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Only Five Minutes by Maddy Bell
Copyright© 2019 Madeline Bell Well it wouldn't be Gaby if it was that simple would it?
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Good Times Remembered
“Never guess what?” my cousin posed to Ally.
“What?” Ally returned without breaking off from mashing the tea.
“Guess who was in Manchester yesterday?”
“Julia Roberts.”
“Close, Gab was there with her Gran.”
“At the market Gab?”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “She wanted to take a look and my olds had stuff to do.”
“You make it sound like a hardship,” Al suggested.
“Well I had to drink the Glühwein, eat the Krakauer and Pommes,” I smirked.
“You!” Ally playfully slapped my shoulder.
“The look on your face,” I snorted.
“You've got a cute accent, certainly not Warsop anymore.”
Urgh! The c word!
“I don't talk English much at home.”
“I guess not,” she allowed.
“Before I forget, I got you this,” I presented her with a small gift bag, “Frohes Weihnachts!”
“You shouldn't've.”
“It’s not much,” I told her.
“I didn't get you anything though.”
“You sent a card.”
“Hardly the same is it?”
“It’s not a competition,” I pointed out.
“Still.”
“Just open it will ya,” my cousin interjected.
“Can I?” she asked me.
“In Germany we do all the presents on Weihnachts, go for it.”
I brought presents for each of my Warsop crew, well Helen, Ally and Mad, Rhod or Mfanwy was away in Wales now, he, she had been tight with Ally but with the whole girl thing, that had gone a bit sour. Oh well, anyway I got each of them some real Lubeck marzipan and a necklace with a gem stone drop, Ally's is polished Agate, Mad has Rose Quartz and Helen's is Amber. Nothing fancy but they'll get more out of them than the usual 'friends' gifts.
“Its gorgeous Gab!” Al pulled me into an enthusiastic hug, “I really miss you being around.”
“I miss you guys too,”
“You've got loads of friends in Germany,” she opined.
“But I didn't go through Junior school or America with them.”
“We had some fun eh?” Ally smirked.
“What?”
“Just thinking about Grottoes, you two swapping places.”
Hmm, one of my least favourite episodes, that lad was really convinced he was gonna get to third base with me – well Mad.
“Yeah, great fun,” I replied flatly.
“Oh, come on Gab,” Mad joined in, “It was quite a lark.”
Truth be told, it was a really dark time for me, Mum was sick, I didn't know whether I’d ever see her again. And of course, I was having my own health issues, the first real indications of what was to follow. My head was all over the place, okay, it all worked out in the end but I'm not so sure it would've gone so well if we hadn't moved to Dernau.
“Remember that day we went to Meadowhell and Mad pierced your ears?”
I've tried to forget it.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “Not that it helped, Jules saw straight through it.”
“You never said,” Al observed.
“What was to tell?”
We'd been talking for a good hour or so before Bernie was mentioned in more than passing.
“Is Bernie okay?”
Good question, not sure that I know really.
“I guess so, Drea is getting to be a handful,” best not mention she's preggers again.
“I can't believe she's nearly two,” Ally opined.
“Eighteen months,” I corrected.
“Doesn't seem that long.”
I shrugged, “Probably seems like forever to Bern.”
“Is he gonna marry her?”
“Mart?” with the latest news from the Preiser household I can't imagine he won't, “I think he wants to get through college first.”
“Guess that makes sense, his rents must be total bricks, taking Bern and Drea in.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “She's not getting a free ride, she has to help out around the farm, they're not exactly rich.”
“I thought all farmers were loaded,” Mad suggested.
“Some might be, the Preiser’s don't have new cars or anything, I think they get by but they certainly aren't rolling in it.”
“So, are you and Max, you know?” Ally asked.
“Al's still waiting for Mr Right,” Mad interrupted.
“Some of us have standards,” Al offered in her own defence.
Pissssshhhh!
“We've slept together,” I told them.
So it was once and we were both well out of it after that Blau Hase gig when we stopped with Jules and Boris. Okay it really was sharing the same sleeping space, if they add two and two and get five, that’s up to them.
“Yo girlfriend!” Mad cheered.
“We have sort of been a couple for a couple of years.”
“Before your, er stuff was sorted?”
“Well not seriously, the rents are pretty okay with us now,” well it’s not a lie.
“They know you're sleeping together?” Mad asked.
“Did you tell yours about James?” I countered.
“Not exactly,” she admitted.
“They aren't stupid, they know sure enough.”
Well I'm not going on exactly personal experience of course, but on what Mum's said about Jules and Boris. I mean, I'm not gonna say, 'hey sis, you banging Boris?' am I?
“There no one at the College now?”
“Give over Gab, that load of losers,” Mad told me, “Geeks or guns.”
I raised a brow, who's calling the kettle now?
© Maddy Bell 25.06.2019
