The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2639 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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“Billie said Nanny liked the flowers, Mummy,” said Trish quietly as the others got in the car.

“Yes, Cate said as much.”

“What she telling me for then?” pouted Trish.

“I think there might be a verb missing from that sentence, missy.”

“Bah, verbs, wirbs, burbs, knickers,” she muttered getting into the car. I decided I wouldn’t say anything because she hadn’t directly cheeked me, but she was close.

Back at home it was change and homework time. If the rush hour traffic hadn’t been building as we came home, I’d have taken a bike out on my own.

“I’ve told them in school that I have to go to the England training camp on Friday, Mummy.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said not really listening. I was lost in my own thoughts, my own parents appear to their granddaughter not me? My own daughter appears to her sister but not me. What is wrong with me?

“You didn’t hear that, Cathy, did you?”

“Mmm, fine,” I replied to David.

“Cathy, I'm resigning tonight after I poison you all, if that’s okay?”

“Poisson, yeah fine, David.” I strolled to the sink and rinsed out my cup.

“You’re forcing me to do this boss, okay?” he said half filling my cup with cold water.

“Yeah, carry on, David.” I turned away to go to my study when I was suddenly hit by a shock of cold water all down my back. I could feel it running down into my knickers. “What the hell d’you think you’re playing at?” I screeched at him. He smirked and handed me a towel. I heard footsteps come running but he sent them away.

“Like others, I was trying to attract your attention but you ignored me as you ignored your daughter when she was trying to say something of great importance to her.”

I allowed him to pat me dry on my back. “I might have been a bit distracted, I’m sorry.”

“A bit, I just said I was going to poison you all and you told me to carry on.”

“Oh,” I blushed, “That bad was it?”

“Yes it was.”

“I’m sorry, I went to visit my parent’s grave earlier, I guess I was still thinking about them.”

He shrugged.

“So you’re going to poison us, are you?”

“You told me I could.”

“David, your meals are to die for, but if I do you’d be out of a job.”

“I was taking that into account and asked for a million pounds and some plane tickets as well.”

“And I agreed to that?”

“Yep.”

“I was obviously more distracted than I thought. I hope that was clean water.”

“Only the best for you, ma’am.”

“Right, what did you say about my daughter?”

“Danielle said something about telling the school about her training camp on Friday.”

I felt myself blush as I walked to the pin board in the kitchen. It was on the calendar and tomorrow I had a dental appointment at nine. Good job I saw that. Poo, I’ve got a meeting at nine thirty. Damn, it’s too late to cancel either. Yesterday I’d have got angry with myself for failing to remember these things, but today I felt a little calmer. Was that good or a symptom of Alzheimer’s?

I went up and changed into some dry clothes then found Danielle. “If there’s anything you need for your training camp that needs washing, you’d better go and get it.”

“All been done, Jacquie asked me last night when you were making the tea.”

“Oh, all right. Got enough money?”

“Can always use a bit more, Mummy,” she smiled and batted her eyelids.

“That’s wasted on me, only works on daddies.”

“Worth a try,” she muttered back. I slipped her a twenty pound note. “Cor thanks, Mum; you’re the best.”

“Yeah, well if I hear you’ve conned your dad out of any extra, I’ll have it back.”

“Aww, Mum, how am I supposed to practice my begging?”

“Stand outside John Lewis’.”

“What?”

“Invented the steam engine.”

“What?” she gasped.

“Invented the steam engine.”

“Yeah, so?” she looked bemused.

“It’s more polite to say pardon than ‘what’. I demonstrated a teenager saying what.

“I didn’t look like that did I?”

“Well I didn’t make it up if that’s what you’re thinking.”

She blushed and glowered at me. Teenagers are such sport, they are so deliciously self conscious that they blush like stop lights at the drop of a hat. “You’re evil at times, you are.”

“If I was I’d take my money back.”

She blushed and glowered some more then gave me a beaming smile, “But today, you’re really wonderful, Mummy dearest.” Then she put her arm round me and pecked me on the cheek.

“Danielle Cameron, I’ve seen deeper puddles than you.”

Her response was a chuckle. I left her to her homework. Her results were holding up despite the increased level of training and football she was playing at. Lying on the desk beside her was the letter of instruction—Reading FC football ground again for ten on Friday.

I dashed off to my study—shit and double shit—I had a meeting at ten. I can’t take her. I know Simon can’t, oh hell, how do we get round this? First thing, go and see her and explain.

“Darling, I’m sorry, but neither Dad nor I can take you to Reading. I’m really sorry, I’ll have to see what I can do about it.”

“’S all right.”

“How can it be, we’ve got to get you a lift?”

“Sam is taking me.”

“She’ll be working, won’t she?”

“She’s going to stay with her friend at Bracknell.”

“Oh—is she?”

“Mum, she told you the other night but you were so bloody angry about something or other, you weren’t listening. You weren’t listening when I came out and told you I had the training weekend, were you?”

Now I blushed. “I went up to put some flowers on my parent’s grave, it affected me more than I thought. I’m sorry, darling.”

She hugged me, “We know, Billie came to tell us. She said you were upset.”

I felt tears dribble down my cheeks. “You saw Billie?”

“We do now and again.”

“How is it that I never see her?”

“She thinks it would upset you too much.”

“Shouldn’t I be the judge of that?”

“I dunno, do I? That’s what she says an’ judgin’ by the way you get upset talkin’ about her, she might be right.”

“I’m not upset,” I said trying to remember if I had any makeup still on before I rubbed it all over my face.

“What’s this then, hay fever?” she asked handing me some tissues.

“You’ll understand better when you have children.”

“Like that’s gonna happen.”

“Why shouldn’t it?”

“For a professor you can be awfy thick.” She’d been listening to Daddy again or reading Oor Wullie.

“What d’you mean?”

She shook her head, “I can’t have children, can I?”

“You could always adopt, I did.”

“Yeah, but you’re special.”

“No more than you.”

“Ha very funny. Like I’m going to become a professor—come off it, Mum, you are special, you had to be to look after us.”

“Okay, you can be a little challenging at times but...”

“Look, it was all pre arranged.”

“What was?”

“All of this.”

I sat down on her bed. “All of what?” She rolled her eyes and sat next to me as if it was going to take some time.