Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 733.

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Wuthering Dormice
(aka Bike)
Part 733
by Angharad
  
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After their ice cream, the girls went out to play for a final hour. My parent’s house is in a cul de sac, so on the promise that they don’t leave it, they were free to ride their bikes around the road – on the pavement.

I made myself a sandwich and ate it with a cuppa. After this I made one for Stella and took it up on a tray with a small pot of tea. I knocked on her door, she didn’t answer so I went in. She was standing looking through the window at the girls as they played in the road beneath.

“I brought you a sandwich and some tea.” I placed the tray down on the top of a chest of drawers.

“I’m sorry I called you a boy,” she continued looking out of the window.

“You were upset.”

“Yes I was, but that was below the belt,” she turned to face me, “and still you feed me.”

“You’re a guest in my house.”

“I thought we were family – sisters?”

“Yes we are, but this is my house and oh Stella, I’m sorry I hadn’t told about the will before, but you weren’t well enough and then you had the baby and I just forgot. I really am sorry, and I hope it isn’t going to be a barrier between us, because if it is … I’ll give it to the local cat’s home or something.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” she snapped at me, then her look softened and she held out her arms – “Dear Cathy, I was hurt that Des loved you more than me and that he took me because he couldn’t have you.”

“I don’t think that’s true, Stella. If you remember he liked you at school.”

“Only because I let him have what he wanted. He was a love rat and I’m pleased you held out from him, you did more than I could.”

“You were a lovesick adolescent then, Stella. At least I was an adult when he tried it on.”

“An adult with six months experience of being a woman. No bad going for a learner.”

“Ah, but with your tutelage, I learned very quickly.” I beamed a smile at her and she chuckled.

“Ironic, that I seemed to be able to teach you things I couldn’t do myself.”

“What d’you mean?”

“I taught you how to be able to say ‘no’, it seems I couldn’t and the consequences are behind you.” She was referring to Puddin’ who was gurgling in her carrycot in the corner behind me.

“She is beautiful, Stella and I’m insanely jealous of you.”

“But you have three lovely children, albeit pre-packed ones – although one will have some difficulties with life – but then you are an expert in that area.”

“I’m an expert in counting dormice, that’s it. I’m an amateur in looking after children, I’m making this up as I go along.”

“After I had insulted you – I really wanted to share my hurt with you, and questioning your sex always works, I’m sorry, but I was angry – I watched the girls playing in the garden and the road. They really are happy and well looked after, something only a mother could do. You’re that mother, so what I said was wrong, to be a mother you have to be a woman, to be a woman you have to be female. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.”

“I’m not sure of the logic of your argument, but I’ll accept your conclusion, because you’re my sister – my big sister, and I accept your word. I hope we can start again and try to work together on things.”

“I’m not upset that Des left you all his wordly goods, that was between him and you, it was your not telling me that was the hurtful thing. Then you explained why you hadn’t and I understand. At least, I think I understand.”

“I’ve let the cottage, and the rent is going into a fund which maintains the building and the surplus goes into a trust fund for Puddin’, which she’ll get when she’s twenty five. The rental is five hundred a month, half of which is profit and goes into the fund. I pay a neighbour to keep an eye on it and to pop in and clean it as necessary. I do the same here, which is why it doesn’t look like Miss Haversham’s house.”

“Oh my God, what a thought. I just saw myself sat in a house wearing a wedding dress and waiting for Des, knowing he isn’t going to come, Ooh, someone walked over my grave.” She shuddered and went back to staring out the window. “Trish is every bit as much a girl as the other two, just as her proud foster mother is.” We hugged again and she sat and ate her sandwich.

After she’d finished and dabbed the crumbs from her mouth, “Thank you, Cathy, that was probably more than I deserve, but it was delicious.” I sat opposite her nursing Puddin’ who had cried to be picked up. She seemed happy to be in my arms and gurgled at me, grabbing at my earrings and ponytail. “You’re a natural mum, aren’t you? I have to work at it. You are so lucky that it comes so easy to you.”

I blushed and Puddin’ continued to coo and laugh in my arms. I tapped her back and bounced her very gently and up came a huge b-u-r-r-r-p. She laughed again at her own cleverness. “I thought she might have a bit of wind.”

“How did you know that? I’m her mother and I didn’t know it.”

“Dunno, she was making funny little noises and frowning every now and again – so it had to be teething or wind. I felt her gums, the first teeth are nearly there, but I didn’t think it was them – so it had to be wind.”

“Her first teeth? Show me,” Stella came over and I showed her how to feel Puddin’s gums. “Oh yes, I forgot all about those.”

“I reckon in a few days she’d have reminded you.” I passed the baby the teething ring I’d bought her weeks ago. She put it in her mouth and chewed on it.

“See, Pud, we’re lucky to have an expert on hand to tell us what to do.”

Puddin’ chuckled at her mother and dribbled down the front of me. Just what I always wanted.

I handed the baby back to Stella, “Here we go, back to Mummy, I have to get my three street urchins in and bathed before bed.”

Accepting the baby back, Stella looked me in the eye and said, “Thanks for being so understanding and not thinking too badly of me for what I said.”

“Stella, if it wasn’t for you, I might not be here now with you and four wonderful children – I might be still in a bed-sitter wearing two or three creased and badly laundered outfits, when I thought nobody would see me and still struggling to hide the me who was inside. I owe you a great deal.”

“Just listen to her, Puddy, this is the woman who has saved my life several times, and yours and most of the rest of the planet, and she says she owes me? I think she’s well in credit, don’t you?” Puddin’ chuckled at her mother’s question. “See, she agrees.”

Afterwards I rounded up the strays and dumped them in the bath, they take no notice of Trish’s anomaly, more interested in who had the rubber duck or the fish or the little boat. Those bath toys did cause some outbursts. Then a little snack, tooth cleaning and hair brushing and bed with a story.

At times it was a chore, but in reality I loved story time, because it was special to me and the girls. Tonight, I made one up rather than read one, about Spike the dormouse and the day she rescued her babies when they were threatened by a nosy grass-snake. Even if I say so myself, it turned out rather well and they seemed to hang on every word. Of course I made it a happy ending and they finally went off to sleep after giving me a kiss and a hug about nine o’clock.

Stella had fed and changed Puddin’ by this time and she had been put down for the night, so we shared a glass of wine and chatted. “I wonder what would have happened if it hadn’t rained that day?” she said.

“I don’t know, Stella, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been chatting here with my big sister.”

“I don’t know, maybe it was your fate to be where you are now, so if I’d missed you the first time, we’d have had to rerun it until I did hit you.”

“Stella, at that rate most of Hampshire would have been flooded with a downpour like that every day.”

She laughed at my picture of the county aprés le deluge, “You know, I’m glad I did.”

“So am I, sister, so am I.” We drank to our shared fates and looked forward to the next day.

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Comments

Excellent resolution...

Puddintane's picture

And glad to see that everyone is growing up.

Cheers,

Puddin'
-----------
Tous les jours à tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux.
— Émile Coué de Châtaigneraie

-

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

If there wasn't so much more to sort out

That could have looked like a conclusion to the story.

Please - relieve Simon of his pain! Cathy's been in Bristol for a while without even letting him know all is well. Of course he hasn't contacted her either....

Sweet!

I think this has to be the fastest those two have resolved a quarrel, perhaps a small sign of emerging maturity? Nah, can't be. ;-)

Now, Angharad, are you going to write down Spike's story for us? Please? Pretty please?

m

Damaged people are dangerous
They know they can survive

Two Sisters

hose two are the Dynamic Duo! I can see that later, when the girls are older, it will be the Fntastic Four, or if more are added, Superfriends. But Cathy and Stella are more like Lucy and Ethel of I Love Lucy.

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Reconciliation

Angharad,

Reconciliation in literature is often either sickly sweet or realistic. I have to go with realistic on this one.

Well written.

Susie

As always

Angharad, You never fail to surprise me, In my last comment i made a remark about Stella's problems and how much i feared for her mental stability....Thankfully sense prevailed and peace broke out again ....For a time!!!...

It does look though that a corner may have been turned ,With both Cathy and Stella showing a degree of understanding of each other problems maybe life can become a little more calmer now....That is of course, Always assuming that Cathy and Simon can put there problems behind them!.... But then, With me being a silly romantic at heart, i always think that true love will always win out in the end!!!

Kirri

Stories...

Far be it for me, a relative newcomer to you and your stories, to make suggestions, but...

"Spike the dormouse and the day she rescued her babies when they were threatened by a nosy grass-snake."

Ever considered writing stories in a completely different genre to usual? :)

(As if Bike, SNAFU, Totally Insane, Gaby fanfics and whatever else is in your story treasury weren't enough to be getting on with!)

Of course, my tongue is currently planted firmly within my cheek (metaphorically, of course!) as I write this :)

(I'm sure most of what little I write in these comments is random, incomprehensible gibberish...but I'm sure some of you are deluded enough to take the trouble to read it...)

--Ben

This space intentionally left blank.

As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!

I'm surprised...

.. at how well Stella handled the truth about Des' will and that he, in her mind, only came after her when he was turned down by Cathy. I expected that to set her off again and for a minute, her staring out the window seemed to signal that we were indeed, in a time loop.

PB

Finally the two "Sisters"

Finally the two "Sisters" are actually talking to each other and sharing their feelings. I think what Cathy has done for Puddin is a marvelous thing and something that Puddin will thank her for when she is 25. I do get the feeling tho, that none of the girls will actually be wanting for anything after they grow. Janice Lynn

Cathy and Stella

Looks like Cathy is finally getting over her sensitivity of her past, it hurt, but not so much she lost control as in the past and did things she would regret.

Stella has also done some growing.

A nice chapter.