Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 344.

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Easy As Falling For The Hype.
by: Angharad llaw dost
part: 344

I was trying to finish the Observer crossword, the cryptic one, when Simon put down his book with a sigh and began rubbing my thigh. I should perhaps mention we were in bed. I ignored him, so his hand moved higher up and sneaked under my arm to gently stroke my breast.

"Hmmmmm," was all I said.

Actually, that was all I said for about an hour and I never did get to complete the crossword. He had also learned that if he wanted to 'get me going' he had to work for it. His technique was improving and I wasn't complaining.

Next morning, the sun shone and I was tempted not to take my bike owing to being a little tender in the nether regions, however, I decided I needed to keep the fitness thing going. I was really pleased that I could now store two or three gigs of data on a memory stick,and which could be carried in a relatively small bag. This was so much better than carrying a laptop back and fore.

I got to the university and went to park the Scott in my office as usual. "You shouldn't really bring bicycles into the building," said one of the security guards.

"If it disappears, and it has once, have you got four thousand to replace it?" I asked.

"Don't be daft, it's only a bike."

"Only a bike, yeah, top of the range is nearly eight thousand."

"What, for a bloody bicycle?"

"Yep, and a Cannondale top model is getting on for ten grand."

"They seen you coming, didn't they?"

Ignoring his grammar, I replied, "No, I'm well pleased with it, I have another one which is four grand's worth, too."

"More money than sense, if you ask me."

"Good job I didn't then, isn't it?"

As I walked on a student ran up to me, "Lady Cameron, can you spare a moment...?"

"Oh, that explains it all, bloody finishing school for the rich, in we?" said the burly bigot.

This last comment left me feeling very irritated, but I said nothing, well not to him. "Certainly, Sophie, isn't it?"

The girl's face lit up, "Gosh, you remembered my name," then she blushed.

"Don't expect it every time, I can't remember my own some days. Now how can I help you?"

"I need to ask for an extension on an assignment."

"Come to my office," I said pushing the bike towards the broom cupboard I called an office. I then lifted the bike onto two hooks and locked it there.

"Gosh, you lifted that like it was a feather," commented my companion.

"It is like a feather, it's plastic."

"Plastic?" she looked bemused.

"Okay, carbon fibre. It weighs about seventeen pounds, or eight kilos to you."

"Goodness, and you're not afraid of it snapping?"

"No, why should it?"

"If it's plastic?"

"It's very strong stuff, they make golf clubs from it and sports cars."

"Goodness, how amazing."

I was rapidly forming the impression that Sophie wasn't the brightest of my students. "Yes, isn't it;" duh! "Your assignment, you have a problem?"

"Yes." She blushed and her expression changed to that of a small child. "I have a problem."

I took off my helmet and jacket and asked her to sit down. "Your problem?"

"It's a bit embarrassing." She sat with her hands squeezed between her legs, which were clamped tight together.

"Well, whatever you tell me is confidential, although I have to warn you that I might have to reveal some of it if questions are asked about your progress at a later time."

"I understand," she said her hands stayed between her thighs and she was looking at the carpet.

"Take your time," I said wishing she'd get a move on, I had dozens of things to do, including a class in half an hour.

"I erm, don't know where to start," she said blushing and I thought her eyes looked a bit moist.

"The beginning," I suggested.

"Yeah, silly of me. I think I might have cancer," she suddenly said and then burst into tears.

Oh shit! What do you say? Was this a genuine thing or a try on to get in a late assignment, you'd be surprised what students will say. "That sounds pretty serious, how do you know?"

"My mother died of cervical cancer, so did my grandmother. I get a smear test every year, I just had the results on friday. I have abnormal cells, they want me to go and see my doctor."

"I see, have you made an appointment?"

"Yeah, I see him this afters."

"Good, you need to act as quickly as possible."

"My assignment, I..."

"I think that can wait until we know what's happening, don't you?"

"Thank you, Lady Cameron."

"Who else have you told?" I asked, she was still weeping despite the brave face she was showing me.

"No one, I mean who can I tell?"

"There's a student counselling service and health centre on campus."

"I know, but they aren't always the best people to talk to."

"They're all supposed to be trained to deal with medical problems, including potentially serious ones."

"I'd rather talk to you?"

"Me, why? I don't have any special skills in that direction."

"I heard how you helped Stevie."

"I didn't do very much for him, I'm afraid."

"That isn't what I heard."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Just be there for me," she started to sob.

"What about your dad, shouldn't you tell him?"

"No, I couldn't face him, not yet. He's still mourning my mother."

"When did she die?"

"About five years ago," she sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with the tissue I offered her.

"We don't know if it is cancerous yet, only that it's abnormal. Maybe it's some other anomaly, they do get specimens wrong."

"With my family history, I doubt it."

"I see, so when will you know?"

"Today, I hope."

"Have you got someone to go with you?"

"No, that's why I've come to you."

Oh shit and double shit, I don't need this, not right now! How do you tell someone who can't be more than nineteen that you'd prefer that they found another person to help them. "Wow, that's a lot of responsibility, Sophie."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." She stood up and went to march out of my room.

"Sophie, please sit down."

"What for? You don't wanna know, do you?"

"I didn't say that," I was blushing.

"Not with your mouth..."

Oh shit, why can't I learn to control my non-verbals? "What time is the appointment?"

"It doesn't matter, you're too busy." She went to get up again.

"I asked what time it was?"

"Four."

I looked at my diary, if I switched something around, I could make it. "Where is it?"

She told me, it wasn't too far away, but I'd need to go home at lunch and get my car, it was too far to walk.

"Come and collect me at half past three and I'll come with you. Do you have transport?"

"No, I usually take the bus."

"I'll bring my car in."

"You don't have to, I'll go on my own. Yeah, maybe that's for the better?"

"Sophie, please don't mess me about. I've said I'll come with you, be here at three thirty! Now wipe your face and clear off, I have a class to teach."

Sophie stood up and threw her arms around me, "Thank you, Lady Cameron. Thank you so much."

I got Pippa to alter a tutorial I had for three thirty, to two thirty. I told her to explain to Tom that I had another Stevie type incident and needed to leave early.

My ride home at lunch time was my fastest yet. I dashed in, washed and changed, put on some lipstick and combed my hair. It was a bit greasy from my helmet, but I didn't have time to wash it. I grabbed a few biscuits and a banana and drove back to work. Thank goodness I didn't have a class that afternoon.

At three thirty, I got rid of my tutorial student and waited for Sophie Clark to turn up. She was late, it was nearly three forty when she walked in.

"Are you all right?" I asked, she looked very pale.

"No," she burst into tears, "I'm frightened...I don't wanna die," she sobbed. I held her as she sobbed onto my shoulder.

"Hey, come on, we don't know that yet. If they catch it early enough they can do wonders. Come on, dry your tears and let's go and find out what we're dealing with."

"We?" she said.

"Well, you asked for my help didn't you?"

"Yes," she sniffed.

"Well, you've got it, we're in this together now."

"Lady Cameron, you're so kind."

"It's, Cathy, and don't tell everyone, they'll all want to hand in their stuff late."

She laughed as we walked to the car.

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Comments

From one frying pan

Into another. Cathy is going to need to get a degree in counseling at this rate. Poor kid. (And don't ask me which one I mean.)

Now, as for that ass of a guard. I should think (and hope) that a complaint made to the security office would result in an attitude adjustment session for that pig of a guard; even unsworn security guards should know better than to backtalk the customers. And a simple sense of self-preservation should have taught the a**h*** not to give somebody way further up the ladder any sh**. He needs to be taught that sh** flows downhill, generally increasing in amount and stickyness on the way down.

KJT

"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

Saint Lady Cameron…

…or is that should that be Lady Saint Cameron? Cathy is such a nice girl—so tender hearted and sympathetic—is it any wonder that her students bring her their troubles.

Another splendid Cathysode, Ang. Let's hope that Sophie's smear is a false alarm because Cathu could certainly do without another "Stevie episode".

What is it with these morons who can't understand that a road bike can be an extremely complicated piece of machinery? He has prob only ever had an old clunker.

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.

Security Guard Syndrome

I had the same situation once. Used to bring my bike into the office to store it somewhere safe. (back in the old Reynolds 531 double butted steel frame days) At one point the security guard decided that bicycles should not be brought into the building. I asked him to sign a contract saying that he'd be responsible for it if it was stolen. He wouldn't. Had to go though a lot of hassle and still lost. They did move the bike rack to right in front of the door though so it was visible from the guard desk and under cover. Fortunately the bike was never stolen but I always worried about it.

Love to see Cathy's sensitivity with the girl. What was that her Mom's ghost told her about kids?

You mean Reynolds 531 ...

... is old hat? Hmm there're around 5 in our garage right now as well as a 653 - I haven't made a roll call lately :) I was fortunate - the bike sheds were inside the compound at work and I never heard of one going missing. As I commuted 30 miles/day I always rode something at least half decent.

Cathy seems to collect deserving causes - Simon not being the least of them - lets hope the latest turns out to be a false alarm. Though, knowing our interlocuter, it won't be revealed easily.

Geoff

I love the way

Angharad's picture

the comments go off at tangents from the story- usually because they're far more interesting than the storyline.

Angharad

Angharad

I have a late 1970s Mercian roadbike, fire engine red

Frame and fork only, the rest is from other manufactures, mostly Japanese and specifically Suntour, back when they made the GOOD stuff.

When you service the bottom bracket you can see the nails used to pull the tubing together while it was brazed to the lugs. My other is a late 1980s Cannondale aluminum mountain bike converted to a hybrid or city bike, IE from 2.25inch off road balloon to 1.5 or is it 1.65(?) inch tires and rims.

I need to get back on them.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

They sure are ....

... and the workshop's very busy making frames, I'm told.

I have an immaculate and very pretty 1949 Mercian frame in my loft. I keep meaning to build it into a running bike - perhaps on fixed as it was when I bought it ?? years ago. Not sure I could cope on 65" everywhere like I used to. There's another 3 in the garage too, including an old VTT/ATB/mountain bike that I use as a Winter hack.

Geoff

Reynold's 531 Manganese Molybdenum steel double butted tubing

Same logo as on my mid 70's frame, cool!

But as a compromise I have high pressure -- 120 PSI -- clincher tires, not sew ups. So much easier to fix flats and I did use it for commuting to college.

I never did spring for the cleats, it has good old rat-traps. I had custom rims bult after I'd had it about ten years w/stainless steel spokes as I was hard on my bikes.

I liked the bit about open hearth brazing. My Cannondale is all TIG welded aluminum and was annealed in a oven to restore the strength the welding takes out of aluminum. A bit like the old 'oven tempered for flexible strength' Reynolds’s Wrap foil ads.

Jeese, I feel so guilty, I should clean it up, get some new rubber and ride again. It even has this 35-year-old generator powered fluorescent 4-watt headlamp with a 3.5-watt incandescent lamp and a small 2.5-watt tail lamp. I have some early LED flashers as well. The neighbor still works in a bike shop and he has dual 4 watt white LED battery powered headlamps, they are nearly as bright as many cars, I've seen it. But then he often rides a recumbent that cost him three or forty thousand and that was at dealer cost.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

Lady Cathy And Her Students

Needs. I hope that Sophie gets a clean bill of health. Did not Cathy's Mum die from cancer? If so, this can cause her some distress. And just who is the rent a cop anyway? Nice to see Cathy back at the Uni. But I wonder about Monica, what will happen with her now? Maybe Stella can knock some sense into her head.
May Your Light Forever Shine

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

What someone will do to...

... postpone an assignment. That said, I've heard (from my spouse, a uni prof) of students with similar issues. MOST of them were actually UBER conscientious about getting their work done, and getting it done as EARLY as possible. They went out of their way to make sure their treatment didn't conflict, and only as a last resourt came in. THAT said, the big "C" is REALLY scary! Family history makes it much more so.

I do hope that word of Cathy's taxi service, for students in tough situations, doesn't get FURTHER around. Sounds like Stevie had a few more friends than he let on too...

I was wondering what all the Hype was about... Also the "llaw dost". Could someone explain to this language challenged furiner that bit?

Thanks for an interesting episode.

Annette

'llaw dost'

Angharad's picture

means 'sore hand' from a Bonzi attack the night before.

Angharad

Angharad

Thanks muchly!

Those of us who are language challenged need these little hints. Was Bonzi suggesting you write something different? Perhaps something more on your song bird? :-)

Hope the hand quickly mends.

Annette

Bureaucracy

If that security guard had kept his mouth shut he would have been shielded by the Bureaucracy, but by back talking a teacher and a researcher he left himself open. Bureaucracy is a strange thing, it has very little intelligence, but strong tradition, one of which is covering each others back. This could go either way.

I am cheating a bit though, during the troubles with the site I sneaked a peak into the archives, which to me is the future. Angharad has convinced me she likes my comments, and I find I like the other comments, so I'm covering old ground as payment for services rendered. Now all I've got to do is find out how she is seeing my drivel.

Saint Catherine

I don't care, St Peter has a spot reserved for when ever she needs it. He might need her help.
Looked up Muddy Fox mountain bikes, nice middle of the road prices $400 to $1400 , 175Lbs to 600Lbs

Cefin