Trammed
What the hell is going on? Helen's talking in bad French, we're being hit on by some lads who look like they are probably at Uni and I'm sat here flaunting my chest at anyone who looks my way.
“So where are you ladies from?” ginger Adam enquired.
“Kat and Sarah are from Germany an' Marie and myself from ‘olland. And where do you boys come?” Hel was controlling things and I just get the feeling the girls have pulled this stunt before.
“Steve's our only foreigner, he's from Derby, the rest of us are from this fine city,” Sam supplied.
Al poked Hel then whispered in her ear.
“We do not know this country Derby , where ees it please?” Talk about hamming it up.
“It's not a country,” Steve informed us, “just a town about twenty miles away.”
“So are you girls on holiday?” Rob asked, clearly determined to not let language get in the way of wooing.
“From ze college,” Ally joined in.
I won't subject you to any more of the play acting, it was embarrassing especially when Adam claimed to know a bit of German and tried it out on Mad who clearly didn't have a clue. So of course I had to translate, he wasn't that bad really but by the time he gave up I'm sure his confidence had taken quite a bashing. I might have been more up for it if I'd known in advance about the set up, but getting dropped in it like that, well…
It ended when the lads realised that we weren't in the market for any action, but I'll give them their due, they tried hard. Rob did manage to get his lips locked to Helen's at one point and Mad was certainly getting Steve a little warm under the collar.
“So what was that all about?” I demanded once they'd gone.
“Just a bit of fun,” Al offered.
“Last time we scored ice cream,” Hel chuckled.
“God, I nearly died when Ginger started with the German,” Mad told us.
“He was actually quite good.”
“Whatever, so what now?” my cousin enquired.
“Vic Centre?” Al suggested.
“What about up the Castle?” Hel put in her offer.
“Sounds good to me, Mad?”
“Castle's good,” she agreed.
I'd forgotten how I was dressed; standing up in the stilts soon reminded me.
“Any chance I can change first?”
“We'll do that up the castle.”
“Ma-ad,” I complained.
“Come on, the others are already outside.”
I sighed in resignation and clomped along behind her.
“This is the life,” Ally sighed before taking another lick of her ice cream.
“Hmm,” I agreed.
It certainly wasn't bad, laid in the sun, ice cream in hand, the sounds of the city a distant hum. So okay I was still wearing the stupid dress but my feet were now free of the tortuous heels and I luxuriated in having the grass in direct contact with my tootsies.
“What's the time?” Hel asked.
“Just turned two,” I supplied.
“Bum. We need to shake a leg, Mum'll go ape if we're not back on time.”
“You and Mad go first, we'll look after the bags,” Al proposed.
Helen and Mad set off for the loos, which allowed me and Ally to finish our Eis before our turn. They weren't actually gone more than five minutes but it felt like a lot longer.
“Come on Gab, hurry up.”
“This dress is tight,” I moaned.
“You need a hand?”
“No, got it now.”
“Don't bother changing your bra, we haven't got time.”
Good advice, I tugged my t-shirt into place and dragged my shorts up, slipping my feet into my trainers as I straightened everything out. The others were impatiently waiting when we emerged from the lav's, its not far to the tram stop but we had to cross the dual carriageway which cost us nearly five minutes, luckily we reached the stop just seconds before a northbound tram.
“I thought we'd messed up there,” Hel sighed .
“We should have a few minutes to spare,” I observed.
“Good day, eh?” Mad proposed.
Having been on the receiving end of Mad's prank with the dress and getting dropped in at the deep end in MacDonald's ® I wasn't entirely in agreement with that observation. The tram rattled and clanged up over the hill then dropped down to the Park & Ride.
“Our stop,” I prompted.
We got off and headed for our transport, arriving to find a locked car.
“Ha, it's Mum that's late,” Hel crowed.
“No she's not, she must've been on the same tram.” I indicated where I could see Mrs. J navigating the car park.
“Drat, I thought I'd got one over her,” Helen grumbled .
“Okay girls?”
“Yes Mum.”
“Let's get on then, if we're lucky we'll hit Ikea before the evening rush.”
We clambered into the little Nissan and were soon heading towards the motorway and the Swedish furniture store a little beyond. I'd got myself in the corner this time and while the others chatted I found myself dozing off.
“We could leave her here,” Mad suggested.
“Eh?” I groggily gasped.
“First mention of food,” Al giggled.
“Wassup?”
“Come on Gabs, we're gonna eat here after Mrs. J has got her shopping.” Mad supplied.
“Hang on then.”
I extricated myself from the Micra's back seat and joined the others.
“Looks like your Mum's found a trolley,” Ally noted.
“Yeah.” Helen agreed as she pointed the lock fob at the car, which beeped in reply.
We ambled up to the entrance where Hel's mum was waiting for us.
“Okay girls?”
“Yeah, Gab woke up,” Helen advised.
“I can see that, come on, we should get round before the tea time rush.”
You've all been to Ikea right? A maze of soft furnishings, cheap and not so cheap furniture, gizmo's and gifts. There are short cuts but they are well hidden so 99% of visitors end up winding their way around the whole store. Back home in Germany there are quite a few stores so you don't get the crowds that epitomize any visit to Ikea to the UK's handful of locations.
Mrs. J clearly knew what she wanted, managing not to be distracted too much by the displays, the four of us trailing in her wake.
“Mad?”
“What?”
“Shouldn't we ring Aunt Carol to tell her we're eating here?”
“I should let my mum know too,” Ally noted.
“I guess so.” Mad agreed pulling out her Handy, I mean mobile.
“Mum...Ikea, we're gonna eat here…dunno, seven maybe…what the little ones in a bag?…I guess…I suppose so…with dill?…I'll see what they've got…yeah…alright…yes Mum…by-ee , ” Mad ended the call.
“Sounded complicated.”
“No kidding, I've got a shopping list now,” Mad moaned.
“You'll have to ride on the roof if there's too much,” Hel joked.
“I bet she wants tea lights,” Al chimed in.
It is a bit of a standing joke that nearly everyone takes a bag of mini candles home, it's like a compulsion.
“How'd you guess,” Mad giggled, ”she wants a jar of herring and a bag of meatballs too.”
“Haute cuisine Swedish style,” Hel chuckled.
Mrs. Joyce had by now disappeared into the kitchen department so we hurried through the maze in pursuit, dodging toddlers and pensioners and fraught mothers. Our quarry was soon located perusing oven dishes.
“Hi Mum,” Hel announced our presence .
“There you are, what do you think, red or white?”
“Has to be the red, white is so boring.”
“Maybe you're right. You girls found anything?”
“I've got a shopping list off Mum,” Mad volunteered.
“Let me guess, tea lights?”
Of course that set everyone off in a bout of giggles — I know but I couldn't help myself.
I don't know where the time went but it was nearly five by the time we found a table in the restaurant by which time I was starving.
“Meatballs everyone?” Manda enquired.
“Yes please,” yum .
“Best get Gabs the twelve, she's got hollow legs,” Mad chortled.
“Have not.”
“If you say so.”
“Ally?”
“Please.”
“I don't need to ask you Helen,” her Mum stated.
“I'm hurt,” Hel pretended to pout.
“Won't be long.”
Whilst the place wasn't super busy I think she had to wait for more meatballs as it was nearly twenty minutes before she returned bearing a tray of meaty delight.
“Hel, get the drinks please love.”
“Sure.”
“Here we go, twelve for Drew and Helen,” she plonked the plates onto the table, “and six for the rest of us.”
“Mad was only joking,” I protested.
“Eat what you can.”
I can easily eat them, but like you don't exactly ask for a bigger portion when someone else is paying do you?
“Ha, she got you twelve then Gab, race you.”
“Helen Joyce, what have I told you?”
“Mu-um.”
“Don't you mum me, young lady.”
“No Mum,” Hel sighed.
I'm not into eating contests anyhow, which is just as well as Helen finished her plate well before me; I prefer to savour each and every meaty morsel. I have to say that I was pretty stuffed by the time I was done, happy but full.
to be continued....
© Maddy Bell 15.05.12
Comments
Sad...
I dunno what's gotten into Drew's friends... *sighs* trolling/teasing guys isn't nice and it can also be dangerous...
Makes me wonder, more than a bit, what happened to all of the "gang" while Drew was away.
Thanks,
Annette
Trolling/teasing guys
I agree, it can get them into a lot of trouble but does show the differences between the two group of girls she hands out with.
-Elsbeth
Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla clíste.
Broken Irish is better than clever English.
read the lot - More PLEASE!
Well...spent the last,?? days reading Gaby from Book 1 and now just need to be patient I suppose, & given that it is 10 years or so in the making, Very Patient! I do miss the lack of graphics in later Books, where Sooo Cute!, but my imagination based on earlier images has done wonders. Yes the different teen culture in different communities is noticeable. It is not the different countries, just the family lifestyles & local community. I am sure there would be a similar group of girls at 'Gabys' German School (Gymnasium) if big enough. Also love the Das Handy's. Thought it was just a Gaby cute but German for cell phone, apt...(probably based on early American 'Handy' phones.)
Anyhow, well written, thoroughly enjoyable, something to look forward to in the 'near' future???
Thank You Maddy.
Girls gone wild
Bernie got pregnant, Helen got stab with knife. perhaps that was how they got themselve into those serious problems.
Why hang with those girls?
From the first time Maddy discovered what Drew looked like in girls clothing, thanks to the tandem charity bike race, she has conned and tricked Drew into girls clothing. And some of that clothing was seriously revealing. Not to mention seriously uncomfortable sky-high heels.
So why does Drew hang around with Maddy and the other girls, knowing the garbage they'll pull on him/her? It's past time Drew stop conpitulating to Maddy's wild ideas. It's past time Drew's only responses are, "do I have to?" or "Mad-dd." It's past time no becomes the go to word when Maddy asks Drew to do something for her. It's also past time for Maddy to grow up and stop acting like a child when she doesn't get her way.
The girls are extremely stupid and putting themselves in danger by changing clothes after going out. Dressed as they are after changing clothes, they could run into guys who don't take no for an answer and force the girls to go with them for a bit of fun. Fun that gets them pregnant or seriously injured, including dead. And it's last part that may be the only way to get through Maddy's know it all attitude. Hopefully if something does happen when the girls are being stupid, there'll be someone around who steps in to prevent something horrific.
Others have feelings too.
Too Much
Maybe I comment too soon before seeing how the changed relationships effect long term friendships... but this is too much! I'm with Jamie Lee. I thought Gabs was finally getting a little "spine" and could actually draw a line in a situation of being used and abused. It was hard to read and I wanted to quit. The "using Gabs" extending to "using boys" - leading them on - is in the new character, but alien to Gaby. Awkward and uncomfortable for me to read. Maybe its partly not wanting to be part of deception, dishonesty, and manipulation. That is different than the old devious tricks. Bern will do well to stay away... move back to Deutschland.
As for getting stuffed at Ikea... how? Are they giant meatballs in UK? I have only eaten in Ikea in Sweden, but twelve tiny tatos and meatballs with lingon and sauce was like a snack. Nowadays I order my Lingon Sylt and package of sauce mix and make my own... still not much food for me. A mystery to be solved. (well, no more salty sauce mix. I can do healthier)
Changes
He should have known better. Normally I get a kick out of his foolishness but this was over the top. Personally, I would have refused to go with them and informed them I was heading home "as is" let them figure out how to explain it
Happy