Gaby Book 16 - Sweet Sixteen

“Give us a hand Mand,” I requested from outside her door.
“What’s up?”
“I can’t reach the zip?”
“Gis a sec…okay I’m decent.”
I pushed the door open to find Manda in her skimpies.
“I can wait,” I offered.
“You’re here now,” she pointed out.
“’Kay, I can’t quite reach the zip,” I repeated.
“Well let’s see then.”
I turned and in moments she had the zip snugged into place.
“There you go.”
“You don’t think this is a bit much to go to the Chinese?” I asked plucking at my dress.
“If it was just a normal meal maybe but it’s your birthday, Gabs, your sixteenth, I think that deserves a bit of dressing up don’t you?”
“Mum doesn’t think so.”
“It’s been a busy week.”
“Even so and the Chinese, it’s hardly haute cuisine is it?”
Mand was now struggling with her own zip, “Er could you?”
“Oh sorry,” hers was a side zip and had got jammed on a thread. I fiddled it free and pulled it up for her, “there.”
“Cheers, well I like Chinese.”
“So do I but I like pizza and curry and chips too, why’d she pick Chinese?”
“You’ll have to ask your mum that.”
“Yeah I guess, so, hair up or down?” I asked posing in her mirror.
“Up, definitely up, you can wear your new earrings.”
“Good idea.”
“You putting some slap on?” Mand hinted.
“Oh yeah, see you in a mo.”

I padded back to my eyrie to complete my preparations.

“Nice.” Mand noted when I returned to her room.
“Tell the truth, Mand, it’s a mess.”
“Well it might need a bit of tidying,” she agreed, “sit.”

Look, I’ll allow that I’m female to the last XX but I seem to be missing the hairdressing chromosome. Oh I can do a simple braid, even use hair grips but anything more complex – well I have a go and you get the general idea but perfection it’s not. Mand on the other hand, well she waggles her fingers and voila, Sylv would be proud.

“There we go.”
I looked in the mirror, it was what I did but missing the errant locks and the lopsided look.
“Why can’t I do it?”
“We all have our skills, you can cook, I can’t boil water.”
“Bit of an exaggeration,” I suggested.
“Hmm, hang on a mo.” She dug around in one of her drawers, “aha, here we go!”
She added something to my hair do.
“What do you reckon?”

My reflection was subtly different; she’d added a sparkly tiara style thing.
“You sure?”
“Trust me,” Mand advised.
“It’s not a bit much?”
“If you look like a princess, you’ll feel like one.”
“Do I want to?”
“Oh come on, Gabs, it’s your birthday, you’re entitled.”
“Hmm,” I suppose I can live with it.
“Are you two ready yet?” Dad yelled up the stairs.
“Coming.”
I grabbed my shoes and led the way down to the ground floor.

“You sure this isn’t too much?” I asked again.
“Gaby it’s fine, now come on, the others will be, I mean your mother will be waiting.” Dad told me.

I certainly feel like a bit of a dog’s dinner, the new dress from Gran, my best Wolford hose, heels topped out with my new Swarovski necklace and earrings. I might not be getting a party but that doesn’t stop me dressing up, it’s not the same but I guess a family dinner is okay. Even if it is at the local Chinese.

“I thought we were going to the Canton Schwan,” I mentioned as Dad set off in the wrong direction from the house.
“I’ve got an errand to run on the way.”
He didn’t sound particularly sure; one minute he’s chasing me out to the car, the next he’s making us even later with his ‘errand’.
“Here?” I queried when he pulled into the Sebenschuh’s car park.
“I need to deliver something.”
“Deliver? What?”
“Er this,” he grabbed an envelope off the dash, “you girls gonna come in and see Pia for a minute, you can show her your dress.”
“Nah, I’ll wait here.”
“Oh come on, Gab, its freezing out here.”
Well no denying that I guess.
“All right,” I agreed.

“They got a do on?” I wondered out loud, “Seems to be a lot of cars.”
“Doesn’t look very busy inside,” Mand observed as we walked towards the restaurant entrance.
We followed Dad inside to find Ingrid manning the bar.
“I’ve got that thing for your dad, Ingrid,” Dad stated.
“He’s in the Stube with Mama and P, you know the way.”
“Cheers.”
With Dad leading the way we headed into the bowels of the Sebenschuh winery.

“Helmut?” Dad called out.
“In here, Dave.”
What was that about, Ingrid said they were in the Stube. Which was in darkness, huh? I heard some scuffling, was that a rat?

The lights flashed on and simultaneously there was a chorus of HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Well actually it was Fröhes Geburtstag! Being as we are in German and almost everyone filling the weinstube is German. I’ve been had, how do you react; well I turned on the waterworks.

“Hey what’s up, kiddo?” Mum came and hugged me.
“Said, sniff, no party, Chinese.”
“If you want Chinese we can fetch some.”
“Not. How?”
“Let’s just say there are a lot of people who think a lot of you, now dry those eyes, Missy, time to party, eh?”

How they kept it secret I can’t guess, I mean Con’s here and she couldn’t keep a secret to save herself. Having regained my composure the assembled throng moved in. To tell the truth it was a bit overwhelming, all these people here for me, some I barely know, others have travelled a distance to be here – for me.

You don’t really want a list of who had come; well I’m not sure I could make a complete one anyhow. Ron and her parents were here and so, much to my amazement were Sophia and the Duke and Duchess. A quick look round was a bit of a who’s who of my life, my homeroom teacher, nearly everyone from Apollinaris here in the Ahrtal, Hannah and even Myleen from the Express!

“Hey, Gaby, Fröhes Geburtstag!” Soph beamed at me.
“What are you doing here?”
“Celebrating your birthday, silly.”
“But how, why?”
“Fewer questions, girl, here,” she presented me with a gift bag.
Now presents, hmm, this could be good.
“What is it?”
“Well open it and find out.”
I peeked inside, “Soph!” I tipped the contents into my hand and opened the box. The contents looked like the pearl drops she insisted I wear when she put me in the fifth Duchess, Theresia Amalia’s dress at New Year. “They’re not?”
“Not? Oh no, no,” Soph grinned, “your face, no they are replicas but they are real pearls.”
“I can’t take them.”
“Yes you can, it’s your birthday, you’re my friend, I don’t have many.”
“But…”
“But nothing.”
“Thank you, Soph,” I gave her a long hard hug, “thank you.”

There was food and drink of course; it’s not a party without those essentials is it? At sixteen I’m really a bit old for the jelly and ice cream but there it was next to other birthday essentials like mini sausage rolls, cheese on sticks, tiny meat paste sandwiches and I’m assured, genuine Walkers™ cheese and onion crisps! On the other hand there was also some more mature party food, vol au vents, Danish style open sandwiches – even a fondue!

It was rather ironic that it was the adults going for the kid’s stuff and visa versa although the line was drawn at the drinks. As guest of honour I did manage to snag a white wine but only one – well you know what I’m like with alcohol.

There were more presents, Ron gave me a model truck and Max demanded a kiss in return for his box of expensive chocolates. Mart gave me a seemingly huge parcel.

“It’s really from Bernie although I did chip in.”
“Thanks, what is it?” I asked pulling a plain box out of the now shredded wrapping paper.
“Here,” Mart opened the top to reveal the contents.
“A frying pan?”
“You like cooking right, Bern reckons it’s like a professional chefs one.”
I took it out to inspect, for a bit of kitchenware it was a thing of beauty, nicely balanced, copper bottomed and well shaped to avoid sticking.
“I’ll have to do a fry up now!”
“Not tonight, young lady,” Mum told me.”
“Thanks, Mart,” I reached up to give him a peck on the cheek, “and thanks for caring for Bern,” I whispered.
“Er my pleasure, Gab.”

We had music, not that there was a lot of dancing – it was hardly formal or a disco although I did manage a smooch with Max before Dad commandeered me. In fact it was mostly the older guests who cut a rug on the tiny dance floor, the younger group more intent on checking out my presents and exchanging tales of Gaby Bond. It was of course the first time the locals had met Sophia and they’ve only met Roni briefly before although Ron and Soph have met, down in Stuttgart.

Of course no birthday party is complete without a cake and clearly Herr Thesing had gone to town on this example. It was certainly big, several layers of sponge separated by cream, the unusual thing was that each layer was different, lemon, strawberry, coffee and chocolate! Candles were lit and lights dimmed.
“Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Gaby,
Happy birthday to you!”
Everyone sang out after which I blew out the candles, not quite in one but I only missed two first time.
“Hip hip - hooray!
“Hip hip - hooray!
“Hip hip - hooray!”
I was in great danger of losing it, after a shaky start this morning it’s turned into my best birthday ever.

Maddy Bell 21.06.16