The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2167 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

It was quite a bit later that a more senior officer came with a female underling to interview me. He carried a box file with him. I asked Jacquie to make us a pot of tea and led them down to my study.

“Lady Cameron, if we spend much more time here we’re going to need to rent a room off you.”

“I don’t think I have a spare one at present.”

“It was a joke.”

“So was my answer,” I said and blushed.

He ran through my statement and then Tom’s and Danni’s as well as that of Jacquie who he’d pushed past at the door. “It seems fairly straightforward and we know from a previous report that he harassed your daughter at the salon, and that you’d had an unwarranted visit from a Mr Curry from a local children’s protection society.”

“You know all this, so why the visit?”

“They’re saying different things.”

“Like what?”

“Like you invited them in and then threatened them.”

“Curry was here when I got home from shopping, so he might have been invited in by one of the family but not by me, though I do admit I took him to the salon to speak with two of my children.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, I suppose he caught me unawares and I let him worry me. I wouldn’t do so again. I’ve since reported him to his employers who are horrified by his actions and I’ve also reported Swithinbank to the school.”

“Let me get this straight, he claims he was here because he wanted to dissuade you from dressing your son as a girl, he felt it was tantamount to child abuse.”

“That isn’t true. It started off because he was short for a football game and Danni, my daughter had been his star player last year. I asked her if she wanted to play and she said no and asked me to tell him so. I did and he got abusive on the phone—they seemed to know about Danni’s transition.” I explained about all of this and offered Stephanie’s number if they wanted to speak to her about the propriety of what we were doing, giving the child space to explore gender roles.

“It’s an unusual licence to give a child.”

“We’re an unusual family.”

“You mean being transsexual yourself?”

“I think you’ll find that my legal gender is female.”

“But it wasn’t always and you’ve had a couple of kids who’ve also been in the same position?”

“That doesn’t make me a criminal does it, giving others a home because no one else would?”

“No of course not, but it could make you a target for those with a difficulty in accepting such things?”

“As I’m doing nothing illegal or immoral, I see that as their problem.”

“Indeed, but once they decide to intervene you don’t seem to run away, do you?”

“Should I? I thought as it’s been established I’m doing nothing wrong, why should I?”

“To save yourself some grief and your family a possibly violent encounter with people like Curry and Swithinbank.”

“Religious bigots, you mean?”

“That has judgemental overtones, so I’d prefer to call them people with difficulties.”

“They are religious bigots, and if you’d seen them in action you wouldn’t be talking in politically correct terms, but calling a spade a spade.”

We talked for a bit longer and he asked me next time to just call for them rather than try to sort things myself. I pointed out we had called them at the first opportunity and that my actions had been instinctive rather than planned.

He looked through a sheaf of papers, “Are they always so?”

“Of course, I don’t go looking for trouble.”

“No it seems to come to you, doesn’t it?”

“Occasionally it seems to be that way.”

He shook his head, “Be prepared for Swithinbank to try and sue you?”

“For excessive force.”

“He’s the one who charged in here and knocked an elderly man and a teenage girl down, I just evened things up a little.”

They left and promised to let me know what happened. I half expected to be harassed by the rest of the congregation but it didn’t happen neither did the law suits for assault though I did wonder what they might try next, so far they haven’t done so.

Daddy was shaken up for several days by the attack, and although he’s a tough old bird, I called the doctor in to see him. He checked him over and told him to take it easy for a few days. He also examined Danni and declared her fit as well.

“This one took a long time to decide to be a girl, didn’t she?” he said as we walked back towards his car.

“Yes, that worries me somewhat but it seems to be what she needs to do at the moment; she’s seeing Stephanie Cauldwell fairly regularly.”

“She’s the expert, so I guess it’s okay.”

“It wasn’t my idea, I promise you.”

“Cathy, I believe you but given the reputation of this place, I’d better get off home as my wife would be upset if I started turning into a woman.”

“People don’t just start turning into the other sex, it usually has a long build up.”

“I know, I was joking, Cathy.” He smirked and left but I wasn’t laughing. Dr Smith wouldn’t have made such a comment, so why did his partner or am I becoming paranoid?

For the next few days things seemed to return to a more normal basis. Danni’s tutor arrived and I introduced them. She was going to come in three times a week and would leave work to be done in her absence. She had no difficulty with Danni’s situation though she was being well paid for it, and her acceptance of Danni I’m sure was part of why she started to get better marks in everything, especially English. So it looked as if I’d done the right thing for once.

The Saturdays at the salon continued too and I accepted it only because it gave Danni some opportunities for integration as a female and after the second time when she was allowed to shampoo occasionally, she began to enjoy it, coming home with another set of piercings in her ear lobes which didn’t impress me although I comforted myself with the thought that they’d heal over if he reverted back to boy status.