Chapter *8.15*
Third Degree
Well there was no way that Mum was going to cook, Dad doesn't, which leaves me.
"So where are we going to eat?" I hinted.
"We're eating at the Pingers." Dad announced.
"Kewl, I've not seen Kat or Maria for ages."
It really has been quite a while, whilst we live just a few stops down the line apart she has her friends, I have mine plus she is older so we just don't cross socially or even at school as she is at college in Remagen.
"I think Henryck is doing a barbecue," Mum suggested.
"I'll get changed then."
"Tidy please," Dad urged.
"Aren't I always?"
From the look I got I think the answer was no.
I decided on a t shirt and cargo shorts, I was going to wear my trekking sandals but I couldn't find them so I dug out a pair of thong sandals. We must have all been thinking the same as both my rents appeared wearing similar combinations.
"Ready?" Dad enquired.
"Whenever."
"Let's go then."
We piled into the Saab and headed down the valley.
"George was talking about a Vito for the junior team," Dad mentioned.
"Instead of the old bus?"
"Well instead of using this as well seems that Mercedes á’ want to promote on the back of the junior squad so there's gonna be more money."
"Kewl."
"Promotion?" Mum enquired.
"A few PA's at events they sponsor, that kind of thing, nothings sorted out yet."
"Be careful Dave, the big corps can screw you into a corner if you're not careful."
The drive is only about ten minutes so we were soon drawing up in front of the Pinger's place.
"Hi, Henryck, hope you've got plenty on that grill, I'm ready for a blow out!" Mum grinned.
"I don't know where you put it, Jen," Maria put in.
"You're one to talk; Mrs two steaks."
"They were only little."
"That's your story."
"Where's Kat?" I asked, not seeing her about.
"Late session at college, she'll be here about seven." Mr P advised.
"So was the twin thing intentional Jen?" Maria asked.
"Eh?" Mum's as bad as me sometimes.
"Shorts, T, sandals?" Maria explained.
Mum took a second to catch on, "You know I never noticed."
I guess my attempt to look more Drew has failed if I've ended up looking like my mother.
“Gabeee.”
“Kaaaat.”
Talk about a pair of air heads — well not really I don't think, leastways Kat isn't, but I do wonder about me sometimes.
“Am I glad you're here?” I went on.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, we can eat now, I'm starving.”
“Why, you little minx.”
This of course escalated into me being chased around the garden for a couple of minutes before I lost a sandal and in stopping to retrieve it was overtaking and bear hugged by Kat.
“Urgh.”
“Are you two coming to eat?” Maria enquired from the patio.
“Coming,” Kat sang in reply.
“So, a little bird tells me you were being fitted for a ball gown.” Kat mentioned after we'd taken our fill of fried chicken, frikadel, potato salad etc and retired to the garden swing seat.
“Um.”
“Don't um me, girl, my sources are impeccable and you were seen carrying ‘ Eloise Couture' bags when you got picked up.
“Who's the snitch?” I demanded.
“Keep your knickers on, it was Lori.”
I sighed in relief.
“It's a secret, please don't tell anyone else.”
“What's it worth?”
“Please Kat; I'll never live it down.”
“You've never been nominated for the Miss Eifel competition?”
“No — well not as far as I know, Shitza no one could do that without me knowing could they?”
“Well you ended up as the Weinká¶nigin.” She pointed out.
“Bum!”
“So come on then, what's the frock for?”
“You won't tell anyone?”
“Like who?”
“Well…”
“Come on, spill, Gaby Bond.”
“Alright then, I've been invited to a wedding this week.”
“It wasn't a bridesmaid dress was it?”
“No, do you want to hear this or what?”
She made a lip buttoning motion so I carried on.
“You know the von Strechau's up at Rech?”
“Not personally but we've been to the restaurant.”
“Well Max, that is Maximillian von Strechau is in my class at school and he kinda invited me to his cousin's wedding.”
“So why the dress?”
“I'm coming to that. Do you read Stern © at all?”
“Have been known to,” she hedged, “why?”
“I wish I had, I wouldn't be in this mess otherwise.”
“What mess?”
“There's a big wedding in Munich.”
“The Habsburg Saxe Coburg one,” the penny clearly dropped, “oh my god you're going to Munich?”
“By the time I found out it wasn't the Munich Rathaus I'd already agreed to go.”
“There are people who would kill to go to that.”
“Well I'm not amongst them,” I lamented.
“So why the meringue?”
“I get to sit in the Dom and go to the evening ball.”
“Well at least you can dance.”
“I hardly think gardtanz would be suitable and besides I have to wear a corset to get into the dress.”
“Lori said you looked a bit stiff.”
“I wore the corset home, now please Kat, don't tell anyone else.”
“What about Lori?”
“Make something up, please?”
“I guess I could — but you have to promise to tell me all the society gossip when you get back.”
“I doubt that any of the toffs will even speak to me.”
“If you say so.” Kat didn't sound convinced. “Oo, come on I've got a new top that I've got to show you, saw it in H&M ® and couldn't resist.”
And so I spent the rest of the evening up in Kat's boudoir trying on half her wardrobe — not that I wanted to but the wedding was hanging over my head like Madam Guillotine.
We got home about ten thirty.
“Stick the kettle on, Dave love.”
“Tea? Coffee?”
“Tea please, Maria just can't mash it properly.”
“Drew?”
“Not for me, I'm going to bed.”
“Oh no, young lady, you're not escaping that easily, you and me are going to have a little chat,” Mum insisted.
“Coffee please, Dad.” I sighed.
“Sit,” Mum instructed and waited until I was seated before going on, “when your dad told me about the wedding I have to admit I was quite surprised that you agreed to go.”
“I thought it'd be a good skive off school,” I admitted.
“School's that bad you don't want to go?”
“Not really, it's just, well school and when Max said it'd mean three days off, official like, well it sounded like a bit of a laugh.”
“Here you go, one tea, one coffee and I'll be in the office.” Dad advised depositing our beverages.
“Thanks, Dave.”
She waited until he'd gone before going on again.
“So what about when you found out it was more than just a ‘bit of a laugh'? You could have cancelled.”
“But Max's Gran would have been upset and it would of like been pretty selfish after I'd said I'd go, to stand Max up.”
They never prepare you for stuff like this; I never thought I'd be having this conversation with my son; Jenny mused to herself.
“So, do you like this Max lad?”
“He's a sort of mate.”
“You don't normally invite ‘mates' to society weddings.”
“You don't think he fancies me do you?”
“Does he? What do you think?”
“I'm not interested in stuff like that, that is just so gay!”
“Look, Drew, I know we joke about a bit in the family and if anything we've encouraged you to be Gaby it doesn't mean that we don't want Drew. If you really didn't want to be my second daughter you could and I'm sure would have kicked up a bit more fuss.”
“But..”
“Let me finish, kiddo. We know you have some serious medical issues, the medication you are on is only stabilising things, some time soon things will have to be sorted out. Now to most of the outside world, and here in Dernau that's practically everyone, you are a talented, maybe even precocious bike rider and good egg, but a girl. Like the old saying goes, if it looks like a duck...”
I joined in, “Quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.”
“And you, I'm afraid, certainly tick the first two boxes even if the third isn't necessarily the right conclusion.”
“I guess,” I admitted.
“And to Max, well he's a young lad, you look like a very pretty young girl and I think in his shoes I'd fancy you rotten.”
“Mu-um, that's gross.”
“No it's not, its laying cards on the table. The fact you've agreed to go to this is very important, to him and his family, function as his ‘girlfriend' will give him so many brownie points in his and their eyes…”
“I'm in doo doo aren't I?”
“I've had this sort of conversation with your sister and I'll say the same to you, if you really feel something for the lad that's okay, be careful and we, that's me and your dad will support you. Otherwise don't lead the poor sod on, you wouldn't like it and it's not nice. Can you do that?”
to be continued....
Maddy Bell 18.05.11 © 2011
Comments
About time...
About time Gaby had this little chat... LOL
It's nice Drew/Gaby's parents are so supportive. I only have one major complaint with this episode. Oh, yeah, I should mention it... It's far to short. LOL
Thanks,
Annette
It's interesting
that Jenny tends to be the one who has the parent-child chats with Gaby, but is never around when anything of significance happens, leaving poor Dave to do his best to resolve it.
We look forward to the mayhem at the marriage in Munchen.
Angharad
I think
its something that happens when there are daughters in the mix. Dads are unwilling, even unprepared for talking to their female off spring so it gets left to mum. Drew of course is a bit of a special case but even though Dave is there all the time I don't think he ever fully connects with either of his kids - Jens teaching background might help but being a woman she just connects better!
Well thats my thoughts anyway
Mads
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Gaby Book 8 Chapter *15* Third Degree
Knew Jen would see things as they are.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Gaby 8#15
Jenny is urging Gaby/Drew to be honest. A decision time seems to be drawing nearer. Like story, if Drew wants to be a boy I wouldn't take a popular vote among his friends.
JessieC
Jessica E. Connors
Jessica Connors
I just realised that although
I just realised that although Drew denies attraction to Max or any boy, he never in the past books has had any thought of attraction to a girl except when he claims attraction to Sara Geller. It makes one wonder. There was also that incident of sleeping with Connie and not feeling anything. So is Drew asexual?
Asexual? Very Likely.
As Drew/Gaby is androgen insensitive, the testosterone doesn't get used by the body. Testosterone has some effects beyond the well known ones.
1) Energy Level, it literally controls how much energy you feel you have.
2) Appetite, no testosterone = no appetite.
3) Sex Drive. Yup, no testosterone, or insensitive to it, and you are most likely asexual.
Stupidity is a capital offense. A summary not indictable.
Well, the first two DEFINITELY don't apply to Drew!
1) Drew/Gaby loves riding bikes, and given how consistently s/he pulls high placement and wins at sprints, energy -- either the feeling of having it or actually having it -- is no problem.
2) Drew/Gaby's appetite has been pointed out as being ravenous quite often in the series, though it does seem to have slowed down somewhat since.
As to the Asexual thing, I do agree it is a possibility for our young hero/ine, though there have been indications before of Gaby actually having sexual interest -- in both directions, in fact. In my opinion, Drew/Gaby's problem is less with being into guys or girls than figuring out who s/he is to begin with, and working from there. Drew/Gaby's mind is constantly swarming with concerns about gender presentation, and racing, and school, and the drama with his/her friends... there is next to no room there for romance to be seriously considered, especially given that introspection will be necessary when the time comes to figure it out. Drew/Gaby's attraction to girls does seem to have mostly faded, but at the same time s/he has refused to give the idea of actually liking a boy much thought at all, and likely won't until everything else in his/her life calms down. When that happens, THEN we'll start to see Drew/Gaby's sexuality evolve.
Melanie E.
Kat was worse
Kat give Drew a harder time than Jenny did, though Jenny touched on different subjects that are important to Drew and the Bond family.
Max does have a crush on Drew/Gaby, and has had for some time. Drew, on the other hand, with his thinking of himself a boy, can't stand the thought of another boy liking him that way. But as Jenny put it, and Drew refuses to accept it, Drew is seen as a very pretty girl by everyone. Even when Jenny said the truth, Drew tried to deny it. How much longer will Drew deny the truth? How much longer will he refuse to see the girl in the mirror that others see despite how he's dressed?
As to the wedding, and his attending with Max, this isn't the first time he's agreed to some event before getting the information beforehand. Then, as he's reasoned in the past, he only thinks of disappointing the other person, and his keeping a promise instead of backing out. Drew never learns from his past social interactions that put him in an ackward situation.
He just needs to keep quiet, or use his parents and say he's grounded and can't do anything unless his parents approve. With their constant reminder about the spots he gets in, they'd accept his using them as the bad guy if it kept him out of ackward situations.
Others have feelings too.