“What about that barrel place?” Ernst put forward as we departed the bahnhof back in Bad Dürkheim.

My mind shot back to last night, I don’t think they’d be too keen in having me back.

“Er maybe not, we went there last night.”
“There’s a couple of places around the Kurpark?” Ernst suggested.
“Up by the Saline?”
“Oh yeah, there’s that place in the corner.”
“Sorted then,” I grinned.
“Bit early to eat yet.”
“We should’ve ridden back,” I chuckled.
“Or we could just sit in the park.”
“I could do park sitting,” I allowed.
 

“I’ve enjoyed it today,” I told the owner of the legs I was currently laid against.
“Yeah, that museum was quite a find.”

Boys!

I shuffled myself into a slightly more comfortable position, the ground is hard baked and this dress doesn’t offer much, read zero, in terms of padding. Ernst was sat against a tree with me leaning against his knees, if he wants lip action he’ll have to move. Me? Well it would be nice but I can wait until we’ve eaten, in fact it would be very nice.

“What’re you doing?”
“Playing with your hair, it makes you look really cute.”
“Er right.” that flippin’ c word.
“I mean it, some of the girls at college have dyed hair but they look like they have dyed hair, really harsh and solid, with yours, it looks like it’s your natural colour.”
“I guess that's a compliment?”
“Of course, I like it.”
“I go home tomorrow, I’ve er got stuff to do.”
“We’d best not waste tonight then,” he leant forward and kissed me on the head.
“Hmm,” I allowed wheedling myself back between his knees.

It didn’t take long to go from a slightly awkward upside down kiss to a more convenient and comfortable face to face session of tonsil hockey, when he turned his attention to my neck I pulled back.

“Not the neck.”
“How about down here?” he suggested running a finger over my breasts.
“Er maybe later.”
“That a promise?”

Is it? Do I want Ernst to get comfortable with my bits?

“We’ll see, how about getting that food first?”
“Whatever the lady wishes.”
“Give over!” I admonished.
“I don’t want to.”
“Well I do want to eat.”
“And such a tiny thing.”
I started to get up, “come on Romeo.”
 

“Looks a bit pricey,” my would be beau mentioned.

Well I had to agree, the tables with their, cloths and silverware did give that impression.

“There’s a menu further along,” I noted wheeling the Schauff further along the path.
“We could eat back at the camping.”

Not if I can help it.

“Prices don’t look too bad,” I advised after a quick gander at the board, “there any tables?”

Well there’s a hedge around this bit of the place and I can’t see over.

“Er yeah, a couple in the garden.”
“Come on then,” I enthused, parking my steed and locking the wheel lock. I was at the gate armed with my valuables before he’d even got his Peugeot parked.
 

“Guess you pay more to sit over there,” Ernst suggested.

Apparently where we were now seated was part of the same place we’d looked at with the table cloths and stuff, Fronmühle seems to encompass quite an area of gardens and dining rooms almost adjacent to the Saline’s huge bulk.

I looked behind me at the posh area, “yeah I guess, this is fine though.”

Okay so its like folding chairs and tables, but with wooden seats and tops, the gravel under foot is clearly raked regularly, the table cards are fresh and there’s a pot of Geraniums on each table too. Not the Ritz but nice enough.

A waitress came over, “Abend, you would like drinks?
“You want wine to drink?” Ernst asked me.

Last night flashed up again, Gott knows how much grape juice I consumed, we consumed, certainly more than a couple of glasses.

“A beer?”
“Cool, er two large beers please.”
“You want food?”
“We haven’t decided yet,” I advised.
“Okay,” she allowed before departing.

We returned to the menu’s, most of the usual suspects were on offer, Schnitzel, Putten Hawaii, spaghetti and so on. I fancied something different, at least not pork or chicken.

“Well i’m gonna have the Rump steak.”
“Thats fifteen euros.”
“I got some money from my Opa,” I told him.
“Well i’m gonna have the tagliatelli.”
“If you want steak I’ll pay,” I offerred.

I could tell he was tempted but before he could reply the waitress returned with two tall glasses of beer.

“You wish to order food?”
“Can we get two Rump steaks,” I requested.
“Gab!,” Ernst hissed.
“How would you like them?”
“Medium for me, Ernst?”
“The same,” he sighed in surrender.
“So two Rump steak medium, danke.”

Ernst waited for our server to leave before speaking again.

“What did you go and do that for?”
“Think of it as a treat, you can pay for the drinks after,” I told him.
“Urgh! Women! Celine does this to me all the time!”
I smiled sweetly at him, “I like her already.”
 

Obviously food takes time to cook but it didn’t seem to be long before the waitress arrived with our meal.

“You gonna manage all that?” Ernst enquired as I surveyed not one but two plates of food sat before me.
“I’ll give it a whirl,” I wryly replied.

It might’ve been off-putting but the smaller plate was salad, not exactly filling whilst the larger had the steak hidden under a pile of fried onions along with a mound of crinkle cut chips. Yup, full on chips and no sign of any of the sauces that so often arrive on your plate and dominate the meat. Oh there was a little side salad on the plate but nothing to detract from the steak and chips.

I speared a piece of fried potato, “now that's what I call a chip!”
 

We took our time eating, well at fifteen euros a pop you don’t want to rush it do you? I worked my way carefully through the meat, savouring each mouthful but eventually I sat back, stuffed, a couple of chips and some fried onion left to decorate the stylish earthenware plate. Yup it was good but it got the better of me, of course Ernst had cleared his plates and claimed my last couple of chips.

“Waste not eh.”
“Be my guest, I’m stuffed.”
“No dessert?”
“Not for me, maybe coffee.”
 

“Thanks,” Ernst offered as we walked back towards the campsite pushing the bikes.
“I couldn’t sit there and watch you suffer the pasta,” I joked.
“You didn’t have to pay for everything.”
“It was easiest and anyway, you bought lunch and paid for the train.”
“Well I still owe you a drink or two.”

To be honest, the big beer with dinner already had me a bit squiffy and after last night, well I’m not in a hurry to repeat this morning. Now a bit of snogging, I’d be up for that.
 

“You guys want beer?” one of Ernst’s friends enquired.
“Oh yeah!” Ernst agreed.
“You got any cola?” I asked from behind my kissing partner.
“See what I can find.”
“Cheers Mikey.”

The tent flap dropped back and after opening his drink, Ernst lay back onto the sleeping bag. Oh you missed a bit didn’t you. Well we got back to the camp ground and had just settled down by the lake when it started to rain, not hard but enough to chase us under cover, the cover being Ernst’s little trekking tent. His mates were congregated in and around their biggest tent drinking, they'd done no more than acknowledge our arrival when we came back.

“This is nice,” I opined.
“Eh?”
“Laid here, the rain pattering on the tent.”
I felt him shrug, “I guess.”

I snuggled closer to him, feeling, I dunno, somehow comfortable and secure.

“So you want to like ‘cuddle’?”
“Cuddle?”
“Well something like that.”
“Like the sound of that, need to get more comfortable mind.”
“I can help with that.”

Which is how Mikey found me sat astride his mate in just pants and bra undoing his shirt.

“Er, sorry guys, cola?”
“Cheers bud, stick it by the door.”
“’kay, you want the door zipping?”
“There is a draft,” I mentioned.
 

“The others’ll be back by now,” I noted after taking a swig from the bottle of pop Mikey had delivered, the lads voices still a hum a few metres away.
“And?”
“They’ll wonder where I am.”
“Send a text or something.”
“Can’t, my Handy’s back in our tent.”
“Don’t worry about it, come here, I want another ‘cuddle’."
 

“Well she can’t be far away, her bag’s here,” Steff observed.
“Probably kissing with that lad somewhere,” Bridg suggested.
“We are talking Gab here,” Con mentioned.
“I’m sure she’s okay,” P offered.
“Come on Con, she’s a big girl now,” Steff stated.
“I guess,” Connie allowed.
 

Maddy Bell © 26.01.2018