The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3383 by Angharad Copyright© 2023 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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The rest of Sunday went quietly on, I surreptitiously gave the bigger girls their bars of chocolate and at last, I seemed to have pleased someone. I'd also sent some money via bank transfer to Julie and Phoebe and also to Jacquie. They sent me texts to say thank you, obviously telling me they had received it in a roundabout way.

The weather was up and down after Easter and being a school and university holiday, I had time off but I also had children under my feet the whole time and I while I understood how it was my fault they were there, it still cramped my style more than a bit.

We did things as a family, for a day or so then Simon had to go back to work. He seems to work about 360 days a year, rarely takes time off and seems to think the planet will stop when he does. I tried to remind him that it was more likely while he was in work because much of his profits came from destruction of the natural world. He went all sullen on me after that and we parted on not good terms, him to London and me staying here. I must admit that possibly I had been a little tough on him but I wasn't going to take back what I had said, we might be the greenest bank, but we still had loads of shares in oil companies and other planetry agents of destruction.

After he had left on Easter Monday, a bank holiday, Danni saw me in my study and came and put her arm around me, "You feeling a bit down?" she asked me.

"I always say the wrong thin to Simon, I wait for weeks to see him, then he causes me a problem with his over-enthusiastic lovemaking and with you kids and Easter chocolate and I then criticise his business ethics. It was uncalled for and I wish I'd kept my mouth shut."

"Let's go watch a film," she said, "and eat some chocolate."

"I'd have thought you would have eaten yours by now."

"Oh, I have," she joked, "I meant let's eat yours."

"I didn't buy any for me, sorry kiddo."

"Yeah, well we put in a few quid and bought you one, it's in the lounge, come and see it." So it was, a large gold-wrapped Easter egg. We all sat down and had chocolate and watched a weepie together and enjoyed it so much we all cried buckets.

Then after chasing the younger girls to bed, Danni and I just sat closely together on the sofa. "Thank you," I said quietly to her.

"Glad we could give you something back, you give us so much and all we do is take. I felt it was time we gave you something back." She hugged me before I could say anything. I admit I was close to tears and some wet stuff trickled down me cheek while we embraced, I loved these girls so much.

"I take my test next month," she casually mentioned, "and you did promise me the old Jag."

"I didn't, but I tell you what," I whispered to her.

"What?" she replied full of anticipation.

"If it's still in my possession when I die, then you can have it with my blessing."

"Huh," she said almost angrily, "You as good as said I could have it."

"I didn't say when, besides, it's too powerful for a learner driver, it takes years of practice to drive safely and young drivers are prone to speed which is why their insurance is sky high."

"Yeah, but by the time you die, I'll be too old to enjoy it if there's any petrol left?"

"I expect there will be and you'll still enjoy driving it. That car was given to me by someone special, who I didn't appreciate until it was too late. The car reminds me and also that he rebuilt much of that car himself, it was his baby and he gave it to my custody. When you are old enough to appreciate it fully, that car remains mine and will be kept in mothballs, except when I want to remember Mr Whitehead and his attempts to protect me from the Murrays of this world."

"Well, I knew him too and I'm sure he wouldn't mind me driving it, I'd look after it,"

"I know you knew him and I don't care if he minded or not, I am not going to give you his old car. I've told you, you can have a runabout when you pass your test, but that's all. You need to get the miles in controlling an ordinary car before you aspire to a powerful one like the Jaguar."

"You've got two and I haven't any, even Julie has one."

"She was happy with what we gave her it's only you who doesn't seem to be."

"Is that because I'm really a boy?"

"Are you, most boys are happy just to have a set of wheels."

"Huh, we're one of the richest families in Europe, so we can afford it."

"I tell you what, I'll buy you an old Jaguar but you have to insure it yourself."

"Yey," she shouted punching the air. Kissed me and went off to bed unaware that insurance on a powerful car for a young newly-qualified driver, was more than the car cost. She was going to have a shock.

Early the next morning I spoke to the little man who did our repairs and explained my dilemma. He was shocked that Danni should have my old Jag and again offered me thousands. I declined his very kind offer but asked if there was anyone he knew who had an old jag for sale and could I borrow it. I explained how Danni was going to have to insure it herself but I needed an actual car for her to get quotes. He promised to ring me back. I was going to mention that I would buy it if she could insure it but he rang off.

An hour later as I was eating some toast and reading a scientific journal, he rang back. He gave me the number of the owner and told me that the car was in good order as he had serviced it a few months past. I spoke to the owner who listened to what I had to say and agreed to my promise to buy it if Danni could raise the insurance cost.

He brought it over and it was in very good condition. It was an old Jaguar X-type with a two-litre diesel engine, he wanted five thousand for it because it had an hundred and twenty thousand miles on the clock. I drove it for a little distance and liked it immediately. I agreed to buy it there and then. We shook on it and off he went and I went to my bank account and transferred the money to his account. I couldn't wait for Danni to come back, she was off training at Bournemouth and still required a taxi to take and collect her, but she was earning a regular income so she could pay for the insurance if she had saved enough.

She came home for a late lunch and immediately notice the strange car in the drive. "Who is visiting?" she asked.

"No one, why?"

"There's a strange car in the drive."

"Is there, show me." She led me to the back door and pointed out the dark blue Jaguar contrasting with my white one.

"Oh, that's the Jaguar I promised to buy you when you passed your test."

"Oh wow, Mummy, it's fantastic." She dragged me down the drive and we had to go back for the keys, then she sat in the driver's seat and look around her in pure wonder, I felt rotten about the insurance trick I was going to play on her. She looked at the engine and at the boot, which was capacious, and at the spare wheel and the jack. "Can I drive it?" she asked excitedly.

"Not until you insure it and you also need L plates."

"Can't we do it on your insurance, just for me to see how it goes?"

"You're not on my insurance, so you can't drive it and we still need L plates."

"Oh bugger!" she exclaimed and ran back into the house and straight to the phone book. I went to my study as she began calling insurance brokers. Half an hour later she came into me with tears running down her face, "They want five thousand a year for me to drive that car, and that's just third party."

"Oh dear, that would mean that my old Jag would be even more."

"I asked them, It would be between seven and ten grand. Oh, it's so unfair, I'm either persecuted because I am a transwoman and now I'm persecuted just because I'm young."

"There is some advantage in being a woman, a boy in your position would be charged even more."

"Oh, I'm so glad having my balls cut off was for a good reason," she said ladling on the irony.

"It could be worse, they could have cut your head off."

"Ha, bloody ha, if they had at least I wouldn't be in this hell now."

"Is life that bad?" I asked her.

"Did they give you any idea what an ordinary car was?"

"Yeah, if I had a little Peugeot or a mini it would be about two and a half thousand for third party or about three and half for comprehensive. It's so unfair."

"I tried to tell you it was expensive, but neither Daddy nor I want a new young driver on our insurances."

"Why? I'm hardly going to be racing am I?"

"I hope not, but young drivers have more than their share of accidents which is why the premiums are so high. And I'm not suggesting you will race or go mad but lack of experience often causes dangerous situations and collisions to occur."

"Compared to you my reflexes are faster, my eyesight is better and I'm less likely to fall asleep."

"Hoy, I'm still young too you know, not some geriatric old fuddy-duddy and I have twenty years safe driving behind me."

"Yeah, like some geriatric old fuddy-duddy," she laughed.

"Speak to Daddy after dinner, what's David cooking?"

"Beef something or other looked like stew."

"Okay, talk to Daddy after he's finished work, he might be able to get you something a bit cheaper."

"I think I might have to sell my Jag," she sobbed and ran off to her room.

I did try to tell you it was a hard world out there, I said to myself, it's a pity but youngsters do have more accidents and she plays football like a boy, for all I know she may well drive like one too. If she takes it to Uni she will have to pay for parking and it will drink the juice in all that traffic, mine does and I have a more modern engine albeit twice the size of hers. However, I have to show some tough love here because she isn't coming on my insurance and I'm sure Simon will say the same.

I rang him at his office. He was busy but did listen and I told him the saga. "What the hell did you buy her a Jaguar for?"

"That was what she wanted."

"Wanted sex but I didn't get it," he made a dig at me.

"That is another issue, I promised to get her a Jaguar and it is in very good condition and it is one of the lesser models."

"It's still a Jag and they load it on because so many drivers are complete maniacs."

"I know, especially youngsters."

"Why can't she go on your insurance?"

"Same reason I can't see you adding her to yours."

"Fair enough, leave it with me, I have to go."

"Thank you, Simon, just act surprised when she phones you, she doesn't know I've spoken to you."

"Okay, byee," said and rang off before I could tell him I loved him and that if he hadn't shagged me like a steam engine we might have been able to do something again before he went back to London. He was apologetic when he knew he'd hurt me again and I did ask Stella to examine me, which she did and told me that there was a little tear again and brought me some medicine from the hospital which would heal it in a few days, she also said she would ask Michael to check it for me.

So here I am trying to teach one of my daughters a lesson about desire and I'm feeling randy but know I couldn't have sex if I wanted to, life is just great and it's back to work next week. Ain't it just wonderful?