The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3464 by Angharad Copyright© 2024 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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Diane and I worked all day on how we could save money in the department, since like many universities we were facing a shortage. Like many institutions full of very clever people, there was also a shortage of common sense and Covid showed what happened when you lose lots of overseas students in a short time. The money they paid helped most universities to get through fiscal difficulties, the overseas students had largely gone but the prudence that had been lacking amongst all these super-brains had not been realised by those who thought the money train would eventually run out as was happening now.

Our department was relatively lucky as we weren't in an overspend situation but the university as a whole was. Simon had shown me how to demonstrate that we were fiscally in the black and I was trying to make the case that I wasn't going to sacrifice my financial care to save departments who weren't. The estates department had continued building student accommodation even while the finance to continue had been raised. Of course the argument that we were run by bean-counters was never far away and we had been economising for some months, our courses were full and looked promising for 2025 and were in credit, so why should I bail out the estates department - a point I made vigorously at the student council. Estates had lost several staff including senior managers for their feckless attitude towards the coming storm. We were being allowed to raise fees but were still going to be short and I actually asked in a council meeting why present and future students should be made to pay for a problem they'd had nothing to do with.

The present situation was very unsatisfactory, we had unfinished halls of residence and a potential oversupply of accommodation. Again Simon helped by getting an estimate of future need and how we could lease out the other bedsits for non-student use. We worked out the market rate which well above the fees we were charging but which over a year could provide half of the capital required to resolve the crisis. If we sold them, it would provide all the missing capital but if we needed more rooms if the situation improved we would then have to find sites and build again and who knew what could happen then. No one seemed to foresee Covid, so it could happen again or something equally awful, and we'd be back to square one.

I also proposed an investment fund which would be managed by Cameron's Bank, the original merchant form which gave rise to High Street. I hoped that some sort of contingency fund might make things easier if disasters befell us again. The idea was liked but not supported.

As Vice Chancellor, Tom had prevented much of the trouble by being insightful enough to see it coming and he had successfully steered us away from the worst of it but even he had been caught by the problems arising from our oversupply of student residences.

He resubmitted a plan that we engage a company to run such a letting agency to deal with leasing the extra rooms to the general public to raise a target sum and that they would be responsible for any untoward behaviour and for vetting would-be tenants. They would collect rents and evict non-paying customers or other troublemakers. The measure was passed by council and the meeting ended. I was exhausted and sent Diane home and meant to do the same myself asap. A phone call as I was leaving stopped me. It was Tom's secretary and she was very worried about him as he looked quite ill. I rushed to his office and he was lying on the floor and it looked like a heart attack. I knelt down and held his hand while his secretary called the ambulance. To be honest, I was shitting bricks as we awaited the paramedics. The stress of the last couple of days had caused this and I knew that Tom was going to resign and I would agree with him, no job is worth dying for and he looked very sick.

It put a damper on Christmas. I don't believe in all the nonsense, which is older than Christianity, but like many religious festivals had been gobbled up and revamped by the burgeoning early church. If you look at it in any objective detail you should appreciate that most of the rituals are pagan and predate the church by thousands of years with the Holly King being killed by the Oak King as the winter gives way to spring and for the position to be reversed at the summer solstice, when the Holly King is again in the ascendant. It's all about celebrating the solstice which happens on the 21st of December.

Easter another festival the early church stole, is really a celebration of fertility, commemoration of which ensure lots of crops and livestock during the coming summer. So the Easter Bunny may have more legitimacy than palm crosses. It feels almost blasphemous to pursue this line but anyone who doesn't believe it only has to read the history of the Christian Church which is built on lies, treachery, slaughter and politics. Religion of love - tell that to the Cathars who were murdered by the then Pope and the king of France. Both made millions by confiscating money from the deposed aristocracy of mainly the Languedoc.

I followed the ambulance to the QA and was then detained in the waiting room while Tom was trolleyed off to the treatment area. I answered as many of the questions as I could to help the admin part support the doctors and nurses and others who made up the professional side of the place. It was after five and Stella would have left her clinic some while ago. I phoned her and told her what was happening. Her immediate response was to offer to come but I needed her to organise the household until I got home with help from Sara and Danni. She so wanted to come be at the hospital it took me ages to convince her that her need was at the house not here.

He was admitted and taken to ICU, they hoped just for one night. I was eventually allowed to see him and he was still rather a grey colour even though he was on oxygen. I stayed until I could hardly remain awake. Going home I nearly had a prang but just managed to brake in time. What white van man was doing at 10 o'clock at night escaped me, but I suspected he was as tired as I was, perhaps more so. I had right of way at a roundabout but he just kept coming. I stopped and he squeezed through. It certainly woke me up and I drove home very warily for the rest of my journey.

Of course, they all wanted to know how Gramps was and I could only say he was comfortable but quite ill. At least it hadn't been like Germany where that nutter drove his car into a Christmas market and killed at least five including a child. That was an act of mass murder whatever else they call it and to which there is no answer. It has been used by terrorists every so often, often in France or Germany and unless you have draconian laws protecting pedestrians at these events, which would make them less attractive and no one would go to them, or it's the price of freedom. It's Christmas and nearly always there are reports of plane crashes or mass murders or other horrible crimes. Why, who knows except the roads are possibly icy or very dark and people are not concentrating sufficiently as everyone has things to do.

But things like this mass rape trial in France has ended with all the men being found guilty, what the lady victim feels, apart from betrayal by her nearest and dearest because he liked to watch her being raped, is indescribable. I can only feel for her. It shows the misogyny of society, men have had the power for too long and have shown they are not up to the task and shouldn't women have a say in things, they form a larger number than men?

I rang the hospital before I went to bed and they described him as comfortable. I sent a text to Simon and received texts of support from him and Henry. I was almost out on my feet and went to bed only to have Stella join me to hold me while I slept because she knew I'd be worried sick. I thought it was very kind of her. She simply said, "It's what sisters are for." I couldn't argue with it and went to sleep eventually to be beset by nasty dreams much of the night, despite my companion.

Was the previous order being upset? I didn't know but I knew that I'd be in ICU visiting as soon as I could get there, that was for sure.