The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3332 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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A minute or so after the car arrived, I heard the back door close and I expected mutterings as Danni or one of the others tipped Sarah off as to who was visiting. What was going to happen next was anybody's guess as she may decide she doesn't want to see her mother or she may come in angry or apologetic.

A moment later Sarah burst into the room and standing just inside the door said loudly, "What's she doing here?"

"That's no way to speak to your mother," said Daphne in reply.

Sarah was having none of it, "You're no longer my mother, you disowned me if you remember?"

"That was a misunderstanding, Paul."

Sarah gave an enraged shriek, "Misunderstanding, you lying cow. You told me to go and not return until I stopped pretending to be a girl. I am a girl, ex-mother, my name is Sarah and Professor Watts is my guardian, not that I need one because I'm eighteen and an adult in my own right."

I hope my surprise didn't show when Sarah said I was her guardian. I'm her employer and mentor possibly protect her as well, so perhaps guardian isn't too far outside that remit.

"You're upset, Paul..."

Sarah interrupted, "How many times do I have to tell you my name is Sarah, not anything else, but you can't even be bothered to call me by my chosen name, so what are you doing here and why have you brought this police officer?"

"I was asked to accompany Mrs Shears to prevent any unpleasantness occurring."

"Well, as you can see, she's the cause of most of it."

"Look, why don't we all calm down and try and act like adults with a degree of politeness and courtesy," I said and called Danni to make us some more tea and bring in some biscuits or cakes as well.

"It's not me who's being impolite, it's him," said Daphne pointing at Sarah.

"Perhaps you could do me the honour of acknowledging Sarah's new name and declared gender, even if you don't like it."

Daphne bristled for a moment but after a bit of huffing and puffing nodded and I thanked her. I reminded her and the policewoman that Sarah had received a diagnosis from at least two gender specialist doctors and was currently seeing Dr Cauldwell who was the local specialist. I was saying that I employed Sarah as a nanny come domestic help and had offered her a place to study biology at the university providing she passed an exam in June. She was receiving tutoring from a colleague at the university, when Danielle came in with another tray of teas and biscuits and announced, "Lizzie needs a feed and there's no milk in the fridge."

"Oh," I said wondering if Stella was doing one of her tricks, me breastfeeding tends to put off the opposition or doubters. "I need to feed my youngest, would you mind if I do it in here as I feel we're still at a crucial point in the proceedings."

If you ask nicely, people rarely refuse as was the case today and I suspect they expected me to do it with a bottle, but I could feel myself to be rather full in the boob department and they were all in for a slight surprise. Danni returned with Lizzie in one arm and the bag of feeding stuff and nappies in the other. A cloth is always necessary because they do tend to dribble. Of course, Lizzie was alleging I was her mother with the limited vocabulary she has, "Ma-ma, ma-ma," she said gurgling at me as soon as she saw me. I took her from Danni and lifted up my top and the baby practically sucked me through my bra, clamping onto my nipple as soon as I undid the bra. Daphne's eyes came out on stalks and the young policewoman gave me a lovely smile.

"Is this some trick?" asked Daphne.

"Uh, no, I'm breastfeeding her."

"I can see that, but how are you doing it, some special operation was it or hormones?"

"Neither, I started lactating when my sister in law was unable to feed her own baby through illness, it was spontaneous and this now the third child I've breastfed. Sadly her mother died rather tragically and I was asked by her father to look after her until he could do so himself. Unfortunately, that can't happen as he died as well, so I'm afraid she seems stuck with me."

"A likely tale, so you're stealing them as babies now, are you?"

"Don't you dare impugn Professor Watts, she's a brilliant mother unlike someone I could name," said Sarah jumping to her feet.

"Oh, and as a boy I'm sure you know all about it, don't you?" Daphne fired back, the policewoman's head going from side to side as if she was watching a tennis match.

"I'm a qualified nursery nurse and nanny, so I think I know quite a bit about baby and childcare."

"Alright little miss know-all, what did I do wrong with you that you turned out to be this travesty in a dress?"

"If I might say something here?" I intervened before we had bloodstains on the Persian carpet. "As far as the science goes, we have no definite cause of gender dysphoria, which means discomfort with one's own gender. It is probably a multifaceted cause involving inter-uterine hormones, other chemicals secreted by the placenta and other parts of the mother, stress levels and possibly some genetic element as well. So it's rather complex and no one's fault, it just happens."

"So Paul just happened to want to be a girl?"

"I suspect, Sarah has been aware that she wasn't a boy quite a few years ago but was unable to do anything about it, which is a common occurrence."

"Pity, if she had I'd have taken him to the doctor and asked him to cure him."

"There is no cure other than allowing the individual concerned to become who they feel they are, which usually helps reduce stress levels and with the more enlightened climate today, they are usually supported by employers or educational institutions, but sadly, not always by families, though that is improving."

"That's the problem today, no moral fibre, if we didn't indulge them, they'd soon come to their senses and see how stupid they look." Daphne was on her high horse and I began to wonder if this was going to end well or not. At this moment it didn't look promising.

"See what I have to put up with?" Sarah said abjectly and slumped in her chair tears running down her face. The policewoman looked very uncomfortable. "You sound like something from Q-Anon," accused Sarah, looking in her bag for a tissue.

"What's that?" asked Daphne.

"An American organisation which is very far right and which promulgates all sorts of racist, political and homophobic lies and nonsense, such as Trump won the presidential election against Biden and that Biden stole it."

"I don't care who won it," she said disdainfully.

"No, that doesn't entirely surprise me," I let slip and blushed and just then Lizzie chose to teethe on my nipple. I had to pull her off and switched her to the other breast hoping she didn't chew on that one.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked aggressively.

"I'm not surprised that you have little interest in what happens in foreign countries."

"No I don't, stupid Americans."

"I suspect they think the same about us, especially with the specimen we have in Number Ten at the moment."

"There's nothing wrong with Boris, at least he got us out of bloody Europe," asserted Daphne and the young copper looked at her with slight disgust. Carry on missus and you'll alienate everyone, but the copper and I will remain polite but possibly with an element of contempt involved too. Daphne was showing her bigotry and poor cognitive skills.

"I think we should keep to our own topic, don't you, Mrs Spears?"

"Yes, get your stuff and I'll take you back to Bristol," she addressed to Sarah.

Sarah, shaking her head, replied, "What part of no, don't you understand? I'm staying here where I'm amongst people who love and support me and who care and understand me. I'm not coming back to you ever. So why don't you just piss off back to your cave you stupid bigot?" With that, Sarah stood up and ran out of the room.

"How dare he talk to me like that? Is this what you teach them to do at this posh university of yours?"

"No, and she doesn't talk to me like that or anyone else here, come to think of it."

"No, because you're all as queer as he is, aren't you, all homos and pretend women and child abusers, bloody paedos."

"Mrs Spears, before you give me grounds to sue you for slanderous accusations in front of a professional witness, I suggest you leave and take your disagreeable opinions with you."

"I'm just going, I won't stay a moment longer in this den of iniquity," she bristled picking up her handbag.

"Are you sure you actually know the meaning of iniquity?" I asked her as she bustled out of the dining room door and the young police officer snorted. Daphne Spears left slamming the front door behind her before the young copper could get through it.

"Are you okay?" I asked as the door slammed practically in her face.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, "I think she has a few attitudinal problems to deal with."

I smiled at her succinct summation of the evening. "If she ever wants to see her daughter again, yes."

"Will you keep her here?" she asked obviously referring to Sarah.

"I'm not keeping her here now, she asked me for employment and I gave her a job. She only stays here as long as she wants to and at the moment, that seems to be her intention."

"Will you adopt her, I believe you have a habit of doing so with gender different kids?"

"I doubt it, but let's face it, someone has to give them a home and I was fortunate to live with a family who agreed that I should and they all support each other, to my mind, it's what families do, support each other with love and affection."

"It would make my job easier if they did," she sighed and said goodbye as she left wandering out to the police car in the drive. I waved her goodbye and shut the door.

Neither Sarah nor I fancied any food but we did have some soup a bit later with a slice of bread. Before that, I went up to Sarah's room and she was curled up on her bed with Danni trying to comfort her. Danni left after I nodded to her. I sat alongside the weeping teen and stroked her shoulder. "It's okay, she's gone," I said and Sarah half sobbed and half muttered some sort of reply.

I sat with her for several minutes neither of us saying anything until she rolled over and looked at me through bloodshot eyes and asked, "Will you be my mother now?"

Oh boy, don't they always ask such easy questions? Now, what do I do or say?

"I'll act as an older woman for you to offer advice and support as much as I can."

"Thanks, Mummy," she said and hugged me.