The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1567 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

“Shouldn’t you be counting money somewhere?” I said to Simon as he appeared at the table.

“Don’t,” he said rather thickly, “I think I’m going down with man-flu.”

“Take some zinc, there’s some in the bathroom cabinet.”

“I want to get rid of it not waterproof it.”

“Zinc apparently can help to boost the immune system and is proven to help with colds if taken at the first sign.”

“It’s not just a cold, it’s much worse than that,” he sneezed for emphasis.

“Just don’t give it to Julie, she’ll never forgive you.”

“I thought we’d bought her an iPad to give her.” He smiled weakly.

Caroline arrived and she was coughing and spluttering, “Sorry,” she croaked, “I’ve got a very sore throat.”

“Right you guys, Julie has asked if she can invite her girlfriend to Christmas dinner, and I told her she could.”

Caroline’s face flinched but then she was about to cough. “Girlfriend?” asked Simon.

“Yes, like boyfriend and girlfriend, or in her case girlfriend and girlfriend.”

“She’s um–er...” spluttered Si.

“She’s lesbian, yes.”

He coughed. I poured him an orange juice and he sipped it. “This girl is gay, then?”

“That’s what lesbians are usually called, yes.”

“An’ you’re alright with that?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I? Nor do you–none of us do. It’s Julie’s affair how she sees herself sexually, nothing to do with us except to accept her.”

He sneezed loudly, “I’m going back to bed, I feel awful.”

“I think I will too, if that’s alright, Cathy?” Caroline peered over her glass of juice.

“Yes of course, but do try and eat something, you’ll feel better–remember the saying, feed a cold and starve a fever.”

I couldn’t tempt either of them, so I let them go back to their beds. Danny came to the kitchen moments before a gaggle, or should that be, giggle, of girls appeared. They were in high spirits, buoyed by the imminence of Christmas within a matter of days. They each opened a new date on their advent calendars and scoffed the chocolate. Hopefully wasn’t going to be a problem with this sitting.

I helped them make toast and encouraged them to take a vitamin and multi-mineral pill. This is mainly because they stay in to school dinners during term time, so I hope it means they get everything they need including good ol’ Zn.

“What are we doing today, Mummy?”

“I have some chores to do, which you can help me with if you like...” The sullen faces seemed to indicate they didn’t. “...okay, we won’t do that afterwards because there won’t be time by the time I’ve finished my chores.”

“Do what, Mummy?”

“It’s pointless me telling you because I won’t have time. Caroline isn’t very well and neither is Daddy, so I have to do most of the jobs today.”

“I’ll help if you tell me what we were going to do.” Livvie was trying to negotiate.

“I haven’t got time to discuss it now, I have things to do, so if you’re not going to help then clear off out of my way–I’ve got soup to make.”

“I’ll help you make soup, Mummy,” offered Trish.

“What can I do?” asked Meems.

“You and Livvie can do the dusting and the vacuuming, take it in turns–Liv, you do the Dyson in the lounge, and Meems you dust in there, and then swap over in the dining room.”

They went off squabbling then came back saying the Dyson smelt of soot. I gave them the other vacuum cleaner and then had a brainwave, I got Danny to clean out all the filters on the Dyson but to be careful and note how he got them out and put them back the same way. He was quite taken with an opportunity to dismantle something–we had the instruction book as well–I just hoped I wouldn’t spend half of Christmas rebuilding my best vacuum cleaner.

Trish and I peeled veg and washed them, then chopped or diced different things and added them to the steaming pan of stock. In half an hour I could leave it to simmer while she cleaned up the sink, and I went to check on the others. Livvie was flitting about like the Sugar Plum Fairy using the feather duster as a magic wand, while Meems was pushing the vacuum cleaner with grim determination. They weren’t actually damaging anything so I left them to it and went on to check how Danny was coping with my Dyson.

He’d actually done rather well and I helped him reassemble much of it and to both our surprises, it worked afterwards and much of the sooty smell had gone. We both laughed at the memory of Caroline covered from head to toe in the stuff but it must have been quite unpleasant.

We ate the soup and fresh bread–remember I made some for breakfast which we didn’t need–for lunch and I took the seriously ill pair a bowl of soup and a wodge of bread–which they both ate, so obviously their conditions were worsening–I didn’t know whether to send for the doctor or a drama critic.

The treat I was talking about was to take Kiki for a walk up through the old farm and round to the woodland beyond it. Amazingly, all wrapped up in coats and wellington boots, they seemed up for it–there were squabbles about who should take the dog, but once again I made them share the duty. Meems was quite happy to walk holding my hand so I left to to the other three to take turns at being dragged behind the dog.

At about the half way stage I produced a small drink and a chocolate bar for everyone which went down very well. In return for us walking his hound, Tom was sharing the babysitting with Stella, who’d done very little else except drip milk everywhere and consume food and drink. At times I think her laziness drives me to distraction. Once I calm down I realise she has problems as well as being bone idle by nature, but occasionally I have make a little dig at her that I’m actually the mistress of the house not the hired help.

We’d got back about twenty minutes when the rain started and I felt very grateful that it had held off–to whom I felt grateful I’m not sure, but today, the weather was alright, usually, it spoils things. Danny was rinsing off the boots before we put them in the cupboard and he dashed in to say it was precipitating, or words something like that–on the other hand he might have been talking about vegetables, peas in particular if I remember correctly.

Simon had roused himself by this time and was sitting in the lounge watching the television. Caroline was still in bed and I checked on her when I had a few minutes. Apart from her cold, she’d been crying.

“Want to tell me about it?” I said quietly.

“I think you know what’s upset me.”

“Apart from the cold?”

“Yes.”

“I can guess, Julie and her friend?”

“Yes,” she sniffed and wiped her nose.

“She’s a teenager, Caroline, and a free spirit.”

“I thought she had feelings for me,” she sobbed.

“I’m sure she does, in fact I know she does, but not of the sort you may have thought.”

“I always get things wrong–who’s going to want a thing like me?”

“At this very moment, not many, but when you feel better and back to your normal self, you can look quite attractive.” Okay, I was exaggerating a little to boost her moral but she hasn’t been transitioning that long, so needs to refine her look a bit more–she’ll get there but it takes time.

“Not compared with you, you look so natural–but then you always did, even that time in school. D’you know half the sixth form fancied you?”

“I’m glad I didn’t then–goodness knows what would have happened. But I do have a bit of a head start on most people–remember my body doesn’t do testosterone–so my shape was just waiting for something to fire up the puberty which happened with alarming rapidity once I began taking pills.”

“Didn’t your parents wonder about that–you know, voice not deepening and so on?”

“No, it meant I wasn’t out ravishing girls and my size remained fairly constant so clothing fitted for ages. It also meant I was seen as the school weirdo–but then you knew that.”

“You were my heroine,” she said sneezing.

“Sounds like you’re allergic to me these days.” That made her laugh and she promised to come down for dinner a bit later.