(aka Bike) Part 1723 by Angharad Copyright © 2012 Angharad
All Rights Reserved. |
 |
After a shower, I shoved on some jeans and top and went to see Stella who was up in her sitting room with Gareth. “I believe some congratulations are in order?”
“Thank you,” she blushed–“He’s decided to make an honest woman of me.”
“He’s cleverer than I thought then,” I said winking at Gareth.
“Huh,” Stella huffed before laughing, “Bitch,” she added when she’d finished.
I simply shrugged and said, “Anytime.”
“Can I borrow your daughters for bridesmaids?”
“Which ones?”
“All of them?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“Jacquie and Sammi as well?”
“Yeah, why not, the more the merrier.”
“What about your two?”
“Monica’s agreed to look after my two and your Catherine if you want.”
“How about we dress them as bridesmaids as well.”
“If you have time?”
“Okay, we’ve got a rush on. I’ll do some phoning round tomorrow. We’ll have to get someone in to measure up, we might have to go mass produced and get them altered?”
“I don’t mind, I appreciate it’s short notice.” Stella seemed uncommonly laid back about it all.
“Colour schemes?”
“I’m wearing white...”
“Natch, what about the bridesmaids and me?”
“I don’t mind, something delicate.”
“Sorry to be hard-nosed about this, but who’s paying for it all?”
“Dad, that’s why he came to see us, I called him the other night.”
“And there’s me thinking he just coincided with one of my roast dinners...”
“Cathy, you are so eat-o centric.”
“You ate your share,” I retorted but she just collapsed in a fit giggles from her own joke.
“Will you be my maid of honour, with the older girls as senior bridesmaids?”
“You need to ask them yourself, I’ll ask Trish, Livvie and Meems–who I’m sure will jump at the chance to do girly bridesmaids. What about Danny?”
“If you can get him in a dress, he can be one too,” she roared. “Oh, we’ll need stewards, he can help with that. Will he wear the kilt?”
“He’s got one, I expect Simon will talk him round.” We had the added difficulty of Danny being the only boy in the family and being a bit sensitive about it–hardly surprising as one or two others have jumped ship and joined the girl side.
“I’ll come and talk with the big girls,” Stella announced as I decided to leave them to it.
“Sammi would be flattered but possibly out of her depth, Jacquie might be overwhelmed as well...”
“You’d think she'd jump at the chance given she was locked up for so long and therefore unable to play bridesmaid.”
“It’s never that black and white, Stella.”
“It’s simple enough, either they want to do it or not.”
“Look, just think about them for a moment; Julie will almost certainly say yes, then try to have as big a say in the choice of dress as she can. Jacquie has languished in an institution for years–she lost her childhood and with it perhaps the magic in such an occasion. You can ask her but as she’s having difficulties in just being a woman in the world she left as a child so long before. As for Sammi, she’s only been a girl for a few days, so it might just be too much of a challenge.”
“I thought transsexuals were born women–well you know what I mean–supposed to be inherent, not acquired and all that stuff.”
“Nobody knows, Stella–and any evidence I see offered tends to be a bit suspicious because it legitimises so much more than it being an acquired condition.”
“But you were so feminine and took to being a woman so easily–just look at the way you took to motherhood and apple pie?”
“I had a head start being androgen insensitive, didn’t I?”
“Sammi reminds me of you quite a lot.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“Can’t you get her to ride a bike–it wouldn’t take long to knock her off...”
“No I can’t, you might kill her for one thing and for another she’s too girly to be into riding bikes.”
I rounded up the older girls and left Stella to talk to them, I spoke with the youngsters and was spot on with them being all for it on the spot.
I’d put the younger ones to bed before Stella came to see me. “I cannot understand it, I give them the chance of a lifetime to walk about in super-feminine clothing and only Julie said yes.”
It was as I predicted, the other two were overwhelmed. “Let me talk to them.”
“I was going to give them back to you anyway.”
“Gee, thanks.” I don’t think.
“Well, I’ve done all the hard work.”
“You’ve been to Stanebury?”
“No, Monica did all that.”
“I thought you said you’d all the hard work?”
“I did, I chose the hymns and the psalm; oh and the date.”
“Yeah, definitely hard work, Stel.”
“You try it then.”
“If you recall, I was conned into my marriage.”
“Who d’ya think organised all that?”
“Ah, so it’s you I have to kill.”
“You always were so gracious,” she muttered as she walked past me. I decided I could manage with the uncertainty so went back down my study to have a biscuit and a cuppa.
I was so engaged when someone knocked and entered and I had to swallow far too big a piece of biccie and nearly choked myself to death. The wages of sin, I suppose. It took me a moment before my watering eyes cleared and I could see who it was. It was Sammi.
“Can I have a word, Mummy?”
“You could,” the subtlety washed completely over her as she made herself comfortable on the sofa opposite me.
Comments
Stella
seems to be as idle as usual, leaving Cathy to pick up the pieces as usual.
Good episode, Ang. (You don't say anything about the cats; have they settled their differences?)
S.
As Easy As...
...Being a Bridesmaid For a Day...
The reactions were pretty predictable - the youngest trio (Puddin', Fiona and Catherine) aren't old enough to have any say in the matter; the middle trio and Julie gave an unequivical "Yes!", Jacquie refused point blank while Sammi was probably caught like the proverbial deer in headlights... which is almost certainly what she's asking Cathy about. Part of her anxiety may be along the lines of too much, too soon without any time to sit down and think; part of it may be a reluctance to engage in an ostensibly religious ceremony due to perceived qualms about whether it would be appropriate considering her status (drawing on the anti-alternative lifestyles rhetoric of many religious leaders and worrying she might be sinning or to attend would displease The Omnipotent One).
But Stella's EAFOAB joke does touch on something: apart from the whole Bike business, Sammi is being taken on a similarly lightning quick introduction to womanhood - perhaps even more so as she's surrounded by nearly a dozen people of varying ages who are aware of her status.
Meanwhile, Danny's probably hoping that if Cathy ever picks up another lost soul, it will be a boy absolutely, certainly, positively secure in his gender :)
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
So, it's....
So, it's only partially to be one of those monster state wedding you hear about...
Some folks might question the use of White for Stella... Used to be (this century, of course) White was reserved for virgins... Of course, go further back in time, and brides wore red... LOL
I do wonder what Sammi's going to be asking Cathy... Perhaps asking if Stella was serious... Or, perhaps asking if she can re-consider... Or, perhaps asking if Stella was serious...
Only time will tell.
Thanks,
Annette
Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1723
Hurricane Stella strikes again!
May Your Light Forever Shine
hmmmm
what I noticed was that Cathy never told her yes when asked to be Matron of honor .......never saw a yes or no hmmmmmmm
hmmmm
what I noticed was that Cathy never told her yes when asked to be Matron of honor .......never saw a yes or no hmmmmmmm
Nearly choked on a biccie
you mean to say Cathy is not a dunker.... One of life's little pleasures is that... Until that is they get too soggy and fall to the bottom of your mug of tea, Then its a case of a bit of fishing with a teaspoon to try to retrieve the soggy bits, Like i say one of life's little pleasures, But maybe not one to practise when you have having afternoon tea with the Vicar ....
Kirri
Yeah.
Cathy's certainly right about one thing.
When you're denied a childhood and then gender or sexuality are issues loaded on top of ... fertility theft ... there is certainly a hell of a lot going on for Jacquie. I can quite understand how Jaquie has got serious problems with a wedding.
There will be huge issues for Jacquie to be expected to participate in something that epitomises the very core of womanhood for nearly all women; namely marriage and procreation. Especially as the latter potential has been brutally torn from her to be forever denied her.
A wedding would be desperately painful for Jacquie, it could trigger suicidal thoughts. Hope Cathy checks Jacquie tonight to see that she has not been precipitated into self destruct mode. There are few things more fundamental and essential to a woman's wellbeing than to know she is fertile!
I note that Jacquie has not appeared at Cathy's door; she is probably too traumatised by the whole turn of events. Conversely, Sammi probably only needs advice and instruction. Jacquie will need much, much, more.
Troubled waters coming baby, ho-old me tight!
Bev.
XXX
Hope the two elder kids change their minds,
This could be real fun!