(aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2091 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad
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Danny went up to his room and I followed at a discreet distance. I let him sit down before I knocked and entered.
“Come i–oh, hi, Mum.”
I closed the door behind me and his expression changed from neutral to suspicious, perhaps tinged with guilt. “There are a couple of things which confuse me and I wondered if you might help me with them.”
“If I can,” his expression still looked suspicious.
“What’s happened between you and Peter?”
“Nothing, why?”
“Well, if I remember correctly, you were going to support him forever and a day as his best friend.”
His look became one of guilt and he avoided eye contact. “We–um–I don’t know.”
“When did you last see him?”
“A couple of weeks ago.”
“And?”
“And what?”
This was like pulling teeth. “And how was he?”
“Alright as far as I know, why?”
“So what happened since then?”
“Nothing.”
“So you haven’t fallen out?”
“No.”
“So why don’t you want him to come to the castle?”
“He’s boring.”
“He’s boring?” I clarified.
“Yeah, he hardly ever goes out and he seems to wear more and more girl things.”
“And that makes him boring?”
“Well, he seems to be turning into a girl.”
“That doesn’t seem to stop you liking Cindy.”
“Yeah, well she is a girl.”
“She is now.”
“Well, you weren’t always one, were you, so that’s pretty rich coming from you.”
“That’s a fair point, but I didn’t mean it like that.”
“So how did you mean it then?” he was fighting back.
“You distance yourself from Peter because he seems to be becoming more feminine but you like Cindy because she’s feminine?”
“I didn’t know her as a boy, did I?”
“You knew Billie, but supported her.”
“Yeah, well she was like my bro–sister, wasn’t she?”
“And is Cindy like a sister as well?”
“No–yeah, you’ve confused me now.”
“Look, I don’t mind you having Cindy as a friend, even as a girlfriend, but I don’t want to jeopardise the others in this family who have walked her path but a bit earlier.”
“You mean, you don’t want me to tell her about you?”
“That as well, but I was thinking more about Trish and Julie and Sammi. Trish especially, because she has to go to the same school and if ever they fall out, and it does happen, it could put Trish in a vulnerable position.”
“I’m hardly likely to tell her am I?”
“Not intentionally, I would hope, but we can make unwitting disclosures and she’s pretty sharp. She knows Billie was transgendered.”
“Oh so it’s okay to talk about the dead is it, seeing as she can’t speak for herself?”
“She did actually.”
“How, she’s dead?”
“She appeared to Cindy and me and told Cindy about herself.”
“Oh c’mon, Mum, how could that happen?”
“It did.”
“Sure.”
“Would I lie to you?”
“No,” he blushed. “So how come I never see her?”
“Perhaps she doesn’t think you need her help?”
“But I do,” he burst into tears.
I sat beside him on the bed, “Darling, what’s the matter?” I placed my arm around him and he cried on my shoulder.
“I told her what happened in France and what Peter did,” he said after a minute or so pause.
“What did she say?”
“Her uncle abused her when she was quite young. It’s one of the reasons her parents divorced. Her dad wouldn’t believe her, though her mum did and went to the police. Her uncle went to prison for five years.
“I didn’t know that.”
“Why should she tell you? She only told me because I told her what happened to me.”
“What did she say about Peter?”
“She wondered if she should meet him.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“I dunno, do I? But if you invite him to the castle, she will won’t she?”
“Yes, and as you say, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Unless of course, he thought she was just an ordinary girl.”
“I think he’ll spot it if she doesn’t tell him.”
“I thought she was pretty good.”
“She’s better since you lot got hold of her, but there’s something about her that doesn’t quite fit as a girl.”
“Can you be more precise?”
“No, perhaps I’m just picking up on it because I know, or because I’ve watched one or two of you changeover.”
“Could be. None of the rest of us give off the same thing, do we?”
“Oh god, no. You’re female–and so’s Julie and Trish. Sammi is just so pretty no one would notice and even Billie was getting there, but Cindy–there’s something. Sorry, I can’t say what I mean.”
“Okay, sweetheart, if you do work it out, do tell me and I’ll try and help her.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“D’you want to see Stephanie again?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Well, if you need to talk to anyone, don’t hesitate to say, won’t you? I can listen or ask Stephanie to see you, or anyone else if there’s someone you’d rather see.”
“Talkin’ to Cindy has helped. See I don’t fancy her–but she’s a good friend, and she likes to talk to a boy who she knows won’t hurt her, because it’s always girls she’s with.”
“That’s good that she trusts you and you can talk to her. Okay, we’ll leave it that for now–but I’m always there for you, you know that, I hope?”
“Yeah, you’re my mum, an’ a good one.”
I blushed, kissed him on top of his head and rose from the bed. “I try to be. We all love you, Dan, so never feel we don’t.”
“I know, Mum.”
I smiled at him and left him to read his book or whatever else he was doing. I’d been away for twenty minutes and the celebrations were still going on around the kitchen table. Simon was showing Cindy pictures of the castle on his laptop–of course, I'd confiscated Trish’s one. He’ll make a plea for me to return it and her other stuff when we’re on our own, just watch.
Then a betting man–or woman, would expect me to counter about the lack of consultation concerning the holiday. I mean is Stella coming? Do we take little Lizzie with us? I doubt he’s thought it through because she doesn’t impact on his life like she does Stella and me. In some ways he’s the most generous man I know. He’d give me the moon if I asked for it, or die in the attempt, but he can’t seem to give me what I’d sometimes like the most, consideration before he makes some stupid announcement. Sure, I’m part of his team, but I like to think, an equal partner not a minion. I just can’t seem to get him to understand. He says, I’m the leader, then makes announcements which undermine me and also make me quite cross.
I won’t say anything in front of the children and certainly not in front of Cindy, but I’m far from happy with him because he’s taken me for granted again. Perhaps I’ll just tell him to take the children and I’ll stay home with the little ones–that should give him something to think about.
Comments
Men are from Mars; women are from Venus.
That's men for you; make a decision without considering all the ramifications.
S.
Simon
Simon is wrong to have not asked Cathy first. Cathy is also wrong in trying to keep the rest of her family from going to the Castle. She may be saying in her mind right now that she will let the family go but stating she is remaining in Portsmouth, however I see this as a method of trying to guilt the rest of the family to remain as well.
well....
They haven't had any fights recently, so it is probably the "man is king of the castle" syndrome reappearing needing a dose of Cathy's ire to go away again. Hopefully it doesn't go overboard, just enough to remind him of his previous statements
Terri
Teresa L.
I am not quite sure what Danny is referring to
I know lesbians can be 'butch' but that does not make them less a woman unless they go the F->M route of course. I know there is some testosterone abuse in the lesbian community here and there. Shoot, one time I saw a lesbian who was not transitioning but was starting to sprout facial hair.
So what kind of 'quality' are we talking about? And what if Cindy's natural 'fit' on the gender presentation scale is more androgynous than Cathy and company? Danny seems to fall into the natural trap of 'feminine = female' but as we all know that is not always the case. I have an engineer at my office who has a lot of feminine qualities to him yet he is old enough to know his own mind and does not seem to be GD.
At first blush you would think he was a femme gay male but not so as he is in a relationship with a woman and has a child. All I can say is more power to him as he has long hair, uses woman's hair toys to keep his hair out of his face, speaks in a fairly effeminate manner, keeps his nails very well kept (no polish though) and generally has a very gentle air about him. He is a very likable person. I have to give credit to the people we hire as he does not seem to have suffered any harm from bigots that I know of and this company has a log of right wing conservatives here. Of course I have not really talked to him about it as, really, how do you start such a conversation?
Kim
Now that would
be a crick in his plans.
Goddess Bless you
Love Desiree
In real life ...
I have observed one marriage partner yielding to the others wishes many times. I suspect that there will be a reckoning between the two over the lack of communication however. Cathy is no shrinking violet by any means, though I can imagine his being awfully hurt by here wrath.
Perhaps he does intend to carry off some sort of surprise for her upon arrival, but he's certainly not been very stealthy about it has he? There was someone in my own life that reacted poorly to surprises, and even got hostile upon one or two occasions. It turned our marriage into a bitter slog at times. She was a feminist of the most lethal order and eventually completely vanquished me.
G
Men....
Men get like that sometimes... Being all manly like "Ugh, we go to summer cave!"
On balance though, they are worth having around...
Thanks for another great episode!
Abby
Best thing Cathy can do
is to immediately jump into trip planning mode and worrying over how to manage the little ones. By the time Simon recovers, he'll have figured out that maybe talking to Cathy first would have been wise.
Or is it possible that he did talk to her about going and she was overwhelmed by everything else, that she forgot?
Lot's of plot twists either way...
Janice