The Joiners pt 17.

by
Angharad

---

The week went by and Carrie accepted her mother's ruling that she had to finish her homework before she could play her music and that meant she didn't get as much done as she had hoped. However, Mrs Chivers the music teacher asked her to wait after her class had finished.

"Is it just Carpenter's songs you do?" she asked Carrie.

"No, but I was thinking at one time of trying to put together a set of songs of theirs and then trying to form a tribute band to see if I could earn a few pounds."

"Do you need a tribute band, why not just take a keyboard and sing them as you accompany yourself?"

"Hadn't thought of that, thank you, miss."

"How many songs have you learnt that you can accompany yourself with?"

"I know about fourteen or fifteen songs but only tried playing about eight."

"What's the most recent one you've learned?" asked the teacher.

"Yesterday once more, miss."

"Show me." The teacher pointed at the piano.

"What, now?" gasped Carrie.

"Yes, now. The songbook is on top of the piano."

Carrie sighed but walked to the piano before dumping her bag on the floor and taking the songbook down and finding the correct page. She lifted the keyboard cover and set the book on the stand. She was quite nervous as she played through the music which possibly had a simpler piano part than some of the others she learned, at least in the beginning it did. Having got the music in her head she closed her eyes and went for the song, "When I was young I'd listen to the radio..." she began to sing unaware that two other teachers had come into the room to speak to Mrs Chivers and were hushed by her to stand and listen.

They watched in fascination as the young woman at the piano played and sang. The song was well enough known for most people to have heard the Carpenters perform it and they were aware that the recorded or professionally sung version would have backing singers and instruments, but this girl was doing a very reasonable job on her own.

When she finished she opened her eyes in shock as she heard several people applauding her effort. "You should do a lunchtime concert," said one of the other teachers.

"Shush," said Mrs Chivers, "that's what I'm working towards."

"Has she had a go on the baby grand in the hall, yet?" asked the other teacher who Carrie didn't recognise.

"Gimme a chance," said Mrs Chivers, she only started here the other week, but I'd like to get her at least another music lesson a week."

"Oh well, Cyn, you've got your project for this year then," said the other teacher and the two visitors departed.

"Was that all right?" asked Carrie rising from the piano stool.

"I can help you make it better," said the music teacher, but we'd need to see if we can squeeze some more time out of the system to do that."

"Thank you, Mrs Chivers, I'd appreciate it if you can help me improve."

The teacher patted Carrie on the shoulder, "I shall certainly see what I can do, but how would you feel about performing a small concert one lunchtime?"

"Why lunchtime?" asked Carrie thinking that she probably wouldn't get to eat that day.

"It's easier and there's more chance of people coming to listen, if we do anything in the evenings it gets more complicated with cleaning staff and so on, plus once people get home they rarely want to turn out again.

"Are you happy to be seen as a performer, most girls of your age aren't?"

"I want to study music at university, whether I want to perform or compose or do something else in the technical area, I don't know, but if you can help me learn more about music, I'll perform for you provided it doesn't mean someone else misses out or that they feel jealous of me. I'm the new girl on the block and I don't want to make unnecessary enemies. I had enough of that in my previous school."

Carrie suddenly realised that she'd given away more than she should have done about her past.

"What happened in your previous school?"

"I'd prefer not to talk about it, if you don't mind, but I prefer it a lot more here."

"Good. Look, if you have any problems with bullying or any other sort of nastiness here, come and tell me, all right?"

"I'm sure I won't," said Carrie with more optimism than she felt and she managed to escape the music room and get on her way home.

You're later tonight," said Penny giving her a hug as she entered the house, "good day?"

"It was all right, I suppose," said Carrie taking off her coat and hanging it up in the cloakroom.

"Oh, that sounds a bit uncertain, care to share?" Penny stood next to her daughter.

"Oh just Mrs Chivers, the music teacher asked me to play another song on the piano and sing to my own accompaniment."

"What during the class again?"

"No, as I was about to leave."

"What do you reckon she's up to?"

"I think she wants me to do a small concert one lunchtime."

"Oh, what do you think of that?"

"If she helps me musically, then I don't mind."

Penny smiled, " Cary wouldn't have said yes to that, would he?"

"Probably not, but then he was too busy trying not to be seen by anyone, I'm different now and I'm thinking about what I get out of it, if I give them something."

"That's a very mature attitude, Carrie, but you're aware that if you're seen as some sort of talent, some of the other kids might see you as different and feel jealous."

"I made the mistake of saying that I didn't want to create enemies as I'd had enough of them in my previous school."

"Oh, so d'you think she might ask the headmistress?"

"I've no idea. I'm used to being seen as different, I was hoping it wouldn't happen at the new school, but I'm the new girl, so I am different and I play the piano and sing a bit. I'm sure the novelty will wear off one day, if it doesn't I'll have to learn to live with it, won't I?"

"Don't let anyone bully you, sweetheart, come and tell me if they try, won't you?" Penny wrapped her in a huge hug, "You will, won't you?"

"That's what Mrs Chivers said." Much as she was enjoying the hug, she needed a wee and she also wanted to change. "What's for dinner, Mummy?"

"I got a large pack of chicken thighs, so there'll be enough for tonight and should be enough for you to take some in your rolls tomorrow. I also got some of the rolls from that artisan baker place that you like."

"Thanks, Mummy," she pecked Penny on the cheek and ran upstairs to change and empty her now straining bladder. She heard Tara come home while she was changing and her mother called up the stairs to say that she'd made a pot of tea, so she hurried to get her jeans and her slippers on and trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Alright?" said Tara to her sibling.

"Yeah, you?"

"So so," said Tara twisting her hand back and fore. "Gonna change, got loadza homework," was offered as she went up to her room.

"Have you got much?" Penny asked Carrie passing her a mug of tea.

"Not really, got to do an essay on George Eliot and why she adopted a male nom de plume."

"Well, in those days women's lives were even worse than they are today."

"I think being a woman is pretty good, actually," said Carrie smiling.

"You've got a bit to learn about being female yet, sweetheart, it's a tougher life than it is for men, we still live in a paternalistic society and the glass ceiling is very real for many women. I admit that we have it better than less liberal societies, there was a story in today's Guardian about some transgender girl who was murdered by her brother who travelled all the way from Germany to Iraq to shoot her. They called it an honour killing and he'll probably get away with it."

"That's awful, Mummy, killing someone for being themselves."

"Who killed who?" asked Tara picking up her cuppa and the tail end of the conversation.

"Some girl in Iraq was shot by her brother just for living as a woman."

"What else is she gonna live as?" asked a puzzled Tara.

"She was transgender," said Penny.

"Oh well, that's entirely different," said Tara. "They should shoot all the weirdos," she was joking but Carrie didn't hear the joke, she felt it was a personal attack and she ran upstairs sobbing.

"That was clever," said Penny, "you've probably knocked her back weeks in her self-confidence."

"It was a joke, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm as disgusted about that girl being killed as you are. I didn't mean it," Tara now had tears streaming down her face and she ran off up to her own bedroom.

"Joys of parenthood," muttered Penny to herself and after checking on the meal, went upstairs to see if she could rescue the evening and two weeping adolescents.

She was surprised at what she found when she got to Carrie's bedroom, "I didn't mean it, Car..."

"Why d'you say it then?" responded her sniffing sister.

"I dunno, do I, I love you as my sister, Car, and I didn't mean to disrespect the woman who was killed. I think it's awful but people in these foreign countries have different values and rules to us here in Britain."

"They call them honour killings, seems that someone's reputation is more important than someone else's life and their own sister. I could no more kill you than fly to the moon," said Carrie bewildered by the cruelty of her fellow humans.

"Happens here as well," Tara told her younger sister, "mainly in Muslim families where they still practice arranged marriages and things."

"How can they do that?" said Carrie wiping her face.

"What kill them?"

"No arrange a marriage to some nitwit you may not have ever met."

"Because they're old fashioned, I suppose, and it was okay in the past but they have problems because the girls won't accept it because they want to choose their own husbands. What about genital mutilation?"

"What's that?" asked Carrie.

"Where girls have part of their genitals removed, like the outer labia and clitoris and they sew up the rest leaving just enough room to be able to pee."

"They cut of bits of skin, yeah we had a lesson on it a while ago."

"They'd have a surprise if they tried it on me, wouldn't they?" joked Carrie and Penny knew things were all right between her girls and she left without them having been aware she'd been there. A little later, the two girls were stuck into their homework until Penny called them for dinner and to greet their father who'd just returned from his office.

"How was your day, Daddy?" asked Carrie noticing he looked very tired.

"Don't ever become an architect," he sighed, so she leant over to him and pecked him on the cheek. "Oh, that makes me feel so much better."

"Love you, Daddy," she said to him and pecked him again, only this time he pulled her onto his lap and hugged her.

"I love you too, dumpling," he said squeezing her.

"Dumpling?" she squeaked.

"No dumplings with roast chicken," called Penny from the kitchen.

"Not those dumplings, Daddy just called me dumpling."

"Because you're obviously good enough to eat, I expect," called her mother.

"See?" said her dad, "I was just about to say that." Carrie gave him an old fashioned look as she was uncertain that he was. He stuck his tongue out at her, she did the same back to him and then he started to tickle her and they both nearly fell out of the chair laughing.

"How was school?" he asked her when they both recovered.

"Okay, I guess, old Chivekovsky wants me to do a concert."

"Chivekovsky?" queried her dad.

"Mrs Chivers, the music teacher, she wants me to do a concert in the lunchtime."

"How do you feel about it?"

"Dunno, I suppose I'd have to sort out enough material to fill it. She got me to play and sing again for her today, she said she wants to improve my sight-reading."

"That would be an asset, especially if you think of performing."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm looking forward to having a go on the grand piano, they have in the hall. It's a Bechstein."

"Probably worth a few thousand then, which is probably why they keep it locked up, they cost a small fortune to have tuned, so you don't want too many sticky little fingers messing with it."

"I wouldn't be messing with it, I'm an artiste," declared Carrie in a silly voice that sounded like a cross between Dame Edith Evans and Mickey Mouse. Rob fell about laughing at her silliness.

Carry did get her essay drafted after her dinner and Penny helped her flesh out the parts and to make several feminist points. She finished it at ten o clock and Penny sent her to bed after a drink of milk.

Tara had finished her homework earlier and was on the phone to Macey even though they'd seen each other several times that day. Macey told her that her brother was missing his old friend Cary and although he appreciated that Cary now felt happier as a girl, he still missed his friend.

"Why don't you tell him to give her a call?" suggested Tara.

"He still thought she was playing at it, so I put him right, telling him that Carrie was actually a girl but some bits got lost in the post and they hoped they could fix them at some point but to do so would require an operation."

"Some bits got lost in the post? You are a case, aren't you?" giggled Tara.

"Well, if I'd got into fallopian tubes and things he'd have either have fainted or yawned, you know what boys are like."

"Only the ones I know from school, Cary was never like that even when we thought she was a boy, so perhaps we should have spotted it sooner. Anyway, I'm glad I have a sister not a brother, she's much more fun if a bit sensitive at times."

"She did have a bit of a shock, Tar, discovering she had girl parts all the time."

"Yeah, I heard Mum and Dad talking a few days ago and Mum said she'd donate her womb if it meant that Carrie could have babies."

"What? Let them cut hers out and shove it in Carrie, that is weird."

"Not really, a woman did it for her daughter a couple of years ago and the daughter had a baby. Besides, the 'rents are probably too old to have sex these days, though I thought I heard their bed creaking the other night, do your parents still have sex?"

"I think so, the other afternoon, Colm and I were out, we went to see that new film and a friend gave us a lift back, or her mum did, so we were earlier than they thought we'd be and they both had this strange look on their faces like we'd caught them with their hands in the cookie jar, but they'd enjoyed eating them all the same. I think they might have been having sex, but no way was I going to ask them, was I?"

"Sleep now, Tara," called Penny walking past her room and tapping on the door, "tell Macey, goodnight."

"The tyrant has spoken, night, Mace," Tara rang off and then because she felt her mum had irritated her, she called her mother who popped her head around the door, and asked what she wanted. "Mum, do you and Dad still have sex?"

"Not every night, why?" Penny had her fingers crossed behind her back.

"Uh, nothin', just wondered."