(aka Bike) Part 867 by Angharad |
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After I had calmed Julie down and sent her off to tidy her bedroom, so I had enough space to think, I found my address book and called the number I was looking for.
“Hello, it’s Cathy Cameron. Could I leave a message for Stephanie.”
“Dr Cauldwell is in her surgery at the moment. I’ll see if she’ll speak to you.” I waited for a moment wondering if she’d recognise my name, she may not.
“Hello, this Dr Cauldwell, do I know you–um–Mrs Cameron?”
“Yes, but not as Cathy Cameron, as Cathy Watts–you helped Trish.”
“Oh yes, the little transgendered kid–is it about her?”
“Yes and no, it might be good for someone to see her again, she hasn’t been seen for several months.”
“Might be an idea, what was the no about?”
“You won’t believe it but I seem to have acquired a sixteen year old kid with the same problem.”
“What? These children are as rare as hen’s teeth and you’ve found another? What do you do, go out looking for them?”
“No, they seem to find me–or coincidence puts us together.”
“You know that Jung suggested there was no such thing as coincidence?”
“Yeah, but he was barking anyway.”
“True: I have an hour before lunch tomorrow–I could do a quickie on both of them for you. Do you have a referral for the older one?”
“Not yet, she only happened into my life a few hours ago.”
“Are you sure, she’s the real McCoy?”
“I think so: put it this way, she hasn’t recognised Trish yet and vice versa.”
“So they don’t know about each other?”
“No.”
“What about you? Do they know about you?”
“I did tell Trish once, but she seems to have forgotten or ignored it.”
“Probably the latter, is she still calling you, Mummy?”
“Yes, so do Livvie and Mima. The two boys call me Auntie Cathy.”
“Are these all foster kids?”
“Yes, at present. I’m hoping Julie–the latest entrant to my little zoo, will help me run the place.”
“Hmm, I’m intrigued–what about social services?”
“I’ve managed to cut a deal with them for a month. If we seem okay, then hopefully she can stay a bit longer.”
“What about natural parents?”
“Don’t accept Julie as their daughter.”
“I’m intrigued–look, I’m free at four thirty, if you could get down here by then with both of them, I’d have a bit longer for the interviews. I suspect the SS will want chapter and verse?”
“They did mention something along those lines.”
“So why the change of name?”
“My husband prefers it.”
“You got yourself married–woo woo, good for you girl. This is private I’m afraid, the NHS list is so long. Is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s okay. I’ll take today’s appointment. Be there as soon to time as I can.”
I ran off to look for Trish, who was all dirty after messing about with the boys on their bikes. I grabbed her and rushed her up to the bathroom and put her through the shower faster than any car wash.
While she dried herself, I told Julie to get herself smartened up in a dress or skirt and top and to stay clean, we had to go somewhere. She squeaked and ran to her wardrobe–I knew exactly what she’d wear.
“Can I do my makeup a bit more?” she called back to me.
“No–that’s fine. Just be ready by four.”
“Yes, Mum,” she called back and I smiled to myself.
“Mummy, why are you doing my hair?”
“Do you remember Dr Stephanie?”
“Yes, she was nice, she helped you beat the nasty people in court.”
“Well I want her to have a look at you and I want her to have a chat with Julie, too.”
“Why? Wossrong with Julie?”
“Nothing, but she’s had problems with her natural parents, so I’d like to make sure it hasn’t hurt her.”
“I like Julie, it’ll be nice to have a big sister, Livvie and Meems think so too.”
“We’ll see, her staying here is only temporary at the moment.”
“Oh.”
“C’mon, Missy, let’s get you dressed–hmm–I’m tempted to put you in school uniform, but I won’t–okay, put your red skirt and top on with the red tights and black shoes.”
“Can I wear my new bracelet?”
“If you want, put on a vest under the top and petticoat under the skirt. Hurry up then.”
While Trish dressed herself, I changed into a suit with boots–a brown velvet suit with a beige roll neck jumper and brown boots. I threw on a bit of makeup–when I think how a couple of years ago, this would have taken me all afternoon–now it’s second nature.
I put on a gold bangle and matching gold chain around my neck with dangly gold earrings, some perfume and a paperback book, and I was ready except for my top coat.
I finished Trish’s hair, two pig tails with red ribbons–she looked lovely. Then I went to check on Julie–she was getting her knickers well and truly twisted because she’d laddered her tights.
“It happens, now just calm down and put some new ones on.”
“But I’d not really worn them, I just got them up my leg and put my thumb through them and it ran like mad.”
“Ten denier are a bit thin for this weather–put the ribbed ones on and make sure you pull them well up or they’ll fall down when you start walking.”
“Don’t girls sometimes wear a pair of knickers over the top to keep them up?”
“Sometimes–do that if it makes you feel safer. But hurry, we have ten minutes.”
“Where are we going, Cathy?”
“To see someone.”
“Not my parents?”
“Good gracious, no. Just someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Oh, is it a man?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Well I just wondered,”–she blushed and apologised.
“Julie, chasing men got you the black eye you have and the bruises elsewhere–I think you need to learn to walk before you can run.”
“You sound like my mother.”
“At this moment, I’m standing in for your mother–I’m trying to protect you whilst you have a little freedom. You’re only sixteen–and in girl terms, you’re only a matter of hours old. You have a lot to learn about being female.”
“I know–but you’ll teach me, won’t you?”
I looked at my watch, it was five to four. “Come down to my room as soon as you’ve done your tights–wear your boots, the ones I gave you.”
“Yes, Mum.” That was twice now–I wonder if she’s winding me up or what?
I went down and finished off Trish with some clear lip gloss, she strutted about like a model on the cat walk. Julie came down, “Wow, you look nice, Trish?”
“Thank you, Julie, you look nice too.”
I rolled my eyes, “Never mind the mutual preening, sit here.” I pulled out a chair for Julie and ten minutes later had her hair up with a fall of blonde curls bouncing on top of her head when she walked–her mouth dropped open.
“Cannive mine up too, Mummy.”
“No, Trish, c’mon, we’ve got to run.”
Julie was admiring herself in my mirror. “This is like, amazing,” she repeated to herself.
I tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Never mind that, we have to run, I’ll show you how to do it another day.”
She grabbed her coat and bag and followed me down the stairs. “Where you goin’?” asked Livvie.
“Out, we’ll be back by tea time. I might bring back some pizzas.”
“Yesssss,” said Livvie and Trish and high fived each other, I just gasped in surprise.
“In the car you two.” I pushed them both towards the door.
“Geez, girl, you look like, brill,” Danny all but drooled at his new love interest. I hoped I could nip this in the bud.
“Why thank you, kind sir,” said Julie and wiggled her bum as she went out the door, Trish of course copied her, and Danny just said , ‘Phwoarrr.” I was going to have to have a serious word with this child.
“D’ya know where we’re like, goin’?” Julie asked Trish.
“To see my doctor.”
“What have you got to see a doctor for?”
“I’m not a proper girl yet, but Mummy has promised I can have the operation when I’m old enough.”
“What? You’re like not a real girl?”
“No, I’m not like you, Julie, but I will be one day.”
“This is like crazy,” she said to herself.
“I’m a girl with a plumbing problem, Mummy says.”
“So am I, Trish.”
“So are you what?” Trish looked confused.
“I’m a girl with a plumbing problem, too.”
“What?” gasped Trish, “I thought you were a real girl.”
“I thought you were, too. This is like amazin’.”
“Right, now you both know. Keep it under your hats, okay?”
“Yes, Mummy,” they both answered together.
Comments
Well that's one problem
out of the way, Now that Julie and Trish know about each others plumbing problem,It could be the start of a very beneficial relationship to the both of them..... Just as Cathy was leaving with her two charges another problem showed it's head again with young Danny's obvious infatuation...Could be big problems there when or if he finds out the truth about Julie!!
Kirri
Thought it wouldn't take long...
...for Trish and Julie to 'discover' each other's 'secret'.
Somehow I think when Cathy gets around to trying to reveal their secret to each other, she'll be in for a repeat of when she tried to broach the subject with Mima / Livvie - she'll start the intros, only to be told by the two girls "We already know!"
It wouldn't surprise me if Mima and Livvie find out about Julie's 'secret' over the next few days, leaving the adults in the dark (again). At some point in time though, if the boys are 'keeps', they'll have to be informed fairly quickly before things get out of control.
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Not THAT Rare!
Dr Stephanie is wrong about people like this being "as rare as hens' teeth" - hens NEVER have teeth, whilst transexual children are between 1 in 500 and 1 in 10 000, depending on how you define them and how hard you look for them and probably whether you are in the biz of looking after them or not and supportive or a bigot.
That said, a rarity they are still, so she has a right to get excited about a new one to get to know.
I love the way the two found out about each other here and their delight in each other when they did.
Lovely story, Angharad.
Briar
Briar
Is it really that many?
I'm not arguing. I'm just surprised that there are possibly a couple in our village and several in the nearby fairly small market town. I'm old enough to remember Roberta Cowell and to have bought (secretly) copies of the News of the World when it serialised April Ashley's story. It was considered almost unknown then (1950s/60s).
Interesting storyline, Angharad. I wonder how many more 'girls with plumbing problems' Cathy'll acquire because according to Briar's statistics there'll be lots in Pompey :)
Robi
That many?
The numbers I've seen are in the ranges reported. It's not so much that it was "unknown" in the 50s/60s, as unreported/untreated/unrecognized (in some combination). Treatment today has come a LONG WAY from when I was diagnosed in the '80s. Back then, at least in the practice I worked with, treating of a juvenile consisted of helping them deal with things in their birth sex. For adults, you had to complete 12 months RLT before they would CONSIDER HRT, and even then, surgery wasn't that common.
While browsing surgeons websites, I found a recently transitioned/post op Lawyer that lived in the next town. While I've not met her, I may look her up. My older daughter knew what TS was, as I was the fourth she knew she'd met (all the others were her age). This helped her deal with my coming out to her so I don't mind not being her first. A friend has a kid in the small elementary school she teaches that insists that she's a girl and won't answer to her given name, just to the female name/pronouns.
So, It's very possible there's some in your small neighborhood. Whether they're open or hidden is a very different question. So far, everyone I've told has been very surprised to discover that I'm a woman, though many have said that it explained so much when they thought about it.
Enjoy thinking about it!
Annette
Chickens
Actually, it is possible for a hen to have a tooth. Baby chicks have a tooth that helps them peck out of the shell, then it fall off. In rare cases it doesn't though, hence the expression.
Looks like Cathy just found
Looks like Cathy just found herself wirh a 16yr old daughter, there is no way Trish will let Julie go now she knows her new big sister is just like her and I have a feeling Livvie and Meems are happy to have a much bigger sister too, Cathy's hopefully gonna end up adopting all of them boys included, although I think Simon will need to have a talk with Danny lol, teenage boys lol.
Had to laugh the other day when a 15 yr old lad decided to try chatting me up on facebook, I'm over twice his age and am technically old enough to be his mom lol needless to say i put him off politely :)
Nice chapter looking forward to more as always, thx for sharing
Megumi :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
Bike pt 867.
The last line says it all from her brood of waifs. No wonder Lady Cameron is a great Mummy!
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
The rate Cathy is going, she
The rate Cathy is going, she will eventually be on equal footing with the movies "Yours, Mine and Ours" which starred in the original Henry Fonda and the remake Dennis Quade. Each film had the families at 18 children. Cathy only has 12 to go! I am quite sure she would be able to handle that many, even tho she is always putting herself down. I think she is so hard on herself because of her original upbringing and her father's actions and attitude towards her. Jan
I was thinking...
"Cheaper by the Dozen" but you may be right that an even larger family is possible.
ROFL
Sorry, the last bit of dialog - where the girls each admitted to a plumbing problem was GREAT. I'm happier that they know, as this way it's not a secret they have to worry about - at least between themselves.
If the adoption/fostering happens, the boys will probably have to know, at least about their sibling/foster sibling. Eventually, it's likely they'll (and Mima/Olivia as well) need to know about Julie as well, assuming she'll be a long term resident, if only to avoid an explosion when they find out by accident, as they'll probably do eventually, if only by the social workers or some other outsider dropping the bomb, even Innocently.
It's nice that Stephanie can see them on such short notice. Most specialists I've worked with over here have really long waiting lists. Though, come to think of it, my shrink's wasn't as long a wait as all the others.
I'm looking forward to seeing how things work out! Thank you!
Annette
A little surprised that Julie didn't
ask Cathy some pointed questions there. The "sisters" are talking to each other like trusted confidants already. Seems fast to me considering they are telling their deepest secrets.
Just thought...
How many bedrooms does Tom's house have? If Cathy acquires many more children, they'll need an extension or a bigger house!
Tom
Stella
Cathy & Simon
Mima, Trish and Livvie (same bedroom or separate?)
Julie
Danny and Billy.
And thinking of houses / bedrooms, whatever became of Simon and Stella's original house? Evidently they're not living there any more, and I don't think they've sold it - so is it just lying there, empty and unloved?
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
umm
Danny might be the minor problem, Big sis will just squash him if he becomes problem. I do see another 16 yr old tho that shows up wkends that could be the bigger problem.
just Angharad's way of setting us up with a slight feint of hand magic trick
(giggles))
The whole sceanario is humourous
Poor Danny, his tongue must dragging. Julie wagging her butt isn't helping the situation any.
Sixteen, perfect age for a baby sitter. Danny will need cold showers.
Great posting !
Cefin