Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 2007

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The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike)
Part 2007
by Angharad

Copyright © 2013 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
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I drove to the station in my car with Simon and Sammi, and it was quite pleasant chatting as we sat in first class drinking coffee and watching the countryside go by. All too soon we were heading into the built up areas of London and I saw the greenery give way to horrible grey yellow brickwork of half derelict buildings on which the graffiti vandals had been busy. I couldn’t call them artists because much of it is just sprayed initials of individuals or gangs. In some of the deserted properties not a single pane of glass survived the predation by vandals–an aspect of human behaviour I simply don’t understand.

I discussed this with the others and Simon asked me outright, “Haven’t you ever had the urge to just smash something to smithereens?”

“Why?”

“Because you could.”

“No, have you?”

“Yes,” he blushed, “and acted on it.”

“Oh, do tell us more,” I encouraged him while Sammi smirked.

“I was still at school–we had a summerhouse that the prefects used to use to have a sly fag.”

“Are we talking cigarette or some poor first former?”

“First former? What are you on about?”

“Fagging–you know at public schools?”

“Cathy, I went there in the Twentieth Century, not back when we still owned America.”

We both laughed at this and he continued: “They used to go there to smoke–sometimes a bit of weed, and a few drinks–all totally illegal, but the authorities turned a blind eye to it.”

“So the prefects were committing more offences than the kids they were supposed to be policing?”

“Yeah, natch, didn’t you?”

“Didn’t I what?”

“When you were a prefect?”

“I wasn’t a prefect–no one was going to appoint me as one–someone whom half the third form could beat up–come off it.”

“What about the Bristol fighting stuff, Mummy?”

“Okay, I’d devised a form of scrapping which involved using whatever was to hand and never considering you’re going to lose. You have to become the aggressor whatever happens–even if the odds are overwhelming. It also required doing things they weren’t expecting.”

“Like what?” she pushed.

“Well some kid was squaring up to me, legs apart to give me a pasting, so I jumped down at him, put one foot behind his leg and kicked his knee with the other.”

“What happened–did you break his leg?”

“No–he broke his arm falling and I broke his patella. It’s funny that although he made all sorts of threats against me, he never tried to enforce any of them. He used a stick in school for weeks–threatened me with it as well–until I kicked it away from him–accidentally of course–and he broke his collar bone.”

“Didn’t you get into trouble?”

“Murray was so incensed he nearly physically hit me.”

“Why–all you did was defend yourself?”

“Ah, sweet Sammi, I didn’t tell you he was the captain of the rugby team. Had he beaten me up, he probably would have got a scholarship. Alas, I didn’t I just acted all girly and asked in a simpering voice, did he really think, little ol’ me could hurt such a rough tough boy as Mintern? It worked. I was sent off with a flea in my ear that if I so much as touched him with my effeminate little hands again, Murray would expel me.”

“So he left you alone after that?”

“With one exception, somehow they got me onto a rugby field–you know wearing shorts and things and Mintern was on the other side. My side set me up, passing me the ball as he charged at me.”

“Goodness, what happened, Mummy?”

“I was smaller, lighter and extremely scared.”

“Yes?”

“So I simply sidestepped him, sold him a further dummy and left him trying to grasp air. I actually scored my one and only try that day.”

“Good for you, Mummy.”

I smirked. That wasn’t the end of the story by a long shot and Simon knew it.

“So their pack didn’t scrag you?”

“I didn’t give them the chance. I was set up again running with the ball only I passed it and dropped to the ground, Mintern fell over me and broke his other collar bone. I pretended he’d hurt me, he did give me quite a clout and lay still on the grass, I was eventually sort of dragged off–the games teacher having a good feel of my bum while he did so.”

Simon shook his head. “Serves the moron right, if you go out to hurt someone you usually end up hurt yourself–and the other guy usually has friends unless it was considered whatever he did was beyond the pale.”

“But I did, Si–I was the only girl in a boy’s school.”

“They didn’t try to set you up again?”

“No, Murray hauled me over the coals for damaging his captain again and I was told on no account was I to ever set foot on a rugby pitch again. I agreed and he threw me out of his office, he was so angry.”

A while later we were waiting on a tube station when I had a vision of some bloke dashing down the stairs and knocking a child onto the tracks. I didn’t think it was deliberate, more carelessness.

As we waited I gasped as the child, a little girl in a shiny waterproof coat with fairies painted all over it stood next to her mother. Sure enough, a minute or two later, this big chap came hurtling down the stairs and just as he would have collided with the little girl, I yanked her towards me and he ran smack into a pillar.

The little girl was crying, my grabbing her had frightened her, but her mother was really pleased I had. I could hardly say I saw it coming–five minutes before–could I? However when I looked behind me, I’d dropped my lap top which Sammi had seen and was desperately trying to get to work.

The paramedics coming to deal with the groaning lump still lying on the platform where he’d fallen meant the trains were stopped and we were beginning to run later than we’d anticipated.

Finally, we did get to the offices of the bank and Sammi hared off with my laptop to try and recover the contents of the hard disc. I was taken into an ante-room to sit and wait hoping she’d be in time. Simon pecked me on the cheek and went into the board room–I was due to present my report some half an hour after it started. I sat and waited, trying to see how I could improvise without the computer and my graphics. It’s not nearly as interesting with a flip chart and coloured marker pens.

For a moment I worried myself silly, then remembered I was a teacher and dealt with these situations regularly–I didn’t but I was trying to con myself–so should have the resources to make a decent fist of it come what may. They’d all have a copy of the report so really it was about fielding questions as they arose. Yeah, I’d cope.

“Dr Watts, if you could come with me,” asked a very fashionably dressed secretary, down to her six inch heeled platform shoes and tight skirt. I felt very drab compared to her ‘big hair’ and immaculate makeup–mine had been thrown on after my shower.

I set off to follow her and just in time heard a voice yelling, “Mummy, wait...”

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Comments

Cathy to the rescue again!

D. Eden's picture

I was beginning to wonder when it would happen again, although the clairvoyance surprised me a little. I suppose it shouldn't have - it obviously didn't really surprise her either.

I wonder how her presentation will go and what the outcome of the trip will be. Damn, I hate cliffhanger endings - but you are so good at them Angharad.

It's still hard to believe that you keep the story moving after so many chapters. Once again, I salute your abilities.

Dallas

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

Hmmm....

Now, we should expect that said "fashionably dressed secretary" is actually an employee of the bank and was planning on taking her to the correct place...

Based on what was called, that's either Sammi calling Cathy - or perhaps said secretary's kid running up for some reason. Might be fun if it wasn't Sammi and the secretary type was taking Cathy somewhere to miss the meeting (at the behest of whoever commissioned the original survey)...

We never did find out what Simon bashed to smithereens... Getting so interested in hearing Cathy's powers on the ruggers field. Wonder when Cathy or Sammi will recall and ask him about that.

Thanks,
Annette

Should be a bit of a hit in the office

to have people hear Sammi calling Cathy Mummy considering the not so huge age difference. Great if the computer is working again or at least the data is available. Isn't Cathy using a computer carrying case? If not, Simon needs to buy her the best available.

Glad she could save the little girl. Too bad she couldn't have gotten the man to just slow down. Strange that he ran into the pillar. You'd think that he would be looking out for large stationary concrete objects even if he wasn't looking out for small girls. Something doesn't quite add up here.

Thanks!

En-passant ...

En passant as it were, she just reaches out to rescue the child as the oaf lumbers by.

Would that we had such a gift.

Nice chapter Ang.

Hugs,

Bevs.

XX

bev_1.jpg

How do you keep this story going, and so interestiing?

Never mind! Don't answer that! Don't even think about how you do it! Just continue doing it!!

Don't let someone else talk you out of your dreams. How can we have dreams come true, if we have no dreams?

Katrina Gayle "Stormy" Storm

Cathy playing rugby and

getting the best of the bullies is a riot. She is right about her being the only girl in an all boy school.

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Email a copy to yourself for just such an eventuality

Plus always put lappie in lappie bag.

For non-proprietary stuff emailing makes sense. I had to travel overseas and wish I had done that. These days in the US, there is always a possibility of Border Protection wanting to examine the contents of a laptop.

Kim

Concrete? But this is ENGLAND

If it is an older train depot the post was likely cast iron.

-- BOING! --

THAT had to hurt.

Hum?

As to the mini cliff hanger.

Her child got the laptop working?

Or is this a bitch trying to sabotoge Cathy?

Seems unlikely or could even be an honest mistake.

But then Cathy is a disaster magnet.

John in Wauwatosa astounded at Ang/Bonzi and co's imagination after so many chapters.

John in Wauwatosa

Cathys worry

when faced with no laptop makes you realise just how far we have moved in the last twenty years or so, Long gone seem to be the days of the easel with various drawings on each page you flipped over, Nowdays it seems if you do not have the latest electronic gadget then you are left feeling like a dinosaur If we add into that the mobile phone and the sheer terror some people experience if they lost or forget them,You do start to wonder just who is controlling who Like most people here i love my gadgets but given they are supposed to make life easier , How come i seem to have less time available to do things now than i did before they arrived ?

Kirri