Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1348

The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike)
Part 1348
by Angharad

Copyright © 2011 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
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“You ever heard of Toby Rushland?” I asked Si.

“Heard of him? I’ve met him.”

“Oh.”

“That sounded ominous–why d’you want to get some cheapo theatre tickets?”

“He’s a friend of Erin, my agent.”

“Yeah, so? He’s quite personable so I’d expect him to have a few women friends, except he’s gay.”

“Gay men fascinate some women.”

“I hope you’re not one of them?”

“Me a fag hag? Nah, but Alan my cameraman is gay, so I don’t have a problem with them.”

“You just wouldn’t want your daughter to marry one?”

“I’d have no objections, perhaps they’d enjoy talking about clothes or comparing knitting patterns.”

Simon rolled his eyes, “Lots of gay men get married–it’s a sort of stealth thing.”

“But these days, what for? I mean there are gay men in parliament and top of industry, even on Radio 4. I mean, there’s Evan Davis on the Today programme–talk about iconic.”

“Yeah, but they’re token aren’t they?”

“No–it’s the women who are token–there’s only one of those on the Today programme as well.”

“Yeah, but there aren’t any male presenters of Woman’s Hour are there?”

“That’s different.”

“No it isn’t, if you have a policy of equality and diversity, why can’t you have men presenting Woman’s Hour?”

“Si, that is taking things too far, besides it wouldn’t be Woman’s Hour then would it?”

“I suppose People’s Hour wouldn’t have quite the same ring about it.”

“It’s partly historic anyway, it’s been going for years when women’s issues weren’t as easily broadcast as they are today, not that they discuss some of the really dark ones, anyway.”

“Like what? I thought they did, I mean they’ve dealt with sex change and gay stuff, abortion and female circumcision–surely it doesn’t get much more controversial than that?”

“I didn’t mean Woman’s hour, I meant radio as a whole–I mean there’s this business of Corrective Rape–it happens in South Africa and the Caribbean.”

“Corrective rape–sounds a bit of an oxymoron to me–how can rape correct anything–it’s just nasty.” Simon shuddered as he spoke.

“You’re absolutely right–it’s almost a euphemism for hate crime against women, gay men and transgendered people. They get gang banged–by a bunch of morons–I presume–no self-respecting man would do it–I hope–it’s supposed to teach them a lesson, if they survive–they don’t always.”

“Plus, I presume they could get pregnant or catch nasty diseases from these nasty little boys. Rape is a really nasty thing to do–there was a girl in uni who got attacked on a tube platform and raped in front of a group of people by a gang of black youths.”

“Was she black?”

“Yeah, she was really beautiful and such a sparkling personality–it all changed after that–she went into her shell–developed a dependency on pain killers–I think she killed herself eventually. Not one of the bastards watching even called the police.”

“Perhaps they couldn’t get a signal?” I suggested, “Or didn’t have mobiles, people didn’t ten years ago.”

“This was London, babes, people like their toys there. It’s not a backwater like Bristol where bicycles are still the majority personal transport.”

“Nah, only the wealthy can afford a bike, most have to rely on shank’s pony if they can afford boots or shoes.”

“Crikey, you’d be a millionairess then with the collection of footwear you’ve got upstairs.”

“That’s Stella’s fault.”

“How come, they’re in your wardrobe then–if they’re hers?”

“They’re mine.”

“You’re beginning to lose me here; there are over thirty pairs of shoes and boots in your wardrobe and it’s my sister’s fault?”

“If you cast your little mind back to the days when I was rather more shy and awkward about being in public.”

“You mean as a female?”

“Yes,” I blushed, it still embarrassed me to think I wondered if Simon was a cannibal that first evening, especially when he told me I looked good enough to eat.

“Yes, I’m still waiting for the explanation before my single brain cell rolls back into its storage space.” He rolled his eyes again.

“Well, I was relatively new to girldom, especially in public.”

“You’d spent two months dressing like a girl when you did Macbeth.”

“Yeah, but that was covered–I’d been instructed to do it, so no one could tell the school or my parents. When I was in your cottage wearing borrowed clothes and makeup–I was sort of in uncharted waters.”

“I thought you said that Stella made you do it–so weren’t you covered in that sense?”

“She didn’t exactly make me do it, she sorta encouraged me by saying that your clothes wouldn’t fit anyway and so I had to borrow some of hers.”

“So what’s that got to do with half of the British Shoe Corporation’s output in your wardrobe? I’m losing the will to live here.”

“Well, given my inexperience...”

“Get on with it–I’d like to go to bed sometime this week.”

“Stop interrupting then.”

His reply was a sigh but he said nothing.

“Where was I?” He made to tell me but a Paddington hard stare stopped his ideas of mutiny. “Oh yes, I was a bit green about things girly, so Stella was my style guru.”

“So why have you got all the shoes and not her?”

“Oh she’s got quite a few herself.”

“Not as many as you.”

“Probably not–which wardrobe did you look in?”

“Your one why?”

“Oh ‘cos there’s a few more in the wardrobe in the spare room.”

“How many?”

“Not sure, “ blushed.

“How many?” he repeated more loudly.

“Twenty three pairs.”

“Of shoes?”

“Um–not entirely, there’s four pairs of boots as well.”

“You have fifty seven pairs of boots and shoes?

“Fifty nine if you include my cycling shoes.”

“Jeez-uz–why do you need sixty pairs of footwear?”

“I was trying to tell you, it’s all Stella’s fault.”

“How can it be Stella’s fault that you’re the Imelda Marcos of Portsmouth?”

“I was trying to tell you.”

“Pray do–and while you’re at it tell me why you have sixty and I have half a dozen?”

“Stella was my style guru...”

“We’ve done that bit.”

“Shut up and listen.” I fixed him with another icy stare.

“Carry on–I’m all ears.”

“No you’re not, you’re all belly.”

“Hey, that’s personal, and I’ve been growing it for years–takes a long time to nurture a male pregnancy like mine.”

“You certainly look the part–anway...”

“You cheeky cow–get on with the facts.”

“I was being factual–you’re getting fat.”

“That’s just trying to distract me–get on with why you have half a million shoes in the house.”

“That is a gross exaggeration, there’s only a quarter of a million.”

“Get on with it–I’ve got to be in work in ten hours.”

“Right, okay–Stella was my style guru and–” he went to get up but I motioned him to sit down again, which he did sighing heavily. “She was my mentor in things female,” he nodded and urged me to continue, “so I tended to do what she suggested unless I absolutely hated her idea–there was the pink skirt which she liked but I hated and refused to wear it.”

“Has the pink skirt got anything to do with the shoe saga?”

“No, of course not, why?”

“Will you please stop detouring yourself and just tell me why all the shoes are Stella’s fault and I can die happy and fulfilled.”

“Oh that–she told me a girl can’t have too many–and who am I to disagree?”

“We have a house full of your shoes because Stella said that?”

“Yes,” I said innocently.

“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”

“It’s the truth, cross my heart to lift and separate,” I said drawing a cross on my chest.

“I don’t think that’s the original wording, is it?”

“It is for the Playtex ads, I so wanted a Playtex cross your heart bra when I was a boy.”

Simon shook his head, “You are completely bloody barmy, aren’t you?”

“In agreeing to marry you–probably.”

“Right–that does it–you’ve been asking for a good tickle all bloody night–and you’re going to get one.”

“No–Simon–no–I need to wee–stop it–stop it or I’ll–see what you made me do?”

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