Wuthering Dormice (aka Bike) Part 865 by Angharad

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Just what I needed–not–a homeless teenager. I managed to calm her down and sent her out to the kitchen to make us some tea. I told her I needed to speak to the police and also to social services. It was going to be a fun morning.

I called the local plod and asked to speak with PC Andy Bond. He wasn’t on until the afternoon shift. I left a message for him to call me, urgently. Next I called social services. I explained what had happened to a woman whose hair I imagined was getting curlier by the second.

She wasn’t sure what to do. I explained that I was making contact with the police and I had held nothing back from her, including Julie’s legal gender and the beatings by her father and the assault by the man who picked her up in the club. I was happy for them to come and interview her whenever they wanted, although she might not share that enthusiasm, I would do my best to have her available.

“What’s your name again?”

“Cameron, Catherine.”

“Is that Mrs?”

“Either that or Lady.”

“Sorry–I don’t understand.”

“I’m married to Lord Simon Cameron, so I’m entitled to use the title Lady.”

“So you’re Lady Cameron.”

“Yes.” I think I’d made her brain explode or something.

“I’ll speak with the duty manager and ask her to call you back.”

“Fine, I’ll be here after two if that’s okay–I need to get this child some more clothing, she’s having to borrow mine, which is a little big.” Little big? Perhaps my brain had exploded too.

Julie came back with the tea–it was pretty gruesome, I’d need to give her lessons on that too, if she stayed. It would soon be out of my hands. I phoned around a few colleges and things to find out about apprenticeships–the one which was most helpful promised to send me a prospectus–could they take my name?

“Yes, It’s Cameron, Lady Catherine.” I followed this with the address and phone number. Julie was sitting opposite me and her mouth was wide open.

“You’re a lady?”

“You’d noticed–it’s the lumps in my jumper and the big bum which gives it away,” I joked.

“No, you’re Lady Cameron?”

“Yes–is that a problem?”

“No–I just never met a real live lady before.”

“You’ve met two here, my sister in law is also a titled woman.”

“Cor–like bloody ‘ell.”

“Julie, it’s not very ladylike to swear.”

She blushed, “I’m sorry, Cathy, I’ll try not to.”

“Good girl,” was all I said yet the effect was akin to a dog with its tail between its legs being patted on the head and suddenly wagging its tail and bouncing about the place.

“Has nobody said that to you before?” She shook her head and sniffed back the tears. Oh boy, it takes me back a bit.

I squeezed her shoulder and the next moment she was hugging me and crying all over me. “What’s the matter?” I asked, putting my arm around her shoulders.

“I’m just so happy–I just like wish it would last forever.”

“Sorry, missy, but I have things to do–you can stand here forever if you like, but I’ve got a life to lead.” She looked at me in astonishment–it seemed she had yet to get used to my humour.

“It’s a joke,” I said smiling at her. Her face went blank and then she smirked and blushed at the same time.

I gave her a little hug and then said to her, “C’mon, we need to get a few things for you, whether you stay here or somewhere else.”

I loaned her a coat which wasn’t much too big for her, and small shoulder bag I no longer used. Trish spotted us getting into the car and moaned because she wasn’t coming with us. I said I’d bring her back something and she eventually gave up and went back to playing with the others.

“How will we pay for this?” asked Julie.

“We haven’t actually bought anything yet–are you comfortable going out like this?”

“I’d be terrified if I was on my own, but with a real woman with me, I feel good about it.” I smiled rather than say anything.

“What happened to your makeup?”

“I borrowed that from my friend.”

“The one you left your jeans at?”

“Yeah, the same one.”

“Oh, for some reason I assumed that would be a boy,” I blushed at my mistake.

“No, I avoid boys like the plague–all they want to do is duff me up, or pull my hair.”

“I’m sorry, I should have known better.”

“That’s okay.”

We parked the car and went into New Look–a shop which specialises in cheaper fashion clothes, mainly aimed at the young market. The fact that she was able to look through things and hold them up to herself, had her grinning like a Cheshire Cat. I did have to exercise some parental control or she’d have ended up looking like a teenage tart again.

I bought her some trousers, two skirts, four tops some tights, some socks, some knickers and another bra. We found a winter coat, a couple of nighties and slippers, a dressing gown, and two pairs of shoes–one flat like ballet pumps, and the other with a small heel. Finally, I bought her some cheap jewellery and a watch, and some makeup. Again we had to compromise as I didn’t think she needed Cheryl Cole false eyelashes.

I’d spent over two hundred pounds and we’d gone back to the car twice as the bags were getting too heavy to cart about with us. She had a lot to learn about being a girl, and whilst I wasn’t the best exemplar, I could at least look neat and tidy and I hoped for Simon’s sake, occasionally sexy–maybe I should get the fake eyelashes?

I bought each of the girls a bracelet–only cheap paste stuff, but they’d enjoy wearing it, and I bought the boys a pair of boxer shorts each with cartoon characters on them. I bought some for Simon and Tom as well, and Stella, she got a book I spotted that she’d told she wanted to read.

We arrived home about midday, and five kids appeared to help us carry things in. Danny was very attentive of Julie–mind you even without makeup she looked very girlish.

Simon carried in the groceries we also bought and I apologised that we’d have to eat store baked bread because I didn’t have time to bake it myself. He gave me some long glances about all the stuff I’d got for Julie. I whispered as I walked past–“My money,” and poked my tongue out at him. I didn’t wait for his reaction.

I took Julie up to the spare bedroom–across the landing from the boy’s room. “Be careful–if they find out you’re not a girl–they are not going to be very pleased, and stop smiling at Danny and looking away, he thinks you fancy him.”

“But he’s only a kid?” she protested.

“Obviously, his puberty is starting to kick in–so please be careful.”

I handed her some sheets, a duvet cover and some pillow cases–“Here you go, make up the bed and hang up your new clothes.”

“I can’t believe I tried it all on–it’s like a dream come true.”

“Well, don’t get too carried away–we don’t know what the police or social services are going to say, yet, do we?”

“Oh, no–I’d like, forgotten about them.”

“Tidy up here, and I’ll show you how to do some makeup after lunch–hopefully before they all start calling us back.” I went downstairs leaving her to enjoy her dream come true before the colours started to fade and real life intruded, like it does. Descending the stairs, I felt she had at least had some experience of harmless girldom, which even if she had to revert back to being a boy again, she’d savour for a long time to come. By the time I got to the kitchen I was feeling quite pleased with myself.

I made soup for lunch–I know, same old same old–but it was quick and filling. I managed to shoo the girls out of the kitchen by giving them their presents; the boys were still riding their bikes so weren’t a problem. I spoke quickly and quietly with Simon and Tom, asked them both if we might allow her to stay for the moment, until some more suitable accommodation could be found. They both nodded their support and Simon then said something which nearly knocked me over.

“How old is she?”

“Sixteen.”

“Is she still in school?”

“She wants to be apprenticed as a hairdresser.”

“Can she do that at sixteen?”

“I think so, why?”

“So she’d need to get a college place?”

“Yeah, if we can find her one?”

“What will she get as an apprentice?”

“Hopefully a career doing something she wants to do, why?”

“I meant pay.”

“Two used teabags and an old comb, why?”

“Well if she helped you around the house with the kids and doing some cleaning and so on, I’ll pay her–what–a tenner an hour? Is that the going rate?”

“I’m sure she’d be pleased to do that at that scale of pay–I suspect there is a limit as to the hours, she can do and we’d have to do up a contract and so on. I’ll sus out social services and ask her as well. Thank you, darling,” I pecked him on the cheek.

“I was just thinking, she’s not gonna blab about Trish is she?”

“I doubt it, living in glass houses et cetera.” I smiled at him again, perhaps he wasn’t as simple as his name suggested.

It was far from cut and dried, we had to get the girl’s agreement to start with, then the powers that be, then our kids–however many we have–and then we had to cope with yet another child in the house, who’d be looking for me to teach her about being female–talk about the blind leading the blind. Good job we have Stella and Livvie, oh and mustn’t forget Kiki.

Once I have agreement from all parties that Julie can stay here, even if only temporarily, I need to get her an appointment with a doctor–this needs to be legitimised if only as an experiment for the child, and she needs to know she can revert back if she wishes.

We ate lunch and cleared up–all hands to the pumps. It was only half past one. I went up to her room with her and I explained a few things about makeup. I’m aware that much of it is by experimentation and practice, but some advice also speeds up the process and most of her peers would have up to six years experience on her.

I agreed she could wear eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss in moderation. I tried to explain that less is more, but I think that went over her head. I also laid some ground rules about bathrooms–always sit on the loo, never let the others see her without clothes on, no leading on the boys and to be careful around the girls, they’d sus her in no time, especially Trish. Transgender people monitor others all the time–it’s like gaydar or whatever they call it with gay people, they pick up things the rest of us miss.

I left her to play with her new toys and went back downstairs–I wondered how many more transsexuals there could be in Portsmouth, or were they all living here already?

The phone rang and I answered it moments before Simon could get there. “Hello?”

“Hello, it’s Andy Bond, can I speak to Cathy Watts?”

“There’s no Cathy Watts here now.”

“I’m sure she gave me this number–who are you?”

“Cathy Cameron.”

“Changed your name have you?”

“Well it tends to be the tradition when you get married.”

“Bloody hell–I mean congratulations, so that really does make you Lady Cameron?”

“Fraid so, so it’s tradesman’s entrance for you from now on.”

“As if I cared, so what did you want me for–sounds like it’s too late for a wedding invite?”

“Not entirely, we’re having a rematch in Scotland in the spring–I’ll add you to the guest list.”

“Wow–you joking?”

“Not about that, no I mean it, you’ll get an invite nearer the time–but the bridesmaids have already been booked. So you’ll have to just wear your best dress.”

“Will do. Now what else did you want?”

“It’s like this, Andy...” I spent half an hour explaining the situation and the bit about the beating by someone who claimed to be a copper.

“I wonder who that was? You’ve contacted social services?”

“Yeah, I’m waiting for them to get back to me–they’re probably ordering in their crucifixes if they’re coming to see me again.”

“It’s not that bad is it?”

“They were cross last time that they weren’t able to stop me annexing Poland, so when I go to conquer the world–you know?”

“Can we stop the flippancy. I’ll get the family liaison officer to come out with me. I know you, so I can reassure her that–Julie, is it?–is perfectly safe in the interim, and with an expert on gender changing.”

“Expertise with dormice, I can accept–bugger, I have to go to the university, I’ve just remembered.”

“I’ll give you a ring tomorrow, Lady Cameron–cor that feels good to say and mean it.”

“Thanks, Andy. I look forward to hearing from you.”

My ear was going numb, when the phone rang almost immediately after I replaced it. This time it was social services. They would be out in an hour’s time, I was to make sure the child was available. I nearly asked if I was expected to supply thumbscrews and a bath for rafting or whatever they call it when they pretend to drown someone to extract confessions or information.

I went to warn Julie. “Wear your jeans and a plainish top and the ballet pumps.”

“Why? I’d feel happier in a dress.”

“Do as I ask please–I know these characters better than you.”

“Oh alright.”

“Julie, I expect to have the odd argument about dress and makeup with any young woman I’m acting in loco parentis for, but I also expect them to respect my opinion. As soon as you came into this house, I became responsible for you–I’m sticking my neck out a long way for you. Your parents are unlikely to let this rest, so if they ask you for family history, I don’t want lies or exaggeration, but I certainly don’t want you to understate the experiences you had, okay.”

“I’m sorry, Cathy, I’ll get changed.”

“Understand this–these people have the power to remove you from this house, and I can do nothing about it. If they think I’m encouraging you to cross dress, they’ll consider it. I consider I am respecting your life choices, which at present are to try living as a girl. If you change your mind, that’s okay too.”

“Change my mind–about what?”

“You decide you want to go back to being John again.”

“No way. I love being Julie, I’ve only been with you a few hours and I really feel so much happier.”

“Happiness is such a transient thing, Julie–enjoy it while it lasts. Social services will be doing all they can to shatter your dreams–while believing they are acting in your best interests.

“If they allow you to stay for a bit longer, I want you to see a doctor I know.”

“Will you come with me?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. I’ll get changed–why the jeans?”

“I want them to see how girly you are in relatively neutral clothes.”

“I’m glad you’re on my side, Cathy.”

“I have to use cunning–they have all the bullets.”