Sylvester looked skeptically at the newspaper. He is one of the holdouts that do still read the physical paper, and his heavy knotted brow was twisted in concentration. His Neanderthal roots were showing.
“Did you see this?” he asked, while I was grinding the coffee.
“What’s that, Sylvester. The picture of Auntie Kittie’s niece in the Girl Scouts?” I replied.
“I don’t think that would make the pages of the New York Times,” he replied.
“Oh, I thought you were reading the local paper. Auntie Kittie’s niece Emma was in it. She got another badge. I think it was for fire starting, or gender awareness. Something like that.”
“She’s very proud of those girls,” said Sylvester. “But no. It’s this story. It says here that they’re making children have babies in Texas.”
“I hope the Girl Scouts down there are giving them a badge for teenage pregnancy,” I muttered.
“It’s this whole abortion issue,” he continued. “I can’t believe this is happening in the 21st century.”
“I can’t understand why anyone with either a daughter, a sister or a mother could possibly accept giving up the right to an abortion,” I said. “It’s like the whole world has gone mad.”
At that very moment I spied Auntie Kittie cycling up the road toward my house.
Sylvester glanced round and seeing her said, “Here she comes. She’s riding ‘the cycle of abuse’.”
“Why do you call her bicycle that,” I asked.
“Have you heard how it squeaks? She never oils it,” replied Sylvester, who is indeed of a mechanical bent. He went on to say, “The last time that thing was lubricated they were still using whale oil.”
“Well,” I said taken aback. “I don’t think that’s a very nice way to talk about Auntie Kittie, Sylvester!”
You know Sylvester really can be quite coarse at times.
On a serious note, just keep in mind anyone who is aligning themselves with the denial of a woman’s right to choose, will be coming for us, too. It starts to make political decisions very simple. Whatever your past voting pattern, don’t be fooled into thinking this is your grand dad’s political environment. There’s already trans people out there fighting for their lives and loosing. Just ask Brianna Ghey or Nex Benedict.
I do hope you’re having a good week. I am taking the time to catch up on a few things having been away for a little in Europe. A little what, you may well ask. I won’t be answering that anytime soon! Let’s just say my body is feeling particularly tired, and like Auntie Kittie’s bicycle could indeed use a little lubrication.
🙂
Fiona.
PS. Don’t forget you can follow Auntie Kittie‘s misadventures by becoming a Good Gurl today, if you’re not already in that wonderful group.
