“So erm, what are you guys up to later?”

The girls might have put me off wearing ‘that’ bikini ever again, doesn’t mean there’s not mileage in my ‘former’ friends idea.

“I thought i’d take you all out to dinner to repay your hospitality this week, I was going to ask your mum to suggest somewhere when we see her later, nowhere too smart, this one has a very limited wardrobe.”

Well I guess swimming is out then, but maybe a dress?

“Mad can borrow one of my posh frocks, its not like I don’t have a few.”
“That’s very generous Gaby.”
“She’d do the same for me right Mad?”
“Course.”
“Well that's that sorted then,” I grinned.

“So?” Nen pressed when my family members departed replete with directions for the rest of their perambulations.
“Dinner, posh frocks, she won’t be able to hide anything.”
“Sneaky,” Con allowed.
“I thought so,” I grinned back.

The distinctive putt, putt of Max’s Mofa rent the quiet of the afternoon something after two, when he said he’d be late I wasn’t thinking this late.

“You’re late,” duh, state the obvious Bond.
“I did say last night,” he pointed out plonking his helmet on the counter, “one of the other Pferde had thrown a shoe so it took longer.”

I know the general idea but horses really aren’t my thing so I just nodded.

“Bum, I just thought, won’t be a minute, schnitzel?”
“Whatever.”
“Go sit,” I instructed.
“Best do as she says Maxxie,” Nen put in behind me as I hurried back into the kiosk.

“Sorry P.”
“S’okay, i’ll get Inge to take me up. So you found out the story yet?”
“Pretty much, look gotta go, Max is waiting for his lunch, we can talk later okay?”
“Can’t keep Maxxie waiting, laters Gab.”
Was that irony? “er yeah, later.”

“Saw Mart earlier,” von Strechau advised between mouthfuls of Schnitzel.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, not sure if he was excited or scared stiff.”
“What about?”
“Really?”
“Oh about Bern coming to stay.”
“What else, you know they’re engaged?”
“She never said.”
“Girl of mystery clearly.”
“What’re you suggesting?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re thinking something,” I pressed.
“Well don’t you think its all a bit weird, them coming to live with the Preisers?”
“She’s had a hard time back in England,” I supplied.
“But to move here? Bit of a leap in the dark.”
“She was here for a few months last year and they were like a couple.”
“Hmm.”
“Why are we even having this conversation, its not like its any of our business.”
“I suppose, so you going to the airport to meet them?”
“Sort of, i’m going with Dad to drop Mad and her Mum off then meeting them there.”
“’kay, what time are you back in Dernau?”
“No idea, why?”
“Er nothing, just interested.”
I gave him a look, “just interested.”
“Okay, look there’s a gig up at Mayschoß, thought we could go.”
“Not at that bar place?”
“After last time, your dad really would kill me, no its at the Weinkellar.”
“So who’s playing?”
“Not really sure, they’re all local.”
“Hang on, you’re talking about that under eighteens thing that’s advertised on every lamp post.”
"Is it?"
“Have to check with the rents but it sounds like fun.”
“Great,” he allowed with a relieved look.
“You already bought tickets didn’t you?”
“Er might have.”
“You could’ve asked before,” I pointed out.
“You’ve had stuff going on, your cousin, Bernie coming.”
“Daft lump,” I leant over, grabbed his face, pulled it towards me and nocked the Frites hanging from his lips.
“Hey!”
I giggled as I swallowed my swag, “come here.”

This time when our lips met it was for a full on tonsil tickling kiss.

“He asked you then?” Nen suggested as the object of my lust putt, putted away through Altenahr’s streets.
“Of course he asked her,” Con chimed in.
“You two knew? well we haven't set a date but next Easter looks good.”
"Easter but its... Gabee!" Nen complained.
"had you going for a minute so how come I didn't know?"
“It’s hardly a secret, everyone’s going.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Course you were, we were gonna tell you yesterday but Max said not to,” Con informed me.
“Hang on, everyone?”
“Pretty much, its like an end of summer blast before college starts,” Nen advised.

How had I missed knowing about it? Oh I know i’ve seen the posters around for weeks but i’ve not really read them or realised the significance of the date. I really do go around in my own private bubble of existence, racing, training for same, the Tanzklub, yup my own little galaxy.

“So what’re we wearing?”
“Didn’t Max say?” Con queried, “guess not, its a beach party, last outing for the bikinis!”
“I am not wearing the white one.”
“Spoilsport,” Nena muttered.

I was officially on the late shift, locking up and then, having got a lift up I now had to catch the Express back down to Dernau. It was coming up to six when I reached home, finally sagging onto a kitchen chair.

“That you Gab?”
“Yes Mum.”
Said parent appeared at the kitchen door, “your aunt is treating us to dinner, so tidy please, we leave in forty minutes.”
“Where we going?”
“The Brauhaus down in Remagen.”
“That place by the river?”
“Uh huh, you’ve not been there have you?”
“Course not, why would I?”
“Nothing surprises me with you anymore, anyway, scoot, Carol said something about you lending Mad a dress?”
“Er yeah, sure, on my way.”

“So what’s this place like?” Mad asked a few minutes later as she perched on my bed while I dried myself after a swift shower.
“The Brauhaus? Not been but they’re usually like slightly upmarket pubs, bit like the Stube but with beer instead of wine.”
“Like a Berni?”
“Bit nicer usually but that sort of idea.”
“We don’t need to dress up too much then.”
“Oh I don’t know, I reckon we could raise the class and rock the place with something a bit classier than jeans, besides Mum’d kill me if I go down too casual.”
“You really have embraced the whole girly girl thing Gabs.”
“Not really, its just what we do hereabouts.”
“Whatever, never thought I’d see the day when you ‘d be the one leading the fashion club.”
I gave a shrug, “when in Rome?”
“If you say so, so what’re we wearing?”

Good question, i’d been giving it some thought this afternoon, going through the options in my wardrobe. I had toyed with Kostum but that's a bit much, nothing too formal but smarter than a disco special. The choice got smaller at each turn. I rummaged through the hangers.

“How about this for you and I’ll wear this.”

I presented her with what you might loosely call a cocktail dress, a strapless purple velvet number with a few rhinestones across the er, decollotage.

“Really?”
“Yeah, we’ll rock the place good and proper.”
“What about Amanda?”
“Eh? Oh right, I’ll let her know what we’re wearing, she’s got a couple of suitable frocks.”

I grabbed my Handy and quickly tabbed out a message and pressed send. I was sorting out some suitable underpinnings when I got the reply, a simple thumbs up icon.

“All set, you’ll need this, and these,” I handed out a strapless BH and a pair of fancy hose.
“You’ve not got anything that covers a bit more, you know, boob?”
“Since when are you worried about getting the girls out a bit?”
“I’m not.”
“So what’s the problem, come on, were leaving in like fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll just go down and change then.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve got all bashful too? you’ve got nothing i’ve not seen before.”

Well except for the tattoo.

“Come on, time’s a wastin’.”
With a sigh she hung the dress on my wardrobe door, “fine.

Of course I had to dress myself so checking out my cousins bod for the mysterious body art wasn’t exactly simple without being too obvious. Wherever it is I still hadn’t spotted it by the time I finished my own dressing.

“Bum!”
“What’s up?”
“You got any concealer?”
“Somewhere, handy for when Dracula has been visiting.”
“Dracula? Oh Max I guess.”
“You’ve not got a love bite have you?”
“Not exactly,” she stated turning to face me, “just this.”
“Whoa!”
“It seemed a good idea at the time,” she sighed, “concealer?”
“Bag next to the sink, is that what I think it is?”
“Next Generation, Deanna Troy.”

It looked huge, the Star Trek brooch emblazoned on her breast clearly visible above the fairly low cut dress.

“Its huge,” I blurted.
“Not really, its actual size, hmm, not a bad match.”

A couple of minutes later it had vanished beneath a layer of face paint, knowing it was there you could spot it but if not, well its not obvious.

“You must get through a ton of pan stick.”
“Not really, its usually under a top.”
“Why don’t you get it removed? Don’t they use lasers or something?”
“Who says I want to be rid?”
‘You girls coming?’ Dad called up to the eyrie.
“Coming,” I called back, “here, you’ll need these.”

I passed her the slingbacks I usually wear with that dress.

“Cheers.”
“Lets go rock the Brauhaus!”

Maddy Bell © 21.09.2018