The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2678 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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David arrived at six and I felt sure he’d not be very happy with my casserole, then, I always have doubts about showing my lack of culinary skills to professionals. I cooked up a large pot of new potatoes and ladled the casserole over them. Simon opened a couple of bottles of wine and I suspected if they had a couple of glasses first, my casserole would taste fine.

As usual, everyone was complimentary about the meal. I’d made a new loaf as well which meant Simon and David were somewhat stuffed to capacity. David thanked me for the meal which he said he’d enjoyed. He had to rush off because he was going to visit Ingrid. To our astonishment, Hannah asked to go with him. I could hardly say no, could I?

As they left, David said quietly, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring her back safely.”

My response was short, “It’s not you I’m worried about.”

I gave Hannah a quick hug before she left and threw a curtain of light around her, not that I was convinced it would help much, but at least I’d tried. “Don’t worry, Auntie Cathy, I’m only going to tell her that I’m staying with you, so she can go and whistle.”

“Don’t antagonise her, she could still have you taken off me.”

“If she tries it, I’ll give her hell when she does come out.”

I retired to my study and tried to bury myself in work from the survey. I was effectively now the leader of it, Daddy being otherwise engaged as Dean of the faculty of science, over my professor of biological sciences. My remit was quite large, looking after ecology, biology, microbiology and biochemistry and a new subject, biological engineering, into which money was being poured daily. It was all very exciting, or would have been had I not been so preoccupied much of the time.

This business with Hannah was taking up too much of my time, yet as someone in the education system, I felt very strongly that she should have every chance to develop her potential. I felt that about every child but rarely had much chance to influence it, or to know the child. In Hannah’s case I hoped I both were true. I felt more positive about David having explained my concerns about Ingrid which he shared. He had had strong feelings for her at one point but given she had effectively dumped him once she felt able to move on from his and our financial and moral support.

He’d also got close to Hannah, and possibly felt she was as near to being a daughter that he’d ever have, so when Ingrid took Hannah with her, David was very upset—understandably so.

I was quite surprised he’d allowed Ingrid to manipulate him again but somehow she was better at it than he was to resist her and she nearly drove a wedge between us. I was pleased we’d had the conversation earlier and involved Hannah, but I felt apprehensive about him retaining his resolve while faced by her. She seemed to be able to climb into his skull and alter the default settings. Men seem so malleable to the female mind and often they appear unable to resist it.

I had hoped that David would be less susceptible given his origins, but it appeared not to be the case. Then given my origins, perhaps I should be susceptible and I’m not—but then again, I don’t seem to get too many offers, which I naturally turn down in any case.

At about ten David returned with Hannah. I gave her a biscuit and a glass of milk and told her to go up to clean her teeth and then bed. She acquiesced and I put the kettle on. “Have you anything stronger?” he asked.

He settled for a bottle of Simon’s beer which he sat at the table to drink. People seem to drink from bottles these days which would have disgusted my mother, who always felt one should use a glass. Much of the time I agreed with her feeling it was just laziness, and part of the time, it seemed unnecessary to dirty the glass as well.

I made my tea and sat at the table opposite him. “How’d it go?”

“They discovered a problem with one of her shoulders and took her down to theatre to manipulate it, so she was a bit out of it. Hannah told her she was staying with you come what may, but I doubt Ingrid really took it on board.”

“Oh, so all that resolve was wasted?”

“Probably.”

“What was it like having Hannah with you again?”

“What d’you mean?”

“I think you know what I mean.”

He gave me an old fashioned look then smiled. “It felt good, like she was my surrogate daughter again.”

“Did she say anything?”

“Only how nice you’d been to her and how determined she was to stay here because she wasn’t going to become a common prostitute like her mother.”

“Oops.”

“Quite, but who can blame her?”

“I suspect she’s going to be quite a force to be reckoned with when she’s a few years older.”

“A teenager, you mean?”

“Either during or just after her teens she’ll have worked out what she wants to do and god help you if you get in her way, because she’ll trample all over you.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, she’s also quite clever, perhaps not in an academic sense rather in a street cred sense. If she doesn’t fall in with a bad lot, she’ll be someone, some day.”

“Yeah, I think I can see what you mean, though I’d never be able to predict anything like that.”

“We usually know by the end of the second term which students will get a degree and those who won’t. We try to point this out to those who seem hell bent on failure and some take notice—for five minutes—most don’t and after the end of year exams we ask them not to bother coming back.”

“That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?”

“I suspect doing a liver function test would offer similar results.”

“Oh—I think I see what you’re on about.”

“It’s not rocket science.”

“I’m off to bed, if you don’t mind serving up dinner, I can go and see Ingrid again and make sure she gets the message.”

I hoped I could believe him, I really wanted to but there was this little niggle in the back of my mind to watch him. I didn’t doubt he was sincere now but when he was with Ingrid, I suspect she ran rings round him. For all her failings, Ingrid wasn’t stupid however I suspect her biggest hindrance to moving on was her attitude. She had a chip on her shoulder bigger than the iceberg that Titanic hit. I could see it, I wondered if she could see my failings as easily?