The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2279 by Angharad Copyright© 2014 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

Sometimes I despaired for my erstwhile son, I mean, how can you forget you’re female?”

Actually, she wasn’t in a strictly legal sense because only adults can make application to change their legal gender under the current law. It must therefore assume that those who are under aged don’t have the wherewithal to decide these things. Fine, now try telling that to Trish—she’d bite your head off. I admit we’ve, no, I’ve not always acted in full accord with the law because on all official documents I’ve had pertaining to her gender or sex, I’ve listed her as female. I’ll do the same with Danni, as well. Seeing as neither have much male about them anymore, it makes sense to me even if it’s somewhat legally inaccurate.

“If the law supposes that,” said Mr. Bumble,… “the law is a ass—a idiot. If that’s the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is that his eye may be opened by experience—by experience.” So said a certain author of some repute, who was born in this city, in his novel, ‘Oliver Twist’. Although at home we always knew it as, ‘Elluva Tangle.’ I see they’ve made a film about Charles Dickens and his affair with the young actress Nelly Ternan.

Things Dickensian are important to Portsmouth, given the bicentenary of his birth in 2012, when there were loads of events to celebrate it. I’m afraid we didn’t get involved, although I obviously respect him for his writing, which is powerful stuff; I don’t think I like him one bit. Thomas Hardy, another household name of a generation later, was equally unpleasant to his wife, as was TS Eliot. Seems some literary gentlemen are not as nice as the works they produce—though most of Dickens and hardy’s works could hardly be described as nice, but I know what I mean.

“Oh, Lady C, my mum has just texted me to say she’s likely to be stuck in Colchester for another day or so.”

“I see, so what would you like to do about it?” Looked like I was going to be stuck as a baby-sitting service again.

“I—um don’t really know,” she blushed.

“Yes you do,” said Danni, “she wants to stay with us, is that all right—say it is, please, Mummy.”

It struck me as incongruous that a few moments earlier this lovely young woman who was pleading for her friend in a very feminine manner, was apparently oblivious of her gender.

“I’d prefer to hear her say it herself,” I replied. There are legal requirements and also moral ones to be adhered to. I know it makes me seem a total hypocrite, but if she was being overly influenced by Danni, I was trying to give her a way out.

“May I stay a day or so longer, Lady C?” she said looking quite sheepish.

“You may, but I’d like to speak with your mother.” Just to make sure she was actually asking, which probably shows I’m naturally suspicious. I’m not really, I do believe them but the care of children is a tricky area and I’d hate for her to accuse me of allowing Cindy to stay beyond what she’d agreed.

Cindy sent a text to her mum with our phone number on it and a moment later she called and we chatted for a couple of minutes. It was all above board and I was in loco parentis for another day or two. I did actually agree to the rest of the week if necessary. Seeing as Cindy seemed to have a positive effect upon Danielle, I wasn’t too unhappy.

I also smiled when Brenda suggested that her Uncle Alf, who’d been so unpleasant to Cindy, was continuing his unpleasantness by not dying as expected. Apparently he was in his eighties and was her great uncle not just an uncle which would make him Cindy’s great great uncle.

I established that Cindy had enough clothes for a couple more days and offered to wash any she needed. As she and Danni were much of a size, she could also borrow from her if needed.

To celebrate I set up the ironing board and the two girls were able to press their new skirts so they might wear them the next day if they wished. As I watched them attending to their creations, I realised that I’d perhaps been wrong about Cindy. I’d thought originally that she encouraged Danni down the transgender route when I really didn’t think it was appropriate and now she was helping Danni to explore her new role. Maybe I wasn’t so wrong, what had happened was the context had changed. Danni was now a girl, full stop, so helping her cope was now useful.

I had been wrong before. I’d thought Peter was a nice, polite boy. I suppose he was until the assault in France seemed to change him into some sort of unstable creature that I’d encouraged Danni to befriend only for disaster to loom and my newest daughter could have died as a consequence. I felt very guilty about that and probably always would.

The rest of the evening was too busy to allow me to reminisce as I had various girls to get off to bed at different times. Once Danni and Cindy were upstairs I sat down with a cuppa and Julie joined me.

“I thought Cindy was only staying one or two nights?”

“Her mum asked if she could stay a day or two longer, Great Uncle Alf isn’t being too cooperative.”

“Oh, what’s he doing then?”

“Breathing.”

“What?” she gasped.

“They thought he was going to pop his clogs yesterday, but he’s hanging on.”

“Oh—that’s unlike you to be so dismissive of someone.”

“He was apparently unpleasant to Cindy over her change of lifestyle, didn’t believe in it.”

“Ah, that’s different—silly old bugger.” We both chuckled, which wasn’t very nice of us, but given the situation, perhaps understandable.

We sipped our teas and Julie suggested if Cindy was still here on Friday, she could come and help down at the salon.

“You’d have to have Danni as well, they tend to come as a pair.”

“That’s no problem, she’s done it a few times. I can’t pay them much.”

“If you can manage a tenner, I’ll match it, assuming they want to do it.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. Cindy is very girly and I suspect would be in her element sweeping floors and making coffee in such a feminine environment.”

“I might let her do the odd shampoo if she behaves herself.”

“Why don’t you ask her tomorrow?”

“I could do, couldn’t I?”

“It would give her something to think about that was a bit different. I’ll make sure she hasn’t any homework to do or any outstanding appointments.”

“Great, I’ll ask her tomorrow then.”

So that was settled. Phoebe came by a few minutes later and Julie told her what we were proposing and she was happy to support it. “What does she want to do in terms of career?”

“I don’t think she knows, so you’d be offering one possible path for her to explore.”

“Danni comes as well, I take it?”

I nodded.

“She’s done it before, so that shouldn’t be a problem, should it Ju?”

“Nah, she knows the ropes. I’ll give ’em a tenner each and Mummy’s going to do the same.”

“I was going to say, money’s a bit short at the moment.”

I looked at them both awaiting an explanation. “We got broken into over the weekend.” Julie explained.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not your problem, Mummy. I’m a big girl now.”

“You called the police?”

“Yes we did all the things we had to do—the insurance sent someone round to assess the damage and fixed the locks. We’ve got extra locks on the door now.”

I was shocked, “I wish you’d told me.”

“Told you what?” asked Simon as he came looking for a coffee.

“The salon got broken into...”

“Oh that.”

“You knew?”

“Daddy arranged the insurance through the bank.”

“I wish people would tell me what’s going on around here,” I complained.

“You’ve got enough on your plate, babes, so just let us deal with it.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. It was true I couldn’t do much to help unless they needed money and Simon has more of it than I do. I just felt left out.