Wuthering Dormice (aka Bike) Part 840 by Angharad

I showed Leon the shed, a wooden one with a felt roof, it was mostly sound, though the odd strip of wood might need replacing. I gave him some gardening gloves and some sandpaper and told him to start rubbing down the old paint. He hadn’t got a clue–the way he was doing it, he’d have taken all day to shorten his nails let alone shift the old paint. It was just as well I was in my older clothes, because I had to show him and whenever I looked around he was looking at something else. I began to wonder if it was such a good idea. Reinforcements arrived in the person of Tom and despite the apparent communication difficulties, I left them to it.

I went back to my kitchen and shivered, I didn’t have a coat on while I was out. Cleaning up the kitchen warmed me up in no time and I set about organising various pulses and spices to boil up together to make the curry. I did a separate small pan of much hotter sauce for Daddy and Simon, which could be added to the milder large brew I was making–and even that smelt much stronger than the meals I usually prepare. I was wondering if I’d be able to cope eating it, I really didn’t like spicy food–but I wanted the girls to be able to eat it.

An hour later I was doing a mound of Basmati rice and I cheated with the poppadams, I’d bought those in from the supermarket. Things were going all right, so far. Next while everything was cooking I did dishes of various chutneys and fruits, and some yoghurt. For a cheap meal, this was proving quite expensive.

Finally Trish turned up in the kitchen, “What’s that smell, Mummy?”

“Why, don’t you like it?”

“Dunno, it’s different though.”

“It’s vegetable curry.”

“Do I like curry, Mummy?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Do the others?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart, I expect so–they seem to like most things I make.”

“It smells like some stuff you do for Gramps, now and again.”

“Gramps loves his curry, so does Daddy.”

“When will Daddy be home?” she stood on the step stool and gave the main pot a stir.

“Be careful, it’s all very hot on there,” I cautioned her, “Daddy should be home anytime.” I spoke more from hope than expectation.

“Are you glad you married him?”

“That’s a strange question, why did you ask it?”

She hugged me, “I didn’t want you to blame me if you weren’t.”

“I’m an adult, Trish, which means I’m responsible for my own actions. So I decided to marry Simon, no one made me–and that includes you, Simon, Auntie Stella, and Gramps. You aren’t to blame nor is anyone else.

“I’m glad you married him,” she said quietly rubbing her face into my chest.

“Yes, I know, and so am I?

“You weren’t really going to send me back to the home, were you?”

“Darling, I will never send you away, even things like university we will discuss to make sure you want to go and where. Did my joke upset you?”

“Not really, it’s what I thought–that you were joking.”

“But you weren’t certain?”

“No.”

“Well rest assured, I will never send you away–I promise, and a lady’s word is her bond.” Couldn’t have said that a couple of weeks ago.

“I believe you, Mummy.”

“I hope you trust me–I’ll never intentionally hurt any of you, be assured of that.”

“We love you, Mummy–we do so hope you can adopt us all.”

“I’ve started the ball rolling, so let’s keep our fingers crossed shall we.”

The back door came flying open, “Damn fool child’s fallen off yon shed.” Tom was breathless and red faced.

“Don’t touch anything,” I said pointing at the cooker, and dashed out into the garden. I ran to the shed I’d indicated I thought should be done and there was no sign of Leon. I looked inside it–he hadn’t fallen through the roof and he wasn’t anywhere to be seen by the side of it. “Leon,” I called.

“Thon one,” Tom panting behind me pointed at one at the far end of the garden.

“What’s he doing up there, I wanted this one done?”

“That’s waur he wis when I came oot.”

I walked briskly up to the shed, which was a brick one with an asbestos type roof–the sort you need roofing ladders for. “Leon?” I called.

“In ‘ere,” came back a muffled reply. I tried the door, but it was jammed shut.

“I’ve never been in that one, what’s in there?”

“It wis a well hoose.”

“But the well is under the garage?”

“Aye, there’s several”

“Ding dong bloody bell, Leon’s in the well–how do we get in, Daddy?”

“The door wis sealed up.”

“I can see that, Daddy, how do we unseal it?”

“We canna.”

“Okay, we’re going to need a ladder or two. Hang on, Leon, I’m getting a ladder.” I ran back to the house grabbed the garage keys and brought the ladder out, Tom came wheezing up behind and between us we carried the ladder up to the shed. I lent it up against the wall and climbed up while Tom stood on the bottom.

I looked over inside and there about five foot down hanging upside down was Leon, caught by his jeans or his belt on a nail or hook sticking out from the wall. “Don’t move, I’ll get a rope.”

“I can’t,” he gasped.

I ran back to the garage just as Simon pulled into the drive. “What’s going on?” he asked seeing me running back up the drive with the rope.

“Leon’s fallen and got stuck,” I trotted back with Simon running behind me.

With Simon’s help and his extra reach and strength, what we did was split up the ladder, he put half down inside the shed–the well was capped with stone–then he climbed over and lifted the youth off the hook. Then they both climbed out and brushed themselves down. Leon had ripped his jeans, the bottom was pretty well out of them.

“What on earth were you doing up there?” I asked once we’d got them both safely out.

“Frowin’ da ball fa da dog, it wennup dere. Lookit my jeans my ma will kill me.”

I was laughing, his clothes were covered in dust and his jeans had torn the seat right out, his underpants were ripped too. “C’mon, let’s get you in and washed, then have some lunch.”

I shoved all their clothes in the washer while Simon showered in our bathroom and Leon used the one in the attic. He was going to have to borrow some of my clothes, I was nearest in size to him, either that or Stella and I’m not sure she’d be too pleased to loan any–I wasn’t to be honest.

I found a fairly plain pair of panties, and an old pair of jogging pants plus a tee shirt and sweatshirt. He dressed in them and the only giveaway was the colour–they were a bit of a girly pink. The girls thought it was hilarious–like something out of a Gaby story, suggested Trish.

“I can’t go ‘ome in dese,” said Leon standing in the kitchen doorway, “dey’ll all laugh at me.”

“Let’s have lunch, shall we, and I’ll go and get you some afterwards–or I’ll give you the money and you can get them.”

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere dressed in dese,” he said back much to the amusement of three little girls.

“We could always call you Leona,” suggested Livvie to loads of giggles.

“Hey, I ain’t no girly, okay?”

“It does say Girl Power on the back of the sweatshirt,” Simon joked.

Leon pulled it off, “I din’t see dat.” It didn’t, Simon was pulling his leg and after Leon realised he’d been had, he laughed too.