“You not changing?” Mum queried when she and Dad found us a few minutes later.
“What for?”
“To go eat?” Dad suggested, “and congratulations kiddo, it might not really be my cup of tea but whilst I might be a bit biased, you were brilliant right Jen?”
“What? Let me get these ear plugs out.”
“You're kidding me, you had ear plugs.”
“The look on your face Gab,” she pulled me into a hug, “course not even if it was a bit loud.”
“It is supposed to be loud, where are the others?”
“Getting refreshments I think, there's a few minutes before the other band start.”
“Talking of bands, where're the rest of your lot?” Dad enquired.
“Drinking by now,” Mand supplied.
“We're invited,” I added sort of hopefully.

I could see by his face that the thought of his sixteen year old daughter spending the rest of the evening or any of the evening drinking with a group of old men (well, older than me anyway) was not on his list of favourite things.

“Guess thats a no then,” I mumbled.
“Its not that we want to be killjoys kiddo,” Mum told me, “but you are only...”
I interrupted, “...sixteen, I know.”
“So we're taking your alta ego for dinner then?” Dad suggested.
“Not with all that makeup on,” Mum informed me.
“We'll wait for you pair outside,” Dad suggested.
“'kay,” I sighed.
“We won't be long Mr B,” Mand offered.
 
When I found my Handy it was lit up with messages, apparently its not just the Angels that've come tonight, I recognised a couple of names from college, from my time at Silverberg and I'm pretty sure one is Barb, you know, of Fran and Barb the bike riders fame. Well I suppose I'll have to look and reply but they'll have to wait until a bit later. I composed a message for Stefan and the guys while Mand attended to scraping off the stage makeup, I suppose it was a bit much for going to the restaurant, a bit dramatic.

Hi Stefan, Guys
Dad's taking the family to eat so a rain check on the drinks. Had a really good time, think it went well! Speak with you soon, don't drink too much.
Erdbeere

I hit send.

“Not texting Max? He's only out in the hall,” Mand mentioned as she continued scrubbing at my face.
“Ha, ha, just letting Stefan know we won't be at the bar.”
“It would be more rock and roll than dinner with your rents.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Right, that's that lot off.”
“One lot off, another lot on,” I sighed.
“You do that and I'll get everything packed up, you keeping those shoes on?”
“Don't think trainers exactly go with the dress.”
“Maybe not,” she confirmed, “hey, there's a bar back here.”
“Bar?”
“Well there's some sprits,” there was some chinking of bottles, “red, white and a crate of beer.”
“A crate?”
“Yep.”
“You thinking what I'm thinking?”
 
“What are you two grinning at?” Max asked.
“For us to know,” Mand told him tapping the side of her schnozz.
“We all here?” Dad enquired.
“Where's Jules and Bern?”
“They're staying for the rest of the concert, they'll meet us at the restaurant,” Mum advised.

To be honest I wouldn't have minded seeing the 'support act' myself, guess there'll be other times.

“Come on then, tables booked for ten thirty,” Dad informed us.
 
We'd exited the Rhein Halle, via the stage door of course, before I siddled up to Max, ”So?”
“So what?”
“Duh, so how did I do?”
“Terrible, you murdered half the songs and you were out of tune.”
“Did not and Stefan says i've got perfect pitch!” I shot back.
“He's kidding kiddo,” Mum put in from behind us.
“He better be.”
“You were great, honest,” my BF tagged on.
“Hmmph!”
“This looks like the place,” Dad advised.

You couldn't make it up, surely there aren't two places called Der Hafen on Bonn waterfront?
 
“Beere!” Little Jo shouted across the bar area when our party shuffled inside.

I waved back, well I could hardly ignore them could I?

“Guys!”

Looks like Dad's quiet post concert dinner won't be quite so quiet afterall. I'm guessing the management are used to post concert patrons, our restaurant booking was adjusted to add my bandmates who, in the face of common expectations, were actually not doing the 'sex and drugs and rock an' roll bit. Saints they aren't, but even on a post gig high they weren't in their cups, just, well, a bit boystrous.
 

“Urgh, what a night,” Mand opined.
“Yeah,” Bern agreed, “the last time I went to a concert was Take That.”
“Well you couldn't mistake that lot for Take That,” my Sister mentioned.
“Not with Kate Bush here in the line up,” Mum wasn't about to be left out of the conversation.
“Who's Kate Bush?” I asked.
“Someone your Dad had a bit of a crush on, she had a penchant for that sort of get up.”
“Gabrielle Bond, eighties rock chick,” Jules guffawed.
“Erdbeer,” Mand corrected.
“Yeah, very rocky, next you'll be teaming up with Banana and Plum, you'll have to rename yourselves as Soft Fruit!”
“She's already got Nutty,” Bernie added, “that drummer guy is seriously bonkers.”
“Very funny.”

if anyone was hoping for a proper dinner, well they'd still be waiting, instead we ended up with more of free for all buffet. Not just free flowing food of course, liquid sustenance wasn't in short supply either although with my parents and Max keeping an eye on me I only managed a couple of glasses of red wine in the alcoholic stakes. My sibling, her partner and even the Preiser's weren't, however, so cautious, the other members of the band probably drank less!
 
“Who's going with who?” Dad asked when we got back to our transport.
“I'll take Bernie and Marty,” Mum suggested.
“Good luck with that,” I muttered to Mart under my breath.
“Okay,” Dad agreed, “come on you lot, into the van.”
 
As I made myself comfortable I had a sudden pang of guilt, i've still not replied to all those SMS, well meeting Stefan and co at the restaurant sort of got in the way. I hope they got home okay. We followed Mum out to the Autobahn but at gone midnight, by the time we got up the on ramp the A Klasse was but a pair of red dots in the distance on the almost empty road.
 

“So how did it go last night?” Lisbet enquired as I helped reorganise her office after our morning tutorial.
“Last night?” I absently replied.
“The concert? That is why you asked for yesterday’s absence wasn't it?”
“Er yeah, the concert.”
“So?” she persisted.
“I think it went okay.”
“Only think? You want coffee?”
“Er thanks, well no one walked out as far as I know.”
“If I know you at all, thats a veiled 'it went very well'.”
“I guess.”
“You are allowed to be excited, show some emotion you know.”
“To be honest Lisbet, its sort of all a bit of a blur still.”
“Go on,” she handed me a cup of coffee, the just passable filter stuff that the college catering supply.
“Well the gig seemed to be over before it started and then afterwards we all ended up in this place down near the river, bit of a post gig party with added parental units.”
“Sounds fun.”

I think she was being sincere.

“So you didn't drink too much then?”
“Hardly, it was more snog and Pommes than sex and drugs,” I supplied taking a sip of the luke warm coffee.
My lecturer collapsed into hysterics, “you could be a comedian Gaby Bond,” she finally got out.
“Don't think so, i've enough on my plate already.”
“So who do I look for in the news, I take it you have a stage name?”
“Er yeah,” I allowed even as I started to colour up.
“Which is?”
“Erdbeer,” I mumbled.
“Sorry, didn't quite catch that, I thought you said Erdbeer.”
“That's what it is,” I admitted.
Lisbet grinned, “seriously? Now this i've got to hear.”

I gave a sigh and slumped back into the embrace of the institutional sofa, this may take some time.

“Well the whole thing is Max's fault, if he hadn't taken me to the local road house instead of to Maccy D's none of this would've happened.”

And so I started recounting my career with BlauHase from getting drugged up at Mayschoß, the sleepover in Bonn and of course Moselfest.
 
“But why Erdbeer?” Lisbet asked.
“Well, my hair was more er, pink, its faded quite a bit since then, so I stood out a bit and Stefan called me out and its kind of stuck.”
“Could've been worse I guess, you could be Banana,” Lisbet chuckled.
“Don't, strawberry is bad enough,” I stated.
“So there anymore gigs in the pipeline then? We gonna see you at the Lanxess next?”
My turn to chuckle, “not likely, more likely Koblenz Stadthalle if anywhere.”
“And I should believe that,” she retorted.
“The Rheinhalle was a one off, some sort of showcase thing.”
“If you say so.”

 
“Hello?” I didn't recognise the number on the Handy's screen.
“Is that Gabrielle? Gabrielle Bond?”
“Er yeah, who is this, how did you get my number?”
“Sorry, Sigi from Rot Media, you gave me your number?”

the cogs in my noggin slowly ground through the details, oh right, the Apollinaris photo shoot thing.

“Oh right, hi, sorry but theres been a lot going on lately and I'm struggling to keep up.”
“Thats okay, look, Hugo asked me to call, let you know what's what.”
Hugo, the chap in charge I think, ”going on?”
"Sorry its been so long, we had some technicals with the er, skin suit, we're usually much faster.”
“You need to paint me again?”
“No, no, nothing like that, it just took a bit longer to do the morphing, we kept losing the green band so we had to do it by hand, no its all done, no I'm ringing to let you know its going to air tonight, right after the evening news.”
“Bum, I'll be out, I guess we can tape it.”
“Look, we aren't really supposed to, client property and all that but I can't see that it'll be a problem as it'll be public anyway.”
“What?”
“Well I can burn you a copy, put it in the post then you'll have a clean copy for posterity.”
“Oh cool, yes please Sigi!” I enthused.
“Okay, i've got your address as Dernau?”
“Ten Zaungarten,” I confirmed.
“Okay, I'll sort that out, I think you'll like what we've done.”
“As long as the rents don't fall in how you did the suit.”
“Hopefully not or we haven't done our job very well, anyway, have to get on, bodies to paint and all that!”
“Thanks for calling Sigi.”
“No problem, take care and good luck for the future.”
“Cheers, tschuss.”
“Tschuss.”

Well I wasn't expecting that, best let everyone know, fame in my own bath water.
 

“Ingrid said she'll tape it for me,” Pia advised as we waited with the rest of the Alle Stern for Hannah to appear.
“Its not that big of a deal.”
“Not a big deal! Geez Gab, you're in an advert, on the tv.”
I shrugged, “i bet it only goes out once.”
“After spending all those euros to make it? Yeah right, you're famous Gab whether you like it or not. Talking of which, Thursday, like wow!”
I started my usual change of colour, “you enjoyed it then?”
“Well apart from missing the Express but that was Con's fault, nothing to do with you.”
“She never said when I spoke to her earlier.”
“I bet, she insisted it would be quicker to walk than wait for the bus back to the bahnhof, so we missed the fast train down and then of course the Express is only once an hour at that time and we missed the last one, Dad had to come and fetch us from Remagen.”
“Bet he was pleased.”
“You know Dad.”
“So the gig?” I suggested, well I like to get others opinions, I'm not just a sycophant.
“Oh right, yeah mega”
“You already said that.”
“Well it was, I know you can warble a bit, are sure that was you?”
“I'll forget you said that Sebenschuh.”
“Its a compliment Gab, honest.”
“You don't think the dress and stuff was a bit, you know, over the top?”
“You kidding? You're in a band, its supposed to make a statement that stuff.”
“Yeah but was it the right statement?”
“Well if you wanted to say Haus Frau from the Eifel, no. You were most definitely rock chick, international music star. Did Steff really make that?”
“I certainly didn't and you can't exactly go in H&M and buy one.”
“Yet,” she giggled, “you certainly looked sexy as hell up there.”

Joy, its a wonder I'm not grounded for looking 'sexy as hell'.

“You two coming?” Hannah called from the Tanzklub door.

When did she get here?
 

“Lets see it then,” I enthused when I got home.
“See what?” Jules queried.
“Your sister is in the new Apollinaris advertising,” Mum mentioned.
“Are there any pies you haven't got a finger in Gab?”
“Don't think we want fingers in our pies, the customers wouldn't like it.”
“Gott, you can be so literal sometimes,” she complained.

I did the adult thing and stuck my tongue out.

“Give over you two, let your mother finish watching this then I'll put it on Gab.”
“'kay, anyone want a drink?”

Boris raised a hand from under my sister, I hadn't even noticed him there.

“Tea, coffee Bor?”
“Whatever Beere.”

Beere! Ooo!

“Wouldn't mind a coffee kiddo,” Dad suggested.
 
Mum's programme was one of those typical Friday night jobs we get in these parts, a pretty nasty sketch show – each to their own I guess. Anyhow, it had finished before I returned with a tray of coffee, Dad was fussing with the video recorder, they really should make them adult proof, I mean, what's so difficult?

“Here we go,” he sat back into his armchair.
“Let me get sat first.”
“I think there's some stuff before it.”
“You seen it already? “ Mum asked.
“Had a look while you were sorting dinner.”
 
To be honest I had no idea what they were gonna do, I just sat on the bikes and looked where they said. Of course it didn't last long, thirty seconds maybe but I'm well impressed. It started with me apparently riding through the countryside in the 'civvies', a sort of dream bubble with a cartoon me racing along and winning some sort of race. Then there was the splurge about the new Apollinaris 'fortified' water before civvie me took a drink and morphed into racing me. Clearly the message was drink this and you'll realise your dreams.

I looked hard at the image, Sigi was right earlier, I know I was essentially naked but you couldn't tell on the TV screen. Not that an actual skinsuit hides very much but it does, well flatten stuff but there on the screen the girls are, whilst perky, unrestricted by clothing. Anyone with two working eyes will be able to tell I'm naked, talk about mortified, I waited for the shoe to drop but I guess people see what they expect to.

“How do they do that?” Mand asked the room in general.
“Search me,” I admitted.
“They've got computer programmes do most of it, like in the movies?” Boris opined, “looking hot there Beere.”

Well he didn't see it coming, Jules lamped him a good one round the lug hole.

“Ow!”
“Do not lust after my sister!”

I couldn't help snorting in amusement.

“Don't worry Jules, I've got my own perv, not interested in yours.”
“Who'd have two daughters?” Dad mentioned.
“You apparently, Daddykins,” my sister observed.
“I meant, who wants two daughters, free to a good home.”
“I'll take this one,” Boris advised, “even if she is the green eyed devil.”
“Huh,” Jules retorted, “i've got blue eyes!”
“Guess we can cope with a little un then,” Mum proposed.
“I am here,” I pointed out.
“And very cute too,” Mater told me.

Grrrr! That flippin' c word!

“We done with this advert?” Dad asked.
“Can we keep the tape?” I asked as innocently as I could.
“I suppose so, its Memorex.”
 
© Maddy Bell 22.02.2019