Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 192

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"No, I'm an ordinary woman who came to womanhood by a more tortuous path than you, but my world is as boring and mundane as yours. I'm not into any secret worlds except that of The Mammal Society and Portsmouth university cycling club." It was a slight fib, but I felt my cowardice wouldn't allow her to tar me with any brush, except that of normality. Okay, so I'm a hypocrite in some ways, although mostly what I said is true. I live a boringly normal life.

Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad,
part 192.

The young woman I took to be Stevie's sister led us into the lounge, where a man and woman in their late forties, were waiting. They were both standing as we entered the room.

"Mr and Mrs Naylor, I presume," said Tom, "I'm Professor Tom Agnew and my colleague Cathy Watts." We all shook hands. He was Andrew and she was Debbie.

They offered us tea or other drinks. Tom accepted tea so I decided to show solidarity, a real sacrifice as you know I never touch the stuff. Mandy, the daughter, went off to make it.

"So what brings Steve's Professor and personal tutor all the way to Bristol?" asked Andy Naylor.

"I think I'd better answer that." I took a deep breath and dived in. "We noticed Steve wasn't doing as well as he should have been doing with his previous tutor and Prof Agnew asked me to see him. I could see he had a problem although I wasn't sure what it was. But I got him to trust me and eventually he opened up to me."

"What sort of problem?" asked Debbie, she looked very concerned.

"It's a very personal thing. Steve has AIDS and I took him to hospital yesterday, he is quite ill with a possible tumour on his liver."

There was an almost palpable silence, where the only noise was Mandy in the kitchen and the fridge buzzing in the background somewhere.

"My Steve has AIDS?" asked Debbie, "Surely there is some mistake?"

"It would be wonderful if there was, but he's known for a couple of years." I tried to avoid the gay element although I knew it would happen eventually. In my mind the fact that he was so poorly was the important thing.

Andy looked at us in total horror but said nothing. He put his arm around his wife who was now crying.

Mandy came back into the room carrying the tray of tea, I stood up quickly to take it from her and laid it on the coffee table. "What's going on?" she asked her distraught parents.

"Steve's got AIDS according to these two," said Andy.

"What? No! No that can't be true, it's just flu," she threw herself on the floor next to her parents. "He can't have, he can't have," she called in rebuttal of the truth.

Tom looked at me and with lips pressed tightly together watched the distressed family. There was nothing we could do.

"Is he going to die?" asked Debbie getting some composure.

"I'm not a doctor, but he is very poorly." I offered.

"We should be on our way to see him," she replied, "my little boy."

"He asked me yesterday to come and tell you, the hospital did offer to phone you, but Steve said no. I could hardly refuse him, he looked quite ill."

"How long has he got?" asked Andy.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I suppose it depends upon how serious the thing on his liver is."

"I thought only queers got AIDS," said Debbie.

"Anyone can get it from unprotected sex." Said Tom, reminding me he was still there for me.

"Is he queer?" Debbie said looking at me.

"I erm," I hesitated, "He told me he was gay, yes."

"Jesus Christ all bloody mighty!" shouted Andy. "You tell me my son is dying and then you have to tell me he's a fucking pansy."

"Irrespective of what his sexuality is, he is still your son and he is still a lovely human being."

"Oh shut up with your bloody platitudes, do you know what this means, do you know what people around here are going to think when they find out?"

"Is that more important than your son's love?" I asked. I was trying to keep my temper, I've been there got the scars and come through it. Stevie wasn't going to be able to fight for himself, but I could. All that was saving Andy from me stripping him layer by layer like an onion was the fact that he was in shock. But if he wanted to fight, I'd eat him alive.

Oh he was twice my size, but I had the secret weapon, I had survived attacks from arseholes like him and grown stronger. I had been exposed to the world and survived. I had been into the pit and climbed out. He was teetering on it's edge, I only had to nudge him and his prejudice would carry him down to its murky depths and maybe drown him there.

He stood up as if to challenge me and I saw Tom tense ready to intervene. But Andy checked himself. "My son a fucking queer," he groaned and dropped to his knees tears streaming down his face. "Why, why?"

"Where is he?" asked Debbie.

I handed her a slip of paper with the hospital address and telephone number. I suggested she ring before they went to make sure which ward he was on.

Mandy was looking at me. I knew she recognised me and sooner or later the penny would drop. What degree she would remember was anyone's guess. I hoped we would have left before then.

"I know you from somewhere," she said looking at me.

"You might have seen Cathy around the university or even the town when you came to see Steve," said Tom.

"No, it's not that."

"I used to live in Bristol," I said.

"Could be, but I dunno." She looked away thinking hard, her pretty face was red eyed and her make up was all streaked. "You were on the telly. You pulled that baby out of the burning car."

Now I really wanted to leave. I looked at my watch, we'd only been there half an hour. It felt like three lifetimes.

"You're gonna marry that Lord bloke, aren't ya?"

I nodded. I was just waiting for the final hammer blow to fall before I got ready to defend myself. It didn't happen. I almost held my breath in anticipation, I could feel the injection of adrenalin coursing through my body as I got ready for fight or flight. I was almost twitching with tension but nothing happened.

"Thank you for coming." Said Debbie anticlimactically.

"I'll see you out," said Mandy showing us to the door.

As we got to the door, she said quietly, "I knew Steve was gay, I just wouldn't believe it. You're very pretty for a boy."

"I'm not one any more." I said back a little defensively.

"I know, don't worry I won't tell them. Is Steve gonna die?"

"I think so," I said quietly and saw fresh tears run down her face.

"You were brave to come and tell us."

"Stevie asked me to come, I couldn't refuse him, he looked so sad."

"Thank you. Can I come and talk to you some day about all this?"

"If you want to, although I can't say I know too much about it."

"But you know a part of Steve I don't."

"I'm not sure I do. I only met him two weeks ago as his tutor and he confided in me. I got him to go to hospital and we went back again yesterday. They admitted him. He also told me he knew what was wrong and asked me to come and tell you."

"Oh, I wondered if you and him, sort of moved in..."

"No, I'm an ordinary woman who came to womanhood by a more tortuous path than you, but my world is as boring and mundane as yours. I'm not into any secret worlds except that of The Mammal Society and Portsmouth university cycling club." It was a slight fib, but I felt my cowardice wouldn't allow her to tar me with any brush, except that of normality. Okay, so I'm a hypocrite in some ways, although mostly what I said is true. I live a boringly normal life.

"Okay, I believe you, but I'd still like to talk to you some day."

"Okay Mandy, contact me via the university and I'll see what I can do."

"It was you with the hamster down your jumper?"

"Dormouse," I corrected her, "yes that was me and Spike."

She laughed, releasing her tension and I laughed too, then Tom put his hand on my shoulder and we walked back to the car.

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Comments

Whew!

What a see you next Tuesday Andy appears to be; we can only hope that he doesn't put two and two together about Cathy, make 1000 and try to cause a stink. Mandy seems to be a nice kid, and she obviously is devoted to her brother.

Good chapter, Ang. Lots of tension.

Gabi

Gabi.


“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

Cathy: The DragonSlayer

She is correct! She has been through the fire and is now much stronger! At first, she was a frightened, shy pale shadow. NOW she has become a caring woman that WILL stand up to bullies and tyrants. Me, I feel sorry for the MAFIA when they cross paths with her.
May Your Light Forever Shine

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

THAT went FAR better than it could have...

... Sooner or later something gunna happen.

BTW - strange coincidence. The Add at the bottom of this page "...progression from HIV to AIDS". Kinda appropriate considering the subject of the episode.

I'll tune in tomorrow for the next exciting enstallment of "As the World T.." oops. sorry, wrong soap. :-)

Thanks

My vote

Do to a malfunction in the voting apparatus I'm posting my comment and vote together.Do to a temporary long hours work schedule posting may not always be possible for me.So since your such a great writer please count me as voting even if I don't comment after 192 chapters and not one disapointment I think it's a safe bet to vote ahead of time.Not that I'm a homophobic bigot or anything but since you saved Stella please feel free to terminate Stevie.As Annette said it was a strange coincidence that below it say's from Aids to Hiv but even more strange to me is the gay dating sight being posted next to it.So I guess the message is please be safe.Amy

A Vote

This is a vote. Not as easy as clicking a box, but not hard, either, and well worth it.

Well done! Jenny Grier

Well done!

Jenny Grier (Mrs.)

x

Yours from the Great White North,

Jenny Grier (Mrs.)

Your Marvelous Gift

I'm always appreciative of the way you make knotty social problems come out of your word processor gently and with such ease.

marie c.

marie c.

Boring and mundane?

What planet are you on for Christ's sake?

If her world is boring and mundane, I'd hate to think what my world is. Positively stagnant by the looks.

Talk about bloody understatement.

Thank God we're not hanging by our fingernails on some precipitous ledge anymore...

Anyone got a nail file?

Thanks Ang, marvellous as always

NB

When I wrote that

Angharad's picture

I wondered who was going to challenge it. You were in the top one Nick 8)

Angharad

Angharad

The sad commentary is that

The sad commentary is that too many people react just like the father did. Everything rotates around them and if it doesn't fit into their nice neat little world then they can't accept it. He will, maybe, go and see his son, but I would really doubt it as he won't be able to resolve the "gay issue" with himself. Cathy and Dr. Tom did the family a BIG favor by coming and telling them in person, rather them hearing about it from the hospital via a phone call or letter after the son has died. J-Lynn

Hard to believe

But I have to accept it as a truth. I see too many people who carry invisible scars. Thank God I was spared that aspect, but my heart goes out to the people who bear the brunt of the intolerance.

Twit

Well that went as well as could be expected. Stevie's sister is a twit however. "I knew he was gay, I just didn't believe it " then gee you're a pretty boy, while you were having sex, you're gay too right? He must have told you things he didn't tell me .( I need help here, is being gay like having the flu ?) Maybe twit is being kind , What is 1 letter off .tw......Oh, well.
Real life again, Ang, but no Kleenex yet

Cefin

Idiots & Arseholes...

That think their image, i.e., how others see them/think of them, is more important than the life crisis of a son / daughter / brother / sister / wife / husband / relative need to have their heads put on straight, but I doubt that they would even consider doing psychotherapy.

Sorry, but to me, the ONLY important thing should be that the family would support the family member having the life crisis, 'nuff said.