(aka Bike) Part 1982 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad
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“Mum, there you are,” Danny came running up the stairs after me. “How’s Peter?”
“Slightly better, but still very poorly.”
“What happened?”
“Let’s go in your room and we can talk a little more privately.”
He led me into his room and cleared the chair for me to sit on while he perched on the end of his bed. “What’s with all the secrecy?” he asked as I closed his door.
“If I tell you what appears to have happened, I need two promises from you.”
“Course,” he drew a cross over his heart.
“This is very difficult,” I paused wondering how best to do this. “I need you to never talk to anyone about this without Peter’s expressed permission. Okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” he looked bemused.
“I mean it, Dan. Peter’s life is going to get a lot harder in the coming weeks and months.”
He looked even more puzzled.
“The second promise I need, is if you continue to be a friend of Peter’s, you must never let on that you know what happened, unless he tells you and you must never use this knowledge against him–and I mean never.”
“What’s happened?” the concern on his face was very obvious.
“Peter had an accident this morning, and nearly bled to death.”
“Oh my god–what happened?”
“He severed his penis and testes.”
“Oh f–lip,” he gasped almost checking his own were there with one hand while the other went up to his mouth. “Can they sew them back on?”
“I don’t think so, they were too badly damaged.”
“Bloody hell–what’s going to happen to him–is he gonna be like Trish?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know what will happen to him. I don’t think he was inclined to be girlish was he?”
“No,” he said forcefully, “No way, he was a regular guy until you know what happened.” He paused thinking for a moment. “I’m like, not gonna do that, am I?”
“Good lord, no.”
“So what happened?”
“This is in total confidence–if ever you tell anyone about this, including Peter, I shall never trust you again. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Mum,” he nodded to emphasise the point.
“Good. This is only my opinion, but I suspect Peter accidentally had a discharge of seminal fluid from his prostate when he was penetrated during the attack.”
“Does that mean he came?”
“Sort of, if the prostate is pressed, then it causes ejaculate to be released. It can be pleasant, so I’m informed, but in those circumstances, I very much doubt it. However, and it’s only my opinion, I suspect Peter was very upset by this and it played on his mind.”
“So he, like thought he was gay?”
“No, I don’t think so, or perhaps he did, I don’t know, but either way in his upset, and he wasn’t thinking logically, he severed the bits he thought had betrayed him so it couldn’t happen again.”
“Bloody hell–how could he do that?”
“When you’re upset your mind works differently and what can seem like a good idea isn’t when you calm down.”
“So he’s like a girl, now?”
“No, having a penis doesn’t make you a boy, anymore than not having one makes you a girl. Your gender or sexuality happens between your ears not between your legs–that’s a very small part of it.”
He had a think about that, “Okay, so he’s still a boy, how’s he gonna pee?”
“He’ll still have a urethral opening but he’ll have to sit to wee unless the surgeons can do something clever to lengthen it.”
“Like a girl does?”
“Yes and no. Don’t you ever wee when you’re sat on the loo?”
“Yeah, when I’m having a cr–poo.”
“Does that make you a girl?”
“Course not.”
“So Peter having to sit, at least temporarily, won’t make him a girl either.”
“How could he do that–to himself–man, that’s well crazy.” He thought about it and I saw him flinch. “He won’t try to do it to me as well, will he?”
“Why should he?”
“Well because I was attacked at the same time.”
“But you didn’t have a discharge, did you?”
He went very red and very silent, “I couldn’t help it,” he said and burst into tears. I moved to sit on the bed and he threw himself into my arms, “I’m not gay too, am I?”
I comforted him as he sobbed, “I don’t wanna be gay, Mummy.”
“Darling, you’re not as far as I know, and even if you were, we’d all still love you.”
“I’m not, I’m not,” he kept repeating.
“I know sweetheart.” I stroked the back of his head as his face lay buried in my chest.
“Those fuckin’ frogs–I’m not gay. I couldn’t help coming, Mummy–I didn’t mean to.”
“Now then, let’s be realistic about this. Being sexually assaulted doesn’t make anyone gay or straight–that’s something you’re born with. What we have to do with Stephanie, is to help you deal with any fears you have arising from it and how to deal with them, and to take away any guilt you might have. You’re not gay after what happened anymore than you were before, and none of it was your fault. You were attacked. Pure and simple–you didn’t invite it did you?”
He mumbled into my chest.
“Please speak to me properly.”
He was blushing like a heat lamp. “We laughed at them.”
“What d’you mean, you laughed at them?”
“We decided all frogs are poofs an’ I think Peter might have said so out loud.”
“Did he do this or not?”
“I’m sorry,” he burst into tears, “we didn’t know they understood what he said, they followed us into the toilet an’...”
Oh shit–this whole thing was avoidable–and now the two men are dead. Shit, shit, shit. No, what they did was wrong but those men overreacted times ten–nothing could justify that. How can you teach children not to do stupid things? Especially boys. I don’t know about Danny needing a psychiatrist, I almost feel I do–a stupid throwaway taunt and two or three men are dead and a thirteen year old boy is castrated by his own hand and nearly died. How can you get your head round that?
It’s as crazy as men suggesting that any woman who wears provocative clothing or is out late at night, is guilty if she gets raped, and that women shouldn’t show off their bodies without being aware of the consequences. It’s false logic, it’s the man’s responsibility to stop when the woman or another man, says no. If he can’t control his feelings or his urges then he’s in the wrong and we need to change his mindset. No one has the right to make another person have sex with them if they are too young, immature, drunk or sick to make an informed decision. There is no excuse. At the same time, we as women (and some men) have a responsibility to avoid risk where possible–but that isn’t always possible–and the ultimate responsibility rests with the attacker. But in town and city centres every weekend you see scantily clad young women absolutely paralytic through alcohol, falling down in the gutter because they are so drunk they can’t stand or walk or look after themselves. That is plain stupid for all sorts of reasons, including the risk of attack or robbery or abduction, not to mention regular behaviour like this is why we’re seeing people in their twenties with alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver–and we’re looking for intelligent life forms on other planets? There’s none on this one.
Comments
Huh, what kind of message is this?
Cathy should emphasize that being gay is not a bad thing, full stop. So where did all this homophobia come from? I think in this case it is definitely a failure on Cathy and Simon's part!
Kim
Remember Where He Came From
Danny has not had it easy from the beginning. What he grew up with cannot be overcome overnight, even with Cathy's presence. Remember, Danny thought Cathy was going to force him to be a girl. It's going to take a long time to re-educate him. Even then, he will still have knee jerk reactions. I'm speaking from experience, and I'm nearly 71. It's such a difficult process.
Portia
Had Danny.l...
Had Danny grown up as Si and Cathy's kid, I think you might have a point. But, given his background. No...
And, I have no, nor ever had, any interest in a guy... Some guy attempting to force himself on me would have me making not so nice comments as well - and, I suspect any OTHER girl making advances on my wife might face similar reactions. Neither of us are homophobic (or cisphobic), but we are who we are and have NO interest/desire in being other. There's a very big difference where it's yourself and where it's anyone else. I have gay friends and relatives. They're wonderful people. I have "straight" friends, they're also wonderful.
This is neither the time nor the place for a parent to try to deal with whether Danny might have some homophobic tendencies. It's far more important to deal with his present mental / emotional state!
Annette
It was in 2013
The Aldeberon IV visitors searched earth for intelligent life. Having found none, they left. Nice chapter, i hope everyone understands what you've been talking about these last few days. Ignorance still prevails.
Portia
got to agree
I have to agree with Cathy's thoughts on this one.... sometimes I wonder if there is intelligent life on this planet when I read & hear of some of the stupidity in this day & age that goes on around us.... what separates man & animals is the ability to make choices ...Some choices are merely dumb
Bike 1982
I almost agree with on that last line. Take the kid that was robbing mother in Florida with a small baby that he shot an killed when she told him that she had no money on her, when he was arrested and ID he also had the weapon that was used in the killing. Now his mother says that he was home with her in the time frame of the shooting, yeah right. And we’re looking for intelligent life forms on other planets? There’s none on this one, that's for sure.
Richard
Danny and Petr both need
counseling after what happened to them. Hope their friendship will help them to overcome any obstacles.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Sorry...
Oh shit—this whole thing was avoidable—and now the two men are dead. Shit, shit, shit. No, what they did was wrong but those men overreacted times ten—nothing could justify that.
Upon further reflection as things progress, it might become tragically clear that this disgusting crime wasn't avoidable after all; as she noted, nothing could possible justify their reaction, unless it was just an excuse.
Men don't rape children because of an insult or slight, gay or straight. They rape because it gives them power over their victims that goes beyond sex. Friends or no, counselors or no; children who have been brutalized the way these two were don't get over it; at least not for a long time. And how damaged had the boy been even before the rape to do such self-harm only days from the crime. Something happened to him that goes beyond what we know so far.
And certainly, as has been mentioned; Danny's lifetime has been less than comforting. He's not only been raped, but witnessed the devastation on the family over the death of a child and only months after another child was raped as well. I could be wrong, but this seems much more than what it appears to be on the surface. I can only hope that I'm wrong and that this is coincidental and not the result of either boy being targeted even before their trip began.
I am also very disappointed that the men died before they could be interrogated. Perhaps it was an isolated tragic evil, but unless someone else can discover what their true intent was, we may never know.
Love, Andrea Lena
The last paragraph...
The last paragraph says quite a lot in a small space! It discusses an issue that's been around a LONG time and sadly, doesn't seem to be going away. *sighs*
Thanks,
Annette
The Last Words
Dear Annette, and Dear Angharad,
I wanted to say that too, but you were there before me.
Respectfully suggest that we approach the Linnean Society or whoever is responsible for the naming of species and genera, to have the name for our species changed to Homo stupidens. Of course, we know we are getting more stupid as we go, that our stone age ancestors could do sums in their heads we cannot, our brains are getting smaller not bigger, and that whilst we have to an extent compensated our devolution back to mindless ape-men with technology that all but thinks for us, we do not deserve the title "sapiens" and probably never did.
Of course, I am really from Planet Zogg. The Zoggi ARE sapient. :)
Briar
Kids aren't known for their common sense.
But the men way over reacted. Also, how does attacking a couple of kids they way they did "prove" that they aren't gay (if that's what they wanted to prove)? Seems just the opposite until you remember that rape is about violence and domination, not sex.
Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1981
Cathy most likely will not be to able handle this alone, even with Daddy, Simon, Stella, and all the kids around her.
This is a group of serious situations that Cathy has never had to face at one time, much less on a basis of two or so. This is much more than a group of two.
Cathy is going to have to call on help from the Goddess, and even that may not be enough. I still think Cathy is on the edge of an epiphony about what is going to be required of her, and when it happens, she will be more than willing to go with the flow and acknowledge that the Goddess is indeed Superior to her, and that obedience to her will is absolutely necessary. When that happens, and Cathy acknowledges it, then who knows what she may be capable of.
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
One of the problems
faced in the UK when dealing with alcohol problems is the very easy availability of cheap lagers and ciders, There was talk in the papers recently of the government taking action and raising the duty on the aforementioned products.... Sadly like many things in the UK when faced with opposition (this time from brewers)they backed down. If you then add to that the culture of teenage drinking, Where its seen as "big " to try allsorts of alcoholic combinations and not stop until you throw up, You can see the problem needs more than a sticking plaster too fix it... The answer? .. Well maybe parents should try and teach their children about the dangers of drinking from an early age by setting a good example , Information constantly reinforced should also be readily available, And lastly maybe its time the government developed a backbone and did something other than sit on its hands.
Kirri