren’t what they claim to be?”

“Stella, I thought you knew better than that–they are exactly what they claim to be, and I’d be grateful if you’d remember it.”

“I didn’t mean it like that...”

“I don’t care how you meant it, the fact that you thought it hurt me.”

“I’m sorry, Cathy, I was trying to protect them–that’s all.”

“I know, but sometimes the best way to protect them is to allow them to live as they wish, so they grow into the role rather than rush it later in life, like I had to.”

“Sorry, I forgot you were so old, girl.” She poked her tongue out at me.

“C’mon, let’s have a cuppa while it’s quiet,” I suggested and switched on the kettle.