The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1929 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

I rescued Danny from the pack of girls, asking him to come and reach me down some stuff from the pantry. None of the girls thought it odd, despite him being slightly shorter than I am.

“What d’you want lifted down?” he asked walking into the pantry.

“Nothing.”

“Eh? You said you did.”

“I just wanted a little chat.”

“About what?”

“Your girlfriend.”

“Oh that?” He blushed like an Aldis lamp.

“Yes, that; sit down.”

“I haven’t done anythin’ wrong,” he said denying in advance anything of which I might accuse him.

“I didn’t say you had.”

“Oh.” He still looked rather sheepish.

“Is it the girl from Morrison’s deli counter?”

“Um–no, she was too old for me.”

“I’m not entirely surprised.”

“So who’s the replacement?”

“Carly.”

“And how d’you know her?”

“She comes to watch the football matches.”

“To see you?”

“Not originally, like, she came to see her brother play.”

“And he’s a friend of yours?”

“Yeah, sorta.”

“And through him you met her?”

“Um–not quite, some prat on the other team kicked the ball into touch and it hit her, knocked her down. I went and picked her up.”

“Ah, the gallant knight on his white charger–I’m pleased to see the Age of Chivalry isn’t quite dead.”

“What?”

“Wasn’t it like that, you picked her up and she fell in love with you?”

“No, I picked her up and she began to beat me up.”

“Why?”

“She thought I kicked the ball, din’t she?”

“Oh–so how come you got to go out with her then?”

“Pete, her brother, played ’ell with her and I told ’im to stop. I also told him I quite fancied her and she told ’im to give me ’er mobile number.”

“How sweet, is she nice?”

“Yeah, well I think so.”

“Why don’t you bring her round?”

“Here?” his voice went up in pitch as well as volume.

“Where else?”

“With all you women about–no way.”

“The girls would probably like to get a look at her, and so would I for that matter.”

The look he gave me was not inviting. In fact, it was more one of the opposite, a dismissal. “No way, Mum.”

“That’s up to you, anyway, I hope I don’t need to remind you–no hanky panky.”

“Geez, Mum, I’m not stupid.”

“I know, Dan, but I’d be at fault if I didn’t remind you, wouldn’t I?”

“Was there anything else?”

“Which school does she go to?”

“The same one as me, unlike the nunnery, we have a mixed sex school. I’ve got homework to finish,” he said blushing and rose from the table. I knew he was telling fibs, but he’d had enough.

“Who’s his girlfriend?” asked Trish coming into the kitchen for a drink.

“Why don’t you ask him if you’re that interested?”

“Why can’t you tell me?”

“Because I don’t know.” I got up and made her a drink, my back to her so she couldn’t see me blushing because I lied to her.

“Ha, so you don’t know everything, then?”

“I’ve never claimed to have done so, Trish,” that sounds more like you.

She took her drink and went back to her computer. As things were quiet, I changed and went over to the garage and spent half an hour on the turbo. Not my favourite form of entertainment, but it burnt off some energy and I hope a few calories when I got off on legs of jelly.

“Where’ve you been?” demanded Simon. The fact that I had cycling shorts and shoes on might have given him a clue.

“What’s it look like?”

“You’ve been out on your bike, it’s dark.”

“Yes I know, it’s something to do with the fact that the sun sank in the west a couple of hours ago–but don’t worry–I’m assured it’ll be back up again tomorrow.”

“What?”

“The sun, it rises every morning and...”

“I know.”

“I thought you might, even minimal observation would ensure that.”

“What are you on about woman?”

“The fact that you know the sun rises every day.”

He looked at me as if I was stark staring bonkers adding, “The kids were looking for you.”

“They do have another parent, allegedly.”

“Not one who can sew on a button.”

“Who’s pulled off a button?”

“Livvie.” He went out of the kitchen and called her. “Livvie, I’ve found your mother.” I wasn’t aware I was lost.

She marched into the kitchen, “Mummy–have you been out on a bike–it’s dark?”

“Yeah well, cyclists like to ride in the dark, it makes us harder to see.”

“But you always use all sorts of lights and stuff.”

“I was being ironic, Trish.”

“Ironic, moronic, ironic, moronic...” she chuntered to herself as she left with her drink.

“Please may I have a drink?” This time it was Livvie.

“Of course, darling, you know where it is.” I only got Trish hers because I was hiding from her.

“So did Danny tell what his girlfriend’s name is?”

“If you want to know so badly why don’t you ask Danny?”

“He wouldn’t tell me,” she almost said in astonishment.

“So maybe that is telling you something.”

“How can it be telling me something if no one is telling me anything?”

“Livvie, just think about what I said.”

“I am, Mummy, and it isn’t meaning anything.”

“Sometimes what is said is more important in the way it’s said than the actual words.”

“That’s silly, Mummy.”

“Is it? If I said to you, please close the door, or said loudly, shut the door, would that tell you more than just asking you to close the door?”

“Yeah, it would probably say you were cross with me.”

“Not necessarily, it might just mean I needed you to do it quickly in case the baby got out or something else got in or possibly it was just cold. It could also mean you’d left the door open and I was a bit crabby. But can you see, the tone or pitch of what is said is as important as the words.”

“No I don’t.”

“You will when you're older.”

“Everything is when I’m older, why can’t I understand things or do things now?”

“You sound like Trish.”

“Well, we both feel we’re always too young to do anything we want to.”

“It’s possibly because you aren’t big enough to do things which require a grown up’s strength or size, or experience or just understanding. Our brains grow as well as our bodies, and that means we understand things better than when we’re young.”

“Huh, they always say that.”

“Going back to my example about closing the door, which one would make you close the door more quickly?”

“The cross one.”

“The loud one, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“Which means you do understand, but not at a conscious level.”

“I know, cause I’m too young–bleh,” she flounced out of the kitchen and she still hadn’t shown me what the button had come off. I called her back and asked her what the button had come off and she went and got her coat and the button. I took it to my study and sewed it back on a few minutes later. I gave her back her coat and she checked the button.

“Thanks, Mummy, that was quick.”

“Yeah well, I’ve done it a few times over the years, and practice makes perfect–or in my case better. C’mon, bed time now...”