The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1530 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

Later that night when Simon and I were snuggled in bed together, I asked him what he thought of Caroline.

“She’s a bit shy, but then coming into this madhouse, anyone who wasn’t would have to be crazy or a total exhibitionist.”

“Possibly, apart from shy, what else did you think?”

“Hard to tell, ask me in a month or two–why, d’you have second thoughts about her?”

“Not really, it’s just getting used to someone new. I must stop employing transgender people...”

“Or adopting them, you mean?”

“Maybe–I just feel that maybe the kids are getting too exposed to it, what with Julie, Trish and me, and Maureen. I mean the average person probably doesn’t get to meet more than the odd one in a lifetime.”

“Dunno, I think it’s certainly the odd ones they tend to remember, whereas beautiful women like you stand out in their memory for other reasons.” Simon was gently stroking my breast as he spoke.

“And what reasons are those?” I teased him.

“I couldn’t possibly say in front of the children,” he said with mock coyness.

“What children?” I challenged.

“Oh, have they gone. See? I was blinded by your beauty?”

“You can hardly see anything it’s so dark.”

“Ah but your beauty and sexiness shines its own light, to those with eyes to see it.”

“You mean old lechers like you?”

“Hey, less of the old.” He began to tickle me and kiss me and before long we were making love. Afterwards, after I’d been for a little wash or it means changing the bed already, we lay cuddling.

“That was really nice of you to do that photo of Billie–it’s a really good likeness isn’t it?”

“I thought you’d like it.”

“It captured her spirit in essence, that beguiling smile. Pretty little thing.”

He held me while I got control of myself and wiped my tears. “Sorry about that,” I apologised.

“That’s okay, it’s still early days–so don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s going to take months.”

“Yeah I know,” I bit my lip. “Daddy’s asked if we’d like to inter her ashes in his family grave, so they can keep an eye on her.”

“What d’you think?” he asked.

“I think it’s a very nice gesture.”

“Okay, we’ll do that then–any idea when?”

“I hadn’t really thought too much about it. I think before, rather than after Christmas, to let the kids settle down to normality again.”

“Do they need to be involved?”

“Oh God yes! She was their sister, they’d be furious if we didn’t allow them to come.”

“Okay, let me know when you have a date in mind, oh and don’t forget to let Henry know, he sees our kids just as much his grandchildren as Stella’s lot.”

“Yeah, I will, hopefully I’ll be less upset than I was at the funeral.”

“That was shock, babes. It happened in front of you and was unexpected.”

“Did I tell you that she had an aneurysm.”

“What through the accident?”

“No, she had one in her brain so she wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway.”

“I thought they happened to old people?”

“No they can happen at any age, some of it is congenital–I did some research on it afterwards.”

“After the accident?”

“No, well, yes, but after I spoke with Sam Rose, he told me she could have died at any time.”

“At nine or ten years old–isn’t that just so–I dunno, words fail me. It all seems so unfair.” I could feel his body tensing as he felt angry about the seeming injustice we call life.

“Seems to be how things are, Si, just how things are.”

“You seem reconciled to it?”

“While I was away, I had a strange dream.”

“Oh yeah, what was that?”

“I saw Billie, she was brought to me by an angelic being who explained things and promised to look after her. I hugged her and told her I loved her and she told me she loved me and had been really happy with us. Then she went away.”

“Powerful stuff,” he commented, “but I can see how that might bring some solace.”

“Yeah, obviously my unconscious mind was trying to make sense where none exists, and to comfort me as well. Even though I’m suspicious of anything like that, it did make me feel easier. So I can understand how religion helps some people.”

“I can sense a but coming,” said Simon, pulling me close to him.

“But, I feel it’s all nonsense. Physics rules the cosmos, not some archaic divinity who is about as much use as a fountain pen is to a horse.”

“Didn’t Black Beauty use one to write his story then?” asked Simon with a disinenguous naíveté.

“No, he used a pen made from a sharpened equisetum.”

“Go on, what’s that when it’s at home?”

“Equisetum? It’s horsetail.” I heard him groan suitably offended by my pun. We lay cuddling a bit longer and I asked him about the bank. “When do you find out about the investigation?”

“When they’ve analysed the evidence. Thankfully, we were able to save some of it from the auditor, so I think I should be exonerated.”

“If they knew you as well as I do, they’d know you wouldn’t do anything like that.”

“I–um–did do a bit, Cathy, but I think I should be okay. I didn’t actually lose the money, someone embezzled it.”

“D’you know what a bezzle is?”

“Some sort of thing on a chisel, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but it’s also according to JK Galbraith, the unknown amount of money that’s taken when someone embezzles it.”

“Sounds quite a good one to me.”

We cwtched for a bit longer and fell asleep, waking the next morning at just before seven when Trish came in and said there was someone downstairs. “It’s probably Gramps,” I grumbled half asleep.

“No it isn’t, Gramps is still in bed.”

“Perhaps Julie got up early.”

“She’s in bed too.”

My brain was slowly waking up, and I most definitely decided that it was too early for it to be Father Christmas.

“What about Auntie Stella?”

“She’s still asleep.”

“I give up, who is it?”

“I don’t know, Mummy, that’s why I came to tell you.”

“Oh alright.” I heaved myself out of bed, Simon was still comatose the other side of the bed. Really I should send him down to check it out but by the time he wakes up whoever it is will be long gone.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and slipped my feet into my slippers, then crept downstairs with Trish behind me. There was definitely a few noises emanating from the direction of the kitchen. I got to the door and gently turned the handle and pushed open the door.

An aroma of frying bacon mixed with fresh coffee and toast assailed my nostrils and I pushed the door open to be met by Caroline wearing one of my aprons, standing with her back to me as she cooked the breakfast. Seated all around the table were the rest of the girls.

“We’s havin’ a cooked bweakfast, Mummy,” Mima smiled at me.

“So I see, Meems.”

“Ah, the boss lady, must remember to curtsy and tug my forelock–one egg or two?”

“I don’t eat cooked breakfasts, Caroline.”

“Never mind, Mummy, I got you down here so you can watch us,” Trish beamed at me, which caused me the opposing desires to strangle her while hugging her.

“Go on, just a little bit of bacon and an egg,” Caroline cajoled.

“Oh all right.” Trish tugged me to the table and I sat down, whereupon Caroline placed a plate of bacon, eggs, tomato and mushrooms in front of me plus a rack full of toast. “Go and get Daddy, I may need help eating all this,” I whispered to Trish, who cantered off up the stairs to wake Simon.