(aka Bike) Part 1030 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad
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“What’s the matter with you?” asked Stella as I slaved in the kitchen organising a meal which would make feeding the five thousand a doddle.
“Dunno–fed up with Simon being a twit.”
“It’s what he does–and he’s pretty good at it. What specifically has he done this time?”
“I don’t know, maybe we shouldn’t have got married.”
“It must be pretty serious if you’re thinking like that.”
“Not really, it was that car.”
“Yes, rather flash wasn’t it?”
“Too much for me.”
“Oh I don’t know, you can put on a bit of a turn when the mood takes you.”
“Which is not very often; I wanted something like the cars I’ve had before, just a runabout with room for three or four kids and the weekly shopping.”
“You could borrow Tom’s spare car for that.”
“I am–I mean on a more regular basis–I asked Daddy if I could buy it, he said no, just borrow it.”
“Well that just saved you ten grand, then.”
“But Simon thinks I copped out–unable to buy a car of my own.”
“So–does it matter?”
“He’s grumpy because I turned down his choice of wet-dream cars...” as I said this Stella burst out laughing. “What did I say?”
“His wet-dream car.”
“Oops, did I say that?” I blushed, “Well, I was thinking it–I mean, he has a nice car already, why did I need to join the jet set?”
“Because you’re his little wifey.”
“So?”
“Well the future Viscountess of Stanebury needs to look the part.”
“Yeah, but that means walking round in a Barbour, with a shotgun under my arm and smelling of stale horse sweat.”
She burst out laughing again, “We’re not all Thelwell characters you know.”
I laughed at this and we hugged, still giggling like insane schoolgirls. I stirred the Bolognaise sauce and decided it was time to put the pasta on to boil.
“Who would be little Maudie if we were?” I asked.
“Oh, I think that would have to be Trish; I can just see her bouncing along on the back of a large overfed pony, can’t you?”
I couldn’t actually, Meems perhaps, Livvie possibly, even Billy, but not Trish. Billy–why had a said that? What am I thinking? I felt myself blushing.
“Something wrong?” asked Stella.
“No,” I replied shaking the idea from my head, “I took Billy riding this afternoon.”
“I take it he enjoyed it?”
“He wants to go again tomorrow.”
“You know he’s out polishing his new bike?”
I glanced out of the window, “That’s a novelty that won’t last.”
“Yes, but it must be nice to have a mum who can ride with him and fix his bike when he needs help.”
“Are you being sarcastic?” I asked because I couldn’t pick up on her tone.
“Strange question,” she gave me a funny look, “no, I wasn’t, I thought it was rather nice for both of you–I mean, he takes after you more than his dad.”
“What?” I gasped.
“He looks more like you than he does Simon, and he’s quieter than Danny, who is a real boy.”
“Oh my goodness–are you implying he’s a bit feminine?”
“Yeah, I suppose I am–yeah, he’s a bit girly in some ways, isn’t he?”
“Oh shit–what am I going to do?”
“Do? Do about what?”
“About Billy–he can’t stay here.”
“I thought you’d adopted him?”
“Not quite–no, he can’t stay.”
“Cathy, calm down–now what are you babbling on about?”
“I can’t have another transgender child here, someone will say something and they’ll think it’s all my fault.”
“Who said he was transgendered?”
“You did.”
“I most certainly did not, what I said was he’s a bit girly.”
“Well, that’s what they used to say about me.” I absently stirred the sauce and turned the heat down.
“In your case, you were a girl–so what’s the problem.”
“I wasn’t supposed to be though, was I? Not until you got your hands on me.”
“If I remember, a certain little boy, and he was little, told me he was taking hormones because he was growing tits–so don’t lay that one on me, missus.”
“I don’t want Billy to follow in my path.”
“He doesn’t even know, does he?”
“No–but you know what I mean–over identification in a house full of women.”
“Over identification of what?”
“The female role.”
“What about Tom and Simon, and Leon, plus Danny? They’re male, aren’t they?”
“But Simon and Leon are only here at weekends.”
“He’s in school most of the week, he’ll have plenty of role models there, plus–isn’t all this supposed to happen before he’s four years old to have a marked effect upon him?”
“Is it?”
“I think so; gender roles and identity develop quite young. I mean, when did you realise you were a girl?”
“I was four or five, I think.”
“There you go then.”
“But what if he’s gay or something?”
“So what? If he is you’ll have nothing to worry about will you?” She winked at me and realised I hadn’t thought it was funny.
“They’ll all accuse me of causing it.”
“Cathy, I thought it was pretty well proven that you can’t catch homosexuality from someone else. It isn’t a disease. It’s probably a genetic thing.”
“God, I hope so.”
“I thought you were well informed on all these things?”
“It’s different when it’s your family.”
“No it isn’t–the same mechanisms will apply, and besides, he’s your adopted child, you got him with all his baggage, and so far I think you’ve done a good job on all of them.”
“Have I? I do wonder.”
“Cathy, stop doubting yourself–you’re a good parent and excellent mother, just because you didn’t want to drive a flash motor, doesn’t mean you’re bad.”
“No, but I bought him a girl’s bike.”
“So? Does he know?”
“Yes–I had to tell him.”
“So, he’s hardly gonna catch transsexualism from a bike saddle–is he?”
“I s’pose not.”
“Here comes Simon with Julie.” Stella was looking through the kitchen window and watched Simon park his car and the two of them walk towards the house: moments later they came in through the back door and then into the kitchen.
“Hi, Mummy, Auntie Stella.”
“Hello, sweetheart,” I gave her a hug.
“Um–that smells good, I’m starvin’, hardly had time to do anythin’ today. I’ve done fifteen shampoos–look at me ‘ands, they’re red raw.”
I passed her some hand cream, which she smoothed on to her slightly pink skin. Stella looked at me and sniggered–“Now that’s girly,” she said and I laughed as well.
“What’s so funny?” asked Simon.
“Nothing–it was something we were talking about earlier.”
“Where’s Puddin’?” he asked Stella.
“Trish and Meems were looking after her, why?”
“I wondered what they were burying in the garden–that’s all.”
“What?” she shrieked and ran down the garden.
Simon stood and roared with laughter, “Serves her right, the lazy cow.”
“What does?” I asked with a little irritation.
“She’s got one kid to look after to your six, and she dumps it on anyone she can, even a blessed six year old.” He looked towards Julie, “Enjoy your ride home?”
“Yeah, it was brill, Daddy.”
“See–some people in this house can appreciate a decent car when they see one.” Before I could pour half a gallon of hot sauce down his trousers he waltzed out of the kitchen and into the lounge, followed by Julie with my hand cream.
Comments
You definitely can't
Yeah, I was pre-school when I realised that that something wasn't right. I was 14 when I learned to ride a bike. QED.
Oops forgot; when I was a sprog I had a gorgeous pale blue trike. Can you catch transsexualism at 5 years of age from the saddle of a kiddie's trike?
Nah, didn't think so.
Susie
Rejecting Bad Male Models
In some cases, perhaps wanting to be a girl can be environmental, maybe. Let's see, My real father was a drunk, my stepfather was an abusive bastard who tried to beat the life out of me, and my older brothers were prigs. Now why would any little boy want to emulate that lot!
Of course there is the "Third Boy Birth Order Theory", and the "Mom Being Obsessive About Having A Girl Theory", and then of course having bucked teeth and Elephant Ears harrassement issue. Still not having addressed any genetic issues, perhaps they aren't even nessessary.
Probably wasn't the best thing for Cathy to buy him a Girls Bike and Bike Kit?
Who can say? What the HELL, this is a T story site. :)
K
Chance Even Would Be A Fine Thing!
My generation had no choice about rejecting anyone - our Daddies were taken away from us kids and sent to be slave soldiers fighting and killing people in other countries in a world war. Some kids had their Mummies stolen from them as well - the Regime wanted them to work in factories making bullets and bombs, so their kids were rounded up and sent into the countryside to be minded by old people who were paid to mind them and feed them, sort of, out of the way of the nightmare of the nightly bombing raids on the big cities. This was in the UK, under siege in the war against the Dritte Reich. I was fortunate, after I was dug from the ruins of what had been our home in London, I was sent with both my parents into the countryside to live, then they rounded up my Daddy, who had been chucked out of the army before, for reporting that a bloke called A Hitler was planning to have another go at us, and should be stopped, which the then Regime dod not wish to hear. He was dragged back in (though he was seriously ill by then), and four year old me was left to look after my Mummy who was expecting my baby sister.
We somehow made our way through those times. I was raised as a girl and then as a boy and then as a girl again - the adults could not make up their minds what I was. Only my Mummy, and my Daddy when he was there, told me it did not matter, and just to be me. But it was not easy, especially when we were moved about all over the place and everywhere I had to learn a new accent or get picked upon, for both looking and speaking strangely.
Maybe because I was a bit of an in betweenie, I never had any firm impressions of having any sex or gender until my early teens. Oh, and I learned to ride, and built a bike, from bits rescued from a rubbish heap, although I had no sense of balance due to the side effects of a drug used to treat one of my many childhood infections. I learned how to tell from the difference in pressure on both feet and the halves of my bottom, plus visual signals, which was upright and which way to lean. I was never that good at it, but I never get sea sick !
Kids today have no idea how lucky they are, and I hope things stay that way for them! I just got back from a Dinner, organized by my three grandchidren, to celebrate the youngest one moving on to College. I was crying for joy at how well they all turned out.
Briar
Briar
Sorry, afraid that was a bit whinegy
Briar:
Sorry about that, I was just saying that there are lots of reasons that we can reject the male model and still not be T; didn't mean to offend you. Once I got over the fact that my family will never like get it, my life is good now.
I lose this argument with one of my friends all the time, but I still feel that there are many reasons we are who we are.
Much Peace.
Khadijah Gwen
wondering
how you just in essance described me & my childhood Rofl
Enjoyable!
I liked the tone you took with this conversation about a tricky subject- lighthearted, but serious. Will Billy be like Gaby? Everything up to now puts Billy into the 'boys' club'. Interested to see where this takes us.
Hugs,
Trish-Ann
~There is no reality, only perception~
Hugs,
Trish Ann
~There is no reality, only perception~
Multi-factorial spectrum
Gender / sexuality is far more complicated than the arbitrary labels of "gay", "straight", "male", "female", "transgendered" etc.
Just because Billy enjoys cycling and has a fairly androgynous looking bicycle and kit (albeit ones sold as "girls"), it doesn't necessarily make him transgendered, or even homosexual. Just because he's doing an activity with the matriarch of the family, it doesn't necessarily make him any less of a boy than Danny - and the girls aren't any less of a girl because they enjoy playing football with Simon.
Cathy shouldn't be worried that her family couldn't give a stuff about gender stereotypes. But Simon could still do with a crash course in empathy.
EAFOAB Episode Summaries
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Bike pt 1030.
Billy might simply want to honor his Mum and ride a bike. Has he not heard Cathy read stories about Gaby?
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
A girls bike
a girls race-kit.....Maybe Cathy's subconcious is trying to tell her something!
Kirri
Still here...
...and still reading. Definitely still enjoying it too!
Just not always motivated to compose a comment. Bring back the voting-thingy I say!
Practical Support
Bike Archive
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thoughts
Well I guess there's environmental indoctrination, I do know if a person is taken out of a certain living condition & put in another, they will over time be emulating those around them.
Practical example - I grew up on West Coast US. After I joined Marines, I ended up in North Carolina for about a year and was around Southern Drawl and certain word usage. I went home on leave and everyone noticed my change of voice & some word usage that was more Southern in usage my need to explain what I said.
Gender Indoctrination ... It can be done, I've seen it.
I'm still of the belief most of us, GBLT, it the hormonal wash while we were fetus's. It's still the most plausable. The fact we humans even come out looking & in general - normal, I think is a total miracle of mother nature. there's so many things that can and sometimes go wrong.
I wonder if there is...
I wonder if there is a way to tell if someone is truly TG? I have several memories that tell me I wasn't what was called normal, but other than that I wasn't aware of anything different until I was 13.
I feel like most of my life I have been on the outside looking in. I still do.
Ang's making Stella super gulible for some reason
Simon is still a stubborn jerk, of course a teenager would like a hopped up Jag. To quote the late, great Janis Joplin, "Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz, my friends all drive Porsches and I must make amends." Cathy wants a small Mercedes. Billy will be all right, what ever happens . Still waiting for disaster.
Cefin
Simon's attitude stinks.
He seems to be thinking with his little head rather than the big one, and that will backfire on him if he doesn't straighten himself out.
He should know by now that Cathy's primary concern is for the health and safety of the children, yet he bought a car that makes no sense for a mother to have, then goes out of his way to belittle Cathy when she says it isn't appropriate, then snarks her at the end of the chapter over it. If he doesn't wise up soon, I have a feeling that Cathy will go up one side of him and down the other, for her sake and the childrens'.
I agree with some others that a van or minivan would be suitable for Cathy and the children, or an estate car, or one like her former Mercedes.