(aka Bike) Part 1630 by Angharad Copyright © 2012 Angharad
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“Jacquie is going to be starting college in September to get her A levels.” I announced and she nearly choked on her tea.
“Good idea,” commented Stephanie who was breastfeeding little Emily.
“Dunno if I could settle back down to do that now,” mused Julie, who would be back at work and college herself next week.
“Between now and then, I’m going to offer you the job of nanny/housekeeper.” I said to Jacquie and Stephanie’s eyes bugged out. “If you want to think about it, that’s up to you.”
“When would I start?” she asked me.
“As soon as you’re ready.”
“How about Monday?”
“Fine with me,” it was now Friday.
“And it’s live-in?”
“There’s room and board, you’ve seen the room?” I asked and she nodded.
“I’ll bring some clothing with me.”
“If you like, Julie could collect a case or two over the weekend, save you carrying it all.”
“Is there a uniform?”
“Uniform? No why?”
“I just wondered.”
“No just wear your ordinary clothes, obviously, we don’t want you walking about looking like an escapee from the rubbish tip, but jeans are fine if you like them, or skirts if you prefer.”
“Do I get a clothing allowance?”
“No, you’re already getting free board and lodging, so that’s one expense you’ll have to bear yourself.”
“When do I get to meet the children?” as she said this I saw Stephanie wince, waking up Emily who having guzzled for the previous minute or two, burped loudly. Then she laughed at herself and was sick–all over Stephanie. She grabbed a clean nappy from her bag and wiped herself down.
“At least it doesn’t smell like formula milk does,” she said trying not to look embarrassed.
“The children are in school so it’ll be Monday evening before you can see them after I collect them.” She nodded at this, Stephanie was still watching her like a hawk.
About half-past one, Jacquie announced she would need to go to catch the bus. I nodded to Julie who agreed to take her into the bus station. I told them to make arrangements for collecting her clothes for Monday.
As soon as she was gone, Stephanie said, “Is that wise–employing her if she’s a convicted killer?”
“She’s not a killer, it was a miscarriage of justice.”
“They all say that, Cathy. Even the Kray twins were innocent in their eyes.”
“I can assure you, she is innocent.”
“She sold you a line did she–out in the kitchen.”
“No actually, we had a frank discussion. I told her I had killed several times and she thought I was joking. I managed to impress upon her that I was not. She was more frightened of me than I was of her. She relived her tragedy with the little boy who drowned–she was five years old, Steph, how can a five-year-old describe being paralysed with shock and then fascinated by watching the boy's struggles. He drowned before she was able to run for help.”
“So she says, I read the whole transcript of the trial and the expert witness statements. I think she pushed him and then let him die for some sort of perverse curiosity.”
“I saw it happen.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Cathy, you were still in Bristol in those days.”
“Out in the kitchen, I saw her relive the ordeal and the boy drowning. It was awful, but I saw it through her eyes. She didn’t kill him.”
“Cathy, she’s inveigled you to believe whatever she wants you to.”
“Stephanie, I’d have thought that you of all people would have some belief that people can and do change and that redemption does happen.”
“For someone who claims to be a Dawkins’ follower, you use a lot of religious language.”
“Would that make me a Dawkinsian?”
“No, try ambivalent.”
“I’m not ambivalent, I’m an agnostic.”
“So you keep telling me–though I’m not sure quite who you want to convince.”
“What d’you mean?” I spluttered.
“You keep talking about beliefs and redemption, you talk about souls and spirits, you let the children describe you as an angel. Hardly mainstream Dawkins is it?”
I blushed, did I give that impression or was she just trying to get back at me for suggesting she could be wrong about Jacquie? “Professor Dawkins is atheist, and uses religious language, so why can’t I?”
“Yes that bothers me about him, his militant atheism is as bad as the fundamentalists who’d burn you at the stake to save you.”
“I don’t think he’d do that, Stephanie, don’t think he’s into violence.”
“Except by his tongue.”
“I accept he does sometimes get a bit sharp but only because he has to deal with so many morons who have ideas of creationism and intelligent design down as scientific theories–yet with no evidence of either which stands any sort of examination. There are people who genuinely believe in Adam and Eve as real people instead of allegorical archetypes.” I defended the Oxford professor.
“You get the prize for gobbledygook,” offered Stella who was teasing me.
“Is it a cash one?” I asked.
“No it’s a dictionary full of unpronounceable twaddle.”
“Oh? Which dictionary is that then?” I’d never heard of it.
“The Dictionary of Unpronounceable Twaddle, what else.”
“I think you just made that up,” I said.
“I’ve got one upstairs,” she declared and went to get it.” I chatted to Stephanie while she was gone. She reappeared ten minutes later with a piece of card upon which she’d written in biro, A Dictionary of Unpronounceable Twaddle, which she had bent in half and shoved several sheets of toilet paper inside.
“It should help with all the crap you talk sometimes, Cathy.” Stella was always generous with her praise. Stephanie fell about laughing, quite literally, and I had to help her back to her chair–her fall had caused little Emily to bawl her head off, so even good babies have their moments. I tried to hide my smirk but judging by the dirty look I was getting, I didn’t do much of a job.
Stephanie took her leave and we waved her off. Stella asked me if I was sure that I was making the right decision in employing Jacquie. I told her that I was absolutely convinced I was. She wondered out loud if Stephanie was correct in seeing me as gullible and wanting to believe in redemption so badly. I pointed out that only sinners get redeemed, the innocent are proven guiltless eventually.
“Tell that to those who were hanged or otherwise sent to their ancestors despite protesting their innocence. You’re only innocent until the law decides otherwise.”
“Which is usually impartially,” I interrupted.
“Sometimes, it’s all getting more political–sometimes I despair we’ll never see a good hanging again.” This line was delivered absolutely deadpan. It was intended to wind me up because I was very anti-capital punishment. Instead, I agreed with her and she blew a raspberry at me–very mature.
Comments
One Innocent Hung
... is all it takes for me to be against capital punishment. If the system were infallible, I might feel differently; however, corrupt law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, and witnesses make the system far from acceptable. For the most part, capital punishment is not punishment. It is only striking back, getting revenge. Most systems falling on capital punishment are murderous systems at best.
Portia
Having once served
on a murder trial Jury, I can say that if we had still had the death penalty in use in the UK, I for one could not in all honesty have ever found someone guilty knowing what that verdict might mean .... Not that i am soft on someone who committed that sort of crime, Far from it if they are sentenced to life thats what it should mean.... Of course that does mean if at some later date the innocence of the supposed guilty party is proven, Then at least you can rectify the situation .... A far more satisfactory conclusion i feel...
Kirri
And there you strike at the heart...
And there you strike at the heart of the matter. Capital punishment can never be considered justice. It is, at best, Vengeance.
The state should never be in the vengeance business...
Just sayin...
I love raspberries
just not that kind.
S.
Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1630
Wonder what Monica will say about the latest events?
May Your Light Forever Shine
So.
So.
The blue light sheds light on the past as well. Very useful.
Cathy is going to have to be careful that she doesn't confuse dreams with hallucinations or with 'blue-light flashbacks' or insights.
Strangely illuminating.
Interesting bit of philosopy here juxtaposed with reason, superstition and religion. Could lead to an even more complicated lifestyle for Cathy, as if it wasn't complicated enough.
As to capital punishment well I am 'agin it' even though there are my abusers who I would just love to meet again but never will.
In Georgia USA a fourteen-year-old boy was executed for shooting people at a petrol filling station. This was in total contravention of the United Nations convention of children's rights.
Before anybody condemns me for being anti death penalty consider this. See site http://liberalslikechrist.org/graphs.html
Since 1990 Texas has executed 11 people under 18. Iran has executed 8.
The states of Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi have executed more <18-year-olds than Iran, Pakistan China, The Congo, Nigeria, Yemen and Saudi Arabia combined.
Who's the more civilised USA or Islam? PS I repeat, I am a confirmed Aetheist!!
Although I am a 'Dyed-in-the-wool' confirmed aetheist there is one sentence in the Bullshit Manual that I am forced to agree with.
Exodus 20 Rule 5 or 6 I can never remember which; 'Thou shalt not kill!' End of.
Cathy's going to need the 'blue-light' just to hold on to her samity if she takes on any more damaged waifs and strays..
Still lovin' it though.
OXOXOX
Bev.
There are always exceptions to the rule
.... is what I say.
The traditional one is would you kill Adolf Hitler?
If your child was killed right in front of you and you had a gun in your hand, what would you do to the man or woman who is right in front of you holding the body of your child whom he or she just killed?
Would you kill the person you saw right in front of you press the button that just nuked a city of a million people just for kicks?
My personal belief is never say never.
Kim
Yes, There Are Exceptions
Sometimes, the evidence is incontrovertible, and the situation may require quick action to prevent further mayhem. Punishment is imposed to correct behavior; that is, there is thought that the person might be redeemable. If an individual is beyond redemption, and the proof of their crime is irrefutable, put them away, and figuratively throw the key away. Death is not reversable.
Portia
Yes
The recidivism rate for Capital Punishment is quite low. Truly, if a person is guilty of a capital crime like premeditated murder then he or she has by their actions forsworn their claim to humanity. There was a pronouncement used back in Sparta, something along the lines of 'they are to be dealt with as wolves are'. The idea being that if a wolf is attacking and killing people, you don't try to rehabiliate him, you eliminate the threat, permanently.
I also have to say it gets annoying when people start whining about bad cops, judges, and politicians. I may not always agree, especially with the politicians, but I have to say that the vast majority are sincerly trying to do the best they can. It seems that there is always a bad cop(s), bad judges or corrupt politcians to hold up as examples of how bad things are. Well, consider this: if the system was truly as bad as some say then we wouldn't even be hearing about them. Things do work, after a fashion. Maybe not as well as we'd like, I know; but probably better than we have any reasonable right to expect. After all, it was designed and implemented by humans, and none of us are perfect. Are we?
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Initiative
Top marks to Stella for taking the initiative to produce "The Dictionary of Unpronounceable Twaddle" - talk about improvisation!
As far as Biblical rules go, although most rules and regulations certainly don't (and shouldn't!) apply nowadays, I'd say rather than just "Don't murder", the entire second half of that dozen or so guidelines (erroneously referred to as "The Ten Commandments" by people combining a couple) are a general guide to good living: Honour your parents1, don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't wrongfully accuse someone2, don't be envious3. The very nature of the later "commandments" suggests they're more guidelines than absolute rules - even if the first few are religious twaddle (No gods before me, no idols, don't misuse God's name, and the literalist interpretation of no work on the Sabbath [although if applied only to employment on the basis of at average one day off in every seven - sounds more realistic]). After all, as any student of grammar knows, there are exceptions to every rule!
Having said that, although they don't apply nowadays, the rest of the rules and regulations in Exodus provide a fascinating insight into the culture of the time - even if you take away all the religious overtones (which generally boil down to "I am God - don't disobey me OR ELSE!"), you've got a culture whereby children can be sold into indentured servitude, manservants are allowed to go free after seven years but maidservants aren't, capital punishment is a fairly standard punishment for a whole bunch of misdemeanours, shotgun marriages are acceptable [i.e. if someone has sex with a virgin not pledged to be married - although interestingly if her father refuses to give her up for marriage, whoever slept with her must still pay the "bride-price"] and stealing attracts a find of 5x the value of that stolen.
1) Obviously there are exceptions, such as the many cases described elsewhere on this site where they don't respect you (to say the least)!
2) Often paraphrased as "Don't lie", but "wrongfully testify" sounds more specific to me.
3) I think 'envy' is a fairly good catch-all descriptor for "Don't covet your neighbour's house, wife, manservant, maidservant, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to him."
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!