(aka Bike) Part 1048 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad
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The car looked silver or light grey in the fading daylight, and was the five door version of the popular small Mercedes. I unlocked and got in, Simon stood at the door waving me off. The controls were very similar to what I remembered of the previous one I’d had, only this one had about half the starting mileage, of about five thousand—it wasn’t new, probably an ex-demonstrator; I didn’t much care.
She started up with a purr like a well fed and spoiled pussy cat, and I found the lights and set off down the road. It only had a quarter tank of fuel, so I went to the nearest supermarket and put in a half a tank, just to keep me going for the rest of the week.
I might have been wearing rose-tinted spectacles, but this was an even better drive than the previous one and that had been my favourite until it met with the accident on the motorway. I reckon I’d been grieving for it ever since, so this was really good, and made my recent worries fade into the background, if only for a few minutes.
Sometimes I think I’m pretty rotten to Simon; then again, he’s often so obtuse he deserves it all—maybe we deserve each other. I knew I could seat three kids in the back, if I now have four to convey to school, they’ll still fit in it—although one will have to sit in the front with me.
That brought me back to the present—time that is, not gift. What was going to happen to Billie? I’m not at all sure about her going to school until she’s had more practice as a girl. She does seem to be picking it up pretty quickly, and I don’t know if she’s a natural, or has been coached by the others. That’s the problem with a house full of girls, they are so interactive and in a positive way, whereas boys seem to fight.
I wondered if the bike rack would fit the car, as I passed a car carrying bikes on the roof. I might try and get out early tomorrow for a ride—wonder if Billie wants to come? I’ll mention it tomorrow, see if Simon will supervise the others for an hour or so. Damn, I have to take Julie to the salon tomorrow—have to be when I get back.
I drove around for about half an hour, it went perfectly—the car that is. When I got home, Simon was watching some of the World Cup, and as England were now out, he decided to support the Germans—which was probably the kiss of death to them as well. Oh well, not my sport, and the TdF was due to start soon. I wondered how the Brits would do in it—Cav might win a few stages but he isn’t in the sparkling form he was last year, and while I admire Wiggo—I doubted he’d ever win it, however, I’d be so pleased if he did. Where was Armstrong likely to finish? Was there any truth in the drug allegations by Landis, and what was his motive? Lots of intrigue, which I suppose will one day be sorted, but it does affect the sport—my sport, and it’s shameful.
Once I got back home Julie was waiting with a cuppa, “What are you after?” I asked suspiciously.
“When I pass my test, can I borrow it, Mummy?”
“Borrow what?” I played dumb.
“Your car, the little Merc, I’m sure I could drive it.”
“We’ll discuss it when you’ve passed your test.” That should give me a few months to think of an objection, or to save for a small car she could have instead. Not the greenest policy, but every teenager wants to learn to drive.
“When are you seeing your friends again?”
“Dunno, they seem to have slipped off the map.”
“Haven’t you made any at the salon?”
“There’s one, a girl called Amy, who seems quite nice, but we’re always on opposite lunch breaks so we don’t get much time to talk.”
“I suppose there’s always good ol’ Leon.”
“Yeah, I s’pose.”
“Oh, he seems to have lost his sparkle for you, then?”
“Not really, I like him—but he is a bit limited an’ since I’m workin’ on Saturdays, it does make it more difficult.”
“The course of young love never runs smooth.”
I drank my tea as Simon emerged in bath robe fresh from the shower. I smirked at him.
“Well?”
“It’s wonderful—thank you so much, darling.”
He smiled warmly, “I’m ready for you to show your appreciation,” he raised his eyebrows a couple of times and hinted that he wanted me upstairs.
Oh well, I suppose a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I finished my tea and we went up to bed. Ten minutes later I’d cleaned my teeth and had a little wash and tidied myself up, squirted on a little perfume and was wrapping myself around Simon who was struggling to carry me to the bed while still kissing me and not dropping me or falling over before we got there.
At the time it was very romantic—when I thought about it the next day, it seemed very funny—but nice funny.
We spent an enjoyable hour touching each other’s erogenous zones and finally making love in a gentle and caring way—no hurrying or selfish interest, rather a desire to please or maximise the pleasure of the other. After it was over I was exhausted and fell asleep very quickly and I suspect Simon did too. I was sore the next morning and I was glad I’d set the alarm, otherwise Julie would have been late for work.
After a quick breakfast, I took her to work, and although we talked a little, I’d managed to say nothing about her hair colouring—she looked like she was heading towards Goth styles—not sure I was happy, except they didn’t seem to get into as much trouble as some of the other groups did. Of course this could have been a misapprehension on my part—not an unknown occurrence.
“Geez, Julie,” I said loudly as we arrived at the salon.
“What, you haven’t finally noticed my new hair colour?”
“No—I’ve just seen the new ear piercings, is that why you got your hair done, to distract me?”
She blushed and refused to look me in the eye, “Course not, Mummy—I just thought I’d have a change.”
“Hence the half a pound of metal in your ears?”
“No, Mummy, had those done ages ago.”
“Please, before you do anything else to your body, consult with me. I’m still responsible for you.”
“Aw c’mon, Mummy, I’m nearly seventeen, for God’s sake.”
“I don’t care, and don’t you dare even think about a stupid tattoo.”
“I won’t, Mummy,” she said as she got out of the car. “If I get one it won’t be stupid.” Then she ran from the car before I could say anything, and dashed into the salon, waving before she shut the door.
Sometimes I wondered if being a parent was all it was cracked out to be.
Comments
Bike pt 1048
Well, Simon just proved what a loning hubby he is, but now there is Julie to worry about along with Billie. Does Cathy ever get a break from the drama?
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Tattoos
The current fashion for tattoos puzzles me. I think they look really naff but what do I know? What's the attraction? I can't help thinking a lot of people will be regretting abusing (my opinion) their bodies in 20 years time. Lets hope Cathy manages to persuade Julie to desist. She's getting good child control experience with Trish after all. I'm sure she'll put it to good use.
Cycling is probably one of the first professional sports supported by advertising sponsors and arguably the most physically demanding - certainly the grande tours. It's hardly surprising riders sought some means of easing the pain. As Jaques Anquetil, 5 times TdeF winner in the 1960s and consummate stylist remarked, you can't win the Tour on mineral water. Cycling is doing something about drug abuse and consequently gets a lot of bad publicity; other sports are gradually coming to terms with their own drug problems. Anyway Cav won today, White Jersey holder Geraint Thomas is second and Wiggo is comfortably placed, so all's right with the world and sod the footie :)
I'd been preparing myself for a famine of 'Bike' for this week after our writer told us she was off to the Lakes on holiday. Luckily for us, she seems to have remembered her laptop and found an internet connection for which I, for one, am truly grateful.
Robi
Tattoos and piercings
I don't get the attraction for tattoos, either. I haven't seen one yet that I thought enhanced the body it was on. Most seem like graffiti. When my daughter got one, I cried. It was as if someone had mutilated her beautiful body.
And tattoos just get uglier with age.
Piercings seem easier to take out and let heal. Although some people get scars. Keloids, even.
I Don't Have A Problem With Just One Tattoo
I don't have a problem with someone having one tattoo, but if they start getting them everywhere, it gets to the point of being trashy. Most employers have a dim view of employees who have an overabundance of tattoos. I have never been a fan of the show "LA Ink" for that very reason. I hope Julie doesn't go that far just to push Cathy's buttons.
Not Necessarily Naff
I will agree that cheap tattoos look cheap. However, not all tattoos are cheap.
If you have artistic tastes, the money to fulfill those tastes, and the availability of talented artists, then body art can rise far above the lowly tattoo.
I have seen a number of women with simply lovely full-coverage upper-sleeve and shoulder body art. It's easy to cover with a short sleeve blouse, and easy to display with a tank top. They easily transcend what we think of as "a tattoo," and they undoubtedly cost a fortune and many sessions to have done. The work itself is delicate and clearly artistic. Whoever does the best of these could easily work in any field of graphic art.
One more example of using a body as a canvas. It's certainly a lifetime commitment, but I can't find anything esthetically wrong with that particular image at the moment.
I'm going to
agree with Pippa here and say there's a huge difference between the skanky common tattoos and really well done body art. I heard there's a Japanese trend that does it with semi permanent dyes and they fade after a few weeks. I don't know much about that, I think I seen it on TV.
I however don't think Julie will go for the higher end body art. I'm with Cathy about the piercings though. The kids now look like they had a horrible sex based accident in the fasteners department of a hardware store.
The big eyelet hole things that are all the rage just make me shake my head. They look like those rings that the old zip up pencil cases had so you could snap it into you binders. Holes that big don't heal.
And all that stuff makes you really unemployable. I laugh when I here some 20 something with 5 tatoos, 3 color hair, and about 7 bits of stuff sticking out of his head and the pants off his butt and the sideways hats whining about not being able to find a job...
I hope none of Cathy's kids or even Leon go that route.
Could you imagine Julie bringing one of those fellas home?
Bailey Summers
>> And all that stuff makes you really unemployable.
And reasonably so, since it shows poor judgment and a near-total lack of impulse control, at very least.
In some cases, as has been pointed out, it may also demonstrate a criminal past or association with risky antisocial behaviour. All of these are legal reasons which an employer may legally take note of in hiring decisions.
If one is a Maori from New Zealand, and bears the traditional emblems of one's ancestors, or was even, perhaps, a Marine whose unit heritage included a history of discreet tattoos commemorating a specific event, there is possibly some justification, but a sensible person with more foresight might forego the decoration if they ever hope to function in the larger world, especially if the mark is visible when dressed in ordinary business attire. In offices with "casual days," that attire might not conceal as much as one might think.
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Tattoos & Piercings vs Employment
I agree wholeheartedly with you, Puddintane. I once actually refused to employ a candidate on grounds of his piercings and tattoos. He got angry and said I was a prejudiced old twit, and I told him that in my years of visiting people in Prisons i had noticed that many inmates were tattooed and or pierced. To me, this signalled a person of probably criminal tendencies, who I could not ask my Company to trust with money or company confidentialities etc.
One can hardly attemd a Dermatology Congress these days without hearing about the long term dangers to health of both these disfigurements. Tattoos often turn cancerous. Contact Allergies to the metals people have stuck through holes bored into their bodies cause serious outbreaks of skin rashes and sometimes systemic immune responses too, besides having a not insignificant infection rate.
IMHO the people who do this to people ought to be rounded up and arrested and charged with Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH).
The girlfriend of one of my grandsons has a disfigured lower lip with a hole through it, and now a lump of metal stuck through her tongue, "wishth maketh ith impothible tho sthpeathe pwofuwy". Bimbo! It is a shame as she was a beautiful young thing before. There should be a ban on the "PARLOURS" that do such disfigurations to people and huge fines to put them out of business, along with a Public Health campain to raise awareness of the risks involved in letting people bore holes in you. In general I am all for freedom of choice etc but not when it comes to gullible idiots letting greedy ones make money from stabbing holes through them.
People who wish to wear ear rings can now have them attached with powerful magnets so that they stay on, without making holes through the ears.
Briar
Briar
The magnets don't work all that well...
I'm allergic to nickel, and can only wear gold, but even the best gold has minute amounts of other metals in it, because pure gold is too soft to make decent jewellery. I tried the magnets, but kept going through expensive replacement magnets and the odd earring that fell off without my noticing.
In my bohemian days, I usually wore feathers and other natural materials, but when I finally went back to work at a "real" job they made me wear "the outfit." I had to get out of the earrings quickly at the end of the day, and often changed during the day, to ensure freshly cleaned metal and ears. It was, quite frankly, a drag.
So I have pierced ears, but rarely use the holes. I never use makeup these days either. Reminds me too much of work. I reckon I'm still a free spirit.
Most of us are anarchists at heart.
Cheers,
Puddin'
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Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Contemplating Deep Time...
I find tattoos to be something like the people with exactly one joke, who tell it all the time. The first couple of times, they may be amusing, but they quickly cloy. I quite like earrings every once in a while, but I'd hate to have to wear them every day, much less the same pair all the time. One chooses accessories to complement outfits, not the reverse.
My favourite outfit in grammar school now strikes me as quaint, if not exactly dreadful, and everything I've ever worn, no matter how beautiful, no matter how much I loved it when I purchased or made it, was eventually sent off to the jumble sales.
Unfortunately, one can't easily pass on a tattoo to the Arlington Ladies League, no matter how dated or tiresome it becomes, and it will, unless one manages to die first.
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
I guess I've never...
had the right car. I've never gotten the "urge" to just go cruising. But, that's me. I know people do. My brother-in-law certainly does. And, my daughter had a lot of fun "cruising" in his Z3 (Brother-in-law was driving his car... LOL).
As to children. Cathy (& the rest of the adults) have their hands full with that bunch! So far, neither of my daughters have ANY desire for a tattoo! Something for which I am truly grateful. :-) Nor has either expressed any interest in extra piercings! Something else I can be thankful for, I guess. LOL
Thanks for the story,
Anne
Older tats
I was in the navy and had the opportunity to see a lot of tattoos on older sailor's arms and occasionally chests as well. Most were over 20 years old ink, and they were dingy, tired, faded and not at all attractive. When they are new and the colors bright, they can be kinda attractive, but it just doesn't last. I hear there are new ways to remove tattoos now, but at the end of the 1960s it was a painful and time consuming process, and there were a surprising number of people who wanted them off (or their wives did as the hubbies approached retirement).
Prison tattoos remain incredibibly trashy, and mark one as a jailbird for the remainder of their lives, and often have an underlying code that tells of their lives in prison, along with front teeth that were knocked out. Nasty!!
I find the "tramp stamp" to be particularly undesirable.
CaroL
CaroL
Cycling
I'll be interested to see if Billie is really interested in cycling, or if that was just a
rusestrategy to get closer to Cathy.It looks like the support for Germany in the World Cup really was the kiss of death for them. The best they can now finish is third. Mind you, it's been fascinating the way people have cottoned on to the predictive abilities of Paul the octopus.
Thanks A-B: you've managed to keep posting all week, despite being on holiday. I've certainly appreciated your efforts to prevent withdrawal symptoms on this side of the globe.
Prophetic Stuff
Bike Archive
Bike Resources
Way to go Cathy
A tat had probably not been thought of until you mentioned it. And of course the teen had to respond in typical fashion....If I get one it won't be stupid. That has to hit a bunch of triggers on Mom.
Where I live it is illegal for a person under legal age to get a tat and the person that does it is open for a LOT of trouble, so they are very careful. A cheap phony ID will not work. A young person, may even have to bring in the rents and have them sign their life away just in case.
I did see a gorgeous tat the other day. It was a beautiful flowering vine starting low on the ankle or foot and wrapped up the leg for as ways. A high boot would cover it, or bare legs would be even more comely with the art visible. Unfortunately, she was in business attire, and the nylons diffused it a bit, and the shoes covered a portion of the tat, detracting some from it. Even then it was pretty. Not quite businesslike, but reasonably passable.
I have seen many women have to use special heavy makeup sold to hide a tat in their work clothes. When I worked for the Pacers basketball team, some of the dance team ( cheer leaders is just not appropriate at that level) had tats on shoulders etc, and they had to be covered and not visible (often hard in those fancy minimal costumes they wore). it depends on what you want.
Never much liked
tattoo's much myself, In fact i would go as far as too say there is about as much chance of me getting one as there is having my tongue pierced....And that's zilch.....
That's not to say that i'm against them ....In the right place they can look good, But full body art is for me, Taking it a step too far...
If Julie does by some miracle manage to persuade Cathy to allow her to have one, Lets hope that (a) its tasteful (b) discreet....Although given its Julie we are talking about, Then maybe that is a forlorn hope...
Kirri
I followed
a trail to the Bike Archive and am starting to reread this story. As I reread some of the first chapters I have to smile and laugh outright at the cleverness of the dialog and character development. Thanks for creating the archive and the sumation along with picture.
piercings, tatoo's
I'm not sure about UK at current or real timeline that Angharad is using, but in USA,
most major businesses are getting very PC (politically correct) and quite a few as a result will not hire and is grounds for termination if you dont follow normal business grooming standards. Even places Like MacDonalds have in place.
If you have piercings other than ears you better be presenting as female too), you're not likely to have good chance of even being hired. Tatoos that show while meeting those grooming standards are grounds for dismissal also.
I while presenting as male managed to pull off my long hair, only because I clearly pointed out 9 males with beards that were near santa claus size by nature & I had too basically that I would always be keeping my hair well groomed (well that wasnt much of a concession cause I'd alway planned on it & did such anyhows).
Piercings
Until I came out, I was always MR CHURCH GUY, clean cut, all American COP type.
After I transitioned, I got my Ears done twice, my Nose, and my Nipples. The Nipples were the worst. It hurt like the devil to have it done and were always very sensitive to any touching. Then one of them migrated out by its self, so I cut the other one out with wire cutters. I really liked them, but they were "a bridge too far".
I somehow let my nose close up but want to get it done again soon.
Khadijah
Why All The Talk About Tattoos?
Didn't anyone catch Bonzi's attempt to add himself to the story, or was it rather that he purr-sueded Ang to include it?
"She started up with a purr like a well fed and spoiled pussy cat,"
And that may not be the only time it was done, just the first time I caught it!
Don't let someone else talk you out of your dreams. How can we have dreams come true, if we have no dreams?
Katrina Gayle "Stormy" Storm
Tatoo's
I'm not a fan of tattoo's either, but it is a personal decision. My Mom had some minor ones on her hands, which she always regretted. IMO, you should be cold sober to get one, and if not, come back tomorrow.
Doublepost