(aka Bike) Part 961 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad
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Goodness, was it Friday already? The children go back to school on Monday, maybe I’ll be able to get something done then. Having said that, they are becoming more like a family every day–even the boys and Julie are growing closer to us and seeing themselves as siblings–including the odd squabble.
“Are you going to adopt the rest of us, too?” asked Julie as I drove her to the salon.
“I’m not sure what to do–at sixteen, you’re practically an adult, so it’s hardly worth it for you, is it? Besides, what would your previous parents think?” I had to word the last bit carefully.
“Who cares what they think? I might change my name to Cameron anyway, when I’m old enough. Then you’d have to adopt me.”
I snorted at her–I hoped she was only trying to wind me up. “Have you changed your name officially?”
“I dunno? I haven’t done anything–what do we have to do?”
“I’ll have to check, but it can be done by deed poll or statutory declaration. I don’t know if there’s an age limit on it.”
“Oh wow, can I change it to Julie Cameron?”
“In theory, I think you can call yourself anything you want, but what’s wrong with your old surname?”
“What’s wrong with it? What’s right with it–more like? I hate it because it reminds me of those two sickos, that’s what’s wrong with it–remember, he tried to cut my throat rather than let me stay with you?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment, Julie, as long as I live.” I felt myself go cold, if I hadn’t been able to call upon the healing powers I’d been granted, she’d have bled to death–her father didn’t try, he succeeded in cutting her throat.
I shuddered at the memory and changed the subject. “Are you enjoying the shampooing–better than sweeping the floor, I’ll bet?”
“Yeah–it’s okay, and I’d like to learn lots more about hair care, if only for looking after my own–where did you learn, Mummy?”
“Stella trained as a hairdresser before she went to nursing, she taught me most of what I know.”
“Everyone at home is clever except me.”
“You’re quite bright too, girl. Remember, you’ll get a chance to show that when your course starts in September.”
“Yeah, I suppose–but if I don’t like it, I could do nursing too, couldn’t I?”
“Stella would be the best person to advise you on that–but it’s a degree course now so they want A-levels, or you’d have to do an entry course.”
“Maybe I’ll think about it.”
“Talk to Stella.”
“I gotta go, Mummy.” She kissed me on the cheek, “Will you collect me, too?”
“Ooh, I might if I don’t get a better offer.”
“Huh,” she flounced off into the shop and poked her tongue at me just as she went through the door. I pulled back out into the traffic and drove home.
By the time I got back, Maureen was there, measuring and sawing. She waved as I parked the car. “Morning, ma’am,” she said as I walked past her.
“Morning, Maureen, you’re nice and early.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’d like to complete this bit today.”
“Do we really need the ma’am bit now? I’m just Cathy.”
“Sorry, ma’am, it’s how we always addressed the officers.”
“But I’m not an officer, Maureen, I’m just a housewife.”
“An’ a lady, a teacher, film maker, mother of thousands, and my employer. You’re way above me in social standin’, and I like to show that, ma’am. It’s easier to remember than Lady Cameron.”
“I’m no more important than you are, Maureen. I believe we’re all equal as human beings.”
“No, ma’am, we’re not all equal–you’re special, and the lovely people who live with you. You’re better than equal.”
Whilst this offended my socialist tendencies, I decided I wouldn’t press the point. If I admitted it, I had previous on letting people call me what they wanted despite objecting, I lost the argument with a three year old–so I was unlikely to win against an ex-matelot.
“Would you like some coffee?” I asked, walking towards the back door.
“I’ll have some later, ma’am if that’s okay, I ought to get on with this–if that’s okay?”
“Yes, that’s fine–did you remember to bring them?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh goody, I’ll see you later.” I went in and had five children bounce all over me, looking to be entertained. Maybe, I should feed ‘em to the dormice.
“Has anyone got any homework to finish?” I asked the assembled throng. They all responded in the negative. “Okay, I have chores to do this morning.” This was answered by moans and groans. “But if you all help me, after lunch, we could go out on the bikes.” This was found to be more favourable to the electorate.
So I delegated. Trish was designated cook’s help, Livvie got to do the vacuuming, the boys had to strip and change their beds and Mima flitted about with a feather duster dusting ornaments. It was organised chaos. Then when Stella took Puddin’ out in the pushchair, Meems defected and went out with them. It probably meant I wouldn’t have to try and repair as many ornaments as the last time she did the dusting.
Trish and I made bread and then we made a salad for lunch, with some homemade potato salad and quiche. I took Maureen a cup of coffee at eleven, and finally she showed me what she’d promised to bring.
We sat in the sunshine, drinking coffee and eating a biscuit, while browsing through some photos she had of Mitzi, and some of the others at the transgender support group. Mitzi was quite reasonable looking compared to some of the others. Then Maureen had made quite a bit of progress herself, and her hair looked better since she’d been to the salon where Julie was doing her work experience.
“So tell me about, Mitzi,” I asked Maureen. Why I had this urge to know about her I didn’t have a clue. Normally, I keep clear of other tg folk, simply because I’d done my apprenticeship and was now entitled to call myself female–sort of. I’d not been involved with groups or even individuals–my path had been solitary, and in some ways, it possibly suited me better.
“She was the life and soul of the party an’ we all loved her in the group. She was good with the other young'uns and especially with the new comers, who are sometimes a bit shy.”
“I can understand that–it must be a big step to take to go public.” I remembered my own, after falling all over Simon and spilling wine on his best shirt, we went out to that restaurant. How could he not see through my disguise? He never actually did–I had to tell him. Fortunately he coped and we stayed together after he recovered from his shock.
“Yeah, I remember my own first time, ma’am.”
“Well come on, girl, tell me all the gory details.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she stood up and saluted me, “permission to speak, ma’am.”
“Granted–now get on with it.”
Maureen smiled and then chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“I was just thinkin’, if I’d been dressed like this in the navy, they’d have hanged me from the yardarm.”
“Oh, they stopped keelhauling then or kissing the gunner’s daughter?”
“You know a bit about naval history?” her eyes sparkled.
“Not really–I know how Nelson sank half the French fleet at Trafalgar and paid for it with his life.”
“Aye, ma’am, a true legend.”
“And like all legends, died at the top of his fame–hence the fact that he still remains a hero while other equally crazy heroes are forgotten.”
“I suppose so, ma’am.”
“Come on then–your first time out as Maureen.”
“You don’t really want to know do you?”
“Of course I do.”
“Okay, I was lot younger an’ less masculine lookin’. I ‘adn’t long joined me first ship–HMS Sheffield.”
“A type 42 destroyer?”
“Nah, I ain’t that old, she was sunk being towed back from the Falklands. The Shiny Sheff as we called it was a type 22 frigate.”
“The Shiny Sheff?” I queried.
“Yeah, she ‘ad loadsa bits made in stainless steel from Sheffield.”
“Ah, I see now, okay carry on.”
“I was about seventeen, an’ ‘ad been dressin’ in me mum’s stuff whenever I got the chance.”
“All girls do that, Maureen.”
“I was a boy, ma’am.”
“Oops!” I blushed.
“Anway we sails into Singapore–cor, was it exotic compared to Pompey. They took us boys down to Bugis Street to see the ladyboys, who were tranny prostitutes. Some o’them were so feminine–all I wanted to do was jump ship an’ join ‘em. I ‘ad some photos but they got lost–you know ‘ow it is?”
I nodded.
“Mummy–when is lunch ready?” called Mima, having returned from her walk.
I glanced at my watch–“Oops, in ten minutes, darling. We’ll talk again later, Maureen–are you coming in for lunch?”
“I really ought to lose some weight, ma’am.”
“It’s salad, and there’s plenty there.”
“Thank you, ma’am–I’ll be there, ten minutes did you say?”
Comments
Bike 31²
Good to read today's fix of my favourite story—thanks Angharad and Bonzi.
Sometimes I wish I could just vote: Vote Vote Vote
Possibly Satisfied
Bike Archive
Bike Resources
So where's Pompey?
Angharad
Everywhere is exotic compared with Pompey, even Clacton on Sea!
Another wonderful episode and a gentle cliffhanger. Thank you
Persephone
Persephone
Non sum qualis eram
Having visited both ...
... I think I much prefer Pompey. Even though I've yachted around Clacton (well, off Clacton)I think a visit to the RN dockyard visiting the Mary Rose, HMS Warrior and HMS Victory makes for a splendid day out. Then there's the ferries to cycling paradise (I mean France) ... perfec' jus' perfec' :)
Still not voting.
Robi
PS Another plus for Pompey is that an excellent writer of TG stories, Jennifer Jane Pope, used to run an exchange bureau at the ferry port. Maybe she still does. Pity she's no longer writing.
Thank you, ma’am
Thank you for another chapter in the story of country folk.
Oh, perhaps it was the Archer who were the country folk.
Brian
you have my vote.
always 'appy ter vote fer you, Angharad. Much nicer than them polly tissue uns !
Briar
Briar
I won't…
…vote for sneezing parrots either, Briar.
Here’s my vote for tonight’s episode, Ang.
Gabi.
Gabi.
Here's My
Vote.
Another goody, Angharad.
Mòran taing,
Morag NicLoeìd
Wow.
Cathy's even familiar with the ship classes in the UK navy. Unless everyone over there is, she's unique in yet another way. (Over here, I suspect the vast majority of "Americans" have no clue about classes, and many of them wouldn't know the difference between a battleship and a frigate. *sighs*)
Thanks for the episode. It does bring back memories.
Annette
She doesn't really know her her aft from her bows,
but every time they mention one of our naval vessels on BBC news they give its class. If you hear it often enough it sticks. As for Nelson, he's big in Portsmouth, they have his flagship, The Victory there, possibly the most famous sailing ship in the world, so she would know a bit about Horatio, the Lord Nelson.
The other thing is that Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, the captain of Victory at Trafalgar, came from just down the road from here, at Portesham.
Angharad
Angharad
I'm aware of that history... :-)
Over here, the Victory's NOT the most famous sailing ship. Several others are much more likely to be recognized by school children and adults:
> Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria (Columbus)
> Mayflower (Plymouth colony)
> Susan Constance & Godspeed (Jamestown Colony)
> The USS Constitution (Old Ironsides - US Frigate - Floating Museum in Charleston, Massachusetts)
> The "Eagle" US Coast Guard Academy ship.
> etc.
Naval history buffs would recognize Nelson & Trafalgar (& the fact that there were THREE fleets there, not just two) and so on.
That said, I dunno what most kids would name, if asked to name a sailing ship.
Thanks for the explanation on why Cathy knows the classes. That makes sense.
Annette
How could you forget?
The U.S.S. Enterprise! (No, not THAT one!) The Big E, the most famous U.S. Naval aircraft carrier in W.W.2. The Grey Ghost. She pretty much carried the Pacific War on her back after most of the U.S. Pacific Fleet was sunk at Pearl Harbor.
They know they can survive
Old Ironsides
Annette,
Not to put too fine a point on it, the USS Constitution is still an active duty US Navy Frigate. There is a USS Constitution Museum in the Navy Yard but is a private museum that does not have any government support.
Kids in New England, north of Connecticut would relate to Old Ironsides. South it's the Eagle, though with it's training schedule it's not in port all that often. Baltimore has the Constellation a recreation of the sister ship to the Constitution.
The New England coast is populated by a lot of "historic" sailing ships that do not have national images. Check out the reports on the Tall Ships race last year, Eagle was in it, so were a number of other American ships.
While the Brits brag on the Victory, it's never going to sail again, where as the Constitution goes out 20-30 times a year. Right past my window. :)
- - - - -
Bear
Bear
Yes, I know...
that the Constitution is still on the active list. While I've not tried touring it recently, back in the late '80s, tours of the ship were available. (That's when I lived in the Boston area.)
Last fall, looking out of a conference room window in Hoboken, NJ, what did I see on the Hudson River, between me and the USS Intrepid? The replica of Henry Hudson's ship, sailing on the Hudson river.
As to the Eagle vs. Old Ironsides popularity? I dunno. I asked my 7th grader the name of a sailing ship, and she didn't get either of them. *sighs* Her response was the "Mayflower", then "Those three ships Columbus sailed". Then, I asked her about ships sailing now, she thought about, and said "Oh, yeah, those three little boats we saw in Jamestown two years ago. I don't remember their names." I blame myself, a little, but also our school system. *sighs*
I envy you getting to see the Constitution sail by.
Annette
If you get back here, take
If you get back here, take her to the Constitution Museum. Tons of things for kids and it's FREE.
I took a private tour three years ago and got to touch the keel, from the inside. :)
- - - - -
Bear
Bear
And…
USS Constellation (Floating Museum in Baltimore, MD, USA) The original was a frigate and contemporary of the Constitution, but broke down from rot as most wooden ships do. Some of the wood was salvaged and put into the “new” one in 1854. It is a sloop of war class and is the last all-sail combat ship afloat from the American Civil War.
Naval tradtions are not taught much
... in the states. Military stuff in general is not really taught for that matter.
I have a fairly diverse education so have some idea, though the battleship is not as useful these days except as a mobile bombardment platform and not for fighting against another battleship. The last battleship, New Jersey went back again into mothballs. after seeing duty in the Gulf war, I believe. Air power has rendered the battleship a lot less useful.
The Frigate and the smaller Destroyer is used more for force protection these days for carrier task forces and also for Pirate interdiction, given their greater speed and maneuverability.
^_^
Kim
Perhaps not "generally" taught...
But, there ARE exceptions. :-) I got a good bit of "education" on the history of the US (& other) Navies. (Not that I think of it, perhaps that's not surprising in someone that served in the US Navy, and the child of someone that made a career in the Navy.)
Annette
You're quite right, Annette
"I suspect the vast majority of "Americans" have no clue about classes, and many of them wouldn't know the difference between a battleship and a frigate."
You're quite right, Annette. When the USS New York, an amphibious transport dock ship, was commissioned last year, half the TV commentators called it a "Battleship".
http://www.ussnewyork.com/
And here's my VOTE for another excellent episode of Bike!
Kris
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Hmmm, May is coming up
and as I understand it, the Dormice should be done hibernating around that time, certainly by June, so Cathy can then definitely feed any unruly children to the Dormice then, so her threat finally has teeth ;-)>
Well, to each their own, Cathy is a solitary and that makes sense considering her path as a Healer, I think. I tried to be a solitary for a while but it did not suit me so I still go to the monthly meetings and offer any support and for some social mingling.
Kim
Had a boyfriend once
who knew a thing or two about ship classes an' stuff.
For our friends in other parts of the world, Pompey (where I grew up) is Portsmouth, a naval port on the South coast of England.
Maureen may well now be out of the Navy, but getting the Navy out of Maureen might prove to be a tougher challenge.
I'm a solitary as I live in stealth and eschew the 'local scene'. I'm 6 years post-op now and, having to my mind given back to the community, I just want to live out my days in peace and quiet without being 'celebrated' as the local tranny.
Susie
How nice
it must be for Maureen to be treated as the women she so wished she was, After her career in the navy she must have wondered what the future held for her....Enter Cathy and all of a sudden what had seemed to be a dream has got an awful lot closer.... Whatever the future might hold for Maureen (and yes it might not all be sweetness and light!) you can be sure of one thing, In Cathy she has a boss who is also a friend ....And Cathy looks after her friends.
Kirri
Perhaps the one identify with most....
I'm so glad you didn't kill Maureen off, The way you are painting her is very close to myself and my own truth.
Anyway, thanks for the next part of a wonderful story.
Abby
Bike pt 961
I can see Maureen and those special girls. Heck, I have seen crossdressers who look very feminine. And there are some female impersonaters who pass for girls. So, I hope that Maureen can be blessed so that she looks feminine.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Maureen sounds very much
Maureen sounds very much like many TG girls, join the military to prove you aren't TG; then discover what a huge mistake that was/is. I am glad that Cathy offered Maureen the opening to just call her Cathy, tho I can understand Maureen not wanting to do so. I had a supervisor who was much more senior in grade to myself when I was in the AF; and he wanted me to call him by his first name when we were not at work, tried a few times, but could not continue as it did not seem right to me. He had earned his rank and in my mind, he should be respected for that. When I became the same rank many, many years later, I too found myself being addressed by my rank rather than my first name, even tho I had given the persons doing so permission to call me by my first name. To this day, even tho he passed away some 35 years ago, I still refer to him by his grade and last name when I ever talk about him. Just a sign of respect in my book.
The most famous 'Ship of the line' in the US Navy, and is still listed on the rolls as an Active Duty Commissioned ship; is the Frigate "Constitution" ("Old Ironsides"). The second most famous is the sunken battleship "Arizona" in Pearl Harbor. US Battleships were named after the 48 states when commissioned. I don't believe Hawaii or Alaska have ever had one, because they were territories when battleships 'ruled the waves'. My oldest son served on a Guided Missile Cruiser (CG-66) the USS "HUE CITY"; which is famous within the Navy and Marine Corps, as it is currently the only COMBAT ship afloat that is named after a foreign battle. Many Vietnam War vets from both the Navy and Marines desire to be retired from duty on that ship, or so he has told me.
Out first time.
It's never easy is it!!!?
Like most, mine was sneaking about in the dead of night after slipping ashore from the ship in Manchester and driving out in the hire car to Kinder Scout to change out on the moors. I was an eighteen year old junior crewmember then and absolutely terrified of getting caught! Then driving back to Canal Street and the Union pub for my first ever Saturday night out trannying. Yes, I looked a right fright, no make up cos I had no washing facilities, no heels and a pair of stretch ski pants cos' I had not the wit to sort out a frock. The only thing I had going for me was my youth, a wig, a blouse and virtually no beard. I had not developed many masculine features and I did get some predatory looks which I was terrified of. Fortunately after only an hour sipping a nervous shandy in the old union pub circa 1964 I was able to slip back to my car, peeping over my shoulder with every step and then driving back to the Moors to change back. Then back to the ship to resume the twelve midnight to six o'clock fire watch. Not much fun but oh the bliss to be OUT if even for only an hour. Manchester I saluted you then and I salute you today. Later on I became much bolder and this summer, 9th, 10th, 11th July, I'm returning to old haunts for the Sparkle weekend in the village.
Oh Joy!
Yes, going out dressed first time is always a memorable occasion and how many of us had to do it alone back in those desperate fifties and sixties? No support groups or internet to help us.
Happier days now, ever so much happier.
Beverly.
Navy
I know nothing about the Navy, anyone's navy. Still, Britain's always had a strong naval tradition, so I can see where this is coming from.
I notice a lot of different professions on this site. I guess there are more of us than I had thought, though maybe not if you line us up against a wall.
Most of us are familar with the word FRIGATE, Use it for F**K it
Very impressed with the knowledge of RN escort vessels. Maybe Charlie made model ships ?
The only frigate most yanks know is the one that gave you Brits headaches. The USS Constitution, still commissioned, and docked in Charlston, Mass in Boston Harbor.
Really like Maureen, keep her around.
Cefin