Whatever Next? Chapter 9 by Angharad Copyright© 2022 Angharad

---

(title picture Andrea Piacquadio)

No further disasters occurred on the way to the newsagent’s shop, where Drew purchased the requested Radio Times. Then they mooched their way back towards the Peter’s house.

“I could do with a bike ride,” complained Drew as they entered the driveway.

“Are they likely to let you go out after what happened before?” asked Bernie.

“Well nothing happened around here,” said Drew trying to sound upbeat.

“What about your house catching fire, isn’t that something?” challenged Bernie.

“We’re not sure how that started,” riposted Drew.

Ally and Bernie look at each with a puzzled expression, then at Maddy who shrugged her shoulders.

“It could have been an accident helped by Goth girl,” said Drew rolling his eyes indicating that Jules was possibly around.

“How could she have caused it?” asked Ally in hushed tones.

“She left some flammables near the front door and that’s where it started. Could have been just some sunshine and a spark from something.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Ally, “just like that?”

“That’s what the fire brigade think now. So we’re still waiting to see if it affects the insurance pay out an’ things.”

“Oh no,” groaned Bernie, “don’t say you’re like not insured?”

“I dunno,” said Drew, “I leave that sorta thing to my olds, they’re rather better at it than I am.”

“Yeah,” agreed Ally, “that’s like one of the sad things about growin’ up, like facin’ responsibility an’ things.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“Better get home for some lunch like, I s’pose,” Ally began to step away from the house.

“Yeah, I’d better come too,” added Bernie and they both walked away waving at Maddy and Drew. “See ya later.”

“You gonna tell your mum we saw Mr Wood?”

“I better ‘ad Mad, ‘cos if she finds out an’ I don’t, I’m in like deep doo-doo.”

“Yeah, s’pose,” agreed Maddy.

“He’s actually been on the phone already,” said Jenny when told about the teens encounter with their headmaster. He seemed to think we should have kept him more informed.

“Tough,” snapped Drew feeling resentful. “I mean, we’re like home a few days an’ our rotten house burns down an’ all he can think of is, 'we shoulda kept him informed,'" Drew exaggerated this last element, then shrugged his shoulders before slapping the heel of his hand against his forehead and said, “Duh!”

“I’m going to stop you watching The Simpsons if you acquire any more Homeric characteristics.”

“Well I’m hardly gonna dye my hair blue and have it stand up about three feet on the top of my head,” retaliated Drew.

“No but you could consider Lisa as something more desirable in a role model.”

“Muuuum, she’s a goody-goody,” wailed her offspring.

“So what, you’re hardly Dick Turpin are you?”

“Nah, she’s more a Snow White,” chirped Maddy.

“Keep out of this Dopey, this is between the Wicked Queen an’ me,” Drew nearly choked on his words as he tried not to laugh at his own reply.

“Ha me, a dwarf? I’m taller than you buster, so what does that make you?” snapped back Maddy with a gleam in her eye.

'Outgunned again,' thought Drew but he wasn’t going to be sunk in front of his mother. “We’ll just have to ask the mirror, won’t we?” he said quickly.

“Come on Goldilocks; you’re lunch is ready,” added Carol.

“Wrong fairy tale!” echoed the two teens.

“Just come and eat your porridge,” insisted Carol.

“Any chance of me going for a bike ride?” Drew asked his mother.

“Is that wise?” was the reply.

“Don’t see why not,” he persisted.

“I’ll go with him, I mean her,” blushed Maddy.

“Some protection you’d be!” remarked Carol, “We’d end up with two casualties.”

“Maybe you could get a cheap rate on funerals, you know, buy one get one free?” Drew quoted a popular advertising slogan. It went down like a lead balloon.

“That is not at all funny young lady, and you know it!” berated Jenny.

Maddy smirked not so much at the joke which she found only slightly amusing, but at the way Drew had got himself into hot water, yet again.

It also backfired on the teen as Jenny and Carol both gave a negative answer to his question.

“So are we goin’ back down south or stayin’ up here?” Maddy scratched her nose as she spoke.

“I thought that was the plan,” offered Carol, “weren’t you supposed to be packing for it?”

“Come on Gabs, let’s check out your laundry.” The two teens decamped to the bedroom. A few minutes search turned up enough to fill the washing machine and Maddy set it going.

“I hate standing around not being able to get out in case that gorilla is about,” Drew slapped his hand against the door frame.

“That would be like so unfair to gorillas,” pouted Maddy, “Comparing them to that scumbag.”

“Yeah, I s’pose you’re right as always,” said Drew slapping the doorpost again, “Hell Mad, I can’t stick all this hanging around, I’m a man of action.”

“Not from where I’m standing,” she quipped back.

“Aw, we’re not back on that again are we? You know darn well what I meant.”

“Look Gabs, why don’t you put ‘action man’ on hold an’ just enjoy being 'gorgeous girl' for the moment?”

Drew blushed as he listened to his cousin. “I dunno, just seems wrong that my body has more say in my future than I do.”

“So does mine,” said Maddy putting her hand on his shoulder.

“It isn’t the same,” protested the wunderkind, “you want to be a girl, I don’t particularly.”

“I didn’t have a choice about what I am either,” Maddy squeezed his shoulder gently.

“No, okay, that’s true but you’ve had longer to get used to it and it’s not as if your stupid body changed its mind half way through your life, is it?”

“I know that Gabs, but sometimes we like, have to do things we didn’t choose because of how things turn out.”

“I’m tired of all this Gaby stuff, Mad, wearing makeup and skirts ‘n’ things.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“But I do, I have to look like Gaby or people are going to work out what’s happening.”

'They will one day anyway,' thought Maddy but she said: “If you feel safer in disguise, then carry on doing it. It like gets easier with practice.”

“I don’t want to practice or for it to get normal, I’m fed up with it now.”

“Well stop then, it’s a free country,” with that Maddy went back to the bedroom to sort out some clothes for her trip.

Jenny put down the phone and said to Carol, “ I think I might have managed to get them into temporary positions in a school in Dorchester.”

Carol felt an unpleasant twinge in her stomach, “Oh good,” she said but it wasn’t what she was thinking. “When will we know for certain?”

“They’ll try to phone back today or early tomorrow.”

“You won’t be here then will you?”

“No, I’ve given them Dave’s mobile number, he’ll be here in an hour or two to take me to the airport, I’ll fill him in then.”

“Are you taking the girls with you?”

“If they want to come, although Gaby gets so clingy at airports, it can get embarrassing.”

“She misses you Jen, she’s only thirteen.”

“I know, I miss her too, and Juliette, and of course my Dave.” Jenny blushed as she realised Carol was angry with her. “I’ll try and call her more often or email her; that might be better, I could send her photos then.”

“You could do both if you wanted,” Carol continued her pressure.

“I’ll see what I can do; I won’t make her any promises.”

'No; because you’ll only break them,' thought Carol wishing her cousin was a bit less selfish at times. “Are you packed?”

“Yes, finished it after breakfast.”

“Cuppa?”

“Sounds good to me,” and they went off to the kitchen to be brusquely passed by Maddy coming away from there and to see Drew stood by a doorpost banging his hand against it in a gesture of frustration.

“You okay, kiddo?” asked Carol before Jenny could say anything.

“Yeah, I guess just a bit bored being stuck indoors.”

“We’re going to have a cuppa, you going to join us?” asked his mother.

“Could do I s’pose, nothing better to do.”

“Want to pop and ask Gran if she’d like one and I think Jules is with her. She was sewing some sequins on something for Jules if I remember correctly.”

“ ‘Kay, I’ll ask Mad as well.”

“Right-ho kiddo, I’ll fill the kettle.”

Drew returned about five minutes later having chatted with his sister and Gran, and briefly with the still sulky Maddy.

“Is Maddy on?” he asked blushing a beetroot red.

“I was going to ask you the same,” said Jenny, while Carol coughed and looked away busying herself with the tea making.

“What?” Exclaimed Drew, his blush glowing brighter and hotter, he stuttered and decided not to say anymore.

“Well you’ve been very moody of late and ready to bite anyone’s head off.”

“Sounds like PMS to me,” said Carol facing away from the other two in case they could see her trying to suppress a giggle.

“But, but, but I haven’t, have I?” Drew struggled to get his words out as his embarrassment overwhelmed him.

“Come here sweetheart,” Jenny proffered a hug which he took and buried his face in her chest. “No you haven’t any more than usual, we’re pulling your leg, that’s all.”

“Far as I know, Maddy isn’t either. Teas ready,” Carol poured out several mugs of the hot steaming fluid.

“Why does everybody pick on me?” Drew sniffed.

“Oh luvvy, we were only having a bit of fun with you. Come on now drink up your tea:” Jenny gave him one more little hug and gently pushed him towards the table.

“You girls can be very cruel at times,” sniffed Drew.

“It wasn’t meant that way lambkins, it was just a bit of fun and you set yourself up beautifully.”

“But Mum, it still wasn’t nice.”

“If I recall young lady, you’ve done your share of leg pulling and practical joking,” Jenny countered.

“Only with Jules,” Drew blushed back.

“That’s not how I remember it; didn’t someone lose their eyebrows and have henna tattoos? I suppose that wasn’t cruel?”

“Erm, yeah okay.” Drew thought of protesting but knew it was a waste of time.

“So yes, girls can be cruel.”

'Shit', thought Drew, 'she always out manoeuvres me.'

The other women came into the kitchen as Carol called out, “Tea’s up.”

Gran noticed Drew’s downcast look and took him to one side. “Is everything all right Gaby?”

“Yeah I s’pose; I just wanted to go out on my bike and they said no.”

“Not really a surprise was it?”

“Not really.”

“So why are you looking so fed up? How about the real reason this time?”

“Why do women always know there’s something else?” asked Drew.

“It’s a skill we all develop, you’ll get it before you’re much older, I expect.”

“I dunno about that,” quipped Drew, “Maddy already has it and we’re the same age.”

“Yes but Maddy has been able to use her intuition all her life, living as a boy you’ve suppressed yours. Now you’re living as a girl, it will grow.”

“Be about the only useful thing so far then,” Drew shook his head as he spoke.

“I thought you enjoyed being Gaby?”

“Now and again; all the time is like, a bit much.”

“So you see yourself as a transvestite?”

“No way!” he exclaimed.

“What’s wrong with that?” asked his grandmother taken aback.

“Saddos who like to ponce about in women’s clothes; yuck.”

“Gaby, you seem to think in stereotypes. I’ve heard you knocking women and girls, usually for very superficial reasons and which seem incongruous given the way you seem to become a girl so easily. You just told me that you occasionally enjoy wearing girl’s things, which would make you a transvestite.”

“I don’t like get turned on by it,” protested the teen.

“Neither do all cross-dressers, some seem to enjoy giving expression to a feminine side whilst others simply want to stop being men or manly for a few hours.”

“How do you know all this?”

“I’ve been around a bit longer than you, young lady, and I’ve met lots of different people, some of whom were very different.”

“Did you meet any like me?”

“I didn’t meet anyone as beautiful as you or who looked as genuinely female as you do.”

Drew began to blush, he wasn’t sure he liked what she was saying yet paradoxically part of him enjoyed the compliments implying he was special. “So what do you think is happening to me Gran?”

“That’s for the doctors to decide, but I’m inclined to agree with you that your body is turning you into a girl. The whys and wherefores are for the experts to discover. I’m surprised you haven’t bothered to see the doctor about it.”

“It’s kind of embarrassing Gran an’ I’m a bit scared of the results. What if they say I am really a girl?”

“If you are you are, delaying the investigations won’t alter the result, will they? Besides, what if they said something different?”

“Like what, gran?”

“Androgen insensitivity syndrome, where your body doesn’t recognise male hormones; or there’s all sorts of genetic variations on standard male, female set ups.”

“How do you know all this Gran?”

“I went down the library and looked it up on the internet.”

Overwhelmed by his grandmother’s courage in using new technology, he hugged her and said, “You’re an ace Gran.”

“And you young lady, are the prettiest thing around here but don’t tell anyone I said that will you?” They both laughed and hugged.

Drew went and got the two teas from the kitchen table then followed his grandmother back to the conservatory. “Here, you can thread this for me, your eyes are younger than mine,” she said handing him the needle and cotton.

He took them and threaded the needle in a few seconds handing it back to Josie. “Goodness Gaby, that was quick. Can you sew as well?”

“It only takes good sight and a steady hand, and yes I can sew a bit. We all have to do some classes these days learn how to sew on a button an’ things.”

“Here, show me; sew on that sequin.”

“But this is Jules’ stuff, why can’t she sew her own?”

“Doesn’t matter whose it is, just show me if you can sew on that sequin.”

He gave it a go after a big sigh, and his grandmother patted him on the shoulder. “Not a bad attempt, try it like this,” she demonstrated how to do it with a little more neatness. “It’s stronger too, because you’ve knotted the stitch to the cloth as well.”

Drew nodded. She got him to try and he did slightly better, then she got him to do several more. He became quite proficient in no time and was beginning to enjoy this new found skill. Jules appeared and smiled at him, he poked his tongue out at her and she reciprocated. Then she said, “Oh Gabs if you’re doing some sewing, can you repair the hems on my embroidered jeans?”

“No way, who d’ya think I am, your maid?”

“Well not really, but you wore them last and they weren’t coming down before then, so I think you owe me.”

Drew huffed and puffed with indignation, but Josie took control, “Go and get them sweetheart, we’ll sort them for you.” Drew again squeaked and sighed but Jules was gone before he could protest.

Moments later she reappeared with the damaged jeans and dropping them in his lap she smiled broadly, winked and said, “Thanks sis,” then was gone before he could react.

He wanted to throw them after her but Josie stopped him and after calming him down showed him how to measure and pin up the dropped hems, and then how to do a hemming stitch. Once more he found it quite easy after a few attempts and within twenty minutes he’d repaired both legs.

“You’re a natural at this,” declared Josie making him blush, “Your mother was pretty good, but you could be better.”

“I’d rather beat her in a bike race.”

“No reason why you can’t do both. Now have you tried cross-stitch?”