The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2302 by Angharad Copyright© 2014 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

I spoke with Stephanie immediately after dinner. “I thought she promised you no more suicide attempts?”

I blushed, how come she could remember this and I couldn’t? “Now you mention it, she did.”

“Well then, call her on it.”

“Is that wise, it’s all been rather traumatic today.”

“I hope you tell her as well that she won’t get any more pills until the end of the month and then you’ll dole them out one at a time. It’s not a guaranteed way to top yourself anyway.”

“None of them had dissolved through the enteric coating.”

“Got you all running round like headless chickens.”

“Meaning ?”

“It was a parasuicide. She registered her displeasure.”

“Oh,” I thought about the way she’d stage managed it all. Yes she’d taken pills, but then I can’t remember how many we saw and how dangerous they’d actually be. She acted as if she’d taken something which was affecting her more than the pills would have done. There can’t have been more than half a dozen so Stephanie could well be right. I’m rather glad we made her drink the salt water, serve her right.

“What’s for dinner tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, but I could tell David we have an extra.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” she threw at me.

“Danielle has soccer practice after school.”

“Fine, I’ve patients all afternoon, so I’ll pick up Emily and we’ll be over sometime after six.”

“Thanks, Stephanie.”

“It had better be a good dinner.”

“I’ll get him to kill the fatted cat.”

“Cat? Shouldn’t that be calf?”

“Good lord, no. Wouldn’t get one of those in the oven.”

“Right, cat it is then.” She said with no enthusiasm at all. Perhaps I’d gone too far. One day I will.

I found Danielle doing her homework but she was on her own, so I sat opposite her in the dining room. “I thought we had an understanding, young lady.”

She looked up with a frown, “What d’you mean?”

“You promised me you wouldn’t try to harm yourself again.”

“You told me I would always be able to play soccer.”

“I’ve kept my word.”

“But you wouldn’t sign the forms.”

“I have signed the forms.”

“Oh, but you wouldn’t earlier.”

“That was before I spoke with Jason.”

“You’ve spoken with him.”

“Yes.”

“So I can play tomorrow?”

“If it’s a training session, you might not play very much.”

“Okay, but you know what I mean.”

“I can still tear up the forms.”

“But you said you’d signed them.”

“You told me you wouldn’t take any further overdoses or other forms of self harm.”

“I was upset.”

“So was I, but I didn’t try to hurt myself. Now unless you promise me that you won’t try anything like that again, you can kiss your soccer career goodbye now.”

“I promise.”

“That’s not good enough. I’m going to draw up an agreement which we’ll both sign. If you mess me about again, like you did tonight, I’ll withdraw my agreement for you to play football again and make you join the netball team.”

“But I’m crap at netball...”

“All the better.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Neither is worrying Auntie Stella and I to death.”

“I’m sorry, Mummy.”

“Save the crocodile tears, just remember, if you don’t keep your word there will be consequences and I’ll make sure you don’t enjoy them.”

She nodded. I left her to finish her homework and went off to my study after leaving David a note on the fridge door. I felt angry with Danni but knew that I couldn’t show it without setting her off to do something more likely to cause herself harm. I couldn’t win this without showing a restrained but firm, tough love. Despite all the accusations she made, Danni knew jolly well that we all love her. In fact she played on it, as teenagers will. She’ll now learn there are consequences.

That night I watched her go to bed without making it obvious. She is still a bit of a powder keg, so needs some careful watching and guiding. After she put her light out I went and did some research on the internet for tomorrow. That went quite well.

In bed alone, I had an awful dream in which I went to get her up and found her cold and stiff in bed. I think I felt physically sick when I woke up in a cold sweat. I went to the loo but wasn’t sick. I did however, check on Danielle and she was fast asleep. It took me ages to get back off again. When I opened a bleary eye after the alarm went off I knew it wasn’t likely to be a good day. I struggled out of bed and roused the others, making sure that Danni was both alive and well.

She it seems had slept quite well and got up and dashed into the shower before I could get the others under the warm stream of water. She was positively zinging along as she contemplated the evening’s game or practice session. I felt like piece of wet rag and I suspect I might have looked the part too.

Somehow, I got them all to school and then nipped home and did some more survey work before trundling to the hairdresser’s for a tidy up. When I got home and sorted the little one, I sat down with a cuppa and fell asleep in the chair, little Lizzie cooing and yelping in my lap.

At the training session I watched her with the other girls and it was obvious she had something special. Even a non-footballer like me could see it. I spoke with the secretary of the team and told her I wasn’t prepared to sign the original contract so had got my lawyer to drawup a fresh one. That clearly impressed her and she took the contract and slipped off to see the chairman.

He came back looking very suspiciously at me with the contract still in his hand. “What was wrong with our original?” he asked.

“It was rubbish and gave you all the advantages.”

“A team is more than just one player.”

“I accept the premise but in practice, it is about one or two players and Danielle is the best player there, which of course you already know.”

“We’re looking to develop them all.”

“You forgot to cross your fingers, now you’ll have to turn round three times while saying some hail Marys.”

“I beg your pardon, Mrs—um—Cameron.”

“You told a lie.”

“Now look here.”

“Wheesht.” I demanded holding up my finger. “Just keep quiet.” I insisted. I then explained that I’d watched his side train earlier and they had all the talent of a bottle of rancid beer compared to my daughter.

“You forget a team isn’t about just one player.”

“Tell that to George Best because Manchester United were built around him and Dennis Law.”

“You look a bit young to know about such things.”

“My dad was a football nut.”

“I see. Okay, we’ll accept your redraft but I want her to sign for two years.”

“And what will the retainer be?”

“Retainer? This is a school girl we’re talking about, who might well get herself pregnant and leave anyway once she’d fifteen.”

“She’s the best player you have, she just doesn’t know it quite yet. Once she does, you’ll be hard pressed to keep her for a fee, because other clubs will offer something more substantial.”

“We’ll offer her twenty pounds a week if she turns up for training and matches.”

“Done.” I said and offered my hand which he took and shook very gingerly.