The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3305 by Angharad Copyright© 2021 Angharad

---

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.
####
The next morning, sitting at my laptop, I wasn't sure how I felt about the email Meems had sent to Janice my problem being that I could see both sides, though I doubt I would ever understand how Janice could abandon her daughter, even to someone as lovely as me - hah.

Seriously, I'd hate to have to choose between Simon and the girls, but I hope he'd understand, it seems my maternal drive may be stronger than romantic love, though I hope it never happens as it would really hurt both of us. He knows what his parent's divorce did to him and it took him years to recover from it realising that his mother had issues but she also deserved his sympathy. I think I helped him through that rebalancing except I'll never know for sure, but it seems men do have problems with emotional issues that I as a woman don't; mind you, I have plenty of my own instead.

It seems that transgender issues are once again in the news as the Equalities Minister, is supposed to have called transwomen, men and raised the old chestnut about men being allowed in women's toilets or spaces. It doesn't say much for her as Equalities Minister, but this government doesn't seem to care much about minorities of any sort, be they ethnic or what have you. I shall definitely cross her off my Christmas card list for being a bigot.

The university is considering buying land for a new campus in Waltham Forest, which is in North London as we don't have space to expand in Portsmouth. Being on an island, Portsmouth is one of the most densely populated places in Britain, sort of the Hong Kong of England, only with a slightly less corrupt and totalitarian government.

On a less serious note, the cycling world championships start on Sunday and I think we have a reasonably strong team to compete in Belgium, though so do they and several other countries, including the Dutch. It would be nice to see Cav take it again, but I think that might be a forlorn hope, still I can hope can't I, and it would be a wonderful end to his resurgent TdF.

I was musing on this when my computer peeped to say it had received a new email, I opened it dreading it was Janice, but it was Simon telling me he was running late and to keep him some dinner. He must be over his hangover if he's talking about food. I hadn't even thought about it myself yet and had forgotten what David had said he would do, I hope he's cooking, perhaps I'd better check, he must be about due a day or two off. Sometimes I have to remind him of this fact. It would also stop me thinking about Mima and Janice - damn the woman. She causes me problems and upset Mima, but I really don't wish her ill because I feel quite sorry for her and the awful choice she'd had to make.

David was in the kitchen preparing something which smelt delicious. I'd had my toast and banana for breakfast but what he was making made my tummy rumble. I made us both a cuppa and grabbed a couple of hobnobs, chocolate variety - well my hubby's a very wealthy man, so I'm allowed a little bit of indulgence. I noticed David happily accepted a couple of biccies as well, so that relieved my guilt. Having said that, it was as thin as gilt, so not a major problem. I wonder if anyone else has gilt guilt? If they do, it's pretty painless.

I stood chatting to David for a few minutes while we destroyed the evidence before the girls expected to share in our calorific booty. "Why was Mima in a strop yesterday?" he asked, "or shouldn't I ask, wasn't um, you know, the um.." he began to blush. As he would know more about periods than I did, I extricated myself by responding that it wasn't. I then told him what had happened.

"Bugger me," he exclaimed and tempting as it was to tell him I'd given it up, I let him continue, "she dumps that sweet little girl on you and pisses off to God know's where to be with her husband who sounds a total arsehole. Then she pops up again and upsets everyone, some people want their cake and eat it. Stupid cow."

I shrugged, I considered that Mima had dealt with her birth mother as she wanted, at the same time I wondered if she may regret it later as we none of us know how we will feel about something as fundamental as our parentage in future years, especially as adoption can cause all sorts of problems to both the adopted child and the adopting parents. So far, we've been lucky and I think some of that is because the children actually asked Simon and I to adopt them, which means they were party to that decision and subsequent action. Unfortunately, lots of adopted children are adopted very young and have no choice in the matter.

Seeing as there appears to be so many mental health problems about at the moment, it makes me wonder how these things are defined and decided because it seems that if people can't get their own way, they have mental health issues. Possibly because no one has ever said no to them before. I don't wish to belittle those with more recognised problems such as clinical depression or mental illness and I also appreciate that Covid and the lockdown that followed it caused people to be stuck in small flats with no escape from their children or parents or siblings, often with little money coming in and the housing being substandard. I watched a documentary the other night about people trapped in disgusting accommodation with water running down the walls, toadstools growing on the skirting boards and black fungus everywhere. No one should have to deal with such outrages except possibly the landlords, some of which were local councils who just ignored their tenant's torment.

It strikes me as disgusting that the wealth gap is widening with the very rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, especially once the government takes back the increase it gave those on benefits during the Covid crisis. Sometimes I feel guilty about the salary and bonuses that Simon gets, though I am also aware he works very hard for them, but is anyone worth several million a year? He justifies it to himself and I know he gives quite a bit to charity as well as being generous to the children and me and I earn a good salary myself, though I do pay my share of the expenses and also support several charities from wildlife to women's causes such as the women's refuge, which is always short of funds. I feel government ought to fund these things, especially when it's a known fact that domestic violence cases are rising again, the vast majority of which are against women.

I was asked to act as patron of the local refuge but declined it, not because I didn't want to do it, but because if my history came out, it would be a bigger issue in the press than the domestic violence and the need for these safe-houses for women and children. Thinking about that, made Mima and Janice's situation fall into a perspective. It was sad but perhaps not as life threatening as being physically or emotionally abused on a regular basis by a partner, given the number of murders and manslaughter cases these seem to become, I felt it was a greater concern than dealing with Janice.

I discussed this with David who agreed with me, he'd experienced bullying in his previous life and so had I, though not from a spouse or partner, it was from parents or peer groups. Misfits are easy targets and I know I was certainly one of those, as I suspect was our amazing chef. I also realise that several of my children had suffered bullying for various reasons as well as some abuses, which are unforgiveable particularly when perpetrated by those in positions of privilege or trust or power.

Perhaps the ultimate in that abuse is actually killing a child, and I read a sad story in today's paper about some South African woman doctor who killed her three little girls after they'd all moved to New Zealand. What drives someone to do that? I find it unimaginable and I'd kill myself first, as would most of us. Fancy having to live with that for the rest of your life? It made me shudder.

I left David to finish preparing his lamb casserole, which was now making my mouth water, before I began actually dribbling. It made a change from a Sunday roast, not that I'd complain about that either. However, I had work to finish and once again I was stepping into my study and hoping that Janice hadn't sent a snotty reply to Mima's email. I almost sent her one to try and ameliorate its effect, then I thought that she has a right to express herself and her feelings and those feelings have some justification in their expression. I think I know what I mean, whether anyone else will is another matter.