Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 2355

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The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike, est. 2007)
Part 2355
by Angharad

Copyright© 2014 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
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I told the girls I was expecting a visitor for dinner and I wanted them on best behaviour.

“Who is it?” asked Trish.

“An old school friend of mine, called Dr Marc Absolom. Did i ever tell you about the friend whose house flooded and I went to help them clean it up?”

“An’ they thought you were a girl?” recalled Trish.

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“’Cos you had girl’s wellies?” was Livvie’s contribution.

“That’s right my own had a hole in them and Siân loaned me a pair,” which I don’t think I ever returned—oops.

“You had girw’s wewwies, ’cause you werwe a girw, Mummy.”

“Yes I was but not everyone knew it, though Marc’s parents thought I was a girl because I had long hair.”

“An’ you were pretty,” added Livvie.

“And the wellies,” said Trish.

“Didn’t your friend say anything?” asked Livvie.

“Afterwards he did. At the time they thought I was his girlfriend, so that gave him some kudos, plus it seemed I was the only one who went to help even though several knew of the flood.”

“Woss kudo?” asked Trish.

“Kudos in this respect would mean they thought more highly of him because they thought he had a girl coming to see him, and to help clean up.”

“He did have a girl go to help him, Mummy.”

I glanced at Livvie in the rear view mirror and smiled at her, she beamed back at me.

I got them to go and change into something fairly tidy and asked them to stay clean and tidy. They ran off tittering, all except Danni. “Okay, what’s on your mind, young lady?”

“I saw Carly today.”

I had to think for a moment who Carly was, “Peter’s sister?”

“Yeah,” she blushed.

“Okay, what happened?”

“Nothin’ much.”

“Did she recognise you?”

“I think so.”

“How d’you know?”

“We like passed in the corridor an’ she like said she liked my eye makeup.” I hadn’t even noticed she was wearing any. This happens when you see them every day and they nearly always have eyeliner and mascara on, so you notice more when they don’t wear it.

“I thought she went to your old school?”

“She does but they had some project they were doing at St Claire’s with other schools.”

“That was all she said? Nothing about Peter?”

“Nope, just my makeup.”

“Sometimes girls compliment each other on things like that.”

“If they know each other, and she’d know what Pia done to me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it, I doubt she’ll say anything.”

“I don’t care anyway, I’m a girl now.”

I didn’t believe her nonchalance for one moment, she did care why else say anything? Plus, I wonder if she’s having more regrets about being a girl. I know she liked Carly. Well she could do with some more girl friends even someone whose sibling was a psycho.

I had a cuppa and spoke to David about having a guest. He was doing leg of lamb chops, so he’d just cook a few more of everything. I thanked him and after drinking my tea, went up to change—this time to dress up not down—well, okay, smart casual. I wore a skirt and top with boots. It wasn’t always that warm in the evenings so I had on a light green silky jumper with a green tartan skirt—not a kilt and black boots. I redid my makeup and added some jewellery then a couple of squirts of Coco and I was ready.

Phoebe was next home and Trish sent her off to change telling her, “Mummy’s old boyfriend is coming to dinner.” No wonder she gave me some funny looks. I did speak to Si who would have explained to Sammi what was happening and I asked Pippa to tell Tom as she’d see him before I did.

Julie was briefed by Trish before I could get to her—I’ll shoot that girl one day. As I’d explained to Phoebe, I asked her to tell Julie who was coming to dinner. “What about your old boyfriend?” She laughed and ran off before I could say anything. Bloody children.

Marc arrived on time carrying a bottle of decent wine and some flowers. Trish immediately took those off me and went to arrange them. “Pippa said you had several children,” he gasped when I introduced him to everyone except the littlies.

He nodded at Tom and then looked curiously at me when I called Tom, Daddy. Simon and he shook hands vigorously—why do they do that? I told Sammi that Marc was sorting out our computer problem and they immediately went into a discussion about systems and other jargon.

Over dinner which was delicious, Marc and I relived the day I went to help clean up the flood damage and he went to his laptop case and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Simon who looked at it and it was then passed down the table, finally coming to me.

“When was this taken?” I asked.

“Dad took it after lunch when his hands were still clean, I asked him to email me a copy. It was a picture of me with an apron on over my jeans and those wellies. With my very long hair in a ponytail I didn’t look much like a boy, I had to admit. I had on big rubber gloves and was sweeping the mud out of the house helping Marc’s mum who was shovelling it into a bucket. We looked like two women, or a woman and a girl. That it didn’t do the rounds at school was a tribute to Marc, somehow, he was one of the few that respected me as different. I said so.

“Cathy, I had no reason to dislike you and then, when you came to help us after the flood, and worked all day, I liked you even more. No one else came to help, even though I’d have thought some of them were more my friends than you were. My parents were absolutely knocked out when you came, especially when they could see you were a girl.”

“But...”

“Cathy, you’ve seen the photo, now tell me that was a boy,” he countered my protest.

“That’s what most people thought,” I said but without much conviction.

“Marc, I keep telling her that she was never a boy, but that not everyone could see it.” Simon reiterated what he frequently said.

“You know, until that day, I’d only seen you as a weirdo, who was harmless and frequently bullied. You were girlish or feminine and a target for the bullies, and I never liked bullies. That day when my mother saw you as a girl, I revised my opinion of you too, though I didn’t dare say anything because I didn’t know how you felt about things. I should have realised the fact that as soon as she accepted you as a girl, you acted like one meant becoming one—I mean becoming a proper girl—as you have was almost inevitable. I suppose because we moved a few months later meant you were out of sight and out of mind.

“I did occasionally wonder what happened to you afterwards, but then I went off to Warwick and did a degree in computers, added a masters and then did a PhD while I was working with the company I’m still with. Never in a million years did I associate the beautiful woman who did that dormouse film with the girl who helped shovel mud from my house. I’m really glad we’ve met again and really pleased for you that you’ve done so well for yourself.”

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Comments

Well That Was Pleasant

littlerocksilver's picture

No conflicts for a change. I suspect we might find out more about Marc.

Portia

Memories

Dahlia's picture

It is nice to have a segment of memories to show that no matter how bizarre our lives may be and the many roads we travel to reach our current state, there are always some small, good memories to retain and hold onto. Thanks again Angharad. I've read this since it's beginning and it always intrigues me and makes me look forward to the next installment.

Dahlia

Perhaps more supporters in the future?

I believe things have gotten better for us. We still do encounter those plonkers, but perhaps not so many in the future.

G

Sammi and Marc?

Sammi and Marc?

Kris

{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}

It seems to be mostly -

the older generation, (that is sadly my own generation - sixty plus,) who have the biggest difficulties accepting us; that and younger people for whom sex and sexuality are just beginning to affect their lives.

To them the novelty of seeing somebody who is outside their sphere of limited experience and knowledge is a cause for curiosity and subsequent amusement. Fortunately they very rarely seem to present as a threat. I find a smile will often resolve any embarrassment for them and sometimes they even approach out of curiosity and reassurance. Twice now in the past several years, two kids have approached me in Cardiff shopping mall and asked me about transgenderism. Both of them eventually 'admitted' they thought they were transgendered. In each instance I was sitting drinking coffee in the open cafe's inside the mall.

One of them is eighteen on June 3rd and she's coming to Mattia's birthday party on June 7th. It will be one of her first outings as a tee-girl going to a gay club. Mattia has told her that Beverly is the same woman she spoke to in the mall a few years ago and the girl is itching to renew the acquaintance. In the café I was dressed respectably in skinny jeans, calf length brown boots and fur jacket. This time Mattia's warned the girl that Beverly will be in 'clubbing' mode.

It's always interesting to see how people have developed as they grow up and 'come out'.

Cathy's Marc sounds like he's managed to address the transgender acceptance hurdle. Good for him.

bev_1.jpg

I just never think of it.

I have to be careful not to go into slob mode, because then my aura of femininity collapses.

How ever, if I shave every other day, get my limited foundation on well, keep my nose hairs cut, and groom my brows it is a big step in the right direction.

Then comes not doing the "Man" frown that furrows the brow, standing straight with shoulders back, take smaller steps, move your hips, swing your arms, and put a bounce in your step your chances are a lot better. Of course all that is what women do without thinking.

Finally, when passing women, you look them in the eyes, smile and maybe say hi. Of course if a woman has a new baby you coo over it. And the more gutsy approach is to smile and ask a woman on the elevator when she is due.

Always, always friendly and caring and never never defensive or guilty.

That'll be $59.95 please.

Gwen

Unless Marc is in a committed

Unless Marc is in a committed relationship or may be gay; maybe he might be a good candidate to pair up with Stella? He does indeed sound like a person who has his head "screwed on right". He and Cathy just might be able to rekindle a long lost friendship once more. I don't see him as being a threatening person to Cathy and Simon and their marriage, just becoming a good friend to all of them.

Cathy's children know the truth

and aren't afraid to say it.

“He did have a girl go to help him, Mummy.”
I glanced at Livvie in the rear view mirror and smiled at her, she beamed back at me.

Reading through the

Comments it seems there are a lot of matchmakers out there, Poor guy has hardly got his foot through the door and here we all are trying to marry him off..

If we look for similar interests then Sammi would be most likely to fit in perfectly, Trouble is we do not yet know for sure which side he bats for, So maybe its all a little early to matchmake, I guess though we are all romantics at heart and would love to see one of the Cameron girls living happy ever after.

Kirri

Sometimes...

Sometimes we get surprising reactions from friends from WAY back...

I've had one or two (but none from that far back in my history). It's nice to see one here, and Dr. Marc sounds like a really nice guy.

Annette