Whatever Next? Chapter 30 by Angharad Copyright© 2022 Angharad

(title picture Andrea Piacquadio)

Dave hadn’t told his kids that he was down for more than the weekend, besides he needed a break. Sharing a house with John was fine, but he missed having a woman round the place, even one who happened to be his mother-in-law. However, as soon as Josie realised he was staying for the week, she bought a train ticket and went back to Cheshire to check on her house. Carol was tempted to do a flit as well, but Maddy would have to stay and Carol didn’t think leaving all three of them for Dave to look after was fair.

Still, having Dave there meant he brought news from home and she had a man to cook for, instead of the three girls, although Gaby did try to empty the fridge for her a couple of times a week.

On the Sunday evening, Jules had gone round to John’s again so Gaby was sitting doing her homework with Maddy, who was as crabby as hell. She must be on, thought the smaller cousin, mind you I feel pretty yuck as well, though that’s probably because Dad’s going back tomorrow.

She glanced out of the window as she finished her homework—bloody English—who cares why wotsit did whatever to wotserface. English they call it—ha—no one’s spoken like that for three hundred years, innit. She closed her books with a flourish, “It’s not raining, d’you fancy a walk, Daddy?”

Dave who’d nearly nodded off over his Sunday paper jerked himself awake, “Um, yeah, why not?”

“If we cut up through the fields there’s some burial thingies on top of the hill.”

“Barrows.”

“I thought they had wheels,” quipped Maddy.

“Eh?” puzzled Gaby.

“Wheelbarrows?”

“Ha bloody ha,” replied a not impressed Gaby.

“Are you wearing your wellingtons?” asked Dave as he went to fetch his walking boots.

“Could do I suppose,” Gaby spoke to herself and walked out to the garage where such things were kept, emptied out any spiders and pulled on the green wellies decorated with ladybirds. “It will be so good to getting back to being a boy again,” she said quietly to herself before checking the butterflies on the back of her earrings. She pulled her jacket closed and zipped it up; it was October already, where was the time going?

Dave caught up with her out by the garage which she locked. He put his arm round her diminutive shoulders and she leant into him just like a girl. One day her situation will sort itself out, he told himself; one day the elephant in the room will be noticed and nettles grasped. He couldn’t see how Drew could ever come back into this very feminine body, except, when on a bike—then the boy emerged—or did it? Jenny was a killer on the bike with a figure he fell in love with all those years ago. He still loved her and amazingly she still had that wonderful figure, as did Drew. He shook his head and Gaby looked up.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” he smiled at her and squeezed her. She almost purred. They walked hand in hand up through the fields. “D’you come up here much then?”

“Me? Nah—well Harry and I have wandered up here once or twice, that’s about it.” Dave didn’t want to know what they might have been doing walking up here, so he didn’t ask. They say mothers can turn a blind eye to their children’s activities, looked as if fathers could too.

It was hard walking; the tufts of grass and the gradient meant Dave was puffing a little although his daughter wasn’t. The curries, it had to be the curries, which were causing him to put on a bit of weight, he thought to himself as he puffed up the hill. In the fading light, they could see the lights of Weymouth and Portland in the distance and felt the breeze blowing up from the sea.

“It’s quite a view?” said Dave wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Yeah, s’okay,” agreed his offspring pulling him closer to her, “Brrr, it’s cold.”

“There’s hillfort down there,” Dave said looking down to the south west.

“So?”

“I might take a walk up there tomorrow.”

“Oh, right; when you goin’ home?”

“Sunday afternoon.”

“Eh? But it’s Sunday, now?” she gasped.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you, I’m staying the week? If it’s okay with you, that is?”

“Okay? That’s brill, Daddy,” she started bouncing round him in excitement and then realised she was doing what Mad sometimes did when she got excited and stopped. This girl business was really getting to her—if she didn’t stop soon, it would be too late—if it wasn’t already.

“Well, it’s quiet at work for a few days so the boss told me to take the week off, he wants half term, so I got this week.”

“An’ I gotta go to bloody school? ’Snot fair.”

“Actually, I’ve requested they give you Thursday and Friday off.”

“Oh wow? What did they say?” she asked bobbing up and down again.

“At first they said no.”

“Typical.”

“But when I explained that I hadn’t seen you for over a month, they said okay.”

“That is brilliant, Daddy,” she was doing that bouncing thing again and squealing, then noticed and stopped. Dave noticed too. It couldn’t be role play, it’s too natural, he considered. Looks like it’s two daughters from here on, he speculated.

“How’s that bike going?” he asked.

“When I have time to ride it, it’s fine—they won’t let me use it because of you know who.”

“He has tried to kill you.”

“But how am I supposed to stay fit if I can’t train?”

“We’ll ask Matt if he can lend you a turbo or knows someone who can.”

“It’s better than nothin’ I s’pose.”

“I’ll go and see him tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Daddy.”

“C’mon, kiddo, let’s get back before it gets dark and we break our necks falling over these tussocks.” They descended the hillside and once again, the cold little hand was shoved into Dave’s meatier mitt. Once again he held it firmly and wondered what the future held for this unfortunate child.

“Are you alright?” he asked seeing her wincing and rubbing her tummy.

“Yeah, probably wind, I’m hungry, I think.” They went inside and Maddy was noticeable by her absence.

“Where’s Mad, Auntie Carol?”

“She’s feeling a bit under the weather so has gone for a lie down.”

“I’ll go and see if she needs anything,” Gaby dashed off before Carol could stop her. Dave looked at her and she mouthed, ‘Time of the month.’ He nodded and walked away, this was alien territory to him and he meant to keep it that way, he’d probably live longer.

“You okay?” asked Gaby as she entered Maddy’s room.

Maddy was lying with a hot water bottle across her stomach. “Yeah, just the you know whats.”

“Eh?”

“My monthly, it’s been bad today.”

“Oh, I’ve not felt that great either, cramps in my tummy.”

“Maybe you’re on as well,” smirked Maddy.

“Oh yeah, maybe I’m pregnant and it’s contractions,” Gaby threw back.

“So that’s what you were doing with Harry.”

“Eh?”

“Sit down and try this,” she handed Gaby the hot water bottle.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Lie it on your tummy, I find it helpful.”

“I’ve only got wind, not a period.”

“Sure, so this might help release it. Here, take it.”

Gaby did as she was told and after a few minutes found the discomfort in her tummy eased a little.

“Better?” asked Mad.

“Actually, yes; yes it is.” How weird is that?

About half an hour later Carol called them to eat and by then the discomfort had eased significantly yet no wind had passed up or down. Maddy smirked to herself, thinking it was probably all psychosomatic, Drew was so in role that he was even having phantom periods, like women living close together all menstruate at the same time—he was doing the same, except he can’t. On the other hand, he’s grown breasts and wider hips without taking anything and he does take those iron tablets, the same as she does. Nah, he can’t be, can he? Don’t go there, it’s too weird even for Drew.

After eating, the girls washed up, Dave was looking at Gaby’s laptop. “Weather looks good for Thursday, if you want to have a ride I’ll follow you in the car,” he called to his younger offspring.

“Great, thanks,” came back the reply. At least Dave was trying to help with the fitness problem, he’d see Matt tomorrow and organise a turbo.

Dave did just that, Matt knew someone who wanted to sell one, so Dave bought it at about a quarter of its new price. It looked hardly used and before Gaby got back from school, he had it set up in the garage.

From Tuesday onwards, the wunderkind spent an hour early morning and evening on the instrument of torture her father had acquired, still with her MP3 player pounding away in her ears, it could have been worse and trying to synch with Queen’s Bicycle Race while in high resistance nearly caused her to fall off.

On the Wednesday evening, Gaby could hardly wait to get home—she effectively had a long weekend with her second favourite parent, and okay, she’d have to share him with Jules, it could be worse.

They all listened to the weather forecast and the next day promised good weather, sunshine and no strong winds. The niggly tummy had passed and Gab seemed her usual ebullient self, even Maddy seemed happier until she remembered she still had to go to school when the Bonds didn’t. Life just wasn’t fair. She had a cousin who was as pretty if not more so than she was and he was a boy—now he’s got a couple of days off and she had to go to school. Still, her mum was there with her, his was gallivanting round the globe—so she wouldn’t change, and maybe things weren’t quite so unfair after all.

Jules was out with John again, she hardly even stayed to be with her dad, except to bum some money from him, so her younger sibling had almost exclusive rights and wasn’t complaining.

The two of them sat and worked out an interesting route for Gaby to ride the next day. It would stick to mainly country lanes and they’d cut up through Bere Regis, over an undulating route through Milborne St Andrew, Duntish, Cheselbourne and Piddletrenthide, come back down the Piddle valley, back through the edge of Dorchester past the show ground and then back to the village. It would be challenging enough with a good variation in terrain and some challenging climbs—maybe not comparable to the Peak District, but the rolling topography of Dorset belied how steep some of those climbs could be—some were real stinkers.

Thursday morning dawned and Gaby dressed for a ride rather than school. Harry was bemoaning the fact that he had to attend school but he knew if he skived off he’d be in trouble. He was jealous of Dave who was going out for a ride with Gaby when he’d be stuck in a stuffy classroom conjugating irregular verbs in French or listening to a science teacher drone on about this or that chemical compound. He was in love—that was the only chemistry that mattered to him—not ammonia and its smelly salts.

After a reasonable breakfast, the Bonds set off through Crossways and up to Bere Regis and the ride had begun. Dave had checked over the bike beforehand and it was actually in quite good condition, so the things he’d try to teach Dr—Gaby were obviously achieving something. He’d always thought it was essential to be able to fix a puncture or replace a cable when out on a ride, and she’d proven she could do that even if she complained about getting her hands dirty. Typical girl, he thought, then realised it was a while ago and it was just Drew then who’d moaned. He never did like getting his hands dirty.

At Piddletrenthide, they stopped at the Poachers and had a cup of coffee, then it was off down the valley through Piddlehinton and up the long climb before heading down towards Dorchester a couple of miles further on.

It was heading towards Dorchester that they passed a large BMW motorbike going the other way. It had wobbled and the rider had nearly lost control, though neither Bond noticed that its bearded rider had spotted his arch enemy, all sweetness and mascara flying down the road in the opposite direction. It was her, it had to be. He recognised the bike, the riding kit and that face, pretty but determined. He went on a little way and headed back towards Dorchester, life was looking up and the consignment of cocaine he had in his panniers would wait another hour, the buyer wasn’t going anywhere and Sherborne School was such a dependable market—bored little rich kids—always dependable.

Meadows eased the big motorbike round and set off in hot pursuit, he couldn’t believe how far they’d got—it was a pity in some ways that he had to kill her, she was pretty and obviously very talented—but she had got right up his nose more than once.

The latest occasion being that his consignment of the contaminated soft drinks had been discovered by the brat and her boyfriend, he’d lost five big ones with that—no she had to die, that was final.

As she sped down towards the main London road, which used to be the main through road from west to east, Dave hung back knowing he’d have to stop at the junction, the large BMW flew past him and cut up Gaby on her bike in front of him.

Somehow she managed to swerve into the entrance to the showground, pursued by the motorbike. Dave overshot the entrance and had to go on and turn the car round before he could try to protect his daughter.

He screamed into the showground entrance, the tyres of the Saab leaving black tracks on the roadside, Gaby was jinking about on the field pursued by the German juggernaut which seemed unable to actually catch her.

Dave slammed his foot down and shot after the pair of them.