The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 2049 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

“The rope? You mean he tried to kill himself? What sort of idiot is he?”

“One who was daft enough to fall in love with Gloria and now perhaps regrets it.”

“What, she drove him to this?”

“She could drive more than the entire staff of Eddie Stobart.”

“What?”

“Eddie Stobart, you know transport company–biggest in Europe.”

“I know perfectly well what Eddie Stobart is or was.”

“Of course, he’s dead now, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but what is this about Gloria?”

“She gave him loads of grief including about my looking after the baby. Seems she thinks I acquire babies like some sort of collector.”

“Did you tell her I’d forbidden it?”

“No too much laughing would have made her worse.”

“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Simon, you have no right to forbid me anything–I’m an adult, remember? You like to think you’re the lord and master of this house, but the reality is we’re a marriage of equals–or I’m outta here.”

“I was meaning in a symbolic way.”

“Oh, well that’s different.”

“It is?”

“Oh yes, I can cope with you being full of piss and wind as usual but not trying to lay down the law. I’m off to bed, it’s been a long day.”

“Full of pi...” I heard him rant at my description which was deliberately provocative, possibly symbolic–you know, but by then I was nearly half way up the stairs. I glanced in at the girls, they were all asleep looking like angels but only because the bed clothes were hiding their horns and pointed tails. I checked on Cate and she was fast asleep though she smiled when I touched her cheek. Little Lizzie was also well in the land of nod and I tucked her in. The days were warmer but the nights still had quite a chill about them.

“What happened to you?” asked Simon who was already in bed. “I thought you were tired?”

“I am, I just wanted to check on the children–or the younger ones.”

“Oh–they all present and accounted for?”

“As far as I know.” I undressed and went to the bathroom to wee and clean my teeth. Returning I slipped into bed and shivered.

“That’s not of some cosmic importance is it?”

“What?”

“You shuddering when you got into bed with me?”

“No, I’m simply cold–it’s quite nippy.”

“I might be full of piss and wind but I’m warm, so if you want a cuddle...”

“If that’s all we do, that would be nice–thank you.”

He switched off the light and I spooned into him, feeling his hand about my waist and golly he was warm bringing me up to a comfortable temperature in minutes.

“How is it that nearly everything I say offends or upsets you?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know, Si, but you seem to have a knack for doing it, especially when I’m tired and less able to keep my own gob shut.”

“Maybe we should seek some advice.”

“Maybe, I’m so tired now, d’you mind if we just sleep?”

“Night,” he said and kissed me on the back of my neck and minutes later I suspect I was asleep.

I had one dream I remembered because it was rather unpleasant. In fact, thinking about it now makes we sweat. I found myself entering a house and calling out hello, going upstairs and finding Simon hanging from the attic only he was too heavy for me to cut down and a woman I assumed was the goddess character that Phoebe described was watching but refused to help until I understood what it was all about.

I got very exercised, calling her names and wanting to hit her but she just dodged me and pointed out I had agreed to serve her. I just kept yelling, “When? When did I agree?”

I didn’t get an answer because I woke myself up. Simon was snoring or simmering, not sure which–I suppose he could have been purring–but he doesn’t raise his bum when I run my hand down his back, so don’t think he can have been purring exactly–it just sounded like it.

I discovered I needed to rid myself of the cuppa I’d had before bed and slipped out from under the duvet and out to the bathroom. I didn’t bother to pull the cord to switch the light on managing to make do with the moonlight and any street lights that would have been close enough to help. I was weeing when I thought I caught sight of Billie. Then when I couldn’t see her I decided I must have imagined it.

However, after washing my hands I turned round and she was standing there looking very unhappy or disappointed. The message was clear but I only wanted to go back to sleep rather than puzzle over enigmatic visitors. It took me ages and I felt a resurgence of the hurt I’d felt when she’d died. Silent tears ran down my face and I thought I heard her voice telling me not to grieve, she was okay. Whatever it was it didn’t prevent me from crying myself to sleep.

In another dream, I saw Gloria as a giant spider trying to entangle me in a web she was spinning. “I’ll teach you what being a woman is all about,” she snapped at me and it was only when I woke up that it occurred for me to respond appropriately. I really had no idea how I was going to speak with Gloria, or indeed if I was going to talk with her. I’d done what she asked me to do which I accept was responsible for saving Neal’s life. I felt no responsibility to report back to her about anything and it might be better to leave it to Neal to tell her what he tried to do and why. Cowardice–maybe, but that was how I felt.

The alarm sounded too early until I remembered it was a Saturday and switched it off before it could make much noise and snuggled back down under the duvet. Simon muttered something but it was in his sleep. It was an hour later before the girls decided to come and see where we were.

I left them trying to get Simon up–he was pretending to be either fast asleep or dead, not sure which, while I went down and started the breakfasts. Tom was making himself a proper porridge with salt not sugar and so on. I might be Scots born but I can’t say I’m overly impressed with their culinary skills. I made my bowl of corn flakes and a cup of tea and sat down to eat it. Of course he wanted to know how Neal and Gloria were and I brought him up to date. He wasn’t too happy with my description of Gloria, which wasn’t in excelsis deo.