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(aka Bike) Part 604 by Angharad |
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The next day we all went shopping; Tom took the kids into the local sweet shop and I stole away and into the toyshop down the road. I got the Nintendo DS Lite handheld console and was back on the pavement before they’d noticed I was missing. So far, so good.
I’d also bought Mima some doll’s clothes so she wouldn’t feel left out. The weather was warming up a little and my feet felt like toast in the boots I had on, although there was a draught blowing up my skirt and keeping my nether regions cool. At least it wasn’t raining, although some was forecast today or tomorrow. I wondered if I might get a short bike ride in–that’s the only problem with children, no time for anything else.
I walked with the girls as Tom disappeared into a jewellery shop and came back nodding and smiling. Trish now had some sort of necklace. We stopped for a coffee and the girls had milkshakes. My phone peeped as in text message received and I checked it.
‘Hi, missin u. H wants 2 kno wot T wants 4 b’day.
Luv S. xxx’
I sent back, ‘How much dus he want 2 spend?
Miss u 2. Luv C xxx. T&M send love.’
“Who was that, Mummy?” Trish asked.
“Daddy, why?”
“Is he coming home soon?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart.”
“Did you tell him we miss him?”
“No, I told him you love him.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” she said.
“I wuv Daddy, too,” said Mima.
“I said you did, too.”
“I’m gwad you did, Mummy.”
We shopped a bit more and I slipped away to get the pyjamas and slippers for Mima to give her sister. I also got some new pyjamas for Trish to give Mima, who also needed some new ones.
Then it was time for me to pop over to see the two doctors and lunch. Tom was using Dad’s car and the girls went off with him with a slight reluctance. I suppose they thought they were missing out on something–but Tom had promised them pizza, so they went with him. I was happy to miss out, I don’t like eating greasy cardboard.
As I turned into the car park of the Admiral Nelson pub and restaurant, I saw Sam and a woman walking from his car, a BMW, towards the pub. I parked and after checking my hair and makeup in the vanity mirror on the back of the sun visor, I rushed in after them. I spotted them in the bar.
“Ah, Cathy, what are you drinking?” called Sam.
“Orange juice with lemonade, please.” I walked over to them. His companion was a slight, blonde woman with masses of long blonde hair. She was pretty rather than beautiful, being a bit elfin looking. She was wearing a pink jacket over black trousers with a black top, and boots with heels. I was wearing a red suit with a navy top, and my red boots.
“Cathy, might I introduce, Dr Karen Nicholson. Karen, this is Cathy Watts, soon to be Lady Cameron.” We shook hands and carried our drinks over to a table in the corner.
“Karen, I asked Cathy to come to meet you because she has been fostering a youngster, who is coming up five, bright as a button but transgendered.”
“Which way–boy to girl or t’other way round?” asked Karen.
“Boy to girl,” said Sam.
“And you’re fostering him/her?”
“Her, yes I am.”
“Oh, so you’ve allowed him to express himself as a girl?”
“It was Patricia whom I met at Sam’s clinic, she has been Patricia ever since.”
“Oh, did you insist on that?”
“No, I told her that if she considered herself a girl, we’d all accept her as that and treat her accordingly until she said otherwise. I haven’t regretted it, nor has she, as far as I know.”
“Did you find that a problem, I mean having a boy wanting to be a girl?”
“No, should I have?”
“Well some people do. Obviously, Sam knew you’d cope.”
“There were bigger issues,” said Sam, “Cathy had been duped into fostering Jemima, who’d had a nasty head injury from a RTA. She’d not been mobilising, and Cathy took her home and within a week had her walking and running again. Patrick or as she prefers, Patricia, had had a head injury which had healed as far as we knew, and yet she wasn’t mobilising. She’d been living in a local children’s home and was being bullied because of her GID. We think a kid might have pushed her down the stairs and caused the injury in the first place.
“After her miracle with Jemima, I wondered if she could do the same with Patricia. She did, within the week.”
“How interesting, how did you do it?” Karen leant her chin on her hand.
“With a pair of my shoes.”
“Your shoes?”
“I allowed Mima to find them in my bedroom, she loves tottering about in them. I let her take them downstairs and after watching her clomping about in them, Trish wanted a go. She didn’t do too well at first, but she did walk and we took it from there. I mean, what little girl can resist trying on Mummy’s shoes?”
“Quite, very clever stuff. I shall have to watch you.” Karen smiled.
“Oh, why is that?” I asked.
“In case you subliminally manipulate me.”
“I promise I won’t.”
“Thank you.” She sipped her drink, a white wine, “I still can’t get over that you accepted a GID child, with no questions asked.”
“Why not? I can’t have kids myself, so looking after other peoples’ is all I’m likely to get. I love kids, whether they are boys or girls, doesn’t matter to me or Simon.”
“Simon?” she asked.
“My fiancé, Simon Cameron.”
“Ah, the titled one.”
“Yes, I’m still not sure about that bit, seems a bit of an anachronism to me.”
“Yeah, could be I suppose, so what does he think about having a foster daughter with an extra something?”
“They took to each other like ducks to water. Trish–nor Mima for that matter, had had much contact with a male parental figure, so they love Simon, who spoils them rotten. So does Tom, their foster grampa and Henry and Monica, their other foster grandparents.”
“Wow, so you’ve got a whole family who support this girl? She is very lucky. Usually there’s someone who objects to it for some reason.”
“Why? The child is incredibly clever, and quite charming and looks and acts the little girl as naturally as her sister.”
“Oh there’s a sister?”
“No, they, the two girls decided that they would be sisters and treat us as their parents. I objected at first, trying to keep open some sort of channel for their natural parents. It felt strange to be called Mummy by someone else’s child, but she kept doing it. They both did.”
“Not more of your subliminals?”
“No, Karen, at least not as far as I know.”
“I think they needed the security of a mother and father, saw Simon and Cathy as the dream team, and latched on to them. You’d never know they weren’t Cathy’s kids, really you wouldn’t,” said Sam.
“Hmmm,” said Karen.
“I have treated them as my own, because that’s the only way I know. I haven’t encouraged them to call me Mummy, but they both like to do it and persisted with it, they did the same with Simon, and Tom. We all live with Tom, it’s his house.”
“So, Tom is your father?”
“Sort of, my natural father died last year, we had a difficult relationship until after my mother died and he had a stroke. I used to go and see him and possibly because he needed me, he changed his attitude towards me.”
“And how did you feel about him?”
“I loved both my parents, but they were a bit fundamentalist and I’m a scientist–a fundamentalist Darwinian if you like, we clashed and they didn’t speak to me for ages.”
“So where does Tom, figure in this?” asked Karen.
“I was doing a masters with him, he’s my professor. I got bullied by some male students and Tom sort of took me under his wing. He’d lost a daughter whose name was Catherine. I got my degree, had skills he wanted for a big project the University was mounting, and he gave me a job, teaching and helping with the project.”
“So he sort of adopted you?”
“Yeah, the full story is a bit longer, but yeah, that’s about it.”
“So how do you cope with teaching at a uni and looking after two foster kids?”
“I don’t, I was seconded by Defra and High St Banks, to make a film on dormice. It was during this that I found myself with first one, then two little girls. I’m contracted to make a second film on harvest mice, but don’t know if I shall. The girls come first.”
“And you can’t have any?”
“No.”
“Not even with IVF?”
“No.”
“Pity. So will you do the second film?”
“I don’t know, Simon’s sister has just had a baby but has very bad post-natal depression, so I might have to help look after her as well.”
“Crikey, you are a helpful soul, but shouldn’t you be doing a bit of what you want too?” asked Karen.
“In that regard, looking after the kids is something I love anyway, so that’s a payback for me. My PhD can wait, so can the film if necessary.”
“How lovely to see someone who is prepared to stay at home and look after their kids. If only more parents did, my life would be so much easier.”
“I’m lucky, I’m on a retainer from the bank as their environmental adviser and Simon has a good job.”
“What does he do?” she asked.
“He’s a commodities broker amongst other things.”
“Oh, I thought bankers had a bad name, these days.”
“Not all banks bought toxic assets, and the bit Simon works for is a merchant bank.”
“So you can afford to stay home?”
“Yes, I’m well aware not everyone can. I’m very lucky.” I glanced at Sam, he was smiling at how I was telling the truth, but not the whole truth and that Karen hadn’t twigged me yet.
“Would you care to order?” asked the waitress.
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Comments
I just wonder, maybe Karen
I just wonder, maybe Karen already knows about Cathy's history and is waiting to see if she brings it up. If Cathy is as famous and known as many people have stated because of her Dormouse and the blouse episode, it could be quite easy for her to be known. Either way, one can only hope that Karen is a much better and compassionate Doctor. J-Lynn
Two out of three
Or maybe that's four. What they always ask in court. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God. Cathy has one and three covered, but two is a bit sparse, and four doesn't apply to her as a "fundamentalist Darwinian". ;-)
They know they can survive
In UK the oath in court…
…does not include the bit about “so help me God.â€
Gabi
Gabi.
What part of "maybe"
Do you not understand?
They know they can survive
Neither is it mandatory is most States of the USA...
In almost every jurisdiction, the "so help me God" part is optional, and the oath has a plug-compatible alternative wording, "...swear (or affirm)..." which is moderately old in US terms, having taken into account the religious objections of Friends (Quakers) and others to swearing oaths involving God almost from the beginning of the Republic.
A legalistic objection may also be made that requiring such an inflexible oath from an atheist, or anyone not subscribing to some form of the Judeo-Islam-Christian worldview, is itself a demand to lie, and so void.
Article II, section 1 of the US Constitution says only this:
'Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." '
Everything else, bloodletting, hands on Bibles, the sacrifice of goats, eloquent invocations of deities, goddesses, or demons, is optional theatrics added for the purpose of beguiling the rubes.
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
When I've served on juries ...
... in the UK (3 times so far and they've got less than a year to get me for a fourth term of duty. We're considered too doddery once we're over 70 :) ) I've always opted to affirm that I'll do my duty to the best of my ability as swearing on the Bible would be quite meaningless to me. Presumably the same option applies in the USA. As we don't have a constitution as such that doesn't come into it either.
It threw the Clerk of the Court last time I did jury duty when I told him I wished to affirm because he'd forgotten to tell us about the non-religious alternative. I was about half way and 2 or 3 others affirmed after me.
Geoff
And I sincerely hope it
And I sincerely hope it never gets added.
Seems unlikely....
Article VI of the Constitution says:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Claims by various nutters that the USA was founded as a "Christian" country are just plain lies. Most of the people involved were deists, not Christians at all, and had a profound distrust and hatred of European-style Established Churches of any sort.
The "Under God" now present on US currency, and its intrusive presence in the Pledge of Allegiance, were nutcase additions designed during the Cold War to distinguish the "Godless" Communists from the saintly USA.
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Fail
This new child psychiatrist, Karen? There's something about her I don't like. Maybe it's the combative skepticism. Maybe the fact that she reiterates other people's reactions to stereotypical situations before she asks about the relevant people's attitudes about this specific one. Maybe it's all the assumptions she's quite willing to not only make, but to vocalize. She's clearly not starting with a blank slate or an open mind. Plus, so far, not only doesn't she strike me as intelligent, or a good conversationalist, but insufficiently devoted to the best outcome for each of her patients.
Throw this one back. Trish deserves much better.
Maybe
I dunno, she may have a good reason. Maybe she's testing Cathy, see what her reaction is. And she may not waste her time on Utube like so many people. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. She is pretty, points for that anyway. Long, blonde hair, extra points. ;-)
Add: Besides, she wouldn't be Cathy's doctor, she'd be Trish's. So she wants to know what influences Trish has been subjected to, bad and good.
Karen J.
"All lies in jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest"
The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
I agree with Pippa
Karen is definately a confrontive individual. It is shown in her words, and it showed that she was having a tough time to agree to call Trish, Patricia; by constantly saying Patrick, him or he in reference to Patricia. The person obviously has no sympathy for a TG individual, is the way I read it. I'm sure Patricia is not going to like her either.
I just wonder about Dr. Rose? Is he really helping? Is he really looking out for the child? That is two he recommended and the first one was absolutely ghastly; is this one going to be any different?
Way to write Angharad. Looking forward to the next chapter and I feel if Cathy picked up on it, which I am sure she will, she is not going to agree to go to this particular individual. Which psych did Cathy use? Why can't she go back to that individual? Cathy would know that one far better than these two losers. I for one would not go to Karen with my kids, she is not sympathetic at all from what I see. She thinks Cathy is in the wrong for allowing Trish to be Patricia from what I see. Once Karen finds out about Cathy being a post-op TS, she will say that Cathy is unfit to foster PATRICK for she is pushing this child to be a girl, regardless of what Trish really says.
Sigh, to find a truly sympathetic psychiatrist is a hard thing to find, especially one with experiance.
Here is hoping. I may be all wet, but that is the way Karen comes across to me, I hope Cathy sees it that way too, by what Karen has already said.
Hugs
Joni W
Obvious
When dealing with a mental health professional, it's usually very difficult to discover what they're thinking, as their training is meant to make them excellent poker players.
Confrontation is an excellent method of worming out the truth quickly, which is quite often a problem (as people *do* lie, or say what they think other people want to hear -- indeed, Cathy is lying through omission, and it's quite clear that everyone knows this). Who has the time, especially time for which one is being paid, to dance around the central issues or politely allow obfuscation and deceit to go unchallenged whilst the charges to the ratepayers mount up?
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
YEA
just wanted to say that I got my daily fix. Thank you!
Me, I Think That Angharad Will
Let us know IF she knows about Cathy later on. She SEEMS to be a very nice lady, but seems reluctant to accept Patricia.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
I kinda hope that Sam
has his eyes and ears open too. Figure he'd step in if he thought there was going to be an issue. Anyone ever think that maybe Cathy and Karen have more in common than they know and that's the reason for Karen's skepticism?
Hi Angharad Nearly caught up
Hi Angharad
Nearly caught up now, Only 30+ parts before i'm up to date!!
Wonder how many more children Cathy will be caring for by the time i've caught up?
Still think that your story is the best tg serial i've ever read, 600+ parts and its still gripping me!
Hugs Kirri
I'm wondering...
...how long it will take Karen to add two and two...
...or for her to remember watching a certain clip on YouTube...and notice the striking similarity between the protagonist and the woman in front of her...
(Surely she can't be the only adult in the story who hasn't watched "Dormouse Juggling")
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Specialist
Seems Trish would need a specialist, and is not getting one. Is this a function of the UK system? BTW, I am a major fan of public health, but as with many things there has to be a down side.
Dr Karen is nobody's fool, She highly suspects
Now there's something only Sheila's can get the benefit of, oh, and Regimental Scots also.
Big difference in this one ! I'm sure Karen smells something, and shortly will ask a direct question about Cathy's original, physical gender. After all, Cathy stopped just short of saying that she was a tg with SRS.
Cefin