Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 2283

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The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike, est. 2007)
Part 2283
by Angharad

Copyright© 2014 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
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Friday dawned and two giggling teens waited in my kitchen while I found my car keys. I’d promised to take them to the salon to give Julie and Phoebe a chance to open up before the ‘temps’ arrived. I told Cindy she’d have sore toes wearing such high heels but she disagreed, telling me she’d managed to walk round town all day on them without any problem. I also heard her teasing Danni for wimping out and wearing flatties but was heartened to hear my daughter arguing back and holding her ground. Oh well, experience will decide the winner and I doubt it will be the wilful Cindy.

I got them to the salon for nine o’clock despite the awful morning traffic. They each had a sandwich, a packet of crisps and some fruit for their lunches which I’d put together for them while they primped in front of the mirror in the hall. I suspect they were wearing enough lip gloss to paint a double-decker bus and I thought Cindy’s skirt was a little short though she was wearing opaque tights. Danni was in a black tunic type dress with leggings and ballet flats. Over the dress she wore a lose fitting shirt, which I recognised as one of mine—I think we might have words later about that.

They both pecked me on the cheek before they disappeared into the salon door and I drove off to my favourite supermarket and got the list of things that David had asked me to purchase before the weekend. Cindy had stayed practically the whole week, Brenda was coming to get her tomorrow. Uncle Alf had finally departed this place but the funeral wasn’t until a week or more away and Brenda had said she wanted Cindy to go and show herself to the rest of the family as she had nothing to be ashamed of. I supported the principle more than the practical as I wasn’t sure how Cindy would cope if there was much hostility, but Brenda knew them better than I, so it was her call.

In some ways I was glad Danni had gone to help at the salon because it took her mind off school starting on Monday and she was very nervous. I told her she was up to the standard academically and was pretty enough to cause no problems with the other girls unless she did something silly. But then being the new girl in a large school must be pretty daunting. I think I might have a little insight into this when I went back to Sussex, my alma mater, and was very much the new girl there although I did know one or two of them from my previous incarnation.

The shopping took me the best part of an hour and the queues at the checkouts were so long, I went and had a coffee then tried again to pay for my purchases. The trip home was tedious and took far longer than it should have done, but the weather was dry so everyone and his mother were out and their cars clogged the highway.

I left David to sort and stow the food shopping and handed out tights to all the girls asking Trish to put a pair on each of the other’s beds, including our two apprentice hairdressers. That had cost me over twenty pounds, but I knew how useful they were. The older girls got fifteen denier while all the younger ones had forty denier, or opaque ones. It always struck me as odd that the Americans call tights pantyhose where as we call pantyhose tights which have panties built in. No point in repeating that Shaw was correct in his assertion about countries divided by the same language.

At six I was waiting outside the salon for the two wannabe tress-treaters, I noticed Danni seemed more nimble on her feet than Cindy who was walking very gingerly. I smirked but she didn’t see it.

“Good day?”I asked as they got into the back of the car.

“That was like, so much fun.” Was Cindy’s opinion. “I think I might like to be a beautician and hairdresser,” she added.

“Sounds like you enjoyed it,” I remarked.

“OMG it was fabulous and Julie showed me how to shampoo someone’s hair properly, I did two after that.”

Danni sat looking rather fed up. “You okay, girl?” I enquired.

“Very tired,” she said but didn’t elaborate. I suspect she was worried about Monday and school.

We got home about twenty minutes before Simon and Sammi and they were five minutes earlier than Julie and Phoebe. Stella had apparently started her refresher course and was lying down for an hour with exhaustion. That made me smile.

David did us a delicious duck l’orange which everyone practically wolfed down. It’s easy to know when the food is that good, the only sounds are cutlery on plates. I thanked him for the exquisite meal and he blushed.

Once the serious eating had passed and we were awaiting our just desserts, Simon asked Julie if they were doing it tomorrow. She responded that they were. I was dying to know what they were talking about but resisted the temptation to ask. As if to show they knew they had me hooked they mentioned it several times but refused any direct answers to my albeit wandering questions.

It was later when I asked Danni about wearing my clothes that I found out what the others were on about. Maureen had organised one of these steel doors they use for front doors on houses. It was double glazed and she’d fitted a system for putting a protective grille were it required. They were fitting it tomorrow morning. It was a slight second because the paintwork was scratched so they were getting it for a song, which doubtless pleased Simon, who I suspect was funding the improvement. Then, as Julie commented to me later, it helps grease the wheels if you have your own personal banker.

Talking of banks, while HSBC were probably the biggest and most profitable of the UK banks making obscene amounts of money, High Street had moved up a couple of places making over twenty billion profit. I had a letter waiting for me when I got home detailing my bonus as a director—it was nearly a quarter of a million pounds half of which would be in shares. Simon saw me reading the letter and smirked, god knows how much he got but it would probably be in millions. I felt embarrassed but accepted it was my lot to have this money whether or not I wanted it.

I determined to send money to half a dozen charities the next day. After dinner, Danni came and got me. Cindy’s feet were all blistered. I said nothing save advice on easing the pain which was a vinegar soak and then a creaming with some antiseptic moisturiser. Danni undertook to do the ministrations to her girlfriend. I left them to it, still deciding which charities I’d consider most important—they were all children’s or wildlife ones, plus one for a women’s refuge in the city. Those were my priorities, I accept yours might be different.

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Comments

Hmmmmm......

Is Cindy Danni's girl friend or Danni's girlfriend? I liked that Danni didn't give in to peer pressure on shoes.

Glad Julie's getting better security on her business.

We all learn the high heel lesson

Having flat feet, I am doubly resistant to wearing them over two hours tops.

Heels?

Podracer's picture

Sandals, wellies or SPDs...

"Reach for the sun."

It will be

interesting to see Cindys choice of footwear next time she is at the hairdressers, Will it be vanity or a more practical choice of footwear that wins the day Looking good is one thing blistered feet are quite another..

Like Cathy i do give money to charity, Okay its not the sum someone like Cathy could donate but like a famous supermarkets chain catch phrase "every penny matters" Just this morning i was doing a little shopping and sitting just next to the exit was a blind man with his guide dog complete with his collection box so i dutifully threw in my loose change ... I only wish it could be more, If anyone deserves help its this charity which helps the blind lead a more fulfilling life..

Kirri