Gaby Book 16 ~ Sweet Sixteen ~ Chapter *13* Filmed

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*Chapter 13*
Filmed

 
 
“And just when were you going mention the cinema?” Mum demanded as I walked into the lounge after Garde, Herr Sebenschuh was on taxi duty tonight.
I was caught a little on the hop to say the least.
“Cinema?”
“Don’t play clever with me, young lady.”
“I wasn’t.”
“So?”
“Nothing’s arranged.”
“So why did Wilhelm ring to let you know what time he’s picking you up?”
“He did?”
“Well?”
What was the question again? Oh yeah.

“Max only asked me this afternoon, I was gonna ask once I knew all the details, honest.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll ring him to say I’m not going,” it’s not like I was that fixed on going.
“And why would you do that?”
“Well I’m being grounded or something aren’t I?”
“Did I say that?”
“I just thought…”
“Gaby, you’re nearly sixteen, we try to give you and your sister space to do your own thing but we do like to be kept in the loop. It’s embarrassing to say the least when your daughter’s boyfriend’s parents are the ones telling us what’s going on.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I interjected.
“Call him what you want, if you go out, especially in the evenings we want to know.”
“What about Jules? She spends more time in Bonn than she does here,” I pointed out.
“Number one, she’s older than you and number two, she has to check in with me or your dad every night.”
“Yeah right,” I mumbled.
“Look, kiddo, it’s not that we don’t trust you, far from it but we do like to know where you are, I’m sure your friend’s parents are the same.”
“I guess,” I admitted, “so can I go tomorrow?”
“Of course you can, front and centre seventeen hundred sharp.”

Saturday arrived cold but dry, which is preferable to nearly any other weather option you get in January. Unless it’s really cold it can be quite enjoyable for riding, so okay you need hats, overshoes and thermals but at least you aren’t dodging puddles or worrying about ice. Add in a few rays of best solar radiation and it’s about as good as it gets this time of year north of the Alps.

“You coming, de Vreen?”
“These flippin’ overshoes,” she complained.
“Come here,” I instructed unclipping at the same time.

She propped her steed against the garage door then offered me her foot, blacksmith style. Usual problem of course, the material of the overshoes sole was trapped under the cleat, they either make the hole too small or gaping big. I cleared the offending cleat and checked her other foot.

“There you go.”
“Cheers, so where we headed?” my re-shod companion enquired.
“Dad suggested we go up to the Honnef ferry then get the Breisig ferry back over.”
“How far’s that?” she clicked a foot into her pedal.
“Dunno, seventy maybe but it’s pretty flat.”
“Come on then or you won’t be back for work.”

I’ve taken you round similar rides before I’m sure, Mum would call it a short spin but even so I reckon it’ll take us about three hours to get round. The first and last bits are along past Ahrweiler, which is probably the busiest stretch too. Once down at Remagen it’s a fast wide cycle track almost to the ferry, the other side of the Rhein is much quieter so we’ll use the road.

There is a short cut, the Linz ferry which takes about twenty K off the ride, useful if the weather turns or we get held up. The Breisig ferry obviously gets us back on the Dernau side of the river then it’s a fast run up to Sinzig, we usually then take the lane up to Bad Neunahr and home. As I told Mand, there’s no real climbing involved, the ferries break up what could otherwise be a fairly boring ride.

“So what was that all about?” Mand enquired as we waited for the Honnef ferry.
“What?”
“Last night, sounded like your mum was having a right go.”
“Nothing much.”
“Boyfriends,” she surmised.
“All right, boyfriends,” I allowed.
The ferry clanged onto the slipway below us.
“And?”
“She was miffed I hadn’t said anything about going to the pictures.”

Rather than continuing the conversation Mand scooted down the ramp to the suitably named ‘Bad Honnef’ where she dismounted to wheel her steed onboard, I, ever the show off, bunny hopped then nearly came a cropper on the greasy deck.

“Silly moo!”
“It’s these tyres,” I opined as I untangled myself.
“Whatever.”
The conductor collected our fares by which time we were already halfway across the murky waters of Father Rhein.
“So you still going?”
“Going?”
“The flicks?”
“Yeah, she seems to think it’s a date.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Not likely!”
The ferry docked and we both cautiously rode back onto dry land to start the longish southbound trek.
“So what you wearing for this ‘not a date’ then?”
“Dunno, jeans and a jumper I guess.”

We were doing a steady lick; this is what in cycling terms we call ‘getting the miles in’, the serious stuff this time of year is on the turbo’s. The sun had gone into hiding before we crossed the river, the resulting drop in temperature was quite marked. True to form there was little traffic down past Unkel which allowed us to ride abreast untroubled by motorised road users.

Mand seems more interested in my cinema trip than I am, I wonder, oh sugar, I know why.

“Why don’t you come?”
“Eh?” my companion allowed replacing her bidon, “The bakery?”
“If you like but I meant the cinema.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Well for one I’m not invited.”
“I just did,” I pointed out.
“Max didn’t, he invited you.”
“That can be fixed.”
“Even if he did want a gooseberry there’s no point, it’ll be in German which I’m crap at.”
“Ha, got you there, it’s in English with subtitles!”
“Regardless, it’s not gonna happen.”
There was a bit of a catch in her voice that gave her away though.

I made a more cautious transfer to the Breisig ferry; I didn’t fancy a repeat of earlier, especially as there were other passengers this time. Once stopped I pulled my Handy out and hit a familiar set of keys.

“So I was wondering, Max, would you mind if Mand came?”
“No Gab!” said friend tried to interrupt.
I waved her away.
There was only the slightest hesitation up in Schloss Rech, “Yeah that’s okay, there’s room in the car.”
“Cool, we’ll see you at five then, tschussie.”
“Bye.”
I ended the call.
“Gaa-ab,” Mand complained.
“That’s sorted, you can get the popcorn.”

We turned the wick up a bit for the last leg back up through Sinzig to home which, if nothing else, stopped Mand from telling me ad nauseum that she wasn’t playing gooseberry this afternoon. Me, well said prickly green fruit, whilst not the reason I want her to come is, well it’s a useful side effect.

“So let me get this right,” Con started, “Mand is going with you on this ‘not a date’?”
“Yup, I’ve not been a very good friend to her have I, dumping her on you guys when I was er, indisposed, leaving her at home when I come here.”
“And taking her along on your hot date is supposed to put that right?”
“It’s not a date!”
“Well it’s not now, why didn’t you just invite the rest of the village along.”
“Did you want to come?”
“No I don’t, sometimes, Gaby Bond!”
“What’d I do now?”

It was a bit of a rush getting home from Thesing’s, showered and ready in the forty-five minutes I had. Despite her earlier protestations, Mand was ready and waiting before me looking slightly more dressed up than me, well she had a skirt on and more makeup than usual.

“Have a nice time, girls,” Mum suggested.
“We will,” I allowed slipping into my best coat.
A car horn announced our transport spot on the hour.

“Hi girls,” von Strechau senior greeted as we climbed into his Passat through a door helpfully held open by Max.
“Thanks for taking us,” I offered in reply.
“No problem, sorry it’s not the Porsche, Gloria’s gone to her sister’s for the weekend in it.”
I’m not sure if he was being serious or not, I mean the Passat is newer than our Mercedes and doesn’t have bike racks and ‘Apollinaris’ emblazoned all over it – got to be a win.

Unless you go to Bonn or Koblenz we have a choice of two picture houses, a tiny two screen in Remagen or where we were headed the four-screen in Bad Neunahr. It’s not that far of course and we were climbing out less than fifteen minutes later.

“Give me a call when you come out and I’ll be straight down.”
“Yes Dad,” Max agreed.
“Enjoy the film.”
With that our chauffeur departed for parts unknown.
“He going back to Rech?” I asked.
“To yours I think, the restaurants closed this week, he was mumbling about poker earlier.”
“That’ll be Mum then, she’s a right card shark.”
On that note we joined the few other cinemagoers inside the bright facade.

Maddy Bell 19.05.16

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Comments

Just curious...

Why wouldn't Max invite a (male) friend to be Mand's date???

I think it was kind of a last

I think it was kind of a last minute thing and out of Max's plan. I feel sorry a bit for Max, I bet Mand is feeling the same. But Gab is making her point to Mand so that what happen. Perhap next time Max... don't give up.

Fifth wheel

Jamie Lee's picture

Not a date, but every time Max asks, Gaby accepts. Not her boyfriend, but she smears her lipstick snogging Max.

Gaby is naïve when it comes to the reason Max keeps asking her to various events. He is head over heels in love with her. Whether it's puppy love, his hormones getting the better of him, or real love, Max loves Gaby.

But Gaby still retains too much of Drew's thinking to see the reason wants her to come to those events. Boys just don't go with boys, the remnants of Drew's thinking says.

Mand and the other girls have the experience to see how Max feels about Gaby, and see through Gaby's denials.

Gaby's sole reason to ask Max if Mand can go with them? She heard how hurt Mand was being left out again. Gaby never gave a thought to have Mand with her in order to keep Max from doing anything funny during the movie. But Mand saw herself as the fifth wheel on what was obviously a date. Obvious to Max at least. Oblivious to Gaby.

Others have feelings too.

Aw bless . . . !

SuziAuchentiber's picture

Its the constant pressure from family and friends about Max that is making Gaby nervous ! I remember back in my youth dating someone I liked a lot but when her parents said "Its her birthday next month, are you buying her something pretty?" and rubbing the third finger of their hand I realised that I was under too much pressure to satisy other people's desires and not my own! Of course, now I'm glad I didn't take that relationship forward !! Life has a way of pointing you in the right direction eventually - maybe Gaby is meant for another boy . . we shall see!
Hugs and Kudos!

Suzi