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*Chapter 36*
Complications

 
 
“Where’ve you been? The waitress has been giving us funny looks,” Con advised when I found the others in the pizzeria.

“Sorry, took longer than I thought,” not helped by the phone call from Gerta of course.

“So what took so long?” Nena demanded.

Before I could offer any kind of reply the waitress was at the table, “Ready?”
 
 

We shared a pepperoni and a quattro stagione with a go at the salad bar, with drinks it only worked out at seven euros each – bargain. My tardy arrival was forgotten and we returned to Löhrstrasse refreshed and ready for an assault on the remaining stores of interest.
 
 

“Everyone going to the fireworks on Friday?” Pia queried.

“Where else would we be,” Con allowed.

“It’s not like there’s a lot of alternatives,” Steff mentioned.

“Er, I’m gonna miss it,” I told them.

“How come?” Brid asked.

“We’re going away for New Year.”

“Somewhere exotic?” Pia enquired.

“Er not as such, I told you about Sophia right,” I paused to get confirmation.

“Max’s cousin or something,” Steff supplied.

“The same,” I agreed, “well we got invited to their place for New Year.”

“Oooo Maxxie going too?” Brid pumped.

“Not that I’m aware; he is not my boyfriend!” I got in before anyone else could.

“You’re no fun,” Pia pouted.

We arrived at Hennes & Moritz that diverted conversation back to safer topics of fashion and what we wouldn’t be wearing.
 
 

It wasn’t even five when Herr Sebenschuh dropped us off so I accepted the offer of coffee from Con.

“Fancy do is it, this thing with Max’s cousin?”

“Well a bit fancier than wurst in the Kurpark,” I allowed.

“How much fancier, Gaby Bond?”

“I um have to collect my dress from Gerta tomorrow,” I admitted.

“Geez, Gab, you must have already got something.”

“Apparently not suitable for New Year with the Duke of Thun & Taxis,” I sighed.

“When did the reluctant English girl become this, this German aristocrat?”

“I’m so not.”

“Coulda fooled me, who spent Sunday at the von Strechau’s, who gets invited to the weddings of the year and who else woulda thought to get Eloise Couture to make us costumes?”

“Er, me?” I sheepishly replied.

“Ah, Gaby,” Therese Thesing mentioned poking her head into the lounge, “any chance you could do us a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon?”

“If she’s not too busy at the dress makers,” Con mentioned under her breath.

“Um, should be okay, I’ve stuff in the morning but I should be done for twelve.”

“If you could, I need to go to the bank in Bonn with Tomas, we should be back about three.”

“Kay,” I agreed.

Con’s mum departed leaving the two of us to our coffee.

“So where is this do?”

“Not quite sure, down Baden somewhere I think.”
 
 

“Good day, kiddo?” Mum enquired when I returned to Schloss Bond just after six.

“Not bad I guess, Gran enjoy Linz?”

“Yes she did,” said grandparent mentioned from behind me.

“You fancy taking your Gran to Köln tomorrow?” Mum asked as I changed footwear.

“Tomorrow?”

“Day after today,” Mum confirmed.

“I can’t, I promised the Thesing’s I’d work in the afternoon and I’ve got to fetch my dress for Friday,” I told them with some regret.

“Can we swap days, Jen?”

“I don’t see why not, you thinking Wednesday, Mum?”

“If my granddaughter can fit me in?”

“Of course, Gran, like it’s only training otherwise.”

“It’s a date then, so, who’s for liver and onions?” Gran enquired.

“I would but I need to get ready for Cheer, can I get a lift, Mum?”

“Ask your dad.”
 
 

Maybe I did get a bit too enthusiastic at the Tanzklub last night, maybe doing the splits wasn’t the cleverest thing to do. We had a good session although a few girls were absent – it is Christmas after all. Hannah doesn’t hang about, she’s already got us entered in a competition at the end of February – hope we’re ready by then.

Anyhow, back to this morning, I ache in places that shouldn’t be mentioned in polite company – just as well I’ve not got a bike session today – bum I’ll need to get up early to do tomorrow’s before me and Gran go out.

“I took your dirndl’s to the cleaners,” Mum told me as I tucked into a bowl of yoghurt.
“Thanks,” I allowed scraping a drip of yoghurt off my chin.

“Can’t you eat a bit less, er combatively?” Mum suggested.

“Eh?”

“Never mind,” she sighed, “you collecting this mystery dress this morning?”

“Yeah, I’ll pick it up and go straight to the bakery.”

“You could collect your dirndls?”

“I guess, that place just off Marktplatz?”

“Yep, I’ll get you the ticket.”

I shrugged, “Whatever.”

 
 
There are still a few patches of snow but most of it has gone, the river is flowing high of course with the melt water. I booted the Schauff up a gear and revelled in the plush ride along the cycle track down into Ahrweiler. Nothing much opens before ten so I’d timed my departure to arrive close on the magic hour – I’d just parked my steed when the Johanneskirche clock chimed the hour.

The cleaners – well it’s an agency really in the haberdashers, were still sorting the overnight cleaning when I walked in. I clearly wasn’t the only one spilling stuff at the weekend, suits, dresses, coats and my dirndls. I felt a little self-conscious carrying them out to my bike, I folded them into my basket, how can they take up so much space?

 
 
The bell tinkled announcing my arrival at Eloise Couture, I lay my cleaning over the chair by the counter – hey I’m not leaving them outside to be nicked.

“Moment,” Gerta called from the back.

“I’ve come for the dress,” I called back.

“Ah, fraulein von Strechau,” Gerta greeted me a moment later carrying a hanger with a, erm posh frock on.

It’s Bond!

“Er morning, you have a good Weihnachts?”

“Yes thank you and yourself?”

“Great thanks, busy though,” I allowed.

“Yes I heard you helped with the Reisebus.”

How the heck does she know that?

“Er yeah, hence these,” I indicated by dirndl’s on the chair.

“Ah yes, the Trachten not so popular up here as the south.”

“I kinda like it,” I admitted, “you don’t have to worry about it going out of fashion and it’s pretty comfortable.”

“You’ll put me out of business with talk like that,” she replied with, yes I’m sure it was, a hint of a smile.

“So this er dress for Friday?”

“Of course, go through to the changing room, I’ll bring it in.”
 
 

I’m not sure what I was expecting. Given most of her stock is aimed at an ‘older’ clientele occasion frocks run mostly to floor length flouncy things which this little number certainly wasn’t. No this was certainly teen friendly, it could’ve come from Clockhouse or H&M but it was better quality and with no doubt a price tag to match!

“You sure this is okay?”

“Most, the other attendees will be out to impress with, I think you would say ‘bling’. You will shine above them,” she enthused.

I looked in the mirror again at the figure perched on borrowed ten centimetre heels. The dress is white, sleeveless, ends mid thigh with, so Gerta informs me, a scatter of Swarovski crystal on the bodice. Oh and it fits where it touches.

“You will have your hair up I think, a chignon with a comb.”

“Er okay, if you say so,” I replied to my self appointed personal stylist.

“I have some special hose for you, the Taxis won’t know what has hit them!”

Maybe the bill for all this?
 
 

I loaded the cleaning and the new frock into the basket and set off for Dernau. Of course the dress went on my ‘account’ along with a pair of Wolford hose with more Swarovski crystals on. I can’t bear to look at the receipt, it was certainly three figures – the hose were nearly seventy on their own!
 
 

I’d been at the bakery for an hour when my Handy chirped; no one was in so I answered at the counter.

“Bond.”

“Hi, kiddo, you at the bakery?” Dad asked.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Er can you ring Sophia about Friday?”

“We are still going?”

“Yes, yes I said we were but we might have a plus one, I just need to make sure it’s okay.”

“I’ll ring her when I get a break, who’s the plus one?”

“Amanda, she called a few minutes ago.”

“But she’s not due to come back until Sunday,” I pointed out.

“Seems that all is not sweetness and light in the de Vreen household and she wants to come back as soon as possible.”

“I know she wasn’t that happy about going, I didn’t think she had issues at home though.”

“If you can ring Sophia as soon as and let me know.”

“Sure, Dad, tschuss!”

 
 
“Everything okay?” Con enquired.

“Possibly,” I replied, “possibly.”

Maddy Bell 14.03.16