*Chapter 25*
Bestest Friends

I stared at the moon through my skylight. Some day huh? Fetching the female component of the ‘Kleines Familie Preiser’, Sunday lunch and then there was Bern’s departing confession. Am I really that girly? Nah, not me, the way she was talking you’d think I'm all Barbie and unicorns – mind you there was a nice one in Puppenkönig the other week – just kidding!

Seriously though, am I really ‘girly’? Okay I'll admit to occasionally wearing a dress and skirts, well shorter ones at least, are cooler to wear than shorts or jeans. I don’t spend all day in front of the mirror playing with make-up, reading fashion magazines or swooning over boy bands. Nope, I'm more likely to be reading Radsport and listening to Dad’s old rock albums.

Do people really see me as girly? – okay I'll admit my current hair colour doesn’t exactly lend gravitas to my appearance but seeing as I have the full compliment of X’s I'm kind of glad I look like a girl. No scrub that, I am a girl so I don’t look like a girl, oh you know what I mean, I can live with being ‘pretty’. Anyhow, the pink is growing out a bit now, by Christmas I'll probably be back to normal!

 
"Kinda makes you a bit clucky,” Con suggested – she’s not actually working today but her dad forgot our pies so she brought them up,
"Eh?” I allowed as I concentrated on cleaning and filling the coffee machine.
"Bernie and the baby.”
"Lost me, sugar!” I wiped at the milk now decorating my Capri’s.
"Here,” she handed me a cloth before continuing, "You know, they’re so cute.”
"Bern? Cute?” she may be many things, cute isn’t one of them.
"Drea dummy, makes you want your own.”
"Oh yeah, just what I need in my life, pass us that milk, no sleep, dirty nappies, no life.”
"How’s that different to you and your bikes?”
"You mean apart from I get to sleep, do stuff and no nappies? Well for one I've got some choice in the matter,” I supplied closing the machine’s door.
"Iv'e seen you get all squidgy when you see them, you were just as in to as the rest of us yesterday.”
“Nen,” I called out to the garden.
"Wassup?” our assistant asked coming over to the kiosk from her table clearing duties.
"Do you want a baby?”
"Of course, when the time’s right, who wouldn’t?”
"But you wouldn’t, you know, have one because babies are cute would you?”
"Course not, you’re not expecting are you?”
"As if, it’d have to be a virgin birth!”
"She says,” Con scoffed.
"Talking of which, that sounds like a mofa,” Nena suggested.
"Hey!”

 
Indeed the subject of my lust arrived in short order.

"You’re early,” I mentioned.
"Couldn’t wait to see you any longer.”
Nen made gagging noises.
"I'm gonna get off, shopping to do, television to watch,” Con told us.
"Such a glamorous life,” I proffered.
"See you guys later.”
"Bye,” Max offered.
"Yeah, thanks for the pies Con,” I added.
"Tschuss!”

Con skipped off towards the Bahnhof to get the Express back down the valley.

"Pie?” I queried.
"You’ll turn me English,” he grinned.
"You don’t have to come for lunch,” I proposed.
"Who said I was coming for food?”
"Really Strechau,” Nen moaned.
"So what’s in today’s pies?”
"Er curried chicken I think.”
"Sounds interesting, go on then.”

 
With only the two of us, that’s me and Nena, working today I couldn’t join Max outside for lunch so he propped up the counter instead. The downside of course is that the exchange of sweet nothings was er, inappropriate so our conversation was a little thin on content. Max was just about ready to depart when I remembered something that Jules offered last night.

 
"Remember the band, at the Goldene Rose?”
"Yeah, BlauHaus or something, how could I forget that night?”

How indeed, not an evening I want to repeat, cheap beer, terrible food and Ralph with his ‘date rape’ drugs, yeah I want no repeat of that but the music wasn’t bad.

"BlauHase,” I corrected, "They’re playing in Bonn next Friday? Jules asked if we wanted to go.”
"Bonn? how’d we get back?”
"She said we could crash at Boris’, come back Saturday morning?”
"What’s your dad have to say about that?”
I shrugged, "He likes Boris, he’s sort of okay as long as we have them as chaperones.”
"I'll need to check with my rents, they weren’t best bit pleased last time.”
“’Kay,” I sagged a bit, I really do fancy going.
"I'm sure it’ll be okay liebchen, come here.”
I leant out exchange a chaste lip lock.
"Get a room guys,” Nen complained.
"Talk later,” Max supplied after we broke apart.
"Yeah,” I agreed.

 
"So you guys going on another date?” Nen queried.
"Might be.”
"Thought your dad grounded you last time?”
"Sort of, but he seems to have come round a bit since we sort became official.”
"Who’d a thunk shy little Gaby Bond would snag herself the most eligible lad in the valley,” she teased.
"Give over Nen, we’re just friends.”
“’Official’ friends though.”
"Okay already.”

 
"I suppose I'm running the taxi tonight,” Dad suggested when I gave him his tea, well sandwich.
"It is Monday,” I pointed out.
"Oh, Bernie called when you were changing, can you give her a bell?”
"Okay.”
"Everything okay?”
"Er yeah,” I allowed, "I asked Max about Friday, he’s checking with his parents.”
"Look kiddo, I don’t mean to be an ogre but after last time...”
"It wasn’t Max’s fault.” I interrupted.
"I know Spud, but you’re precious to me and your Mum, we worry about you and your sister.”
"I know but its sort of embarrassing having a chaperone.”
"I don’t suppose your sister’s too mad on the idea but it was her idea.”
"It was?”

Maybe Goth Gurl isn’t so bad a sister.

 
“Just a reminder girls,” Hannah started as the girls put the mats away, "We’re at Adenau in a fortnight, if anyone can’t make it let me or Gab know toot sweet.”
"Is it a competition?” Lisse asked coming over to where Han and I were stood.
"Afraid not,” Han advised, “just a couple of routines to entertain the crowds.”
"I might have a problem,” Pia mentioned, "Garde?”
"Shouldn’t be a problem, Mandy should be back right Gab?”
"Should.”

Indeed there’s a thing, I think she’s coming with Caro this week but I've not heard anything from her since Yorkshire, she might’ve changed her mind again. I really should give her a call, I've not exactly been a great friend have I, on the other hand pre Ryedale she was acting a bit weird and catty.

 
"Dad?” I asked as we waited in the A Klasse for Pia to return with the pizzas – she fancies a lad in there so volunteered to fetch our supper.
"Hmm?”
"Manda is coming back?”
"As far as I know, I'm supposed to pick her and Caro up on Friday, the others are arriving by bus on Sunday.”
"Aren’t we racing Sunday?”
"Don’t worry, its all in hand. Did you ring Bernie earlier?”
"Bum, forgot.”
"You’d best ring her now,” Pater suggested.
"Yeah,” I agreed.

 
I got out of the car and went and sat on the wall so we can talk in some privacy.
"Preiser.”
"Er hi Herr Preiser, its Gaby Bond?”
"Oh hi Gaby, what can we do for you?”
"I think Bernie was trying to get hold of me?”
"Hang on, I think she’s in the kitchen with Erika.”
"Thanks.”

I heard him clomp off then some muffled voices.

"Gabs?”
"Heya,” I allowed, "What’s up?”
"Well nothing really, Erika took us into Adenau for coffee earlier.”
“Nice.”
"Yeah it was,” she agreed before going on in a whisper, "I think she wanted to show Drea off to her friends, I think we ended up in every shop.”
"Guess she likes the idea of being Oma.”
"You don’t think.”
"So what did you want me for?”
"You fancy coming up for tea tomorrow?”
"I guess.”
"Can you make five?”

Good question, I need to go training, hmm if I go up the ring.

"I could come straight from training? Otherwise it’d be closer to six.”
"I probably have something you can change into.”
“’Kay, five it is.”
"So what are you up to?”
"Waiting for P and our Pizza, think she’s got lost.”
"Pizza?”
"Its a sort of post cheer tradition, P comes down to ours and we veg out on double pepperoni.”
"My body’s a temple,” Bern quoted.
"Well it needs a bit of down time, ah, she’s just coming.”
"I'll let you go then, can’t stand between you and pizza, see you tomorrow then.”
"Yeah, should be there just before five, tschuss!”
"Tschuss.”

 
Maddy Bell © 21.05.17