get the complete book here! {Or here (US) -Erin}
 
 
*Chapter 28*

Mand's Arrival

 
 
Pia didn’t show at Garde Friday night either but it gets me out of doing a ‘gym’ session with Dad so I made the effort. Of course news of Claudia’s demise had already made it to a lot of the others, some had been to school with her like Anna so it was hardly a joyous evening.

“Gaby? A word?”

“Sure Margot,” I allowed as I dragged my sweatshirt back on.

I followed her through to the office, closing the door behind me, “Wassup?”

“You had any thoughts on the cheer costumes yet? Frau Doerning wants to get them started before the Christmas show stuff.”

“I was thinking fairly traditional?”

“Works for me, can you put something on paper for Monday for me?”

“I guess,” it’s not like I’m doing much this weekend, working tomorrow, big race on Sunday – plenty of free time.

“Great, I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Sure, tschussie!”

“Tschuss!”

 
 
“So we should be back around four,” Dad informed me as I finished my cocoa.

“I should be home by then,” I supplied.

“Please try, we’ll eat up at the Krone then it’s an early night, we’re picking Angela and Roni up at seven thirty.”

Heavens to Murgatroyd, we have to leave here at like six!

“’Kay.”
 
 

I didn’t sleep well, my mind kept going back to Claudia, I must have slept at some point as I was awoken by my alarm at silly o’clock. Yup, time to get up for work, I need to shower, do my hair, makeup (what?) and get to the shop ready to open at seven. At least doing Sundays I get a bit of a lie in.

No one else was up, why would they be? I banged some bread in the toaster and set the percolator going – Dad will appreciate it being ready when he surfaces. It was looking pretty grey and horrible outside and by the time I was ready to leave it was precipitating quite persistently – great.
 
 

“Morning, Gaby.”

“Hi, Herr Thesing,” I offered as I shook my coat out.

“Weather for ducks eh?”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“I’ve done the tills so you can start on the Gaggia.”

“’Kay.”

Gaby Bond, barista – not really my number one career choice!

 
 
So of course with cats & dogs falling outside the day started slowly. The regulars still braved the elements, not deterred by the weather due to necessity or habit. I was able to cover the shop on my own until Connie’s mum joined me just before eight. It’s usually the busy period but with it still raining things were slower than usual.

“How’re we doing?”

“Bit slow,” I allowed, “still got plenty of brotchen and croissants.”

“I’ll tell the boss to delay the second batches then.”

“Okay – remind me later, I need brotchen for tomorrow morning, we’re leaving early.”

“Where are you off to this time?”

“Kassel, it’s the last Junge League of the year.”

“That’s a fair drive.”

“Yeah and we have to pick Roni up on the way.”

“Your team mate?”

“Yeah, she lives up near Dusseldorf.”

There’s one thing with the bakery trade, our customers almost always turn up eventually, fresh bread, I don’t mean that reheated supermarket stuff but fresh made on the premises stuff is an integral part of life for most people. So when it started to dry up half an hour later we suddenly found ourselves inundated and idle chatter was halted.

Frau Holdorf – and Fritzy of course, Goth Gurl fetched baked goods for her and Dad, Gloria Pilsen, Frau Viessner, that’s my English teachers significant other – they all made an appearance at some point. It was heading towards ten when I headed up to the flat for my break.

 
 
“That you, Gab?” Con’s voice enquired from down the hallway.

“Yeah, it’s been murder down there,” I called back as I found crockery and cutlery, ”you eating?”

“Wouldn’t mind a coffee.”

“’Kay.”

Frau Thesing had left me a plate of meat and cheese in the fridge, I’d brought a couple of fresh brotchen up with me and there’s always bread available – it is a bakery after all! I poured the coffee and sat at the counter, bleh.

“Morning!” Con offered when she appeared still in her jarmas.

“Geez, Con, you not dressed?”

Talk about state the obvious!

She blew a raspberry before stealing a slice of bierwurst from my plate.

“Hey!”

“What? So you coming up to Steff’s later?”

“Can’t,” I supplied as I assembled a sandwich, “Mand’s coming today so I’ve got to get home and sorted before they arrive.”

“You’ve always got something going on,” she observed.

“I guess,” I agreed before ploughing into the cheese and meat.

“So what are you doing for the party?”

“Doing?”

“Costume?”

“Oh right, it’s a um surprise,” to me too!

“You’ve not got conned into helping Max again?”

“Nah, I reckon I frightened him off with the last time.”

“That was pretty awesome, if he’d been shorter no one woulda pegged him.”

“It wasn’t that good.”

“If you say so.”
 
 

We chatted about this and that whilst I ate and drank somehow dodging the Elephant that is Claudia. My break over I headed back to the shop for another couple of hours of serving bread product and hot water flavoured by roast and crushed berries. The weather was drying up if not brightening up, by the time I finished my shift I only needed my coat for warmth.

Back home I took another shower, filled the washer, had a bit of a tidy round and then, with the time approaching the travellers expected arrival, I started getting myself ready. We’ve eaten at the Krone fairly regularly, it’s not posh but the rents get a bit anal about not going to eat out in anything remotely scruffy. I struggled the other night for something appropriate, today is gonna be awkward, nothing too girly but at the same time I need to be Gaby.
 
 

Voices below announced their arrival; I’d got as far as underwear in the dressing stakes.

“Gaby?” Dad called up.

“Up here, just dressing,” I replied in similar shouty fashion.

“Amanda’s here, you coming down?”

“Minute.”

Sugar! I grabbed the first hanger that came to hand, can’t wear that, the next was holding a dressy little number that needs heels, oh what the heck. I wiggled into it, hmm, bit short but at least the girls aren’t too exposed. I found my sandals, the strappy ones with a seven-centimetre heel and padded downstairs.

 
 
“Dr-aby?”

“Heya, Mand, good flight?” I queried giving her a hug

“Um okay I guess.”

“Gab love, can you show Amanda her room and so on?” Mum proposed.

“Sure,” I dropped my footwear by the front door for later, “come on.”
 
 

“Do you always dress as Gaby?” Mand asked when we reached the first floor.

“I am Gaby, whatever I feel about it,” I sighed.

“So have you got a date or something, I can’t believe you wear stuff like that all the time.”

“Or something, we are going out to eat tonight.”

“Somewhere posh? I’ve not got anything fancy.” She noted with a worried look.

“Nah, not posh but people generally dress up a bit to go out here.”

“Oh.”

“You have brought a dress?”

“Nothing sort of dinnery, you said to bring a party frock.”

“Jules is about your size, I’m sure we can borrow something. So this one’s your room,” I mentioned changing the subject.

 
 
The tour didn’t take too long and we were soon unpacking her case, Dad having heaved it upstairs whilst I explained what was where in the bathroom. After helping unpack I raided Jules wardrobe whilst Mand showered. Perhaps surprisingly my sister has some pretty vanilla stuff amongst the black netting.

“What’re you up to?”

“I thought you were at Boris’s tonight? You got anything Mand can borrow to wear to dinner?”

“Nope, you’re stuck with me tonight.”

“So can we borrow a dress?”

“I guess, you going in that?”

“Yeah,” I agreed somewhat defensively.

She shuffled the closets contents a bit, “Try this, might need a slip.”

I took the offered garment, “Cheers sis, I’ll introduce you in a bit.”

“Whatever.”

 
 
I knocked on the bathroom door, “Mand?”

“Uh huh.”

“I’ve left you a dress in your room, Jules says you might need a slip.”

“Thanks, Gab.”

“No prob, I’ll find you in a bit.”

“Kay.”

“Ten minutes?”

“Sure.”

I decided I needed hose so I clambered up to the eyrie.
 
 

Maddy Bell © 24.11.2014