(aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2676 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.
Episode 223 dozen for current and future dodecaphiles.
“Was that David I saw slamming doors and stomping across the driveway?”
“Yes, darling, we had a difference of opinion about Hannah.”
“Hannah, did she cause him some problem then?”
“Probably not as much as I might have done.”
He groaned. “Don’t lose us the bloody cook, please. He’s a genius.”
“No, darling, that’s Trish, he’s just very talented—and you could do with losing a few pounds.” I went on to explain what had transpired as I saw it.
“Why is it always the women who fight in families yet men are regarded as the cause of most domestic violence?”
“I think you’re mixing things, knowing you, quite deliberately.”
“Nah, too stupid to mix anything more complex than a Pimms.”
“Please.”
“What?”
“I’d love one and you did say you were going to mix some.”
“When?”
“Just now—well hurry up, I’m thirsty.”
He went and made us some and the first glass went down rather too easily. The second I decided to savour.
“So why are you at loggerheads with Ingrid?”
“She asked me to look after Hannah after she was attacked. I wasn’t sure what had happened to her, even wondering if she’d crossed some loan shark and he sent the boys round. Seems I was wrong, she’s been doing a bit of selling her body for money and two of her punters obviously didn’t like something and beat her to a pulp. Hannah saw some of it before she legged it and called the refuge who arranged a car to take her there, realised she was too injured for them to cope so sent for me and I made them call the paramedics.”
“But you always fight other women.”
“Not always just mostly.”
“I suppose you’ll list David as being a man you squabbled with?”
“Definitely.”
“So how is he involved?”
“He’s being manipulated by Ingrid.”
“Yeah, he’s a bloke it’s what happens.”
“I don’t manipulate you.”
“What, you did it just now over the Pimms, only I spotted it and so you make light of it.”
“Ingrid reminds me of how Jenny screwed with Caroline’s head, she’s doing the same with David as Jenny did with Caroline.”
“We men are but puppets in the cosmos.”
I snorted the last of my drink over a pile of papers.
“That good, eh?” he trilled.
“Bastard,” I mumbled in between coughs and he roared with laughter.
“Your problem is your misogyny.”
“What? I’m a woman, how can I be misogynist?”
“Loads of women are, always squabbling with other women—sound familiar?”
“No, I’m prepared to stand my ground against men or women if I think they’re wrong and in this case Ingrid and David are wrong, not only that but Hannah agrees with me.”
“Yes, but Ingrid is Hannah’s owne...”
“Mother.”
“Exactly.”
“She doesn’t own the child, no one owns anybody else—that’s very dangerous ground to cover—but she acts as if she does. The child is ten, she has some idea of where she wants to be and do. Staying with us has opened her eyes just a little and going to the convent has shown her a better form of education. She wants to maintain that and go on to university and make something of her life.”
“But how important is the opinion of a ten year old, they change from minute to minute depending upon the size of the bribe or threat.”
“I’ve neither bribed nor threatened her, her mother is doing all that helped by David.”
“How has he got embroiled—I thought he was well over her?”
“Apparently not and he’s very fond of Hannah.”
“So he’s doing her dirty work for her?”
“Quite.” I said supporting the hypotheses his mind was slowly developing.
“Who does yours?”
“I’m a professor, they allow it, but I do my own if the children are busy.”
It was Simon’s turn to choke and he stood there red eyed as I chuckled.
“Cow,” he said trying to stop coughing, I chuckled some more—what’s sauce for the goose...
Eventually the silliness subsided and he sat down and asked what did we have to do to prevent David leaving in a fit of pique.
“You could always sack him first,” was my suggestion—well it answered his question albeit not in the manner he was seeking. I dunno give them an inch...
“Cathy, that is not helping. Now what can we do?”
“Let them ruin Hannah’s life.”
“Apart from that, is there any other way?”
“Get a custody order.”
“Don’t you have to be a relative to do that?”
“I don’t know, do I? I’m just thinking out loud.”
I opened the drawer of my desk and found the card of a certain social worker with a mobile number.
“Hello is that Ms Whittington?”
“Yes, but I’m off duty at present could you call again on Monday.”
“Just one moment, Ms Whittington, it’s Cathy Cameron.”
“Oh, I didn’t expect to hear from you.”
“I always say to be prepared for the unexpected.”
“And are you, prepared that is?”
“No. Let’s face it, I’m rarely prepared for the expected, which doesn’t usually happen to me anyway. Could I quickly ask your advice?”
“I take it it’s about Hannah?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t tell me, her mother wants someone else to have her?”
“You do mind reading in your free time.”
“Not really, it’s about the only thing I could think of that would cause you to phone me.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
“Well I think unless she contacts the duty team over the weekend, not much is going to happen until Monday morning. Why does she want to move her?”
“She thinks I’m making Hannah too posh.”
“How are you doing that—elocution lessons, designer clothes?”
“Neither, I just enrolled her on a temporary basis at the school the rest of my kids go to—St Claire’s.”
“But that’s a fee paying school.”
“Yes, I called in a few favours and found some old uniforms—she was apprehensive at first but within an hour, she was enjoying it. She told her mother she wanted to stay there.”
“And perchance want to stay with you?”
“Only until her mother is out of hospital and then we discuss their futures.”
“Their?”
“Yes, Ingrid and Hannah’s.”
“I see.”
“The problem is that it appears that Ingrid might be working as a sex worker.”
“She is, her attackers were two punters who wanted a threesome—the police have arrested them and bailed them.”
“I’m concerned that a young woman is living in such circumstances.”
“If we re-homed all the kids of sex workers in this city, we’d have hundreds waiting for foster parents.”
“Oh.”
“Look, Lady Cameron, I suspect such things are beyond your experience, but just because mothers are on the game, doesn’t mean we remove their children. Some of them are extremely good mothers and love their children and they’re not all at the bottom end of the scale like Ingrid, so the kids live quite good comfortable lives.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry to disappoint you if you thought I could tell you how to get permanent custody of Hannah...”
“I don’t particularly want her forever just to enable her to make more of her life than her mother.”
“I’m sure your motives are exemplary but the bottom line is, she’s not your daughter, so make the most of it while you have her. Byee.”
Comments
Sometimes you just have to let people make their own miscues
Being in engineering, I see that all the time.
Real life is like that, get over it.
True but
There is a child's future at stake here. Hope Cathy can do something.
Oh I am aware of that
But free will and all that. A lot of people have the 'cutting off your nose to spite your face syndrome.'
That Hannah is caught in that is of course unfortunate but Darwinian rules would state that then Ingrid was not destined to pass on her genes, so it prevents the rest of society from being subjected to her incompetent genes.
David already cut off his ability to have offspring so *shrug*. I will be direct: the human race is not in jeopardy of disappearing due to one child here and there born to people who can't support them. Being trans I have already been subjected to being written off due to being 'different' so I am not so easily moved anymore.
Those 'save the children' ads don't affect me at all and I have never given them a half-pence.
Harsh
but you're entitled to your feelings and opinions.
I really hate to say this.....
As it is perhaps me reading too much into Ingrid's reaction, but I wonder if she has plans to pimp out her daughter? Perhaps she's thInking that she can get Hannah working for extra cash?
There are unfortunately many men (and women) who's sexual tastes run to young girls. I would hate to find out that Ingrid's whole attitude is due to her plans to use Hannah by selling her to some sexual predator.
What's more, I hope that we don't find that she has already been trying to do it.
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
It wouldn't surprise me if -
Ingrid might want to 'pimp' her daughter out into the 'sex-trade'. To many of the low-life in the sex trade, ten years old is a 'good' time to start 'pimping the merchandise' and damned good money can be made from the poor little buggers as well
They did it to me at aged twelve to fourteen though I don't think money changed hands. Well perhaps occasionally during the 'excursions' but I will never know. By the skin of my teeth, I got out of it and count myself as one of the luckiest people alive. This kid Hannah seems to be at serious risk. Somebody has to think about the child, or more importantly, act on behalf of the child!
Action speaks louder than words!
Sometimes you ask
a question and the answer is not what you hoped to hear, Cathy seemed a little surprised when Ms Whittington explained the situation regarding Hannah , Now i doubt for one minute Cathy will take the news without question , Thats not her nature , Trouble is as was pointed out to her she is not the the childs mother and what Cathy can do is limited .... Cathy though has the weekend to resolve matters , She needs to think carefully over what she can do next !!
Kirri