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(aka Bike) Part 1745 by Angharad Copyright © 2012 Angharad
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“So what is it you want me to do?” I asked him expecting the worst.
“Oh that? Yes, we’re starting a children’s fund here.”
“You want a donation?”
“That would be nice, but I was wanting a patron.”
“Me?” I gasped.
“Yes, I can think of no one better.”
“I can; Henry my pa in law, Tom, various royals or celebrities. There must be a few in the area, far better qualified than I am.”
“You’re my choice–will you do it?”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“It won’t be too arduous, couple of meetings a year and occasional fundraiser.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“That if we don’t do this, the children’s unit will be eventually replaced at Southampton and we’ll lose ours.”
“Oh,” I offered, the last thing I needed was to have to go to Southampton if anything happened to the kids.
“Do you mind if I think about it?”
“I don’t care what you do as long as you say yes.”
“I need to talk with Simon and Daddy.”
“Fine, let me know as soon as you can.”
“You have a back-up plan I hope?”
“Oh yes, if you say no, we turn up with thumb screws and racks.”
“And there was me thinking you wanted me to heal on someone.” I felt quite a relief.
“Well, now you mention it...”
I got away half an hour later after stabilising some young girl who’d been hit by a bus as she ran out from behind another one. We spend half our school time learning to cross the road in theory and the first time we do it in practice–splat.
I went and picked up the girls and took them home, another three weeks max and they’d be home all the time. I didn’t feel like doing much cooking so we bought some large potatoes to bake, some salad stuff and a large bag of grated cheese.
Simon and Sammi came home early because they’d only gone to Portsmouth and she hung about in the kitchen, obviously wanting to talk to me and really I felt too tired to want to listen–but that’s the joy of parenthood.
“What is it you want to tell me?” I asked as she hovered about behind me, not really doing anything except get in my way.
“I um–I don’t know quite how to say this...” now I was waiting for the other shoe to drop–was she going to tell me off or criticise me for being a lousy foster parent?
“Well just sit down relax and think what it is you want to say, take a deep breath and say it as slowly as you can.”
“Oh, right.” She sat herself down and I could hear her taking huge breaths–at this rate she’d hyperventilate.
“I need to talk to you about what happened with Daddy.”
Talk about getting my attention, I lost my sleepiness and spun round to face her. “What happened with Daddy?” I asked firmly.
“Oh nothing happened with him directly...” I felt my tension drop significantly. “It was the manager in Portsmouth who was the problem. I need to know what’s acceptable and isn’t in regard to behaviour in the workplace–you know the sorta thing.”
“We’ll have a chat in my study after dinner, okay?”
“Thank you, Mummy–this being a girl thing is so different.”
“Are you enjoying it?”
“Oh yes,” she said with emphasis, “I feel as if I’ve been waiting for it all my life.”
“Good.” I smiled and went back to washing the salad.
“And I’d still be waiting if you hadn’t shoved me. I owe you so much, Mummy. Thank you.” She stood up gave a hug from behind, pecked me on the cheek and disappeared, apparently overcome by emotion. I thought about Stella and how she’d helped me and how the barriers that seemed to be between us were hindering our relationship. I resolved to go and see her again that night, Sammi’s chat would have to wait a little.
They all grumbled about dinner but I didn’t see anyone leave any, so I assume it was a partial success. I explained to Sammi that I wanted to go to see Stella and I’d speak with her later. She shrugged but said it was okay.
I took Fiona with me, she’d need a feed which Stella could give her and she also needed to see her mum. Stella was watching television when we got there and ignored us until I dumped Fi in her arms and the baby started to suck her nipple through her nightdress. Moments later she was feeding her and she looked much better.
“I was just thinking...” I started.
“That’s dangerous at your age,” she quipped.
“Must be critical at yours then,” I threw back and she laughed.
“What were you thinking?”
“It’s coming up five years since we met on that miserable afternoon and you tried to park your car on top of me.”
“I’m sure you swerved into me,” she replied.
“No I didn’t–you ran straight into the back of me.”
“Did I? It’s so long ago, I can’t remember.” She pretended to be ignoring me while her breasts suffered rapid deflation from the article attached to her chest, who cooed and occasionally squealed with laughter.
“Someone’s pleased to see her mother,” I commented.
“Yeah, look, I’m sorry about this morning–thanks for bringing her in.”
“You’re welcome, I was going to say, I’ve never really been able to thank you for pushing me into doing something about my life.”
“Five years you say?”
“Yes, coming up five next week, I think.”
“Okay, get me out of here before then and we’ll have a birthday party.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, if I had my clothes I’d be coming home with you now.”
“They’re in here somewhere, I began digging in the holdall I brought with the babystuff.”
I went and spoke to the sister who was a bit shocked to hear Stella ask her to discharge her. But after talking together and seeing the way she was with her baby she agreed as long as Stella agreed to come in and see the outpatient’s clinic–psychi outpatients, that is. She agreed and I decided I’d try and make sure she did.
We drove home together, with her sitting in the back cuddling her baby and saying she should have come home sooner. I pointed out she had been ill then bereaved, so she had a few things to deal with.
“I’ll never be as good at coping as you are, Sis,” she said smiling at me in the rear view mirror.
“Oh, I don’t know, we all have good and bad days.”
“Yeah, well things are going to be different from now on. You are a good manager and housekeeper, so I accept you are the boss in that house.”
How I didn’t knock the cyclist off her bike I’ll never know but somehow I didn’t and we did manage to get the rest of the way home safely.
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Comments
When under stress.
Put your tongue in neutral and the brake on. Words can be like cat claws and when we are stressed upset or angry they tend to be used with out thought. It is just instinct, we need to put thought into this process so we are sure the Bi@#$ richly deserves having there face clawed off.
With this said I sense that both Stella and Catherin will have some healing to do between each other the start is there now both of them must practice restraint.
With those with open eyes the world reads like a book
Still going strong
Can this be the Stella of old? One can only hope, and the chat with Sammi could be an eye opener. 5 years since episode 1 and still a brilliant (if occasionally twisted) story line.
Don't time fly
Fivesies... wow and there we almost have a serious case of what goes around, someone on a bike, phew. Doesn't some race start today? Scribble while you pedal or watch or something. And just for something diff Cathy gets something else dropped in her lap, hah can't see a no there. I will admit to a very slight wince now and then at the 'mummy' thing from the new kiddies but.. needs n all. So is Stella 'feeling Blue'? Whatever woiks, taa Ang
Kris
Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1745
I think that Stella has made the most logical decision she can. But will she now start helping out, or doing volunteer work? I'd love to see her have more misadventures with Cathy.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Not trusting Stella
I'm trying to remember the first time she did a looper. She seems to switch so suddenly and with out warning too! This is quite a brood she has there, but I can most certainly say that getting one's head firmly set to care for others is far better than having it in a dark place.
Bravo
Gwendolyn
5 years? Wow!
Here's hoping that Stella is back to some degree of rationality. She's been through so much that it's hard to imaging "the old" Stella coming back but a new and improved Stella would be great. I hope that Cathy would be able to accept a bit of a partnership in running the household if Stella is up to it.
Great News!
Fantastic start. I do hope that Cathy and Stella will get back to being sisters, like they were five years ago. It took a while for Stella, but she's had such a terrible run of disasters. I'm sure we all want to see the two of them become close, forgive and forget about the past, and merge their two families into one, big, happy family.
Red MacDonald
I wonder...
I wonder what Sammi (& Simon) have been up to today... While postponing her chat with Sammi might have been important, I don't think she should postpone long. And, come to think of it, it might be best to have the chat with Stella there too... After all, when Stella's aware and willing to help, she's proven useful and she DOES have significantly more experience as a woman that Cathy.
I worry about the extra work as the titular head... She might be useful as a fund raiser... But, does she really have time? And, will she let it be just "titular"?
Thanks,
Annette
Stella
I must agree with the others that I would like to see Stella and Cathy best friends again, even if it is a 'new and improved' Stella.
Considering her past behavior, I somehow feel that she is going home way to soon, unless that blue light is beginning to work again.
++VOTE++ ++VOTE++
Don't let someone else talk you out of your dreams. How can we have dreams come true, if we have no dreams?
Katrina Gayle "Stormy" Storm
Good chapter Ang.
Good chapter Ang, always some new development or new plot brewing. Five years already, that must be a record.
Poor Sammi has just realised she's got a lot of stuff to get through to become a girl. I think Stella still needs watching, she'll probably need watching for the rest of her life.
Cathy's got her work cut out.
Still lovin it Ang.
OXOXOX
Bev.
Now Stella's back...
...and the blue light's flowing again, perhaps they can work at attempting to restore the relationship of old.
After two romances terminated by death and having two young ones of her own, Stella may not be such the party animal she's been in the past, and may be more reluctant to try dating again. However, I'd say that the first step towards helping out with the running of the household is to integrate herself into it more. She's often been in a world of her own, rarely present for much of the action, so she probably hasn't seen for herself the amount of work Cathy gets up to in keeping the house running. Added onto which, she doesn't necessarily need to throw herself into housework to help out - waking up / hurrying up some of the youngsters, offering to take them to / retrieve them from school, maybe even sorting out washing and putting a load on (that's the easy bit - drying's slightly harder since many items can't be tumble dried and have to be hung from various places; while ironing requires the most skill and takes the most time since every garment has to be done separately...)
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Another wonderful episode,
Another wonderful episode, Ang! Thank you so much for Bike.
Kris
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