(aka Bike) Part 1100 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad
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On the Monday, I contacted the school and left a message for the headmistress or school secretary to call me back. At about eleven, the headmistress rang.
“Hello, Sister Maria, you remember my new daughter, Billie, well if your offer still holds, I’d like to enrol her at the convent.”
“The offer still stands, Lady Cameron, and if I remember she has a similar plumbing anomaly to Trish?”
“Very succinctly put.”
“I’ll arrange for the forms to be sent to you, I hope she’ll like it and settle in as well as her sisters–I’m afraid if she doesn’t you will be liable the whole term’s fees.”
“Yes, I understand, will you send me a list of what the uniform needs are again?”
“I will, indeed.”
“Thanks, that’s one more thing off my list.”
“I look forward to welcoming all four of your daughters next month.”
“In a few years there could be another one.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, I have care of a baby, whose parents actually were Catholics, so assuming she’s still with me she’ll come to you as well.”
“I hope you’re having her baptised.”
“Not for the moment–I just haven’t got time, besides I’ll have to check if she’s already been done.”
“How old is she?”
“Three or four weeks.”
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, that is young.”
“Sadly, her parents are both dead and the mother asked me to look after her.”
“Goodness! See, your fame as a Good Samaritan spreads far an’ wide.”
“I think my reputation as a soft touch is probably even more widespread.”
“You are far too self-deprecating. Is the baby taking to the bottle?”
“I don’t know, at the moment I’m feeding her myself.”
“You’re breast feeding her?”
“Yes.”
“But I thought you said...”
“Yes, I did–but somehow it started spontaneously.”
“The Lord be praised, this is a minor miracle.”
“Well please keep it under your hat, I don’t want it generally known what’s happened.”
“God moves in mysterious ways, Lady Catherine.”
“So I’m told.”
“Maybe all those miracles you perform for others has caused another to made for you. You certainly deserve it.”
“I see it rather more mundanely than that, but if miracles are being given, then the recipient is the baby more than I, and after losing the rest of her family, she deserves a break.”
“Indeed she does, poor little mite.”
“I’ll await the forms.”
“I’ll post them meself,” she assured me and I rang off.
Next I spoke briefly with my GP and asked him to call me back. He did at the end of his surgery. After a quick chat, he offered to come by on his way home for lunch, which he did.
He examined me and the baby, and concluded she was okay, and that I indeed was producing milk in sufficient quantity to feed her. He also agreed to take her on as a patient. He spoke to most of the other children and agreed that Billie seemed to look far happier as a girl. I explained about the new school, and he grimaced–"I know what the fees are like, I’ve got two at a private school.”
“You could have stayed for lunch,” I said as he was leaving.
“I think you have enough to do, besides, I have to walk the dog.”
“You must be a dedicated pet lover,” I teased.
“Me? No, I need the walk more than him, it de-stresses me, so I do it morning, noon and night.”
“I use a bicycle for the same thing.”
“With seven children, how do you find time to ride a bike?”
“With difficulty.” I smiled and shrugged. He left, urging me not to overdo things. I promised him I was looking for some help around the house.
After lunch, I sent an advert to the local paper requesting a box number. It went:
Help needed running a busy professional household, with several children. Experience necessary, references required. Will need to be cleared by a CRB check. Apply in writing with CV to Box no. ???
Later on, Maureen appeared and I asked her about converting the room above the old stables into a small flat. She knew a builder who could do it. I asked her to get me a quote. I’d spoken of doing this before with Tom, who’d agreed in principle, but it was still his property and he’d need to agree. We couldn’t extend the house, it was a listed building, grade II. I suspected the stables were too, but with Maureen on the job, I felt sure we could get someone to do a decent job and not annoy the planning authority. I decided if we could offer accommodation, we’d find it easier to fill the vacancy–although that in itself created new complications as well. I would have to get any sort of lease organised by the solicitor, and it needed to be tied to the job. The last thing I needed was someone in the flat who was no longer doing the job, because evicting tenants can be a real pain.
Some of you might wonder what happened to Simon’s cottage–well, he let it out and had trouble with one tenant who defaulted on the rent but refused to accept the eviction notice we tried to serve on him.
I’m not sure how Simon got rid of him in the end, and I’m not sure I want to know. What I do know is how exercised Simon was by the experience and how close he was to murdering the individual, who was a right pain.
The people in there now are delightful and no problem at all. Mind you, I’d been lucky with the tenants of Des’s old place–so far they’d been model ones. Mind you, he worked at Bristol University, a reader or something.
I fed the baby–I was getting used to sopping wet nipples and using pads. I expressed some milk most days and there was still plenty for tiny wee. In a few more weeks, the younger children could help me feed her with a bottle, but for the moment it was adults only, which included Julie.
She was a bit of help around the house but I informed her she was doing beauty and hairdressing at college from September. She flounced about the place but I held firm, and eventually she agreed to give it a go. I wasn’t sure how committed she was to anything but lazing about and tongue wrestling with Leon, but then she is a teenager. Although some of those are absolutely driven to achieve something with their lives, Julie wasn’t one.
“Well you did alright, marrying into money.”
“I have two degrees, Julie, and I worked full time until fairly recently, and still have part time jobs with the survey and the bank.”
“Both of those are a doddle aren’t they–money for old rope.”
“Are they? I spend a couple of hours a day doing them, usually after you’ve gone to bed. No, the money Simon pays you lying in your bed when you’re supposed to be helping me, now that is a doddle.
“Perhaps you will find some man to keep you in your idleness, but I doubt it–so as I have a commitment to at least making you qualified to earn your own way in this world, you are going to college to learn a skill.”
“I think I wanna do tattooing and piercing.”
“Fine, but you’re doing hair and beauty first.”
“What if I don’t wanna do it?”
“I’ll cut off your allowance and only feed and clothe you for work you do at home. Oo,h and I’ll only pay the minimum rate.”
“Now you’re getting mean.”
“No, I’m getting tough. You don’t seem to learn the easy way, so I’m going to make you do it the hard way–it’s your choice, but learn you will.”
“Wanna bet?” she mouthed as she left.
“I’m willing to bet your room here, that you mend your ways or look for another billet. I can let your room to my new help.”
She burst into tears and ran up the stairs slamming the door.
“Wassamatta with Julie?” asked Trish.
“I just gave her a reality check.”
“Wassat?”
“Okay, basically I told her if she didn’t shape up, she could ship out.”
“You can’t do that, Mummy. you promised us we had a home for life with you?”
“I promised you a home for as long as you needed one. in return, you lived by my rules. Julie seems incapable of doing so, so I’ve given her a final warning.”
“But you can’t throw her out, Mummy.” now Trish was in tears.
“I didn’t say I was going to throw her out, I implied it, because I wanted to get her attention. Now she might listen.”
That night I was just putting the baby down after a late feed when I thought I heard the front door close. I ran downstairs and the chain wasn’t on it. Someone had gone out. I couldn’t see anyone in the drive. I raced upstairs and checked all the rooms, Julie’s bed hadn’t been slept in and there was a note on it.
‘You made me do this. J.’
Oh great, just what I need, I picked up the phone and called the police.
Comments
Congrats on 1100.
A nice read but wow, sometimes I think Juli might be really Stella's child.
Bailey Summers
Emotionally damaged Julie
Is Julie 16 yet? Teens this age are extremely volatile and need boundaries. I'm fearful that Cathy used the D word too soon. (Divorce, I'm throwing you out, and all that.) Of course in my experience with my English house mate, I did learn that she could be quite stern; even vicious if she chose. Of course, my own life was no blinding success and perhaps it was that way because I failed to be firm with my children.
Even though it was quite a good epi.
Gwen
Excellent observation
...this is a kid who nearly died from a suicide attempt already. Her family life is fairly unstable and she's been raped and sodomized in the last several weeks while trying to protect another child. She's extremely insecure and depressed, due to no fault of her own, owing to the instability at home and the events of the recent past. And she's just seen her family thrown into upheaval once again as they witnessed the death of a child and a friend and the suicide of another. The older children at home are de facto nannies as the family collects children like some people collect Hummel figurines despite the fact the her adopted mother is busy saving the world and her adopted father acts clueless. Add her family members being harassed and/or kidnapped and I think she deserves more understanding than what she's received.
Dio vi benedica tutti
Con grande amore e di affetto
Andrea Lena
Love, Andrea Lena
... and there it is ...
I quite expected the cliffhanger, given this episode is a century episode.
Julie did need the wake up call, but she seems to have taken it the wrong way. Hopefully she'll turn up OK.
Thanks for the daily dose.
Bike pt 1100.
Cathy keeps on having trouble wih Julie, mainly because Julie is neither an adult,, or a child.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Spoilt Teenagers
That girl needs a reality check.
She's sixteen and a lazy tyke. I can't see Cathy living at this pace for much longer, she's going to burn out.
The police usually don't get involved until somebody has been missing for 24 hours or is that only if they're over eighteen.
I'll bet she turns up hiding in or around the house or something and getting Cathy into trouble for wasting police time.
It's what teenagers do
Still lovin' it.
OXOXOX
Beverly
Let Julie go.
By all means find her and make sure she's safe and sound. Then let her know she's to pay some nominal fee for her room and board, or work it off around the house, or find someplace else to live that Cathy approves of -- or she can go back to her parents (at least her father seems repentant, does she feel like taking a chance with him?).
THAT'S a reality check.
Julie really is a drama queen.
She needed the reality check. All she's done so far is take, and give nothing in return.
If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the first time that Julie's threatened - self-harm? Is she serious this time? Or is she just being a drama queen? And has she forgotten that Cathy's saved her life on more than one occasion, and really does love her as her own daughter?
Well observed as usual.
Susie
Hang Tough Cathy
Julie will rediscover reality soon enough. I must have been an alien as a teenager as I was always sensible and there was never any drama. Chronically rational, I am an enigma wrapped in a mystery :)
And the Cameron household rolls on. Cathy is going to become the Lady of the Manor at this rate. There is absolutely NO way that she can take on even more charges. Seven ... OMG.
Kim
Bringing up teenagers
I know Cathy's busy and tired, but I can't help wonder if she could have handled this situation with Julie better.
It was delivered as an ultimatum, and of course Julie responded the way most teenagers would when told they have to do something.
It might have been better for them both to have sat down and discussed things, and in particular what Julie's own wishes are concerning her future. Things can change fairly rapidly in a teenager's world, particularly as Julie has had the 'reality check' of working at the salon for some time now.
Cathy could have achieved what she sees as beneficial to Julie by dropping some hints and ideas, getting Julie to think things over, and then offering her some choices. There was no choice in this instance. If people are given some input into things that affect them, then they're more likely to work positively towards achieving those goals.
Thanks A+B, like other readers, I was expecting a cliffhanger, and you didn't disappoint.
Parenting
StrifeStrategiesBike Resources
Bike Resources
Physical Home/Emotional Home
Cathy has done a great job providing for the physical needs but being able to devote time to minister to every little emotional need of such a large brood may even be beyond her. And I mean that includes all of the 'adults' who in my opinion are not pulling their weight. Simon/Stella are big babies imho who need Cathy to protect their little egos as much as the children. Tom is not backing Cathy up by spending time with the children - that I know of.
Their are not enough emotional teats to feed such a ravenous horde.
So I think there needs to be some restructuring for the home of Damaged Children. Julie has been through a lot with her parents but she is an ungrateful wretch who owes Cathy her life in many ways and thinks only of her own rebellion, sorry I never was that way even though I had the whole gender enchilada on my plate too. I had a semi-broken home where I had two dysfunctional brothers who hated each other and distanced themselves from me too so I returned the favor. Thankfully my parents did love me so I am not complaining unduly.
Simon and Stella need to step up to the emotional plate for this brood. Sorry Cathy has to stop taking in more strays as a consequence of this emotional load.
So now Julie gets her back all up and refuses to give Cathy the benefit of the doubt and do things her way and also discharge the responsibilities she is being paid to do. Yes a little give and take is needed but I thought Julie was getting therapy to help in that direction from Stephanie, isn't she?
Finally sadly the new baby will not help matters as Julie, as the eldest would normally be the one who takes charge of the rest of their siblings to help Cathy but I think Trish is really the leader of the brood and Julie has the emotional IQ of Meems. Julie may also be jealous of baby Cathy without even realizing it.
Whew.
Kim
Looks to me like julie
Looks to me like julie already decided that having a rich (adoptive) daddy is all the profession she'll ever need.
while i understand that she's through a lot lately, her threats weren't exactly helpful either.
Here we go again...
Cathy gives Julie an ultimatum, Julie storms off. Unfortunately, Julie has a very short fuse...
Cast your minds back to January and episodes 872-3:
Other examples:
As for the comparisons with Stella...
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Oh the joys of
raising a teenager, No matter what you do or say they always think they know better, And that certainly seems to be the case with Julie, Quite what she expects out of life without putting in some effort, Only she could tell us.... Like others have said, Maybe she thinks having a rich daddy/boyfriend will be enough...Oh for the innocence of youth...
Kirri
P.S.
Congrats on reaching 1100....Its still as fresh and readable as ever, And for me it is very much a must read.
The Problem
I get the funny feeling your not American and not writing your stories from the USA. I guess we can forgive you for that.
I don't know what "money for old rope means." But I believe
Julie may have a point. In the USA they have something called
the "Children's Bill of Rights." So I do believe her point of
view may have some merit. But I do believe there is a bigger problem and one that is causing women to rebel and quiet frankly far to many men wanting to become women. If your are writing from England I believe you need to import Indians and give them control of your country to correct a system that has basically gone bad.
When the English first set foot on our land and the Indians were
running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty of buffalo, and clean water.
WOMEN DID ALL WORK, Medicine man free, men hunt and fish all day,
all night have sex. The natural state of affairs is all wrong
in the country this story is taking place. Perhaps your government
can contact ours and they can send over some Indians to teach you
how to have a more peaceful enjoyable country.
If I have misinterpreted what is taking place it is because I had
to skip 1,000 chapters to read this one. I must say this story is
enjoyable if you start on ch. 1, or ch. 1,100. Thank You
Money for old rope
means money for very little or nothing.
We're a bit short of bison for part two of your comment, although I did do a shamanistic course with a native American, including a sweat lodge - it was hot!
Angharad
Angharad
The one thing you can not do with Julie
is threaten to evict her. She is already insecure, this only makes an existing problem worse.
Did a Dixie
Cathy issues another ultimatum, worked as well with Julie as with Simon.
Now she calls the coppers and says what ? my 17yr old has left ?
I'm not sure that would fly.
I apologize for the attitude of the ? native American?
The author writes from Great Briton,or perhaps Wales.
Funny attitude for this site?
Cefin