The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 2028 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

I’d spent the day on relative tenterhooks, not helped by the girls playing up at home once we got there. They didn’t see why I couldn’t have dinner with them then go to have dinner with Dr Harrington afterwards. This was not helped by the fact that Simon and Sammi were going to be delayed getting back from London.

Trish was particularly obnoxious, accusing me of putting my pleasure before their welfare–what has she been reading now? Jacquie stepped in and took her away from me before I pole-axed her. I was sitting at my dressing table trying to do my makeup and she kept on and on about me going out.

As I so rarely go out at night I couldn’t understand why she was so worked up about it. I called Livvie and asked her.

“She worried that horrible nurse is going to come and get you or take us away.”

“She’s got a broken shoulder, I don’t think she’d be in much of a position to do anything to any of us, do you?”

She looked at the carpet, “You put that old lady in a home and she was your friend. Trish is worried that you’ll put us in a home so you can go to your meetings.”

“What old lady?”

“The one from the hospital–you put her in a home in case she said anything against you.”

“Is that what you really think?” I was almost heartbroken that they could even conceive of such an idea.

I saw a tear drip off her chin and onto the carpet. “No, Mummy.” I opened my arms and she rushed over to me and we hugged.

“D’you really think I’d do anything to harm any of you or let anyone else do so?”

“No, Mummy,” she sobbed on my shoulder. I handed her a tissue before she shrank my top and it was tight enough already.

“The old lady from the hospital was being taken to a nursing home to protect her in case any of the nasty nurse’s friends worked at the hospital. She finds it far nicer than the hospital and the food is much better, so she said.”

“I’m sorry, Mummy.”

“That’s okay, I hope you can explain to Trish that I’m only thinking about the university committee because it’s a huge honour to be asked to do it, and it would mean I’d be trying to make sure the university was run as efficiently as we could for staff and students.”

“I’ll try, but she was so sure you would send us away if we got in your way.”

“You’ll never get in my way, sweetheart, because nothing could be that important for that to happen. You lot and Daddy are the most important things in my life, and I think Daddy feels pretty well the same. No one is ever going to take you away from us unless it’s what you want to do.”

“Never,” she said forcefully holding on to me so tightly it actually hurt.

“I’ve promised you before haven’t I?”

“Yes, Mummy.”

“Well, I’m reiterating that promise now.”

“What does that mean, Mummy?”

Sometimes I’ll be glad when they grow up–“It means saying again.”

“Okay, I’ll speak to Trish.”

Jacquie must have said something similar to Trish because the two girls came back holding hands and Livvie said to her sister, “Go on, tell her.”

There was a painful silence with only faint sobs heard. “I’m sorry, Mummy.”

I looked over at the two of them, Livvie also sniffing holding her sister’s hand. I’m not sure if that was to stop a getaway or to support her. I preferred to believe the latter.

I hugged them both for a few minutes and they agreed that they didn’t mind me going out for dinner. I had to change my top in the end–I had wet patches and snot over it, and that was just from me–what deposits the girls left on it, I hated to think.

I went out wearing a silk blouse in a very pale blue over a matching silk camisole, with brushed cotton trousers in a cornflower blue and a blue jacket. My makeup was quite sophisticated–but of the ‘less is more’ school of thought. I also wore some of my Coco perfume, spritzing some of it over me before I left. Simon and Sammi arrived just as I was collecting my coat. The weather had gone back to cold and I began to wonder if the dormice would ever surface in the wild. The weather was getting worse and worse by the year, so perhaps that was how the planet was going to control populations of the two legged vermin, by making it difficult to grow enough food by either deluging or desertifying the agricultural areas. If that made a land grab necessary, then the powerful nations of the earth would take the lion’s share and the poorer ones the crumbs–thereby ensuring a warfare of resentment for the next couple of generations.

Oh well, deal with it if and when.

“You look smart, Mummy?” said Sammi as she cast her eye up and down me.

“Yes and all my own work,” I smirked back. She and Julie act as if I’m clueless at presenting myself despite the fact I’ve been a woman longer than both of them put together.

Simon snorted, so he knew what I was getting at. I kissed them all goodbye–that took longer than it should have done, so I had to motor a bit to get to my hostess’s house on time. I came away from one of David’s risottos, which I adore–I love Italian food–so I hoped the alternative menu was going to be as good.

I grabbed the bottle of wine Simon had recommended from the car and locked the car. Then it was a few short steps to the porch of her thatched cottage to ring the doorbell.

I heard footsteps and a late middle-aged woman opened the door. “You must be Cathy?”

“Yes, good to meet you.” We shook hands.

“I’m Norma, now then, I assume you knew about Tom’s daughter–her gender thing?”

“Yes, of course, he told me.”

“You don’t have any problems with gender benders, I hope.”

“No–why?”

“It’s okay, darling–she’s cool with it.”

“Okay,” was called back by a vaguely male voice.

“My um–hubby, prefers to wear a dress at home.”

“No biggie. Why don’t you introduce me?”

“You will keep this under your hat, won’t you?”

I felt a bit insulted, but then they didn’t know me–obviously didn’t know me. “I shall take it to the grave with me.”

“I hope that won’t be necessary, but thank you.” She squeezed my hand, and then led me down the hall and into a very luxurious sitting room. “Darling, this is Catherine, Lady Cameron, aka Dr Cathy Watts.”

From an adjoining room emerged a tall, elegant ‘woman’ with a short bob cut of blonde hair and a very expensive floral print silk dress. I held out my hand and it was engulfed by a large mitt with expertly painted nails. “I’m Cathy.”

“Prudence,” said the slightly masculine voice, “but most people who get to meet me, call me Pru.”

“Pleased to meet you, Pru.” I squeezed the handshake back.

“And I, you. I saw that film you made of dormice and longed to meet you in person.”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you she was a groupie of yours, did I?” Norma said from behind me.

“Darling, you’re embarrassing our lovely guest,” responded Pru and I did blush. How could they not know my history? But somehow they didn’t, and unless it came up in conversation, I felt no need to explain or apologise. Been there done that, if you missed it–tough cheese. No, I’d try and keep the conversation, except about the committee, to polite feminine stuff and try and treat Pru as if she were an ordinary woman.

Well, I knew it was going to be an interesting evening, just not quite how interesting.