Whilst I – and no doubt Manda, would’ve been maybe more comfortable in shorts and a cami Dad would’ve had a hairy fit so I made pretty much the bare minimum of effort allowable. Well I suppose its not the most uncomfortable thing to be wearing, maybe I should’ve picked a frock without a fitted bodice.

“Stop fiddling Gab,” Mand told me as we got in the camper for the short journey along to Rech.
“The top’s rubbing a bit,” I mouthed at her.

She just rolled her eyes and I considered whether I could borrow a BH from P – maybe going ‘au naturel’ up top wasn’t the cleverest decision of the day.
 
“Hi Dave, girls,” Helmut greeted when we walked into his fairly busy Stube, “over by the windows okay?”
“Fine,” Dad replied, “thanks for squeezing us in.”
“What are friends for eh, the usual to drink?”
“Make it a Weisen please Helmut, girls?”
“Sprite®?” I requested.
“Large?”
“Please,” I confirmed.
“Same for me,” Mand added.
“Okay,” my sometime boss mentioned, “table twelve then, I’ll send some menus over.”
“Cheers,” Dad er, cheerfully replied.
 
A couple of minutes later P arrived with Dad’s wheat beer, our lemonade and the menus.

“Herr Bond,” she placed the beer in front of Dad before distributing the other glasses, “bit different to last week eh Gab?”

I tried to communicate that she should desist with a look but Fraulein Sebenschuh was taking no notice.

“Er yeah, they only had 7Up®,” I replied hoping she’d get the message.
“Like you were bothered,” she went on with a smirk.
“Er, I think your dad’s looking for you,” I hinted.
“Oh right, I’ll be back for your order.”
 
Dad and Mand were both looking at me expectantly.

“Something you want to tell us?” Dad hinted.
Look, i’ve said it before, i’m not exactly a great liar, I can manage to not tell the full truth but an out and out lie, not happening.

“So I had a few drinks,” I admitted, “I was on holiday.”
“Define few,” Mand pursued.
“Well you know, a beer with dinner, we all did.”

The look on Dad’s face suggested that he didn’t quite buy that, its a good job he doesn’t, and will never know about the Riesenfaß!

“So er what’s everyone eating,” I went on in an attempt to change the subject, “I quite fancy Roulade.”
 
“You walked or driven?” P enquired when I caught up to her on the way to the lav as we waited for our food.
“Driven, why?”
“Got your sleepy and mattress.”
“Oh right, I’ll grab them in a bit. You think you could lay off the drink innuendo, Dad’s getting a bit suspicious.”
“He does know you drink right?”
“Course he does, just not how much and after the business with Ralf...”
“Oh right, mums the word.”
“Whatever you do don’t tell her!”
“Bond!” she allowed with a rolling of seeing things.
“Just saying,” I chuckled.
 
Well the Roulade, with salad, croquettes and gravy, went down well even if it goes against the grain to a) have salad on the same plate and b) refer to that thin paste as gravy! I might now officially be German but some things about the country of my birth are just so ingrained they can’t be ignored. You know, I reckon Yorkshire pud would work with Roulade!
 
“Here you go,” P advised passing me a big carrier with my sleeping stuff from last week.
“Er thanks.”
“Oh Ernst found your bra, I washed it with my stuff, its in the top.”
“P!” I hissed.
I was saved by Helmut, “you girls are working tomorrow?”
“If you want us?” Mand told him.
“There’s only one more after tomorrow,” Herr S told us, “end of the season.”
“Guess we’ll get fewer tourists at the kiosk,” I noted.
 
“Ernst?” Mand queried as we sorted out the washing.

Damn.

“Sorry?”
“P mentioned him just before we left, come on, give.”
“Oh Ernst, him and his mates were staying on the campsite.”
“I gathered that much, so what was he doing with your bra?”

Bum, bum, bum! I must’ve left it in his tent.

“Er must’ve dropped it when I did some laundry.”
“And this lad picks it up and randomly knows its yours? Pull the other one.”
“Maybe he saw it when I was at the beach, I mean its quite...”
“Ordinary,” Mand opined.

She’s got me there, its a plain flesh coloured t-shirt bra, no fancy lace or wires, just comfort.

“Er yeah, I dunno, probably just a guess.”
“Informed guess,” Mand suggested, “come on there's got to be more, was there kissing?”

I blushed.

“There was kissing, come on, I want details,” she demanded.

I could throttle you P, flippin’ blabbermouth!
 
De Vreen can be a right terrier when she gets hold of a thread of a story and Pia had given her not just cotton but needle too. There would be no let up until I told her, well at least something so we reconvened in my eyrie and I started my story.

“Doesn’t explain the bra,” she stated once I’d given her the fairy tale version of my contact with Ernst.
I shrugged, “maybe he saw me drop it?”

Well he did see me take it off but lets not go there.

“Hmm, so you got his number?”
“Possibly,” I allowed, “everyone was like swapping numbers, doesn’t mean anything.”
She raised a brow, “if you say so, Max know?”
“Not everything,” most certainly not everything but he’s not daft, well I don’t think he is.
“Maybe he should,” she posed.
“You wouldn’t?”
Her face broke into a wide grin, “course not, I’ve got skelly tons too. Your face though!”
“Why you!” I got out before swinging an easily deflected pillow at her.
 
I know she’s sworn fealty but last nights conversation with Mand had the subject of Ernst, well Max’s reaction to any Ernst revelations. Should I say something? It only needs blabber Sebenschuh to say something and it’ll be out anyway.

“Lover boy coming today?” Kris queried.
“Probably, why?”
“The far away look on your face,” I was informed.
“Er, oh right.”
“Talk about loves young dream.”
“We’re just friends,” I pulled out the much hackneyed line automatically.
“Friends with benefits, come on Gab, everyone in the valley knows you two are a couple.”
“They do?”
“You’d have to be blind not to.”
“Just to be straight, we only have the odd snog.”
“If you say so girl.”

Don’t I get any respect? I’m even getting cheeked by the hired help.
 
“Max?”
“Hmm?” he replied around a mouthful of Frikadel.
“You know last week?”
He cleared his mouth of food, “the camping?”
“Er yeah, look there were some boys staying there and I might have kissed one of them.”
“And?”
“Aren’t you bothered?”
“I trust you.”
“But I kissed someone else,” I persisted.
“Are you going to see them again?”
“I doubt it,” I admitted.
“So what have I got to be concerned about? we’re not married or anything, I’m not your gaoler so if you want to kiss someone else its not really my business.”
“But doesn’t it bother you,” I asked once more.
“I’d be lying if I said no, can I eat now?”

I grabbed several Pommes from his plate and stuffed them in my own mouth, I guess as long as he doesn’t find out about the tent and none of the Angels even know about that, I’m in the clear. Not that I intend to go round kissing random strangers, nope, not gonna happen.
 
“Bond, you coming?” Con called over.
“Yeah, yeah,” I answered before stowing my Handy in my bag.
“We’ll miss the Express if you don’t hurry.”
“I’m coming.”

The day has been largely without incident, well apart from my conversation with Max, although its been a bit cooler, more overcast. I crossed the road and hurried to where my BF was waiting.

“’bout time.”
“What’s the rush? Its not even at the crossing yet.”
“Getting ready for tonight?”

Tonight, to be honest my enthusiasm for getting all dirndled up has waned a bit over the summer, maybe its all the layers in the heat.

“Whatever,” I sighed.

We arrived on the platform at the same time as the Zug arrived – bags of time.

“You alright Gab?” Con asked as we found seats.
“Yeah.”
“You’ve been on another planet all day, I thought you were looking forward to Spain?”
“I am, there’s just all sorts of stuff going on.”
“You wanna talk?”

Talk, yeah I do but if I tell you what's on my mind Con, well I’ll have to come clean about Ernst and the drug stuff and Max and I’m not ready for that, not by a long chalk.

“Nah, just need to relax for a bit.”
 
Maddy Bell © 08.02.2018