The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2290 by Angharad Copyright© 2014 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

“Could you run that past me again?” asked Si.

“I said that Danni should try for Portsmouth Ladies if she’s good enough and we’ll deal with any flak as and when it occurs.”

“That’s what I thought you said.”

“You have a problem with that?”

“Not personally, but then the worst that can happen to me is to be branded a tranny lover.”

Ouch, that hurt. “But why should we always be looking over our shoulders just in case our past comes up. We’ve done nothing wrong so why should we have to act like criminals just because a minority have a problem with their own sexuality and project it on us?”

“I quite agree, but do you really want Danny to be one of the martyrs to the cause? Shouldn’t it be you who takes it on rather than passing that dubious privilege to your children?”

“If you recall, Simon, I did do my bit as did you for which I am eternally grateful and extremely proud of you.”

“What did I do?” he looked blankly at me.

“You dealt with the personal level of our relationship and were prepared to wait for me to sort my anomaly. Then when it all became public, you stood by me as did the university and your family—now our family. For that, I’m proud of you all.”

“Perhaps we just followed your lead and thought you were worthy of supporting.”

I blushed. “I know you’ll support Danni too but I’d like her to try to reach for her dreams because if she doesn’t do it now, she might never do so again, nor might the opportunity arise.”

“Fine, I just wanted to know what the score was. If that’s what she wants to do and is prepared to cope with the potential consequences, then so am I.”

I went over to him and hugged and kissed him, “Thank you darling, I knew we could count on you.”

“Perhaps you could show your appreciation later,” he added quietly.

“We’ll see.”

He shrugged and rolled his eyes.

“Is Mummy what they call a cock tease, Dad?” asked Danni with sublime innocence.

The look on Si’s face was priceless, he nearly exploded in embarrassment. It would only have been better if Trish or Meems had asked. At thirteen, I’d have thought Danni should know, probably does but is playing the minx.

“I think you already know the answer to that or you wouldn’t have asked, young lady.” Now he was stealing my best lines.

Danni blushed and walked away from the scene of her crime. I’d check on her in a few minutes just in case she was that naïve, she might be quite upset.

Simon stood and shook his head unable to believe he was asked the question. “You didn’t answer her question, Si.” I challenged.

“What was it again?” he asked disingenuously.

“I think the more pressing one is will I have forgotten my appreciation by bedtime?”

He looked at me in astonishment. “Danni, the answer is yes,” he called towards where Danni had gone.

David had the evening off, so it was my turn to make the dinner. I went to look in the fridge but Simon stopped me. “Get your glad rags on, I’m taking my girls out for a celebratory meal.”

“Who’s going to look after the two little uns?” I asked.

“If we go to the hotel we could use the baby sitting service.”

“All right but on condition we come home to sleep.”

“But of course, babes, I’m all for that,” he winked at me. I frowned back and he laughed. I went off to speak to the others and tell them to go and get changed. They didn’t need telling twice even Trish giggled with glee and dashed off with the others to find her best dress. I followed behind more sedately and helped them choose which one.

Danielle was lying on her bed. “C’mon, your dad’s going to treat us to dinner at the hotel.”

“He made fun of me.”

“I don’t think he meant it like that, sweetheart.”

“I already felt like a criminal, now I feel worse.”

“Don’t take any notice of him, he was just pulling your leg because he thought you were pulling his.”

“Why did he think that?”

“Because—look, let’s pretend it didn’t happen.”

“But if Trish asked it you’d answer her.”

“That’s partly because Trish tends to ask questions which show that she might well be cleverer than Issac Newton but she still is only nine years old, and at times a very young nine. You’re thirteen and so Simon expected you to know the answer and thus your question was a wind up.”

“But it wasn’t, I wanted to know.”

I gave her an old fashioned look and she seemed to be telling the truth. “You really don’t know what the term means?”

“I can guess, but I’m not sure.” I asked her what she thought it meant and confirmed that she was correct in her understanding. I also told her that it wasn’t something she should use in polite company. Then defined polite company as something that included ladies present, including me.

“Oh, okay,” she agreed blithely so I let the matter drop. Then to more serious matters, I told her to get her best dress on because we were going out to celebrate her and Trish’s match winning performances. Her face lit up when I told her where we were going.

It was about an hour and a half later before we were all ready. Tom decided he’d stay at home to ‘mind thon dug an’ cat and tae keep an eye on thae hoose.’ There was a frozen chicken curry in the freezer and he nodded.

“I’m sure you could have one at the hotel,” Simon suggested but Tom shooed us off to the car. Stella decided she had a headache and stayed home so it was just our family who went. Simon and I, Julie, Jacquie, Sammi, Phoebe, Danni, Trish, Livvie, Meems, Cate and Lizzie.

Simon had ordered the minibus and I said to him as we waited for it, “Did you realise we have nine children, ten if we include Lizzie?”

“No I didn’t; but it explains why we spend so much on food—about the same as a small town.”

The bus arrived and we all boarded it. The bus driver, a young woman, was polite in the extreme which tended to suggest she knew who we were—the band of gangsters who own da place. The journey was uneventful and we thanked our driver asking her to collect us in two hours. She went off looking pleased with herself. I suspect Simon placed something with the queen’s head on it in her hand.

As usual, the reception staff recognised us and we were led to the green room, even though we knew perfectly well where it was. En route, the babies were taken off by the babysitter who also took the bag of food and nappies I brought with us. Now I could relax for a couple of hours.

We entered the restaurant and had just got ourselves seated when Simon glanced across at another party to say quietly, “Aren’t those some of the people who were at the football earlier?”

I looked across and my tummy flipped, it looked like the referee from Danni’s game and some of the other people from the football. For the first time since Monica had tried to seduce me here, I wished we hadn’t come but had stayed home and for me to have cooked something.

“There’s that talent scout bloke,” he whispered to me.

“Oh no,” I said quietly back.

“Oh well, might give you a chance to practice what you preach.”