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Chapter *11*
 
There is something wrong about five thirty, especially when it’s not a school day and there’s not even a race to go to. Definitely out of order. I hit the shower emerging fifteen minutes later with wet hair but feeling much more awake. Really though, why am I doing this? This whole middle of the night getting up lark? Oh right that was it, greed, yep that’s what it comes down to.

And worst of all the Thesing’s are expecting ‘Gaby’ this morning, I know, my own fault but it still irks that I’m here putting on a skirt and blouse to go to work. Hmm, best put some hose on too; it looks a bit chilly out.

I’d already heard some movement down below so I was hardly surprised to find both Mum and Dad in the kitchen.

“Morning sport.” Mum grinned.

“Mornin’”

“Well sound a bit enthusiastic.” Dad suggested.

“What ever.”

Mum plonked a mug of tea in front of me and headed back to the counter.

“Toast?”

“Please.” I requested after taking a long pull of China’s finest.

“You going like that?” Dad enquired.

“No I dress like this for fun.”

“We’ll have less of that young lady.” Mum quickly put in.

“Sorry but like why else would I be wearing this clobber?”

“She has a point Dave.”

“I didn’t mean her uniform, it is kind of customary for a bit of makeup so you look less like a zombie kiddo.”

“Leave the poor girl alone, I’m sure she’s gonna do her war paint after brekkie aren’t you luv?”

“Er yeah, I guess so.”

I’d rather not but at the end of the day, Gaby does generally wear at least some lippy.

“Here you go Drew.” Mum plonked my toast on the tables before resuming her own seat.

“Thanks.”

Tea and toast, brekkie of the gods, a full English or German cold plate is okay but for simplicity, I smeared some blackcurrant jam onto the golden bread, you can’t beat toast and jam, well okay marmalade is close, thick cut Seville of course, you see where I’m going.

“You want a lift kiddo?” Dad enquired.

“Nah I’ll ride.”

“You got lights? Its still quite dark out there.” Mum mentioned.

“Dynamo?”

“Of course, that thing has everything.”

“Except a coffee machine.” I chortled.

I finished my toast and drained my mug that should get me through till after the morning rush.

Makeup, best put some on I guess then I can get off.

I grabbed my bag and headed to the downstairs bathroom. I hate makeup. It gets me in more strife one way or another than pretty much anything else. I stared at my reflection in the mirror thinking there was something amiss, but what? I peered at my face, no new zits, no wayward eyebrow hairs, I’d already put my hair in braids coz its easier to deal with when its wet. Nope, nothing I could put a finger to.

Lippy, a quick smear of ‘pale coral’, eyeliner, a touch of mazy, I checked my reflection, still something missing, but what? Then I finally got it, eye shadow.

“Whahey!”

“Keep it down Drew, the girls are still asleep.” Dad pointed out from beyond the door.

“Er soz,” I opened the door, “what’s missing?”

“I dunno, give us a clue?”

“Face?”

“You’ve got one.”

“Dur! On my face or rather not.”

“Stop talking in riddles.”

“No eye shadow?”

“I’m sure your mother has some.”

“No I don’t want some, I don’t have any.”

“And that’s significant because?”

“Daad!”

“What?”

“It’s gone?” Mum came back downstairs and into the conversation.

“Yup.” I grinned.

She took a closer look at my eyelids, “just a trace, but it does seem to have pretty much gone.”

“No more concealer every morning!”
 
 
You ever been cycling before seven in the morning in a short skirt? Well me neither till today, I’m glad I thought about the tights, I woulda been frozen blue without them.

“Guten Morgen Gaby.” Herr Thesing cheerfully greeted.

“Hi”

“Ah Gaby, gut, we open in five minutes, are you okay on the counter for a while.”

“I guess so.”

“The Gaggia ® is on so you only need fill it oh and thanks for filling in.”

“Ok.”

After working here since last summer I’ve gotten to be a dab hand with the coffee maker and soon had it filling the first jug of the day. Frau Thesing was busily making sandwiches and out the back the boss was busy sorting orders ready for his morning deliveries. I guess Con is still in bed.

“Morning, oh hi Drew, didn’t know you worked here.” The school secretary noted.

“Morgen Frau Pfeffer, only Sundays usually.”

“She’s just helping out this week Claudia, the usual?” Frau Thesing filled in.

“Please.”

“Gab’s will bring it over.”

“Danke.”

“Coffee and two croissants.” I was informed.
 
 
“Take five Gaby, its usually quiet for a bit now.”

“Ok, you want a coffee?” I offered.

“Do me a tea if you don’t mind.”

The first couple of hours had been pretty busy, I shoulda known from our morning rendezvous but it took me a little unawares. A steady stream of townsfolk came either collecting Brá¶tchen for Frá¼hstá¼ck or getting coffee on the way to work. A few like Frau Pfeffer sat in, others grabbed lunch, if I had to guess I’d say half the town came in in those couple of hours.
 
 
Connie replaced her mother just before ten, we now had a steady trickle of customers, no longer office workers and so on but young mothers with gaggles of kinder, seniors on their morning stroll, the daytime occupants of our little town.

“You want some lunch Gaby?” Frau Thesing enquired just after eleven.

“Er sure.”

“There’s some soup on the stove when you’re ready, help yourself, you know where everything is.”

Bernie arrived; it hardly seemed like two minutes before I finished my own shift.

“See you tomorrow Gaby.” Frau Thesing

“Sure.”

“You fancy going to the flicks later?” Con enquired.

“I guess.”

“Back here at six, Mum’ll drop us off.”

“Okay, what’re we seeing?”

“Lola Rennt”

I was still none the wiser.

“Later then, bye Bern.”

“Tschá¼ss!” She’s taken to German like a duck to water!
 
 
The pattern was set for the week, as luck would have it Hannah rang on Thursday to say she’d be in on Friday. Good luck that is as if I’d been listening on Monday I’d have known we were setting off for the far east of the country Thursday evening.

It was sort of fun to be working at the bakery, I know I do the Sunday shift but during the week it’s a whole different set of people who frequent the place. By Thursday morning I’d already pegged the regulars orders whether it was coffee to go or Kleine Frá¼hstá¼ck. I’d even sort of got used to the getting up before the sun — not that I think I want to do it as a living, but I wouldn’t be against filling in again some time.

Oh yeah, the film. If you haven’t seen it it’s a sort of thriller set in Berlin and first came out in 1998 that is told from several perspectives that can make it a bit confusing in places. The heroine is this slightly kookie girl with like bright red hair who for some reason reminded me of Ally. Not that Ally has bright red hair — well she didn’t a few weeks ago at least! Forget the hair, they kinda look like they could be sisters or related at least, that’d just be weird if they were. Imagine having a fox like Franka Potente as a relly, well kewl.

“So where is it you are going?” Connie enquired as we cleaned the tables down after lunch.

“Some place near Cottbus Dad said, Sonja lives somewhere near there.”

“Sonja?”

“In the team?”

“Oh right, so you are off to Gurken land.”

“Gurkenland?”

“You know, green knobbly things, they grow lots in that area.”

“Might give them a miss.”

“Are you ready Gab?” Bern enquired.

“When you are.” Just when did Bern start calling me Gaby?

“See you guys on Monday then, have a good trip.”

“Thanks Con, later!”

“Bye Connie.”

“We’d best make tracks, Dad’ll be chuntering and I need to get changed.” I mentioned as we wheeled our mounts to the pavement.

“Well don’t just stand there then.”
 

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Maddy Bell 18.06.09  © 2009
 
 
To Be Continued...