“I'll pick you up at nine then,” Dad confirmed as I put my jacket on.
“You know where it is?”
“I'll find it kiddo,” he told me, “we'll see you later.”

I slung my college bag over my shoulder, stuffed today with a change of clothes and footwear, and headed out into the grey morning. What's going on? Well after college me and Max are going up to Bonn for a rehearsal with Blau Hase, well not Max, me obviously, he's coming as chaperone and moral support. I'm pretty sure Dad, well both my parents, are a bit concerned about the whole thing but they've not said anything directly.

Well you didn't think I was just gonna turn up at the Rheinhalle next week and sing did you? Of course the guys practice all the time, I don't play an instrument so its not a requirement for me but we still need to go through the set. Oh and Stefan says they've got some new stuff for me to sing, talk about weight on your shoulders.
 
“Everything sorted?” Max enquired once the Olaf taxi was on its way.
“Yep, Dad'll bring us back after.”
“You sure about this Gab?”
Not Max too, “i've done it before remember?”
“Yeah I know but this is more serious, people are paying to see you.”
“They paid at Moselfest,” I pointed out.
“Not the same and you know it.”

Okay, so they were mostly there to see Status Quo and I wasn't even supposed to be singing.

I shrugged but I'm not going to admit anything, to be honest I'm wetting my knickers, well figuratively that is.
 
“Good luck later,” Olaf called after me as I climbed from the car.
“Thanks, think I'll need it.”
“You'll be alright, see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, if I survive,” I joked shutting the door.
 
“You alright Gaby?” Lisbet enquired as we filed out of the lecture theatre.
“Yeah fine.”
“You don't look fine and you were miles away yesterday.”
“I was?”
“You were, coffee?”

Hmm, lets see, machine in the common room or freshly brewed in Lisbet's office, no contest.

“Yes please.”
“Come on then,” she grinned, “you can work your magic on my machine.”

There had to be a catch.
 
A few minutes later we were ensconced in the relatively comfy environs of Frau Olafsdottir's office nursing mugs of the brown stuff.

“So, what's got you so distracted this week?”
I shrugged, “nothing really.”
“Come on Gaby, somethings up, boyfriend?”

Well of course the coffee was gonna come at a cost, as Dad says, you never get anything for nothing.

I sighed, “no, nothing like that, its just a busy week.”
“Busier than usual?”
“You could say that,” I allowed.
 
And so I spent the next thirty minutes telling her about my week, the kiosk on Sunday, Weihnachtsmarkt planning Tuesday, costume sorting yesterday and finally tonights practice in Bonn.

Lisbet shook her head, “when I spoke to your headmistress she said you were a dynamo, I didn't really believe all the hype. But compared to the rest of my students, well there is no comparison, i've never known anyone who does so much.”

I coloured up a bit, well you know what I'm like.

“Are you sure you aren't spreading yourself a bit thinly? I'd hate to see all these other activities affect your college work.”
“Its just a busy week,” I offered in my defence, “i don't usually have the singing or the other stuff really.”
“What if the singing takes off? You could be the next Madonna.”
I snorted, “hardly! I can barely hold a tune.”
“I don't believe that for one moment and clearly plenty of others would disagree too. What do your parents think about everything?”
I had a sip of my now nearly cold coffee, “well I know Dad would be happier if I concentrated more on the cycling but they've never outright said anything against the singing 'career', I mimed parenthesis.
“So you want to explore a singing career?”
“Its fun doing it occasionally, not sure i'd want to do it full time, compared cycling even its hardly a secure career is it?”
“And you value that, security?”
“I guess, I mean both my parents had good jobs before the cycling took over, Dad was a manager and Mum taught Geography, they've always said that a good base is never wasted.”
“I didn't know your mum taught.”
“Yeah, until Apollinaris offered her a contract.”
“Quite a change,” Lisbet noted.
“I suppose it has been a bit weird since then.” okay, a lot weird.
“I don't want to see you crashing out of college Gaby, if you've got any issues come and see me, don't let them fester, I'm sure we can sort out most things.”
“Erm thanks.”
“Gaby I mean it, you've got a bright future ahead of you and I'm sure you'll succeed at whataver career you decide to follow but I'm with your parents on this, get your qualifications, something to fall back on, before living the dream. I'd hate for you to end up as toilet lady.”

Well that lightened the mood a little. Okay I guess its a valid point, i've never quite worked out how that works, do they get a wage or do they rely entirely on the 'payments' users make? I left the office shortly after that, the conversation hadn't changed anything but I was more aware that people were looking out for me, I'm not quite sure how I feel about that but I suppose its good to know.
 
After yesterdays slap up meal in the Dinea, today time was of the essence so I met Max at the Burger King® down at Koblenz Hauptbahnhof, we're catching the Express up to Bonn which doesn't stop at the Lohr Centre.

“Wondered where you were?” Max offered, “got you a Flamer.”
“Thanks, I had further to come than you.”
“Not much.”

I gave him a look as I opened the box containing my burger.

“Just saying.”
“What time's the Express?”
“You're alright we've got fifteen minutes.”
“Is that all? I need to change.”
“You're fine as you are,” he suggested.
“I'm not going to a band rehearsal in my college clothes.”
“Why not?”

Men!

“Because I'm not thats why.”
 
Of course, by the time i'd devoured my late lunch there wasn't time to utilise the 'changing room', we had to run through the station to catch the Rhein Express, fortunately we got seats above the bike area. I left von Strechau to his own devices and headed for the loo, they're generally not too bad on the trains and they're quite spacious on these newer trains being disabled friendly. We were just leaving Andernach when I returned to where Max was waiting, reading some college notes.

“Hutch up,” I requested.
“Took long enough,” he noted sliding across the seat without looking up.
“It takes time to change, so what do you reckon?”
He finally looked up from his notes, “geez Gab, its only a rehearsal.”
“I know, so?”

Okay, maybe I have gone a little overboard, i've gone for a sort of casual 'rock chick' look, shiny black dance tights, Jules' black denim jacket and I purloined Mum's stiletto ankle boots, a couple of paper hankies taking the slop out of the fit. And maybe I have gone a bit overboard with the makeup but, well it sort of feels more, I dunno, rocky?

“Have you got a license for that lot?”
“Har de har, oh bum, forgot my earrings.”

I fished in my purse and pulled the pair of five centimetre hoops out oh and my nose ring. It only took a minute or two to swap my studs out for the dangly loops, the nose is a bit more fiddly of course.

“So?”
“Hmm, nose ring,” Max grinned with a twitch of eyebrows.
“Down Fido, you'll ruin my lippy,” I told him pushing him away.
“Spoilsport.”
“Later okay.”
 
“You found us,” Stefan greeted when I nervously entered the rehearsal room, part of a run down industrial unit north of Bonn city centre.
“Nearly missed the stop,” Max told him as we joined the members of BlauHase gathered around their instruments.
“Er hi guys,” I added with a little wave.
“Erdbeere!” Animal grinned.

Big Jo held a hand up for a high five, Little Jo just nodding.

“Well lets get started then, boyfriend, you can help Maria on the desk,” Stefan instructed.
“Its Max.”
“Whatever, so Strawberry, looking good by the way, here's the play list.”

And so it started.
 
Clearly a band rehearsal is a bit different to joining a gig. For starters its not one continuous run through, each song and bridge was taken individually and worked on to iron out the flaws. I had new songs to learn, for the Rheinhalle concert there are fewer covers and more original stuff than when i've been involved before.

At some point Max had been despatched to fetch food and drink, we had a short break to consume the snacks before returning to the fray.
 
“Von 99 Luftballons auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Hielt man für Ufos aus dem All
Darum schickte ein General ‘ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher
Alarm zu Geben, wenn’s so wär
Dabei war’n dort am Horizont
Nur 99 Luftballons,”

I warbled, yeah, we're ending the same as at Moselfest with the Nena classic. When I say end, its the planned encore, the actual last number is a Stefan penned number, a very loud and rocky piece that I only have a small part of. We got to the final bar and suddenly the noise stopped, the last chords reverberated around the practice space.

There was the sound of clapping, Max quite enthusiastically and then I spotted Dad by the door. Oh sugar, I wanted to get changed, he wasn't supposed to see me all vamped up tonight. Well of course, I then had to do the introductions, they would have met next week anyhow but I wasn't ready for it tonight.
 
Finally we were on our way back to Dernau, the parental meeting went as well as you'd expect, Dad being very protective, the guys I think managed to put his mind at rest.

“Does your mother know how you're dressed?”
“Erm.”
“Maybe she had best not see then?” he suggested as we followed the five six five away from Bonn.
“Um right,” I agreed.

Its not the easiest thing getting changed in the back of a moving A Klasse, well losing the uplift bra was the difficult bit. After removing Mum's boots I just pulled my jeans on over the leggings, put my hair into a loose braid and took out the big hoops. By the time we dropped Max off I looked more like a student again, I'm guessing Dad'll keep mum if you know what I mean.
 
© Maddy Bell 21.01.2019