(aka Bike) Part 873 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad
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After removing my coat and backpack, I rushed upstairs calling the teen–I searched all the rooms, looked in wardrobes ,under beds, even the pantry. She wasn’t in the house. I had a quick drink and told everyone to stay indoors. Then I searched all the outbuildings, they too were signally lacking in teenagers.
I examined the footprints, they were quite a mess. However, I persevered and eventually found some that were of a single person walking away from the house, and they looked like trainers. The snow had eased, so they weren’t completely buried.
I walked after them as quickly as I could–what was she thinking of? She was heading into the fields behind the farmhouse. Did she know this area? Did she have a mobile? Not that I knew of, and mine was in my pocket.
I followed the footprints, they were starting to circle around–what did that mean? I began to run and the prints began to look a bit fresher–was I gaining on her?
Suddenly, I caught sight of something up ahead of me. Something was hanging from a tree–oh my God. I sprinted as best I could, grabbing the limp body, and trying to unhitch the rope from around her neck.
Her lips were turning blue but there was a pulse–faint but there, she must have only just now stopped breathing–I dropped her gently on the ground and began mouth to mouth. After the second breath, she coughed and sucked in a lungful of air. She was very cold and trembling.
I pulled her into a sitting position and wrapped my coat around her. I called home instructing them to boil the kettle for hot drinks. I’d be back as soon as I could. Somehow I managed to hoist her into nearly a standing position, and folded her over my shoulder in what they used to call a fireman’s lift. I then began to struggle back to the house.
Once or twice I had to stop to rest–on one such occasion, she was sick all down my back and leg, but judging by the groaning she was alive. The number of times I had to slow down because the way was slippery were too numerous to count–but then before me loomed the house and I struggled on with renewed vigour. Stella saw me coming and opened the back door.
We got her upstairs and after stripping her plonked her on the shower seat and ran a warm stream of water over her. She opened her eyes and looked vacantly at me. As she warmed so she recognised me and I half expected a load of invective, instead she said,” Mummy? Is that you?”
“Yes, sweetie-pie,” I hugged her in the shower and she began to cry.
“I’m sorry, Mummy, I couldn’t bear to leave here. I’m so sorry.”
In the background I could hear Stella asking everyone to stay away, and give Julie some space. Good ol’ Stella, I thought.
“I’m really sorry, Mummy–will I have to leave here now?” She was sobbing nearly as much water as the shower. My clothes were wringing wet.
“It’s okay, Julie, it’s okay, no one is going anywhere.”
“Mummy, I’ll behave in future, I promise.”
“So will I, sweetheart. C’mon, just get yourself warmer and we’ll talk it out over a cuppa–okay?”
She nodded, “Yes, Mummy.” She was still crying but could now stand by herself and was able to turn up the temperature on the water. I started to strip off in front of her, my clothes were soaking and my jeans bore the remains of her breakfast.
Maybe she hadn’t seen a naked woman before but she seemed transfixed staring at me. “It’s rude to stare,” I joked.
“I wish I looked like that, Mummy?”
“Hopefully, you will before too long.”
Stella entered the room and asked if we were holding a naturist conference and could anyone join in? Julie and I laughed at this so Stella began to strip off as well, until I stopped her. “You’re only jealous of my stretch marks,” she said and redressed herself. In some ways I suppose I was.
Wrapped in towels, I went to shower in my own room and dried and dressed as quickly as I could. By the time I returned to Julie’s room, Stella had helped her to dress and apart from the bruise around her throat, she looked reasonably well.
I shivered when I thought that if I’d delayed a few more minutes or if she’d moved faster to her hanging tree, she’d be dead now and I’d be explaining some awkward things to a host of police officers and social workers and possibly losing custody of the ones I already had. What was it Wellington said at Waterloo–’It was a close run thing’ Now I know the feeling.
We had a drink of tea with the others after I’d given Julie a chiffon scarf to put around her neck to hide the mark. There were all sorts of questions but we evaded most of them. Then once again, Stella did a quick exam of the teen and pronounced her well enough to stay home–not needing to visit a hospital.
I made her go upstairs for a rest, to which she agreed if I’d go with her–Stella nodded her concurrence, so up I went. We lay together on her bed, her crying silently and me wanting to make it all better–but I couldn’t, she had to heal herself, all I could do was support the process.
“Have you tried that before?” I asked meaning the suicide.
She cried more pitifully than ever, and nodded.
“With a rope?”
“She nodded again.
“What happened then?”
“The string snapped.”
“Good, I’m glad. If it hadn’t then I wouldn’t have had the chance to be your foster mother, would I?”
She laughed, still with face wet with tears, and shook her head. “Will you be my mummy?”
“On one condition,” she looked up at me. “You don’t do anything like that ever again–you come and talk to me. Agreed?”
She nodded, and I held her–“Never do that again, think what it would do to Trish.”
“I’m sorry, Mummy.”
“So am I sweetheart, that I somehow caused you to think like that. Suicide doesn’t solve anything, it just makes everything harder for everyone else.”
“I wasn’t thinking, Mummy, I just hurt so much inside and I wanted it to stop,” she hugged me, “Please let me stay.”
“As long as you want to.”
She hugged me very tightly, “Thank you sooo much, Mummy.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” I kissed her on top of the head.
A while later I woke up, Julie was still fast asleep and I was stiff and my hair had dried all lopsided where I’d lain on it. I slipped out from Julie’s grasp, covered her over with the duvet and left her to sleep.
I went back to my room and ran a bath, jumping in the hot water to ease my muscles–which seemed to be aching everywhere. Trish came in to me and washed my back for me.
“Is Julie going to be alright, Mummy?”
“I think so, why?”
“Did you use your magic powers on her?”
“Darling, I don’t have magic powers.”
“Oh, shall I try and see if mine work?”
“Not now sweetheart, what she needs is rest and perhaps a chat with Dr Stephanie.”
“She’s nice, I like her.”
“That’s good, she likes you too.”
“Did she say so?”
“Oh goodness, each time she sees you, she says what a polite young lady you are and how she’d be proud to have a daughter like you.”
“Gosh, did she?”
“Would I lie to you, already?” I said in my best Barbra Streisand voice. Sadly Trish was oblivious to my talents as an impersonator–except those of a mummy impersonator–no, not the Egyptian type.
“You were cross with Julie, weren’t you?”
“I was but I’m not now.”
“I’m glad about that. Was she naughty?”
“No, Trish, we had a misunderstanding, and that’s all cleared up now.”
“Oh good, I’m glad you’re not cross with her anymore. We all get scared when you’re cross.”
“Scared of what?” I was beginning to find this conversation alarming.
“That you might send us back to the homes.”
“I’ve already told you I won’t ever do that, in fact I’ve promised I won’t unless you want to go back.”
“I don’t–can we keep the boys, too?”
“Looks like we’re stuck with them for the moment at any rate, or are they stuck with us?”
“Oh goody, I like having the boys here, they’re nearly as good as girls.”
“No one is as good as you, sweetheart.”
She hugged my head and kissed me. “You’re the best mummy in the world.”
I felt a tear roll down my cheek–“If I was, Trish, this thing this morning, wouldn’t have happened.”
“Well, I think so,” she asserted and hugged me again.
I don’t know if Trish was working her magic on me, but my aches and pains seemed to soak away into the warm water and when I rose from the bath, I felt relaxed in body and mind. I dried myself, dressed and dried my hair. I checked on Julie, she was still sleeping.
Once downstairs, I thanked Stella for coping without much help from me, she smiled and told me how much I obviously did every day, and which is largely unappreciated. I reminded her that most women’s contributions in terms of labour, were largely unrecognised, taken for granted and denigrated.
“Are you going all feminist on me, Cathy?” she smirked at me.
“No, I’ve been that way for a long time–at least since I realised the role women play in family life–sadly it was too late to appreciate how much my own mother did, but I do now.”
“Um–yeah, it seems to be that way. Maybe you can teach the girls to avoid some of the pitfalls.”
“Yeah, maybe–once I learn how to do it myself. At the moment, I feel like I could do with a course in practical parenting myself.”
“Do I feel a chance to beat yourself up, coming on?” Stella smiled.
“Yeah, probably.”
“Look, we’re all learning how to gel as a family, you’ve never had a teen under your control before–it’s all new.”
“I’ve spent two years teaching them.”
“That’s not the same as mothering them. You’re a natural nurturer–God, that’s a mouthful–but it’s what you are. Remember, Julie is just as unaccustomed to her part of the equation as you are. You need to work on it between you, maybe start to teach her some of your amazing kitchen skills–like you’ve taught Trish and Meems and now Livvie.”
“But they wanted to learn,” I protested weakly.
“So will Julie, when she realises how irresistible those skills are in attracting boys.”
“Oh wonderful, she’s oversexed as it is, all I need is to teach her how to make a bigger mess of her little life.”
“I’m only joking–besides, it’s attention she lacks, or has lacked. Her flirting is symptomatic of that.”
“Okay, I’ve promised to try harder with her and I hope by doing so, she’ll reciprocate. We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we.”
“Indeed we will–now, what’s for dinner, Watts?”
“How about minced morsels of Cameron, Cameron?”
She poked her tongue out at me and fled the kitchen, chuckling as she went. They’re all mad–the whole bloody family–completely barking. I wonder if that’s why I fit in so easily.
The phone rang, it was Tom, he was getting a lift home from a colleague with a 4x4. The snow had stopped, so hopefully they’d be fine. I went into the kitchen, and was just looking in the fridge to see what I could turn into a reasonable meal with minimal effort when I felt someone at my elbow–I glanced around.
“You gonna teach me to cook then?”
I put my arm around the still sleepy looking teen, and kissed her forehead. “Looks like it.”
Comments
Typical...
A teen that has no clue about cooking! I was far better off than that, though most of my cooking skills atrophied over the years, as my wife's a AWESOME COOK! (Too good, if I'm honest, and take a look at my ... Never mind, back to the story.)
Cathy's pretty good at the cooking game - not having had much chance while she was growing up (I'm sure). Amazing how one can learn, when one wants to, and one has a reason to learn (like being hungry).
Hmm - Common problem with folks attempting to hang themselves, not doing it properly. It's not the strangling that kills most - it's the sudden shock, when the rope stops one from falling (breaks the neck). Not done properly, it can be VERY painful. Done properly, *sighs*, it's very permanent. So, Julie has used this approach before. Hmmm.
Well, I'm looking forward to seeing how things work out.
Thanks,
Annette
There is a Natural, Instinctive Reaction
to having your air cut off by a rope round your neck. I once experienced this, at a school, where a Bully, alienated by my wierd appearance and clothing and strange accent, decided that I should be strangled. The kids thought I was a German Spy! As the rope cut off my air supply, little me went totally beserk and found strength I never knew I had. With a fast and fierce thrust from a balled up hand, a fist, I launched such a blow to his chin that his head flew back and he crashed to the ground. Pulling off the rope from around my neck I gasped for breath, looked at this inert body below me, and looked around at the gathered gang that had been mocking me. Then I ran. Like the very wind I ran. Out of the school playground, along the canal, all the way home, where I ran upstairs to my room and blockaded the door, buried my head under my bedcovers and cried for this poor dead boy. I was sure I had killed him. I would not let anyone into my room until the Headmistress of the school came and told me he was not dead, only "KNOCKED OUT". My Daddy was delighted - at last I had done something he was proud of (he had been a Regimental Boxing Champion when he was younger, and had been trying in vain to teach me how to box. I was totally uninterested, prefering to play dress-up with my baby sister). Back at school the next day, with a very sore hand, I was treated carefully and with some respect. But I still hated having to fight.
Angharad, you are a fantastic author.
Briar
Briar
One of the...
two things about flight school I disliked the most was the requirement to box... (Even the genetic females had to.) It was supposed to teach us something, but I'm not really sure what. Maybe that someone can hit you, and you can take it. I dunno. (The other, was part of a one week training course who's acronym was SERE... It was the R part that all but washed me out.)
Hanging ....Thats a bit drastic
even for a troubled and worried teen, Glad that Cathy got to her in time, Hope everything works out well now.
Keep up the good work
poppykin
I think that both Cathy and Julie learned a lesson
and it looks like Trish is the teacher. How old is that child?
BTW, other than looking after Puddin', occasionally nursing Cathy's family, and making stupid remarks, what exactly does Stella do?
Susie
Good question!
Trish and Livvie are both five, Mima's slightly younger.
I've been meaning to comment about Stella as well - OK, looking after a baby does take a significant amount of time, but I doubt she sleeps as much as Puddin' - so that's several hours a day when she could theoretically be pulling her weight around the household. I suspect, with all the chaos and drama surrounding Cathy and her brood, that Stella's been a little neglected in terms of "screen time" recently. While understandable, it would be interesting to occasionally know what she gets up to (other than looking after Puddin') "off camera"...
Simon, of course, is easily explained by spending the vast majority of "screen time" over in London, helping his dad look after the financial interests of UK Bank PLC; while Tom divides his time between the university and his study.
And bear in mind that if three adults and seven children weren't enough to write about, now the Christmas period is over, Leon will be resuming his Saturday job at the madhouse (gawd help him when he meets Julie! Lust at first sight? <grin>)...
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Predictions
OK, so last night I presented my vision of what would happen. I suggested Julie would probably be found suffering from hypothermia, and would require blue light healing; after which both Julie and Cathy would apologise to each other and agree on a fresh start.
So I was wrong about the hypothermia and blue light healing, but making a fresh start - yup. Then again, Cathy does have form on this :)
Meanwhile, Cathy is obviously the head of household and main source of the glue holding everyone together, but it looks increasingly as though Trish is becoming second in command. Despite her initial misgivings over the boys, almost as soon as they arrived she was practically begging Cathy to keep them. Now she's doing the same trick with Julie - and has even offered the 'new' girl counselling, as well as offering to use her brand of blue light healing (it wouldn't surprise me if that bruise clears up suspiciously quickly...). Not bad for a five year old!
Let's think ahead a bit - A*s across the board in GCSEs (16) and A Levels (18), goes on to study psychology at uni...
I wonder if any of the tribe will develop a keen interest in nature / biology (or at least volunteer to [genuinely!] help out on field trips / programme research)? Which reminds me - TV programmes rarely carry a dedication except to someone who's died during the course of making it, but it would be nice if the harvest mouse programme was dedicated to a (very much alive - we hope!) rodent, super-mum and YouTube star....
Hmm...I wonder when Julie will be introduced to the most famous member of Portsmouth University (apart from "Mommy" and "Gramps")?
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Agree with you on Trish's
future direction. That or medical doctor.
Hmmmmm.... wouldn't it be funny if Julie turned out to be the biologist of the bunch? Cathy and her need to spend a lot of time together although she also needs to get serious about her child and home care job.
I'm kind fo wondering if we aren't going to find Julie and Trish cuddled up together some morning soon as Trish applies her magic to her almost sister.
Much, much happier
with Cathy's actions. I don't think she had a clue how she came across until it all threatened to come crashing in on her.
Thanks for another great episode.
Wuthering Dormice
Looks as if everybody learned a bit, here. Makes me wonder if Juliwe wil develop the Blue Light like Trish has. And if all three working together can start each other's female plumbing.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
That was a scary but
That was a scary but satisfyingly teary ending, Stella may be mad as a hatter but sometimes she makes sense and i'm so glad Cathy's gonna take her advice, nice to see Julie turn up and ask about Cathy teaching her to cook, I think it will do them both a lot of good especially with bonding.
Trish is a sweatheart as always but I suspect she will have figured what Julie tried to do. Lovely chapter thanks for sharing :)
Megumi :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
Suicide
How does the old saying go? About how suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem [Read more].
Let's hope that Julie gets some professional treatment/counselling for her actions and problems sooner rather than later. Her knee jerk reaction to the situation in which she found herself shows that she needs to develop appropriate coping strategies.
Positive Solutions
Bike Resources
A slice of life
A day in Cathy's life is certainly an adventure. I'd be afraid to blink :-)
Always an enjoyable read.
Good to see
Cathy accepting that for better or worse she is now in charge of a teenager....And now the fun begins!!! While i'm sure Julie will try her best to behave herself, She is very much a teenager,And we all know the problems that can bring....Just wait Cathy until Julie goes out for the evening and then forgets to tell you she will be staying over at a friend's house, Or if you in a moment of madness, let her have a party and go out for the evening so she can enjoy herself with her friend's.... Having been there, Done that, Got the t-shirt, I can tell you it is not to be recommended....Not if value your sanity!!
Kirri
yeah, and a 16 year old at that
Typically at that age, they don't believe that adults have any value. Isn't there some kind of saying about, "When I was sixteen, my father was the most ignorant man in the world. By the time I reached 21, I was surprised at how much he had learned in five years."
This chapter may have been about
rescuing Julie and building a stronger bond between Cathy and Julie but I found one line kind of bitter sweet.
"Stella began to strip off as well, until I stopped her. “You’re only jealous of my stretch marks,†she said and redressed herself. In some ways I suppose I was."
Cathy may have a pretty big family now but she still wishes she could get those stretch marks. I'm surprised we don't see more closeness between Cathy and Puddin' (what is that girl's real name?) considering how much attention Cathy gave her right after her birth. We, Cathy, and Stella all know that Cathy kept her alive. I know Cathy doesn't have a lot of time and Stella is doing a better job of mothering than anyone ever expected her to but I'd really expect to see something special between Cathy and the baby.
Cathy was very fortunate to
Cathy was very fortunate to find Julie in time. Both of them need each other whether they believe it or not. Trish is a real doll and a very loving child. It is too bad she was constantly being harassed at school and Danny, who was doing most of it, has discovered she is in fact a girl and should be treated much nicer than he had been doing. Trish actually likes him and wants to be his friend. All the children seem to be "meshing" together as a family and I think in the not too distance future, if anyone goes after any of the 6, there will be hell to pay from the other five. Jan
Do I feel manipulation stew coming on?
I must admit that the cynical side of me wonders if Julie was standing in a place where she could see Cathy's approach and timed her hanging appropriately? Having worked that stinker out, GAH! someone roll the windows down, please?
Speaking from the experience of five hospitalizations, and two serious attempts, Cathy is going to have her hands full making her feel secure in the future. I sometimes wonder if suicide is a learned conduct and how do you unlearn it?
In my case a very pissed off and hurt friend who was weeping and staring dagers at me; telling me how much I'd hurt her, pretty much put a bandaid on it. Later, I met a young woman whose older brother had just blown his head off, and when I saw how much the incident had wounded her, I felt so ashamed that it is a strong deterent. Very suicidal thoughts still come from time to time but I am learning to ride them out, go find something else to do, and a whole host of conduct modifying activities.
So now, Cathy has a bomb on her hands. I am ashamed to admit that I sort of agreed with Cathy's past action of throwing her out. I'd done a similar thing back in the early 70's and rationalized that it was best for my then infant family. My own children were three and four, and he was 7 and very mean to them. We were just babysitting for a long haul truck driver, but looking back is really painful and shame inducing. I was in my early 20's and my wife was just 20 and we were still thinking like children ourselves. It is one of those awful situations that I deeply regret, but all I can do now is to sigh and let it pass; nothing to do for it now.
I can so empathise with Cathy now. Sorry Angharad, I'd so like to go down a few pints right now, but people like me simply can't.
Khadijah
Suicide
Is not about manipulation. It is about making the pain go away. I'm at a low point (you can tell when I stop reading anything for a while), so I have some empathy for Julie right now.
To future readers, Puddin's name is Deseree
Quite a posting Ang, You have Stella up to her Bi tricks. Cathy going a little over the top with a terrified teen over returning her home, where she might get beaten to death by her father. ( you have a short memory Cath) Then Julie's attempt at hanging, which was successful, until the Angel of Life gave her CPR. Then, a total turn-a-round between Cathy and Julie on living in Tom's household .All the time Trish is trying to do blue aura to everyone, who knows, it might just work.
Phew, out of breath !
Cefin