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*Chapter 34*
Guests

 
 
By the time Dad had the Mercedes parked Wilhelm was out to greet us.

“Afternoon, come on in guys.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” Dad offered as he waited for us ‘ladies’ to descend from the transport.

“No problem Dave, a quiet day for the girls after all the Weihnachts fuss.”

The courtyard’s cobbles are awkward in heels at anytime, throw in some frozen water and its well dicey! I was chuckling to myself as both Wilhelm and Dad assisted the others to the entrance, boots rule. Of course you can be overconfident and I nearly ended up on my bum when I strayed from the semi-cleared path.

“You alright kiddo?” Mum asked

“Er yeah,” I supplied, steadying myself against Gloria’s Cayenne.

Inside, de-coated and in my case re-shod it was time to meet and greet. It wasn’t the crowd that attended the Baroness’ birthday bash – not by a long chalk; by comparison it really was quite intimate. Besides clan Bond and the von Strechau’s, Gran Strechau is still with Countess Schillingsfürst down in Bavaria, there was Gertrude Schmidt from the TV and her hubby Axel, the Heinemann’s and an elderly chap I recognised as being involved with the local Lions, Stefan Schröder and his daughter, Lotti, I think he owns some agricultural equipment dealers.

After the intro’s, I knew everyone except the Schröder’s, there was a flow of bodies, men to one side, ladies the other leaving the under twenties to their own devices. Jules and Lotti were quickly ‘best friends’ which left me with Max. Gott, this is gonna be fun – not.

“You look nice.”

“Thanks.”

“So you um got home okay then.” It was a statement rather than a question.

“About last night,” I started, “it was a one off okay?”

“Sure, one off,” Max agreed with the start of a grin.

“I mean it Max, I got caught up in the day and everything.”

“My sexy landesmode,” he suggested.

“Something like that, so its not gonna happen again right?”

“Unless I wear my lederhosen again,” he stated, “by the way, did Pia have a boob job?”

Okay, that’s standard.

“Absolute, she had time from Thursday until yesterday, really Max, you’ve got a one track mind.”

“So how…”

“Did she grow so big? She borrowed her sister’s Büstenheber.”

“What’s one of them?”

“Its like special BH to lift your boobs up,” I demonstrated by hefting my girls.

“Certainly works,” he noted, “not that you need it!”

I rolled my eyes, boys!

I hadn’t realised that Wilhelm had been absent until he announced that the food was ready. We went through to the dining room that felt a lot more intimate than the last time I was here; maybe it was the screens or just the smaller table. There wasn’t the usual contrived seating plan, I found myself squeezed between Axel Schmidt and Analise, thankfully away from Max who had my Gran and Lotti do keep him distracted.

The soup, butternut squash with chilli, was waiting for us so once seated we tucked straight in, pretty tasty and the still warm brotchen were absolutely delish.

“Er, how’s married life?” well it’s the sort of question girls are expected to ask.

“Still fun,” Ana replied with a wink, “I think Jo is getting a bit tired though.”

“I er, right,” I allowed taking some gammon from the platter now doing the rounds.

“I was late for work last Tuesday because we did it twice.”

Too much information thank you.

“So how are you and my cousin doing,” she went on.

“Not exactly ‘doing’,” I offered.

“No? He’ll catch up.”

I don’t want him to catch up!

Conversation thankfully moved to other subjects as the meal progressed, a meal that you really would pay top dollar for in a restaurant, beside the aforesaid gammon we were treated to new potatoes, carrots, leeks, peas, red cabbage with some sort of Hollandaise sauce. It was perhaps a little salty, but that was probably due to my liberal addition rather than the food itself.

Wilhelm rolled out, with Max’s occasional help, the full works. After the gammon we had a berry compote before cheese and coffee rounded things out. Certainly not a typically German menu but Wilhelm’s restaurant menu runs to a pan European mixture – he still hasn’t cracked Yorkshire pudding though despite Jules occasional master class’s. Jules, Max and me sort of got volunteered to clear up, my sister mumped through the process of course, it didn’t bother me – I got out of cooking today after all.

“So how much did you raise?” Gertrude asked having cornered me.

“Fifteen hundred in the end,” I supplied.

“We got a lot of interest after the interview went out, seems you are becoming quite a local celebrity.”

Just what I need.

“Oh?”

“Apparently you made the pages of Stern, young Ana’s wedding.”

“Really,” I feigned ignorance, “I never read it.”

“My bosses might be interested in following your career next year, an occasional spot on Abend. ”

“Really?” I was interested despite myself.

“Like I said, you are news Gaby, you think you might be interested?”

“Maybe,” I allowed, after all if I’m gonna be the next Jenny Bond I need to get used to being in front of the camera.

“I’ll talk to the powers tomorrow.”

“What are you two plotting?” Axel asked, “no don’t answer, I don’t need to know but we do need you for the quiz.”

Looks like its time for the entertainment.

“We’ll talk soon Gaby,” Gertrude suggested.

“Er yeah.”
By seven the other guests had departed, more snow was falling and only our neighbourly address kept us from joining the others – well that and the insistence of Gloria and Wilhelm that we stay for supper. Max, to be fair to him, hasn’t tried anything today, not as much as a surreptitious touch when we were cleaning up.

“You wanna check out Ansbacher’s homework?” Max suggested.

I looked around the room, Dad and Wilhelm were deep in conversation and Gloria was just starting the guided tour for Gran, Jules and Mum tagging along.

“I guess.” Well I haven’t even had a chance to look at it yet what with one thing and another.

“Just going to the study,” Max advised his dad, “history homework.”

“You know the rules Max.”

“Yes dad, door open, no porn.”

“Gab?” Dad queried.

“Yes Dad,” I agreed to his unasked query.

I followed von Strechau junior out into the corridor and along to the study.

“What a day!”

“Its been okay,” I put forward as he turned on the computer.

The grey box beeped and whirred into life.

“Er Gab?”

“Yeah,” I replied a bit distractedly, I know you shouldn’t but I was trying to read upside down a letter on the desk.

“I um, look I didn’t get a chance yesterday, I got you something, for Weihnachts.”

I turned away from my espionage, “eh?”

“Here!” he thrust a neatly wrapped package towards me, “Fröhes Weihnachts.”

It would be bad manners not to take it wouldn’t it?

“Um thanks, I didn’t get you anything,” I admitted, damn.

“‘S’all right,” he allowed, “go on, open it.”

Drew would’ve just ripped into it, but there again Drew wouldn’t be receiving a present from Max, no it’s me, Gaby now and Gaby takes more care with the unwrapping business. Inside the paper was a jewellers box, inside that was…

“It’s a charm bracelet,” Max enthused, “you can add more things.”

“Charms?” I suggested.

“Yeah charms, look there’s one on it already.”

Indeed there was, predictably a bike.

“Thanks Max.”

“Here, let me put it on for you,” he volunteered.

Quite how we got from securing the bracelet on my wrist to making out I’m not sure. I could get used to this. Approaching voices warned us of impending interruption, I pulled away and started to straighten myself out.

“What’s up?”

“Visitors?” I suggested.

“Oh bum!”

We did what teenagers do in these situations, tried to make it look like nothing had been going on all the time making things look distinctly, well you know.

“Hi you two,” Gloria greeted us, “what are you two up to in here?”

“Er nothing,” Max replied with more than a hint of guilt.

“History homework,” I put in as my family joined Max’s mum in the doorway.

“Yeah, research, we needed the computer,” Max filled.

Jules gave me a look, a look that said ‘I know what you’ve been up to’.

“Max got me a present,” I blurted, “a charm bracelet.” I thrust my arm out to show them the shiny chain around my wrist.

“Making history,” Jules mumbled.

Of course it had to be inspected by everyone and commented on, did I see a twinkle in Gran’s eye just now?

“Well don’t be too long, supper should be ready in a few minutes,” Gloria told us before leading my family away towards the lounge.

“Phew, that was close!” Max stated.

“Not many,” I agreed.

“I suppose we’d best go back.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, “this, you know, stuff never happened right?”

“Like last night.”

“Even more so, we most certainly didn’t make out or anything,” I proposed.

“Nada, I’m saying nothing.”

“That’s settled then.”

Maddy Bell 12.03.16