The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3413 by Angharad Copyright© 2023 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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"I'm personally sorry that your daughter and colleague were assaulted I didn't realise it would go this far. I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology even though it is too little too late, this like a civil war between women. We are not enemies, we should band together for strength and solidarity against the power of misogynistic men and their institutions who spout scriptural nonsense at us as justification to abuse us or suppress us. Can't the average person realise if it's written down then a human wrote it not a deity? It's a lie they have been using for centuries and it has to stop.

"You have started a process that will happen and any of your group who broke the rules will be treated accordingly. My hands are tied, I just hope you all learn something from it. Women are under threat, not from trans people but from heterosexual men and the misogynistic institutions they create. Men are scared of women for some reason and claim we have to be controlled but invoking biblical passages shows how feeble their argument is. Goodbye." She left in tears but hopefully a little wiser.

"She come to surrender?" asked Diane when she brought me a cuppa.

"Apologise."

"Same thing innit?"

"I suppose. I hope she learns from it."

"Maybe she will - that mamma bear will defend her young, in this case her department, her family and friends against all comers and she happens to be married to the equivalent of a ten foot grizzly who owns a bank. Not someone to pick on lightly."

"I'll tell Simon you compared him to a grizzly bear," I joked.

"I didn't expect to work here for life..."

"Better hope they don't give you a life sentence then."

"What for murdering my boss?" She left my office laughing and I admit I cackled a bit myself at her retort. Then I returned to my spreadsheets until I left later that afternoon.

At dinner after the kids had left the table to do whatever they do after a family meal Daddy said quietly "Is it over?"

"I hope so; sadly we'll have the aftermath to deal with in the ensuing weeks. Letters will be going out pointing out that they broke university rules and policies which is a shame because the policies are there to protect them. Some will be suspended some sent down."

"Aye, I'll sign them showing nae department is individually involved. The university council wrote the rules and thae policies and they all signed up tae them."

"I'm sorry this happened, some of it has to be laid at the political situation and the interference of idiot celebrities who don't know what they are stirring up The rest seems to be a fear but of the misplaced sort. Women are rightly scared but that should be of heterosexual men who statistically do most of the abuse and assaults. Transwomen are of no danger to them and those who actually believe that men change gender to spy on women in loos, should still be in first grade intellectually if not kindergarten, their stupidity is breathtaking. No wonder they believe in a book of Jewish folk stories."

"Aye, I'm awa' tae ma study for wee dram."

"Enjoy it, you've earned it and thanks for the love and support you shown us."

"Whit 'd ye expect taewards ma ain family?"

"Nothing less, but I'd like to register my thanks and appreciation all the same."

"Aye, weel, ye hae." He turned and went into his study and I went off to mine a little moist in the eyeball department. I really loved this old man who'd shown me more love than my birthfather had ever done and I hoped he'd be with me for a long time as life without him was unimaginably sad and empty, although at some point it was likely. Simon said that when Tom died he wanted to give up banking to buy a farm and raise free range carrots. If he does maybe I'll give up academia and join him in the 'good life'. I'd make sure it was dormouse friendly and perhaps spend my time counting them and seeing what research I could do without much equipment except myself and a few nestboxes and nesting tubes. It's the time spent checking them that is always the problem, still, if I'm no longer gainfully employed, I'll have the time and the incentive to supply papers to mammal journals. I'll probably die a mammal ecologist, it's probably written though me like a stick of Blackpool rock, the confectionary rather than geological.

I made some tea and retired to my study and tried to do some darning of school uniforms, quite what my children got up to I had no idea but anyone who thinks girls are easier to raise than boys should take a look in my sewing bag, they'd soon be disabused of the idea. Hannah came into my study to show me a tear in her gymslip. Yes, they still wear them. It appears she was fighting in the play ground, someone called her mother a slut. Unless they meant her birth mother, that's me and I will have words with Sister Maria. Either way, her mother has been dead for several years, so the jibe is wrong and out of date and the girl that said it had better be given the facts of life by the headmistress or I will be looking to deal with her parents, who might not be able to afford school fees after I do. I realised how aggressive I'd become in dealing with that hag from Sussex. I decided I would have to take measures to become just an ordinary woman again and try and stop to smell the flowers if any survived the overnight frost.

I questioned Hannah some more about the abuse the girl had thrown at her and then had to comfort her afterward. It appeared she was more upset by the implication that the abuse related to me. I assured her that no one would believe it and that I would also protect the reputation of her birth mother, who was dead for a number of years and who had an awful death. But I told her as she couldn't defend herself, by dint of being dead, I would do it for her as no one should speak ill of the dead. She thanked me and apparently, the girl has an older sibling who knew about Hannah's original mother. I would make enquiries of the girl's parents and will put them all right and also mention that the last libel case I had cost the libeller half a million. The threat of what I might do, should frighten the brown stuff out of them. Few want to test their strength, financial or otherwise against the wife of a billionaire and owners of a bank, plus said wife was a professor, a bank director and award-winning film maker. No sane parent would want to go up against them unless they were trying to make a point which wasn't guaranteed to come out in court against Jason, as he'd be working to protect my reputation and have the court find against the other party, and he was particularly good at his job.

I know we all claim lawyers are the closest living relatives of predatory cartilaginous fish, but were all glad to know a couple and Jason had proved himself over and over. He knew the legal system and how to work it, was highly regarded within it and his fees were equally high. His name alone had stopped one or two mistaken actions against us or the bank. Grown men didn't actually tremble at his name but they certainly changed their minds about lawsuits. Thankfully we're not as bad as America for specious litigation but at times I do wonder.

I was up early the next day and took the girls to school. Livvie is now at Southampton doing a degree in English and Women's studies and enjoying it, so Hannah was the eldest of the siblings I took along with Cate and Lizzie. It didn't take long to brief Sister Maria and she said she would speak to the girl herself and point out the dangers of accusing people of things without positive proof or evidence and even then it can be dangerous. Guilty parties may have an individual idea of the law and few scruples about silencing those who become a nuisance. Even governments aren't above doing so, you really need to be careful when you spout inflammatory statements or accusations.

I had been at my office for less than an hour when Sister Maria called me and said to stand down my troops as the parents realised where the remark had arisen and offspring would be dealt with in no uncertain terms especially the older variety who was looking to reinsure her car and thus provided the parents with some leverage. They knew nothing of Hannah's background and were horrified to learn their fifteen-year-old daughter was making such claims. They also gasped when they learned who Hannah's parents were now.

Mission accomplished and Debbie came back to work today, earning her a cup of my office tea - today was Orange Pekoe. It was good to see that she had completely recovered from her ordeal as had Trish, and she laughed at the image of Simon wading in amongst those stupid women attackers. I actually blushed at the memory especially when I thought of the injuries I had caused with my kickboxing blows that were a complete surprise to them, as were a couple of broken noses, jaws and cheekbones. Cracking stuff - I don't think.

Life was coming back to normal and it was reasonably good. I'd stopped thinking of Tom's demise and got back into my regular workload, all I had now was to examine those blessed spreadsheets. Where was Simon when I needed him? Oh well, here we go...