"Hold iiiiiiiiiit aaaaand end!” Hannah instructed.

There was a collective sigh as a dozen young women relaxed after going through the Garde routine for the fourth time this evening. Cycling is very aerobic, cheering combines that and tunes your co-ordination but Garde is all about control, muscle and breathing.

"You look happy,” Han observed as I went through a few tension relieving stretches.
"Do I?”
"Hot date tonight?”
"As if!” I retorted.
"So what is it then?” she probed.
"Nothing.”
"Oh come on Gaby, I've known you long enough to spot a diversion.”
I sighed in resignation, "I had some good news earlier from my doctor.”
"Nothing serious I hope?”

Serious? Well depends how you look at it, pregnant isn’t a disease but it does sort of cramp your style somewhat!

"No, just checking the er lady bits.”
Thankfully she didn’t press for more detail, "Always good, so what’ve you got lined up this weekend?”
"Crappy little race on Sunday and shopping with Mum tomorrow.”
"Some mother daughter time eh?”
"Yeah,” I sighed in agreement.
"Where are you going? you don’t sound too enthusiastic?”
"Not sure and if you’d ever been in a car with her you’d know why.”
"Bit timid?”
"I wish! she’s a flippin’ maniac! And she’s now on about getting a Porsche.”
"What’s she got now?”
"The A Klasse.”
"They’re pretty nippy,” she opined.
"Especially with Mum at the wheel,” I moaned.
"You coming Gab?” Pia called across the hall, "Dad’s here.”
"Best go or I'll be walking.”
"Enjoy the shopping.”
"Yeah,” I allowed with a roll of the eyes, "See you Monday.”
"Take care.”
"Tschussie!”

"We’ll make an early start tomorrow,” Mum proposed as I slumped onto the sofa with my hot chocolate.
"Where are we going?”
"Thought we’d check out Centro1“
"That place in last months Stern?”
"Dunno about that, I don’t read the gossip mags,” she slyly stated.
"Well I was flicking through Con’s at work,” I gabbled in my defence.
"Its a big shopping centre like Meadowhall, up at Oberhausen.”
“’Kay,” I allowed – where’s Oberhausen?
"Leave about eight?” Mater suggested.
"Bang goes my lie in,” I groaned.
"Well it is best bit of two hours away,” Dad stuck in.
I sighed, "Whatever.”
"And wear something decent and do something with that hair.”
"Yes Mum.”

We weren’t the only early risers Saturday morning, Dad had Mand up just as early to go to the track session.

"You gonna be okay in them all day?” Mum queried.
"You said dress up,” I countered as I checked out how my legs look in the hall mirror. Five denier hose, ten centimetre heels, smart sleeveless dress, yep I look ace!
"I didn’t mean you had to look like the dogs.”
"One has to keep up appearances.”
"Your sister sent me a picture from last weekend.”
"She did?”

What’d she do that for? I slumped a bit, that was supposed to be an adult free zone.

“Right, we’re off,” Dad called from the back door, "Don’t spend all your mothers money Gab.”
"I'll try to.”
"See you later love,” Mum added, "Bye.”
"Take care!” he called back.
"I suggest you young lady change your shoes.”
"But I'll need to change then.”
"Well at least bring some flats to change into.”
"Yes Mum,” I allowed.

Its mostly autobahn to our destination which is up past Duisburg, which is past Düsseldorf, which is above Kӧln, its actually the A3 all the way from there. I slipped my silly dark glasses on before we set off despite it being a bit overcast, the less I can see of Mum’s driving the better. Thankfully the traffic was light out to the five six five but old lead foot soon had the needle nudging one seventy once we were on the A-bahn.

"So erm, what picture did Jules send you?”
"You were on the stage apparently singing Bohemian Rhapsody?”
Bum. "Er right.”
"You’re not going to run off to be on the stage?”
"Singing a couple of songs badly is hardly a basis for a career.”
"Oh I don’t know, some of that stuff your sister listens to is, to be kind, awful.”
"Er yeah,” I allowed, you can’t really argue with that.”
"So you gonna do some more?”
"Doubt it, I got conned into that.”
"Your sister says you were very good.”
"Well she’s deaf as a post,” I suggested.
"Just don’t take on too much eh, I don’t want you burning the candle at both ends.”
"No Mum.”
"I mean it Gab, we’ve got no problem, in theory, if you want to explore your options that way but just remember your other commitments.”
"I'm not gonna join BlauHase and run off.”
"BlauHase? Is that the band’s name?”
"Er yeah.”
"I suppose its no worse than Spandau Ballet, so what’s your stage name?”
"Mu-um,”
"Oh come on, you must have one.”
"Erdbeere,” I mumbled, Gaby Erdbeere.”
"Unusual, where did that come from?”
"My hair?” I suggested.
"So you’ll be sticking with the pink then?”
"No!”
"I just thought...”

Especially using the bus or the camper I've got used to trundling along at perhaps a hundred K, by comparison this feels like being strapped to a bullet.

"Do we have to go so fast?”
"We’re hardly moving.”
"We’re doing a hundred miles an hour,” I pointed out.
“Really?” she checked the speedo, "Guess so.”
"Aren’t you going to slow down?”
"Why?” she moved into lane two and moments later a Stuttgart Skate flew past leaving us for dead, "Now that's going fast.”
"Organ donor,” I suggested.
"I never took you for a scaredy cat.”
"I'm not, I'd just like to see my next birthday, watch that truck!”

She floored it and we slipped behind a five series to pass the slow moving horsebox.

"Mum!”
"Okay, okay, slow it is.”

The remaining distance was covered somewhat slower, I was actually glad for the roadworks around Kӧln and the traffic around the A46 junction as both made sure the speed stayed more sensible. We started to pick up more traffic around Duisburg, by the time we left the motorway system we were part of a slow moving snake of traffic apparently all having the same final destination. Thankfully its not far from the motorway, maybe half a kilometre so we were parked just after ten forty.

"You sure you’re okay in those stilts?” Mum queried again.
"Yeah, yeah.”
"Your funeral, come on then, we’ll get coffee before we hit the shops, ready?”
"I guess,” I allowed as I straightened my dress out using the car window as a mirror.
"I dunno.”
"What?”
"Who stole the scruffy shorts wearing kid and replaced her with a supermodel?”
"I'm too short to be a model.”
"Well come on Miss Leboutin, best join the hoi poloi.”

I slipped my glasses back onto my face and strutted after Mum toward the shopping complex.

Its certainly a big place, Centro that is, but despite the number of people in the air conditioned interior we didn’t have any trouble getting a table at one of those Costa Bomb coffee shops. On the way in I picked up a site map which I studied while Mum fetched our overpriced and not particularly great cups of caffeine.

"So where are we going after this?” Mum enquired.
"Dunno, we looking for anything in particular?”
"Well your sister’s birthday is coming up,” she suggested,” and I thought I might just treat my other daughter too.”
"What for?”
"Does there need to be a reason?”
"Guess not.”
"So what are we looking for?”
Well in that case, "I did see some shoes in Stern.”
"I thought you didn’t read it?” Mum opined.
"Well not all of it,” I allowed, "I was looking to see if anyone I know was in.”
"My daughter the society darling,” Mum allowed with a chuckle.
"Am not!”
"Well it wasn’t me on the cover.”
"I thought you didn’t read it?” I mentioned.
"Erika takes it, you have to read something when we’re on the road.”
"Hmm, if you say so.”
"So what shall we get your sister?”
 

Maddy Bell © 06.07.17