Wuthering Dormice (aka Bike) Part 835 by Angharad

I was so tired the next morning, peculiarly, so was Simon. I was also very sore–but that’s probably too much information–I did manage to get the girls to school and tidy myself up enough to see the solicitor. I’d made a copy of the film of the interview with the kids and showed it to him–he asked to keep it as we might be able to use it in our submission. Otherwise it was simply going through the adoption process, three times. We were going to submit that the girls had become like sisters and that they all wanted to stay together with Simon and I as their parents. It complicated the issue somewhat, as multiple adoptions are usually natural siblings, but Mr Henstridge was optimistic, and that it was a wealthy family who were looking to adopt these children, he felt boded well.

I was more sensitized to being addressed as Lady Cameron, than since it was first used erroneously months ago. Now it was my name–I had to go and sit down with a coffee and get my rather tired noggin around it.

I was sitting in a little coffee shop not far from the solicitor’s office, with a cup of latte in front of me, reflecting on the past few days, and staring at the new ring on my finger. I was lost to my own thoughts, when a voice broke through them. “Yoo hoo, Cathy.” It jarred a little I wasn’t expecting to hear it.

I looked up and Nora Cunningham walked into the coffee shop. “How are you?” she asked.

“Me, I’m fine and you?” I returned the courtesies.

“Tired,” she said, “We could be closing the home.”

“Why?”

“It doesn’t meet with the fire regs, and the charity can’t afford to upgrade the building.”

“What will happen to the children?”

“We have another home near Oxford, at Wantage, so they’ll have to go there or to another charity.”

“Are they all local kids?”

“Mostly.”

“That sounds a bit off, won’t they lose contact with their friends and have to change schools–that sort of thing?”

“Yeah–and yours truly, will be out of a job. Don’t need a rather old au pair, do you?”

I chuckled at what I hoped was a joke. “How much money are we talking about, to do the upgrade?”

“About a hundred and fifty thousand, why?”

“I wonder if it would be worth trying to raise it locally. It isn’t that much really for such a good cause.”

“You’re joking aren’t you? I thought you had a very poor impression of the place, or Trish did.”

“Trish’s experience is going to be different to most other children, for all I know the others could be quite happy there.”

“I like to think they are.”

“How about I come and see?”

“When?”

“This afternoon, I’ll ask someone to collect my three...”

“Three? You going for the set?”

“I’m fostering another girl, whose parents met with a tragedy and didn’t survive it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“She copes very well, she and Trish are in the same class and are like sisters, so with Mima, I have my own pack of little brownies.”

“I should have called round to see you and check on Trish, but I knew she was in good hands. I can’t understand how you found it so easy to cope with her gender issues where others had failed. I take it Patrick doesn’t put in an appearance very often?”

“I’ve never met Patrick, and the other girls see her as a girl with a plumbing problem.”

“I’m so pleased to hear he–um–I mean, she’s doing well, she’s a bright kid.”

“She is a gorgeous girl, she only needed a little nurturing to emerge from her chrysalis, she’s going to be very pretty butterfly one day.”

“You think she really will go as far as the surgery?”

“I haven’t seen anything which makes me see it any other way. However, I do tell her that if she wants to change her mind, she only has to say and we’ll adjust things accordingly.”

“She hasn’t so far, then?”

“No, she’s settled into a convent school–it was the only place with vacancies. When I spoke with the headmistress, she was happy to take her and had dealt with the situation once before.”

“Goodness, so it’s more common than I thought?”

“That would depend upon how common you thought it was, according to the last statistics I saw. I’ve been a bit more interested in that sort of thing since having Trish come to stay with me.”

“Yes, I can understand that.”

“I expect we’ve all met successful gender switchers who are so well acclimatised they are undetectable.” I nearly laughed as I said this.

“I suppose that could be true–I don’t know, I’m sure I could tell a woman who used to be a man–I mean, they’d have larger hands and feet and an Adam’s apple–wouldn’t they?”

“Perhaps, unless they transitioned young, like our Trish.”

“I suppose that would make a difference, wouldn’t it?”

“I should think so, but I’m no expert,” I declared, which was true–that I’ve done something makes me experienced not expert. I was astonished that I wasn’t blushing at this economy of truth.

“He–I mean, she seems to have done so well with you, Cathy.”

“I hope so. I think I ought to warn you that I’ve put in for formal adoption of all three of my girls, so that will include Trish.”

“Oh how super, I hope they grant it for you–but three might be pushing it somewhat.”

“You know me, I enjoy a challenge. Now what about this ‘ere ‘ome of yours?”

“You would seriously consider helping us raise the money?”

“Absolutely–I mean, I need it there in case I get fed up with Trish...” Her face was a picture. “Only joking, you’ll need a tow truck to get her off me.”

We were still chatting having decided to have another coffee when I was called again. “Lady Cameron,” in dashed some young secretary type, who was looking about the place for me. I raised my arm and she eventually saw it and came over to us. “Are you Lady Cameron?”

“Yes, who are you?”

“Mr Henstridge would like to see you later if that’s possible.”

“Of course, I’ll call over and make an appointment when I finish my coffee.”

“Lady Cameron? It was Cathy Watts, I helped get custody of Trish.”

“Yeah, we tied the knot.”

“What beautiful rings.”

“Yeah, a friend of Simon’s is a jewellery designer.”

“What he had someone design and make those rings for you, specifically?”

“Yeah, why, is it that unusual?”

“Shall we say I know loads of married couples and you’re the only one with hand made rings.”

“Oh,” I blushed. “Well, I’ll see you later, I’d better go and find out what this solicitor chappie wants.”

“Apart from your money?”

“Yes,” I laughed.

“Who is it?”

“Rushton Henstridge.”

“Wow, you do move in exalted circles. If he can’t get you what you want with the girls, no one will. He don’t come cheap though.”

“No, he doesn’t. I wonder if I could interest him in supporting our common cause.”

“What the home?”

“The very same.”

“Hey, that would be really good. I’m really glad I met you, Cathy–I mean Lady Cameron?”

I nodded and went off to see what the problem was with the solicitor–I hoped it was a little one.