Easy Over Eggs Or Sunny Side Up
by: Angharad (Bonzi prefers scrambled eggs)
part. 347

It struck me as astonishing that no one seemed to see the assailant of the cyclist near the university, so it would appear he got clean away unless some CCTV picked him up from the description given by the victim.

I discovered it was a reddish haired young woman, that description could fit me. She was also riding a road type bike, in other words one with drop bars on it.

Okay, I know I'm paranoid but there are times when there have been people out to get me. They have come mighty close to succeeding too. Quite what it is about me that attracts these homicidal types, is beyond me. It isn't my looks, I suppose I'm reasonably attractive with a modest figure, a bit small in the hips and boobs but I do have a waistline and I'm relatively narrow shouldered and I have a good head of hair. A bit like a skinny girl-next-door type, and I'm sure they don't get attacked just for that; ergo, it must be some other reason.

I do make enemies, possibly because I tend to say what I think or feel, I'd be useless as a politician or dipomat; or a poker player for that matter. My face would give me away every time. Oh well, we all have our crosses to bear, mine is an honest face.

According to Tom, I am one of the most popular teachers in his department - can't think why, there must be better teachers, with more experience and better technique, but my classes are always full.

It took him to point it out to me, before I registered the fact. I mean, I knew my classes were full and simply assumed everyone else's classes were too. It appears they aren't.

Maybe it's because I liken teaching to drama, it's a performance art where you attempt to engage your audience with your subject. Occasionally it flies straight over their heads, but once in a while it is an absolute bull's eye and they go away buzzing and wanting more. If they have that sort of experience, they come back for more and suffer the misses hoping for another hit. So do I, because I buzz as well. Maybe I should have been a theatre actor, although here they allow me to write, direct and star in my own little plays - wonderful!

I'm beginning to wonder if the world is made up of those who like me and those who seem very hostile. Surely, I can't have pissed them all off, can I?

I know I did the dean, and I wrote to him and apologised for being out of order. I did jump the gun more than a little. Tom did tick me off about it, but I suspect he was secretly pleased that someone loved him enough to have a tilt at a windmill. My model of womanhood is somewhat proactive, rather than the passive variety - which could explain the enemies. They expect the latter and are nonplussed by the former. Good, serves 'em right.

I collected Stella and all these thoughts went from my minuscule mind and were replaced by ones of pleasure at seeing her looking so well.

"Goodness, Stella, you look as if you've been down in the Med for a couple of weeks."

"No this is good, old fashioned, English weather. Pity that we're probably having more sun now than we will in June." She looked at me, "You look tired."

"Perhaps I am, finding time to do the film for the bank is hard work and I'm probably not sleeping as well as usual. Mind you my hotwater bottle is up in Town most of the time, so sleeping on my own isn't so good, now I've got used to the decibel levels."

I drove for some while and we exchanged the merest of pleasantries, when Stella said, "They want me to take early retirement."

"You're joking?"

"No, they're looking to cut back on Nurse Specialist posts."

"Can you challenge them?"

"I don't know if I want to, sometimes the thought of early retirement feels good."

"I can imagine, but they are such bastards to kick you when you're down."

"That's the NHS for you. Big on PR, poor on delivery."

"Sounds like higher education, come one come all - get a degree - and a huge debt."

We both laughed, though neither of us felt what we had said was at all funny, save in the darkest of humours. But the alternative was to get upset, and we neither wanted that.

"When have you got to decide what you want to do?" I asked Stella.

"I already know. I'm going to stop and after a holiday, I'll go to the bank, assuming the sub-prime mortgage thing hasn't wiped us out."

"I thought you were quite safe as these things go." This was more a statement of faith than one of knowledge.

"We probably are, but you know, it all places a strain on the bank and its staff. What does Simon say about it?"

"Very little, we've had our ups and downs in recent weeks, as you know, and it nearly all went pear shaped."

"That would have been very unfortunate."

"Exactly."

"So is Simon behaving himself?"

"More or less. No, he is since you gave him that talking too."

She smiled and said quietly, "Sometimes he needs one."

"Well thank goodness you did because it did make him see my point of view and he began to respect it a little more."

"I'm glad, full stop, but also glad to see I can still influence him."

"We both listen to you."

She smiled and after thinking about what we had just said, the smile became broader.

We approached Portsmouth and she smiled at the familiarity; she was nearly home. She must have noticed my concerned look and read my mind because she suddenly said, "Don't worry, Cathy, I will go back on Monday."

"How the hell did you know that was what I was thinking?"

"I didn't, I just felt a need to say it."

"Showing how close we are."

"We are though aren't we."

"Like sisters," I added and we both smiled.

Tom greeted us both like two, long lost children. While Stella was freshening up, he said to me, "Simon isn't going to make it tonight, some crisis at the bank. He asked me to take you both out to dinner, which I'm delighted to do."

"Yeah, that's fine with me," I said while inwardly screaming with rage that he could do this again.

When I told Stella, she told me she wanted to sleep with me, she felt a need to have some human contact, however, platonic that contact was. I felt sad for both of us, but at least she could cuddle with me without Simon complicating things for once. And that cuddle would be sisterly and non sexual and she didn't sound like Concord landing and taking off.