The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3255 by Angharad Copyright© 2020 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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"Is Grampa Henry going to get better?" asked Trish. The look of concern she showed was echoed in the faces of the others including Danielle.

"I hope so, the goddess said she would help."

"Yeah, but she also said he wouldn't keep his promise, given his past history." Danielle was blunt about the facts.

"Is he a capitalist?" asked Trish to which Meems answered, "Course he is, he wives in Wondon, which is the capital, innit, Mummy.?"

"He does live in London, but he is also a capitalist, most bankers are."

"What they all wive in Wondon?" Meems looked surprised.

"No stupid, some live in Edinburgh and Cardiff as well," Trish was sometimes very rude to her sisters.

"Capitalism is an economic belief system which is based upon making profits on your investments."

"Yeah, at the expense of those lower down the food chain." Danielle had been reading some of my books again by the sound of it.

"It's survived longer than Communism," noted Livvie, who tended to think before she spoke unlike, the 'super-computer'.

"Look arguing about philosophy isn't going to help Grampa Henry, is it?" I tried to bring things back to the topic I felt we needed to consider.

There was a consensus mumble of, no, before Danielle asked directly, "How do you plan to make him keep his promise―threaten him?"

"How can she threaten him, he's a billionaire and he's a bloke." Trish seemed to rely on stereotypes of the genders, not entirely unusual in transgender folk. Sometimes I think I might also carry a bit of that bias. I was reminded of it when I read that the government had put the changes to the Gender Recognition Act in the dustbin and I felt relieved. But then I had gone through the process and come out the other side and had been blessed by looking quite female before I started the medical process. I was aware that not everyone who felt odd in their registered gender was transsexual at the same time I was overwhelmed by all the subspecies there seemed to be of it not including all the non-binary people. The latter I had no understanding of at all because I had identified with the binary and simply―well it wasn't that simple―swapped from one to the other sex. How people who claimed not to belong to either felt, I had no idea because it was outside my personal experience, at the same time, I tried not to feel bias against them, after all, I was expecting those who had no discomfort with their birth gender or sex to accept me. I just didn't understand it. At the same time, I had caused the university to set up a working party to help us deal with it to everyone's satisfaction except the fundamentalists, who were never satisfied unless it appeared in Deuteronomy or Leviticus.

Then there were the feminists and JK Rowling who were glad revision of the Act had failed because they were scared some bloke claiming to be a woman could attack them in a public loo. That could still happen, but statistically, no one who has switched gender has seemingly attacked a woman in a ladies toilet. Well, as far as I know, that is the case. It is also suggested that JK Rowling making a fuss about it all was a clever bit of marketing hype to promote her new detective novel, where the killer cross-dresses to catch his victims. Not a new idea, didn't Michael Caine star in a film where he cross-dressed to murder people, in a slasher type story? (Dressed to Kill).

As these thoughts ran through my mind I suddenly became aware that the cacophony had stopped and all my daughters were staring at me. "Well, Mummy?" said Livvie.

I blushed, she'd obviously asked me something and I hadn't listened to her question because I was too engrossed with my own thoughts. "I'm sorry, darling, did you ask me something?"

She sighed, rolled her eyes and then said, "Are you going to make Grandpa Henry keep his promise and how will you do it?"

"I don't know yet but I hope to do so, perhaps the goddess will give me some ideas on how to do it."

She sighed again, "Goodness, Mummy, you're an attractive woman, he's just a bloke and you should be able to run rings round him." They all laughed at her utterance though she wasn't laughing, she was deadly serious. I suspect she overestimates the power of female sexuality to change men's minds, though as she grows up she may find out empirically whether it works for her or not. Personally, I think it's overrated, a bit like sex much of the time.

"I don't think it's quite as straightforward as that, sweetheart."

"Yes it is, they think with their dicks, women use their brains."

"Women also think with their genitals at times, kiddo," I answered, I'd nearly said ovaries, but I don't have any of those and I have felt so turned on that I'd have been in a position to be manipulated by it. True it didn't happen as often as it seemed to with their dad, but who knows how it affects individuals.

"Huh?" she said looking blankly.

"Mummy's right," offered Danni, "just look at Julie, she's always in love with someone or other and she would do whatever they asked―well, within reason."

"Yeah, well, Julie's just a nympho..."

"That's enough, remember we have younger children here who don't understand this conversation, and I don't think I like you deriding your sister in this manner."

"Well, it's true, she's always chasing men."

"Perhaps when you get into your twenties and don't have a regular partner, you may feel it a bit more urgent to settle down with someone. Lots of young women go through the same experience."

"Yeah, Phoebe's as bad, in't she, Mummy?" was Hannah's contribution.

How do I get into these situations, where everything I think, say or do is going to complicate an already complicated matter?

"Right, that is the end of this subject. C'mon, little ones up to bed, Danni, Trish, Livvie and Hannah, have you done all your homework? C'mon Cate, up to bed." I clapped my hands as I spoke and they giggled and ran all over the place, it was a bit like herding cats. Eventually, I got Lizzie and Cate to bed and Tom agreed to read them a story. Trish and the older girls no longer felt a need for such childish things but I did occasionally catch them listening in to their younger siblings at storytime.

Later when I took the ironing up to hang in various wardrobes I overheard the 'dormitory' discussing the earlier events. "She's so easy to wind up, just mention something about sex and she starts blushing and gibbering."

There were titters of laughter after that and they discussed things that made me blush before Livvie announced, "Oh shit, I think I'm on," and there was general scurrying about in the bedroom. I entered with their clean school blouses. "Mum, have we got any more STs, I'm marking my knickers."

"I hope you haven't marked the bed, have you?" we looked and she had, so at nine-thirty, I had to strip the bottom sheet and throw it in the washing machine and replace it with a clean one and a draw sheet on top of it. By that time Livvie had washed and changed her knickers and used one of the pads, I gave her, leaving the rest of the packet on top of her bedside table.

She kissed me, thanked me and got back into bed. "Bloody periods," she cussed then laughed when she saw the unconscious pun, the others all chuckled with her.

"Good night," I said to them all and switched off the light.

"What was all that about?" asked Danielle as I passed her bedroom.

"Oh, nothing, just Livvie's time of the month."

"Oh okay, not sure if I'm jealous nor glad I don't have 'em." She looked more envious than glad and I knew that feeling very well.

"Just be grateful for what you do have, you're a very lucky young woman and a very beautiful one." I kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't you ever wish you could have them, periods I mean?"

"I knew what you meant; a few years ago I did but life has given me all the children I need or could wish to have, so I'm content with my lot."

"Yeah, but none of us are yours, exactly are we?"

I sat on the edge of her bed. "Danielle, that doesn't matter one jot to me or your dad. We couldn't love you any more than we do even if you had been created from our gonads, we love you all, full stop. Love isn't a comparative term, it's an absolute one, there are no conditions or limitations to the love we feel for you, though sometimes it is easier than others but that is due to circumstances on the day. So stop worrying, we love you." I kissed her on the forehead again. "Now go to sleep."

She had a few tears on her cheeks, then she smiled and said, "I know. Mummy, and we all love you both too."

"And each other, I hope."

"Yeah, even mega brain, that'll be good practice if ever they develop AI robots." She smirked as I switched off the light.

"Goodnight, darling," I said and left the bedroom smirking myself at her comparison of Trish to an intelligent robot. On occasions, that may have been true.