The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3277 by Angharad Copyright© 2021 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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"Did you tell Henry you still wanted to play for England?" I asked Danni.

"He knew it anyway."

"He can be quite perceptive at times and he is pretty bright; plus he knows everybody who's anybody."

"Will he be able to help?" she asked in a tearful voice.

"I'm sure if he can, he will. He loves you all and is particularly proud of your footballing skills."

"Yeah, he said he was proud of me." I hugged her and she sniffed and held on tightly to me.

We muddled along and Henry phoned back about an hour later. I spoke to him and he told me he'd spoken to the chair of the Women's FA, who was a bloke. That made me laugh out loud he said he understood my laughter.

"So what's the deal?" I asked him.

"Essentially, dear girl, they want her to play for them again. They have a series of players who have acquired injuries or Covid and are looking to put together their squad for the home nation's challenge cup."

"So this isn't just to stop her playing for Scotland and humiliating them?"

"They said they couldn't stop her playing for Scotland but she'd do an awful lot of travelling for training and as she'd played for England before she'd slot into their squad more easily."

"I'm not sure I trust them after the way she was treated last time."

"Cathy, I know exactly what you mean. I asked outright that if she agreed to the call-up, she'd better be in with a chance to play."

"They said she would be, though no one would be guaranteed a place it was all dependent upon who else was in the squad on the day and how everyone was playing."

"She just happens to be their best player by a few miles."

"Cathy, she is very good, but it's a team game and thus everyone should play their best for the rest of the team."

"She does, Henry, you've seen her run interference and make goals for others, she is a complete player and has a wonderful footballing brain, she can see moves and space and so on, usually before the opponents do. She is a playmaker and thus a very valuable asset for any team and probably explains why Chelsea are chasing her."

"Yes, Simon said Chelsea had invited her for a trial and interview."

"So what does she want to do?"

"She'd love to play for England but not if they're going to mess her about."

"They promised me they wouldn't."

"They said they'd support her last time and they just walked away. If they do the same again I shall instigate proceedings against them."

"I doubt you'd win."

"No, but if I did, I'd bankrupt their whole hierarchy and come back for their souls."

"Remind me not to upset you, Cathy."

"I'm sure you never would, Henry, not twice anyway," I added quietly.

"What was that last bit?"

"You're too nice, well, you are, Henry."

"Glad you think so, so is she going to play for them."

"Get the chairman to call me, I want to make sure he realises that his future longevity will depend upon how he treats her."

"I think you need to moderate your approach, Cathy, or you'll cause her more problems."

"I won't say it in so many words, Henry, even I am not that stupid."

He rang off after a few more minutes of chat and told me how he was feeling so much better and he was making changes to his life even though it was with a degree of reluctance. I told him to espouse the change and it would feel easier, he didn't sound convinced. I went back to my survey stuff, it was a bit easier having someone helping with the data processing but it continued to take up quite a lot of my time. I was, however, planning another paper derived from the data we were collecting and a second one about the methodology and changes we'd made due to experiences of things not always going as well as they might have done and also how Sammi's software had helped so much with data processing.

The Women's FA chairman rang me back half an hour later. I said very plainly that if they called her up and didn't play her, then I would see it in very negative terms.

"We can't guarantee anyone playing on the day as it depends upon a variety of factors."

"She is the best player you have, if you built the team around her, you'd beat pretty well any other international side."

"I might beg to differ over who is the best player, she is still very young and will improve as she matures."

"That is total nonsense and you know it, if she wasn't as good as I think why are Chelsea chasing her."

"I wasn't aware they were, but I agree she is good but probably not as good her doting mother believes."

"I'm tempted to suggest she will prove how good she is by helping Scotland beat you and by running rings around your so-called wonder women."

"Mrs Cameron, I think you need to decide who she is going to play for and let us know."

"You treated her so badly before, why should we trust you?"

"I wasn't the chair then and I see much merit in her skills and would like to include them in our side. I'm sorry that you think she was badly treated but I can reassure you that the gender element will not arise again."

"If I thought it would you'd be talking to my lawyers instead. I will speak to her and let you know what she'd like to do."

"Fine, just don't take too long, she may be good but she's not the only player we're including in the squad." We both hung up I was still uncertain if they were telling the truth or not I just wanted to enable her to play again at the level she aspired to and was ready for. She is young but she is also very good and while I am aware that she is a bit smaller than some players, she was very fit and very wily, which wouldn't necessarily stop her from getting hurt, but if I felt it was deliberate, I'd sue the offender. It's hardly cricket, I know, but then cheats in any game need to be weeded out and put through the shredder before dumping on the compost heap.

Danni was sitting at the dining table with the others doing their schoolwork. Next week they all went back to the classroom and I hoped in safety. Covid is supposed to be less of a worry with children but apparently, a recent report suggested the group with the highest infection rates were school kids. It's quite worrying.

I asked her to come into the study when she finished her current lesson and she almost followed me back. "I've spoken to the women's FA."

"And whom I playing for England or Scotland?"

"At the moment that is up to you."

"So which one?"

"Which one do you want to play for?"

"England, I guess."

"Okay, here's their phone number call them and tell them."

"What me?" she looked alarmed.

"Why not, it's your decision?"

"Yeah but - you don't want me to play for them, do you?"

"I want you to be happy, sweetheart, what I don't want is you messed about again. They have assured me it won't happen again. I'm not entirely sure I believe them but it's what you want to do and life is all about taking a few risks."

"So go on call them and say you'll attend for training when they give you the dates."

She did and handled herself quite well on the phone. I was proud of her and realised how fast she was growing up and how well she was growing up. She is a really lovely young woman and okay, she can do the teenage tantrum or sulk when the mood takes her, it isn't very often and she is maturing very nicely. My major worry is while she has football and her studies she seems contented as a young woman, I hope and pray that this will be the case when she is too old to play regularly or has other demands on her time, or decides she wants to be a man. If that happens I hate to think about what might happen, but I try not to think about it.

It had been a fraught morning, Diane had sent me a pile of work to look at via the internet and I was trying to work up the enthusiasm to start it when there were screams and Danielle called me to come quickly.

I dashed into the dining room closely followed by David only to find Meems lying on the carpet with a nasty head wound. She was unresponsive. "Call an ambulance, someone," I shouted and turned her over on to her back, her head was bleeding and bruising was spreading across the top part of her face. She was breathing but her pulse was slow and quite weak. I tried to fire in the blue energy, "C'mon, darling, it's Mummy, look out for the light it'll bring you safely home again to us," I said holding her to me.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"She caught her foot in her satchel and crashed into the table."

"Hang in there, darling, look for the light..." I said gently touching her head and waiting for the ambulance to arrive.