Gaby Book 27 Smell of the Crowd by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2022 Madeline Bell Life has some certainties, birth and death of course, but the rest is a mix of Minestrone and Spaghetti, some of which we have no direct influence over. We can however decide whether we want Parmesan or other seasoning, we can give Gnochi a try, doesn't mean we'll like it but at least we'll know. Gaby has reached just such a point in her life, she knows she likes Pizza, she's not averse to Spaghetti or Lasagne but is Gnochi for her? The Gnochi in this case is doing the singing with BlauHase on a more serious level, as a 'hobby' its fine but could this be a change of career? Well you don't find out without trying so that's just what our heroine is about to find out in this, the 27th book of the Gaby saga.

 
"Good night Kassel!”

The lights went down and I gratefully exited the stage, the rest of our merry band of troupers following. Usually I'm greeted by Misty with a drink and a towel, I was momentarily discombobulated by her absence.

"Don't you ever do that to me again.”
"Sorry?”
"That introduction thing,” she scolded passing me the towel drink combo which she had clearly stowed at the edge of the stage earlier.
"Er thanks, it was Stefan's idea.”

Okay, so I was the one who suggested the order of play.

"Thought you'd be pleased to be included,” I mentioned, dabbing at my 'glowing' face and neck as we headed towards the changing room.
"Well yeah,” she admitted, "But you could've warned me.”
"There wasn't time, we only sorted it during the break.”
"Great job Mist,” Big Jo opined as he sidled past.
"Er thanks,” Mist allowed.
"What Jo said,” I added, "It sounded good from where I was.”
"I mucked up a few times and I was so nervous.”
I shrugged, "I doubt any of the audience noticed.”
"Party in the green room,” Robert called down the corridor.

I gave a a quick wave of acknowledgement. After party, yeah I know its traditional but to be honest I could do without it tonight, I think the cycle of travel, gig, party, sleep repeat is catching up with me. I don't know about race on Sunday, sleep is more like it. But first things first, lets get out of this stage costume – and these boots are killing tonight.
 

An hour later and I was yawning, a short interview with some guy from the local radio station. Making nice with with the usual stream of people Robert introduced me to, exchanging pleasantries with König Autobahn, tonights support act, that and the bottle of Krombacher® that I was nursing, standing was becoming a chore.

"You okay Erd?” Stefan enquired joining me where I was leant against the bar.
"Long day.”
"Yeah,” he agreed, "Not exactly nine to five.”
"Think anyone'd mind if I duck out, go back to the hotel?”
He looked around the room, "Go for it, you want someone to go with you?”
"Nah, I'll be fine, I can get a taxi.”
"Okay, if you're sure.”
"I'll just let Misty know, see you in the morning?”
"Yeah, take care.”
 
Compared to me, Mist was like a Duracell® bunny, her first night on stage with us clearly switched on her inner party diva. I smiled at the girls she was in audience with and tugged at her sleeve.

"Erd, how's it going? I was just telling the girls about Bad Homburg.”
"Great, can I borrow you for a minute?”
"Sure, be right back ladies.”
I tugged her to one side, "I'm calling it a night.”
Her face dropped a bit, "You want me to come?”
"No, no, I'll be fine, you enjoy yourself, its your big night afterall, I'll get a taxi, you got the key?”
"Left it at reception, didn't want to lose it.”
"I'll be off then.”
“'kay, see ya later.”
"Later,” I agreed but only if she wakes me up.

 
Outside of the Schauspielhaus, Kassel was desserted, well the theatre district at least which meant no taxis either, guess I'll have to walk up into the town a bit. I pulled my jacket a bit closer which is when I realised I was still gripping the half full beer bottle for some reason. Oh well, I took a sip and set off for the stadtmitte.

It wasn't far up to the dual carriageway which, at a bit after twenty three was almost traffic free. I skipped over at the junction, the pedestrian route was through a subway, I might be fearless but I don't want to tempt fate. On this side of the main road there was a bit more life, a few bars and restaurants exuded light onto the street, a few patrons gathered by doorways chatting, smoking and indeed drinking.

A bit further up where I could see a tram stop, there was a trailer exuding light and the tempting aromas of Pommes and würst. A rumbling tum had me reaching for my Handtasche which is when I realised that, like the room key, it was still at the Hotel Herkules. Shisa, no bag, no purse, no money, no taxi, I didn't even have my Handy, damn, damn, and double damn.

I inhaled a deep breath of fast food laden air and with a sigh continued up to what appeared to be the main shopping street. Well I could go back to the Schauspielhaus but by the time i've done that I reckon I could walk to the hotel, all I have to do is follow the tram line right? Just to be sure I checked the map thing at the tram stop, there wasn't any indication of scale but four stops along it was actually marked as Hotel Herkules, bingo.

And so I set off, clutching a beer bottle and teetering along on my heels. What I hear you say, didn't you take your boots off after the gig? Duh, of course I did but I only swapped them for my party heels – well I could hardly wear trainers to the after party, I'm short enough as it is and I wasn't expecting to be walking very far was I? Don't answer that, the good thing is that they are only ten centimetre heels and they are actually open sandals but they do go with anything.

Well anything except cobbles and long walks. The clack of my heels echoed back off the mostly dark glass facades of the shops, just a few lighting their windows, which allowed some small distraction. It didn't seem too far to the next tram stop, at this rate I'll be there in like ten minutes.

There were a few other pedestrians, couples mostly but as the bright lighting of the shopping zone fell behind I found myself alone on the street. The ker-dunk, ker-dunk of small wheels on pavement announced an approaching skateboarder, lost in his own little world of kerb jumps and tail whips. Of course, skateboards are like starlings, where there's one there will surely be more.

"Check her out.”
"Nice hair.”

Sugar. I couldn't tell how many of them there were, five, six maybe, they seemed to be constantly on the move.

"How much?”
"Gis a kiss.”

The comments came in a ballet of words, the riders, buzzing around me as I stood petrified on the pavement clutching the bottle and my coat as tightly as possible

"Wanna come to my place.”
"Your scraggy dump Arne.”
"Not what you said last week.”
"Leave me alone,” I squeaked.
"Leave me alone,” another one of their number mimicked.

Why didn't I go back to the venue? The barage of suggestions and proposals continued to flow around me and whilst none of them had actually touched me, this isn't going to end well. I closed my eyes and prayed that it'll be quick, fear getting the better of my bladder, I could feel a trickle of wee running down my leg.

"Polizei!”

My assailants broke away in a clatter of wheels the direction i'd come from.

"See you later princess!”

I remained rooted to the spot but opened my eyes in time to see the police car that had proven to be my saviour, drive past. Get out of here girl, they could come back. I set off at a trot, not easy in heeled sandals, the damp denim rubbing at every step but I kept going until a rise in the road as it turned a bend slowed my efforts. As I caught my breath, the adrenalin flow slowed too, Gaby you daft moo, what were you thinking?

The hill wasn't that big but in my current footwear I was glad to crest the top where the length of Wilhelmshöher Allee stretched away into the distance and just visible in the distance, the spotlit Herkules statue thingy. I could see the next tram stop just a couple of hundred metres further on but I couldn't identify my destination amongst the sea of streetlights and street furniture. At least its downhill from here.

My close encounter of the skateboard kind still had my blood up and despite increasingly sore feet and what felt like a developing sore down my inner thigh, I kept moving at a fast walk. The tram map had shown all the stops pretty much equidistant, the first couple had been but I swear it was best part of a kilometre before I spotted the lighted 'Hotel Herkules' on the end of a building still a decent sprint away. A quick check behind revealed not another soul on the street, just a tram setting off from that last stop, I guess i've made it.

 
The clock behind reception suggested it was ten past midnight, geez its taken me an hour to get here, I really should have gone back. Up in the bedroom I lost my shoes, jacket, top and bra and got in the shower, my jeans and knickers still intact, well I needed to wash the wee out anyway. Once clean I slathered the redness on my legs with E45 and had just turned out the light when the cacophony of people trying to be quite announced the return of the rest of BlauHase and my roommate in particular.

"You still awake?”
"Urgh.”
"Sorry,” Mist tried to whisper but being ever so slightly drunk it was more like a quiet shout.
"Mmm.”
"Why're your jeans in the dusche?”
"Accident.”
"I'll hang them out here, I need a shower.”

Great. So much for my early night, it could've been worse, at least she only had the bathroom light on, I turned over and never heard another thing.

Mist was gently snoring when I woke up, the soreness on my upper legs reminding me of last nights 'excitement'. Gab, you were so lucky, if that police car hadn't come along who knows what could've happened. But nothing did, do I say anything to Mist, the rest of the band, my parents? I can hear them now, in fact I probably wouldn't hear the end of it, well meaning advice, dictates and no doubt an outright ban on doing anything without a chaperone.

Okay, so I'm a country girl and I didn't really think about any potential dangers, lets face it, in Dernau the nearest thing to a mugging would be tripping over that fox that does the rounds each night. No, they'd only worry, best not say anything, lesson learnt, well lessons plural. I lay there a bit longer, it was a gnawing hunger that eventually got me from under the duvet.

"You off somewhere?” Anna Louise queried when she found me in the dining room.

The clue was in my cycling togs, well there was no point dressing to get changed straight after eating was there?

"Thought i'd get in a short ride before we leave.”
"Yeah, I'll get a run in I think, Misty still asleep?”
"When I came downstairs.”
"She certainly knows how to party.”
"She does?”
"Quite the party queen.”
"What did she do?”
"What didn't she do!”

Are we talking about the same girl, oh I know she's not afraid to have a drink but Nena has always been the quiet one of the Angels. Have I inadvertently unleashed a monster, all the sort of gothy business, the name, its like she's a schizophrenic.

"I probably don't want to know.”
"So you get your early night? Stefan said you were tired, getting a taxi back up.”
Need to know, "Er yeah.

 
I retrieved my bike from the lockup in the hotel's basement parking, I didn't intend going far but any ride is better than none. The morning commute traffic was past its worst, another thirty minutes and it'll be over. Of course, not being intimate with the roads around Kassel, I needed to stick to the basics which for me, this morning meant joining the traffic on Wilhelmshöher Allee heading out of the city past the ICE station.

After the first little dip the road started its long climb westward, punctuated at regular intervals by traffic lights of one sort or another. I only got stopped twice, both times for pedestrians and after I passed the university the traffic was noticeably much less. It was only when I reached the Wilhelmshöhe parklands and the palace that I really remembered my previous visit.

It felt like a lifetime ago, yeah, Manda had just arrived and the race here was her first for Apollinaris. So much has happened since then but in some ways, that day two years ago was a turning point. Yep, happy memories.
'brrrrrppppp!'

The car horn seemingly next to her left ear, broke her reverie and she returned her concentration to the road and the traffic heading to the car park. Of course the big difference this time was she could take the time to look about her, last time she'd been concentrating on the race, the impending rain and how she could take the win. Today there was no pressure, it was a bright, clear morning and she had fresh legs.

An idea came into her head, well okay, the kernel had been there when she set off but as the ribbon of tarmac twisted through the park it was settled. Obviously there was no lead car this morning but in Gab's head the red Opel she was matching speedwise was the lead car. The hillside loomed, the huge hilltop figure was lost to sight, the Opel took the car park turn, around the bend will be the bus turn and the end of the public road.

And there it was, the narrow, almost tunnel that leads up to the top, a quick tap of the gear change and the Pinarello made the transition from the smooth tarmac to the cobbled track. It was all or nothing in the race but this morning she settled into a comfortable cadence and enjoyed the climb. There were occasional glances down towards Kassel city but then, seemingly too quickly, the view was up to the monument across the rock gardens.

The gradient eased, the surface changed to a lumpy tarmac and up here, a few dog walkers and other pedestrians required a few verbal warnings and avoidance moves. The chicane thing wasn't here last time but once through it was effectively the top. She turned across the front of the towering colosass, stopping almost dead centre to take in the view.

Down below, the traffic was reduced to ant sized blobs, the full length of Wilhelmshöher Allee could be seen, is that white building the hotel? She checked her computer, just over thirty minutes to get here, plenty of time left to do the lap and get back. A quick slurp from the bidon then she was clipped back in and retracing around the monument to reach the road.

Now then, along to the end then keep going right? Clear of the city, the big climb behind her, the day, the riding felt like a cure for all ills. But nothing lasts.

Pssst, pssst, pssst.

Dang, unplatt and the back wheel too, just what she didn't need. She rolled to a halt, the tyre was almost completely airless so whatever caused it made a good job of things. With a sigh she climbed off then turned the bike over to stand on the bars and saddle, the easier to get the back wheel free.

If you've ever done this, you'll know that Sods Law will ensure it doesn't go as easily as it should and today was no different. Spare tube - check, pump – check, tyre levers – check, no she had everything to do the job, problem was that Dad had done up the wheel and she couldn't budge the lever, she just didn't have the strength to move it. Grrr. Lever, lever – lever! It took some fiddling but she managed to get a tyre lever betwwen the quick, huh, release and the frame and after a couple of goes she broke the grip it had on the frame.

No cyclist likes having roadside punctures, with her Dad keeping everything in tip top order Gaby didn't have them very often, when she did there were usually two of them so between them they'd get sorted quite quickly. But on your own, well it can take a bit longer. Getting the tyre off wasn't too bad, although she needed all three levers to do the job, she checked the tyre for the cause but found nothing, however, the twin slits in the tube, a classic snake bite, she must have run over an edge or a sharp stone.

The next issue was refitting the tyre, given it was tight to get off, it would no doubt be tight to refit too. She wasn't disapointed, there was like ten centimetres that she just couldn't get over the edge, no matter what she did. How comes this never happens to Dad?

Desperate times need desperate solutions, it goes against all advice of course but she carefully hooked one of her tyre levers under the edge of the tyre, praying it didn't catch the new tube. It was tight but the tyre slid over the edge with a 'snap', a quick fiddle to get the lever back out, et voila, the tyre was in place. She had a floor pump back at the hotel but for now it was down to her 'Pocket Rocket' to get her re-inflated.

There was no hissing so the tube was still sound and after about five minutes of pumping, it felt hard enough to get her back to Kassel. Wheel back in, quick release re-adjusted so she could work it, everything back in pockets, job done. She turned the bike over, remounted and resumed her ride, according to her comp it had taken her over twenty minutes for a supposed five minute job.

The circuit came back to her as she rode on, not every lump and bump, but the drop to the first turn, the roller coaster climb that followed, the fast descent back towards Kassel before turning onto the narrower, tree covered road that would take her back to Wilhelmshöhe. There was a bit more traffic back in Kassel but not so much as to hinder the Weltmeisterin's progress.

Well until Wilhelmshöher Allee, it seemed she got caught at every set of lights going this direction then had to go past and do a U turn to return to the hotel.
 
"Erd!” Little Jo greeted, "Good ride?”
"Not bad,” I allowed pulling up beside the bus that he was apparently repacking.
"Go far?”
"Just up to the monument.”
"The Herkules? Sooner you than me.”
"Its only a short climb.”
"If you say so, I prefer to have an engine do the work.”
"You can see right over the city,” I espoused.
"I'll take your word for it, leave your bike here, I'll put it in when i've sorted this lot.”
“'kay, why's it such a mess?”
"Lots of willing hands last night so everything ended up all over.”
"So why aren't the others helping?”
"Which others? I've only seen Anna and you so far.”
"I'll go see if I can rouse more troops.”
"I don't know about troops, maybe several buckets of coffee,” he chuckled.
"I can do with a cup myself, see you in a bit.”
 

"Mist,” I called as I let myself into four fifteen, "You up yet?”
"Shower.”
I poked my head into the bathroom, "You okay?”
"Think I reached my limit.”
"I did warn you.”
"That was before the gig, pass us that towel.”

When she emerged she was still green and I mean, very green, clearly a lot of alcohol had passed those lips last night.

"Let me get sorted and we'll find some coffee, they might even have a croissant or something left.”
"Urgh!”
 
Maddy Bell © 14.02.2022