Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 459.

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Bike 459.
by Angharad

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“Did what?” asked Stella.

“Acted like a lunatic in front of the woman.”

“She asked for it, asking if you’d ever seen a dormouse. How did she think you were going to draw one, if you’d never seen one? Silly cow.”

“I suppose she was doing what she thought was her job.”

“What pissing off the customers?”

“See, you are vulgar,” I said with a degree of disdain.

“Wot me luv, nah, I’s perfick, I is.”

“The next thing you’ll be telling me is that you can fart louder than I can.”

“Oh no I won’t. Ask Simon about that.”

“About farting competitions.”

“About what?” I was disgusted but fascinated.

“They had them in the dorms in school, especially after they’d had beans on the menu. Didn’t you do such things?”

“No, I did not,” I said this as indignantly as I could manage, “Did you?”

“Course not I was a girl, wasn’t I?”

“Meaning?”

“Girls don’t do such things, do they?”

“Your point being?”

“Hey don’t get ratty with me, missy.”

“Why not? Why should you suggest that I did boy things but you didn’t?”

“Because I’m a gi…oops! I’m sorry, Cathy, I didn’t mean it, I really didn’t.” It was too late, I felt a trickle down my face. I could cope with tormenting from students, even from strange religious bigots, but not from Stella. She was inside my defences and…

I sobbed for a few minutes. These days, my tear ducts were in danger of wearing out, they got so much use. “I am sorry, Sis, I didn’t mean it, I really wouldn’t have said anything like that if I’d thought about it.”

“I’m sorry but that is no consolation. You tell me you see me as your sister, then you remind me that I’m not.”

“You are my sister, you are a woman and I forgot. It was insensitive of me and I apologise unreservedly. How can I make things better?”

“You can’t Stella, you can’t undo or unsay what you said.”

“I didn’t mean it though, you have to believe me. I wouldn’t hurt you for the world.”

“I do believe you, but it still hurt, or am I not allowed to say that? You hurt me.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Now she was crying too. This was all going horribly wrong.

“I want to go home, is that all right?” I asked Stella.

“Of course…I am sorry,” she sniffed.

I drove home in silence. Stella did try to make conversation but I was too involved in my own thoughts. I was still smarting from the insult I’d received. How could she? I was angry and I was hurt. Stella of all people, how could she?

We arrived at Tom’s and I helped her in with her bag. I still hadn’t said anything for nearly half an hour. There was nothing I wanted to say, I felt so betrayed.

Tom came in a little later, I was in the kitchen getting the dinner ready and Stella was in the dining room, feeling very awkward. We still hadn’t spoken since.

Tom somehow spotted Stella, I suppose, I didn’t see it so I’m not sure. I was busy and she was a big girl now–unlike me, apparently–so she could make her own introduction. I heard them talking, but ignored it and finished the potatoes.

“Catherine, can you come here please?” I heard Tom call. I wanted to ignore it, I knew it was trouble, no one ever called me Catherine unless I was in hot water. I hesitated, Daddy was going to be cross with me. I didn’t want it to happen, but it was going to anyway.

“Catherine, please come here, now, please.” I walked slowly towards the dining room and my fate. I could feel tears running down my face before I got there, didn’t like Daddy to be cross with me, he used to beat me when he was cross. He’d pull off his belt and…

“Please don’t beat me, Daddy,” I cried as I ran into the dining room, and I threw myself on the floor in front of him, “Please don’t hurt me.”

“Cathy, what are you on about? Who’s going to beat you?” I heard Tom’s voice say.

“Daddy beats me when he’s cross.”

“How old are you, Catherine?”

“I’m nearly six,” I said feeling proud but also scared.

“Okay, Catherine, tell me why I should be cross with you?”

“ ‘Cos, I called Stella names.”

“I see, did you apologise?”

“No, Daddy.”

“Are you going to?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Go on then.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Tell her not me.”

“Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry, Stella, I was a bad girl.”

“That’s okay, Catherine, I was naughty too. I accept your apology.”

“Thank you, Stella, I’ll be good in future.”

“Okay, I’ll try to be good, too.”

“Right, you two girls give each other a hug and a kiss.” Tom instructed us, so we did.

“Now, Catherine,” he continued, “I want you to close your eyes.”

“You’re not going to beat me, Daddy?”

“No I promise I won’t hurt you. I just want you to close your eyes and tell me how old you are again.”

“I’m nearly six, Daddy.”

“Okay, now I want you to tell me how it feels to be twelve.”

I felt myself floating upwards. “It feels strange, my tummy hurts, like I’m having my period.”

“Okay, you’re doing fine, now you’re eighteen, how does that feel?”

I felt myself growing taller. “Gosh, Daddy, I’m in university and there are so many nice looking boys here–wow, this is going to be fun.”

“Okay, Catherine, now I’d like you to come back to the present, you’re here with me and Stella in our house. I want to remember all you told me about growing up, but I also want you to come back to your normal self. When I count to five, you’ll do this, do you understand?”

“Yes, Daddy, I understand.”

“Okay, I’m going to count, one, two, three, four, five. Come back now.” I felt his hand on my arm, which was good because I opened my eyes and nearly fell over.

“Bloody hell, what happened?”

“For some reason, you regressed to age six.”

“You’re joking.”

“He’s not, Cathy, you really did.”

“Geez, really?”

They both nodded.

“How the hell did that happen?”

“I’m not sure, kiddo, but I think we need to make some notes and have a chat with Dr Thomas.” Tom sounded a bit concerned.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Oh, and Cathy, about this afters.”

“What about it?”

“I was wrong, you were a girl, I just met her.”

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