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*Chapter 30*

Splash It All Over

 
 
“Well I think we can lose the bag now, everything is healing nicely, you are using the stents?” Dr Schindler announced as she pulled her gloves off.

“Um yeah, it doesn’t feel right doing it though.”

“Well it shouldn’t be for too long, we don’t want things closing up on us do we, we’ll review things next time okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed, another month of sticking those things in me.

“Hilde will remove the catheter then if you dress and come back through to the office.”

 
 
I missed the insertion but if the extraction of the catheter was anything to go by it wasn’t enjoyable in the least.

“You should use a pad for a couple of days, you will probably leak a little,” Hilde advised.

Joy of joys. I dressed and whilst I now had a pad in my pants it was nothing like as bulky as the dressings – and it’s so much better without that pipe pulling my bits too.

 
 
“Well that all sounded positive,” Mum suggested as we set off back up the valley.

“Yeah,” I allowed somewhat less enthusiastically.

Positive if you want to give birth and all that goes with that, not quite so positive if you just want to get on with your life. I can hear her now ‘I want to take you off the pill for a cycle, we need to see you through a period as naturally as possible.’ It’s all right for her – it scares the bejesus out of me. So that’s me, I just hope it doesn’t coincide with the wedding – that really would be worst-case scenario.

 
 
Of course it might not have been the real McCoy but my ‘kit’ did allow me some control over where my wee ended up. My first attempt using my ‘proper’ girl kit was messy, messy and painful, Hilde had warned me but you can’t imagine the reality unless you’ve been there. Any pretence at control was gone and despite being sat (duh!) I still managed to get wet on the floor, my legs and my knickers – deep joy indeed.

 
 
Mand had homework to do so after eating I turned on the pooter to have a look at this ‘Dia de los Muertos’ stuff, Mand’s pic looked a bit basic to me. So of course all sorts of stuff comes up from very basic kids stuff to completely over the top. There was always the basic scheme of the grinning skull of course but one image had me transfixed, yeah that’s gonna be what I do.

I printed the picture for reference then set about finding the materials required – something a bit more than some face paints. No, I need fake jewels and glue and I know just where I can get them. I found my handy, now then Hannah.

 
 
The Doc was insistent that I don’t ride my bike until at least Saturday so I managed to con Mum into providing the taxi Thursday morning.

“You want to scratch Sunday?” Mum queried.

“Sunday?”

“The cross with Erika and Anita.”

“I’d forgotten about that.”

“So?”

“Well I’d like to do it and I’m healing up well.”

“I don’t want you tearing anything, it won’t hurt you to take a rain check.”

“I’ll go out Saturday for a practice, if I don’t feel right I’ll scratch Sunday,” I offered.

“Hmmm, I’ll run it past your dad, best hop to it, you don’t want to be late young lady.”

“Sugar!”

 
 
“How are we getting to Mart’s?” I enquired of the assembled Angels at lunchtime.

“Our bus is in the garage,” Pia supplied, “something about a broken drive box I think.”

“We could book a taxi bus,” Brid suggested.

“Won’t that be expensive,” Con asked.

“There’s seven of us,” Nena pointed out.

“Eight if we get Max, it wouldn’t be so bad then,” Steff offered.

I had a light bulb moment.

“I can see if Dad can borrow the Apollinaris bus.”

“That’d be cool,” Con enthused.

“I’ll text him now.”

 
 
Whilst I wasn’t quite up to Garde this week I still went up, catching the bus, I can get a lift back down with Pia or one of the others.

“Hi, Gab,” Hannah greeted me, “not training?”

“Still a bit sore, I don’t mind helping tho.”

“You want to sort out the other stuff?”

“Yeah please.”

“Have to admit, I’m quite intrigued,” she mentioned.
 
 

“And the first sign of pain off that bike,” Dad ordered.

“Yes, Dad,” I sighed.

“I mean it, Gaby, you were in surgery this time last week, it takes time for stuff to heal properly.”

“I know,” I supplied, “first twinge and I’ll stop.”

“Hmm, well off with you then, you got your phone?”

I patted my pocket, “Check.”

 
 
I set off for the vineyards, gingerly at first, it did pull a bit when I first got on but I wasn’t gonna tell that to Dad. Considering I’ve not ridden for a week I actually felt quite good, the saddle on the crosser is a tad lower than my other bikes to ease mounting and dismounting and that certainly kept the twinges on a reasonable level. It felt good to be out riding again, I hate not being able to and this has been the longest I’ve gone without a ride for like forever.

This morning wasn’t about fancy stuff – riding steps and the like, no it was the basics, if I can’t get on or off well even I know racing is a no no. I did two short laps; zig zagging up the hill then taking the direct route down and then I found a dead end to practice mounting. On, ride a few metres, off, run a bit, mount and repeat.

I did hurt myself, well I cracked a shin on a pedal which made my eyes water somewhat but other than the unfamiliar sensations as my shorts moved down below gave nothing more than a little twinge. Running was the worst but as you know I’m not the valleys greatest two-footed exponent. Satisfied that I wouldn’t be doing myself any real damage riding the race I headed back down to Dernau and Schloss Bond.
 
 

Of course yours truly had cooking to do for the night’s festivities, each of us had some comestible to supply and turning up with a box from Lidl is not an option! With Mand’s kitchen skills it doubled my workload but De Vreen can help – she’s not getting off scot-free! Oven on, double boiler for the sugar – “Mand, gis a hand!”

 
 
“They look right pukka,” Mand announced.

“They’re only apples on sticks,” I observed.

“And bonfire toffee – if you ever give up bikes you can always cook.”

“That’s a big if, hey hands off!” I barked at Dad.

“Hmm, taxi fare,” he stated finishing off the stolen food, “not bad these, Gab.”

‘These’ were four dozen mini sausage rolls, well three dozen and eleven now, an English delicacy I’ve never seen in Germany.

“Anyway, what time are we leaving?”

“We’re supposed to be at the Preiser’s about seven,” I supplied.

“Best set off in plenty of time, tell Connie six and we’ll take it from there.”

“Six,” Mand repeated, “hell it’s nearly four now!”
 
 

Showering and dressing was the quick part, it was ten to six when I returned to the kitchen.

“Gab?” Mand queried.

“Well, what do you think?”

“Erm spectacular.”

“You look pretty good yourself.”

“Not on your level though.”

“I just hope they stay stuck.”

“Come on you two, I’ve put your goodies in the bus.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Bloody hell kiddo, wasn’t expecting the Bride of Frankenstein!”

“Love you too.”
 
 

It was a nightmare doing my face, Hannah assures me this adhesive will keep it all in place. I didn’t count but there must be over a thousand dance jewels on my face – well you can count if you want. The design isn’t much different to Manda’s but just with the three D effect – I hope they all appreciate it.

They’d better, this dress is ridiculous, definitely Essex, it covers less than it exposes – but you already know that. Shiny black hose and black stilts complete the outfit – I’ve put a pair of flats in my bag. The overall effect is pretty amazing, can’t wait to see the others.

 
 
Well my take on ‘Dia de los Muertos’ was easily voted the best not that anyone had failed and it wasn’t really a competition. The overall effect of seven of us dressed almost identically was lost until we got to the farm. So okay Max picked me out from the get go, I am, even in heels, several centimetres shorter than any of the others.

“Wow, you guys really went all out!” Mart exclaimed, his Dracula costume wasn’t too shabby.

“If it’s worth doing,” Steff mentioned – or was it Brid?

“Can you give Dad a hand with the food?” I requested.

“Sure,” Max the zombie agreed.

 
 
Parties at the Preiser’s are legendary – it’s not just the few of us that attend of course, a good chunk of our classmates were here tonight, maybe fifty excitable teens. Do you remember that fancy dress thing at Warsop College? It would be polite to say that a lot of the kids made the smallest effort they could, yeah some went the extra mile like the girls and me but otherwise it was pretty lame. Here costuming is almost a national sport whether it’s for Karneval, local Kirmes or specific parties like tonight.

The food went down a treat, not just mine of course, between us there was everything from Halloween pizzas to my toffee apples, pumpkin soup (Frau Preiser made that) to zombie hotdogs. Marty and co supplied the music the highlight of which was when we all did the zombie dance to MJ’s Thriller – fun? You don’t know what it means until you’ve been to a Silverberg party! Of course towards the end of the evening the music took a decidedly slower turn.

“Dance, your ladyship?”

“Don’t you start.”

“Start? You are the Lady of the Dead aren’t you?” Max stated.

“Oh right,” I know, I sometimes fly off the handle, it’s my ‘mones!

“So, you wanna dance?”

“Alright – but it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yes!”
 
 

“Come on you two, the music finished five minutes ago,” Steff mentioned.

Our audience whooped and made lewd comments, I’m sure I was only saved from further embarrassment by my makeup. Look it’s been a long day, a long week and I was just hanging on to him to save falling over, honest.
 
 

With the party officially over – we get free reign until eleven but much after that and the Preiser’s get a bit tetchy, the bulk of the guests departed in a stream of parent taxis heading out and around the Ahrtal. As part of the ‘organising’ team, we couldn’t disappear so easily, well we had to clear up the food remnants – it might be a farm but they don’t want to encourage vermin. The Apollinaris bus had been in the yard for a while of course, Dad was chewing the fat with Stefan over a beer (well a soft drink for Dad as he’s driving!)

It was midnight turned before we returned to Bond Acres.

“Early start if you’re riding tomorrow,” Dad stated.

Urgh – and I’ve got to get this lot off my face too!

Maddy Bell 20.12.15