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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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January
Of course January is the middle of winter, a time of cold, damp weather interspersed with cold dry days and after having the former over the weekend, we've fallen for the latter today. Not that I'll see much of it, it was still dark when Olaf picked me up and by the time I get home it'll have returned to a similar state.
And so I found myself nibbling at my lunch in Lisbet Olafsdottir's office, well thanks to me she has the best coffee in the building.
"So, Gabrielle Bond, how is your little concert season coming along?”
"How'd you know about that?” I quizzed my tutor.
"Apart from you waxing lyrical about it before Weihnachts?” Lisbet mentioned.
Well duh, of course she knows, I did ask her what she thought of the idea.
"Oh right, I forgot that we talked about it.”
"Busy mind,” she suggested.
"Lot going on,” I confirmed.
"Sounds intrigueing.”
"Well..” so okay I didn't need too much encouragement to open up to her about the complicated life that I have.
There was the whole Christmas trip to England of course, the Jules being pregnant thing which segued into New Year and eventually to the answer to her original query.
"No one would believe all this if I told them,” Lisbet opined.
"You do though?”
"Gaby, I think I know you well enough now to spot if you were making anything up.”
"I'm that transparent?”
"Well lets just say i'd know and leave it at that. So you are busy learning new songs?”
"Only a couple,” I allowed with a sigh, "But I guess its for a good cause.”
"Is there anything you can't do?”
"I'm sure there's something,” I giggled.
"So how would one get tickets for this concert?”
"From the bakery and the florist in Altenahr,” then the penny dropped, "You're a Blauhase fan? i can bring you some tomorrow?”
"I wasn't very subtle with the hints was I? Well maybe I'll be a 'fan' but mostly I want to support my best student.”
I started to blush, "Erm.”
"Gaby, you really stuggle with compliments don't you?”
"Maybe, a bit, so um, two tickets enough?”
"Two will be fine thank you, I'll pay for them of course.”
"We can sort that tomorrow.”
"Don't forget.”
"Two competitions?” I prompted.
"I think its time we stepped things up,” Han replied.
To be fair, the girls have been working really hard this winter and having something to aim for will help keep that impetus.
"So when exactly are we talking?”
"They're months away yet.”
"Which soon become weeks and then days,” I pointed out.
"Just before Easter then sometime in May,” she advised.
"Hmm, so we need a new routine you think?”
"You're in charge of the All Stars Gab, I'm just a lackey.”
I did an eye roll, "Yeah, if lackey's take practice, ferry us about and liase with the Tanzklub committee.”
"Its what we lackeys do,” she grinned.
"I'll have a think.”
"Excellent, we should get them started.”
And so our first Cheer practice of the New Year got underway.
By contrast, the rest of the week was dull with a capital D. get up, go to college, come home from college, practice the new songs, bike training, keeping up with my friends, do coursework, sleep and repeat. What with one thing and another, my Max time was restricted to our joint morning commutes which meant I was getting a distinct case of lip withdrawal by the time the weekend arrived.
And so the week continued, just a normal week for an ordinary girl.
I forgot to mention Nanna. After Gramps call at the weekend everyone was worried of course, the airwaves between the Rheinland and Somerset were buzzing. But the news was good, Nanna was responding well to treatment and on Tuesday she was well enough to go home, albeit with instructions to not exert herself.
A weight was lifted and the tension that had been hovering over the household reduced to Defcon four. Auntie Kath and Auntie Jill were going to take turns visiting to make sure Nanna was actually following doctor's orders so the need for any of us to go to Blighty at the moment was past. Obviously there's no cure as such but we should have Nanna about for a while longer.
"Gott, I need this,” I sighed as Mand and I started the climb over towards Bad Münstereifel.
"Me too, schools been a right drag this week.”
I flicked the gears down another sprocket, neither of us being in the mood for bike warfare this morning.
"So what do you think to the Cheer competitions?”
"Think?”
"About being in the 'A' squad?”
"Doesn't that depend on the race calendar?”
"There's only a couple of Chippers that weekend before Easter, I already asked Dad, he's okay for you, us, to miss the Saturday.”
"Well if Boss man says its okay I guess I'm in.”
"Great, Susan's improved a lot but i'd prefer to have you in P one.”
Its not a steep climb, a bit draggy in places but nothing that required further chain movement until we rolled over the top for the drop past Effelsburg, the telescope just visible through the bare trees. The pair of us continued to tap along in companionable silence, content to just be riding. We were debating whether to take the fifty one and a longer loop through Adenau or just dropping down tto Insul when we were hailed by a familiar voice.
"Bond!”
"Hen,” I called across the junction to where he was stood with some of his Ahrtal Wielersport team mates.
I flicked a signal to my Lieutenant and we looped across to them.
"Where you off to girls?”
"We were thinking Blankenheim Adenau,” I advised.
"Brilliant minds,” one of his companions, Erik I think, stated.
"You guys are going that way?”
"Thats the plan, Simon just had an Unplatt,” Hen told us.
"Ready,” said individual mentioned.
"Fancy some company?” I suggested.
"We're only going steady,” Hen told us.
"We're not exactly ripping the tarmac,” Mand told the clubmen.
"Well in that case, sure thing if the Weltmeisterin can stand being seen with us mere mortals.”
"Oo, I think I can manage.”
And so we slipped into the Wielersport peloton as it set off to transit Münstereifel, that sounds more impressive than it is, there were only nine of them after all. I've got lost trying to negotiate the way through the old town so I was more than happy to follow our new companions through the maze finally popping out through the Orcheimer Tor to then join the Fifty One. The day was fairly bright, the wind light, what finer conditions could there be for being dragged through the German countryside.
Its been a while since i've ridden with more than a couple of others on the road but it didn't take long to pick up on individuals riding quirks, the subtle 'tells' that warn of hazards or even just gear changes. We really had just been cruising along before we met them, barely troubling twenty five K but these guys, well we were purring along comfortably on the top side of thirty. Was this their gentlle pace or were they putting on a show for my benefit?
Whichever it was, everyone looked comfortable and being in a group meant us goils weren't putting out much extra effort for the extra velocity, if any. Of course, I sort of know must of them on a basic level having crossed wheels at different times, supplied catering at the Kabin or like Jasper, he's our butcher! They were running a long rotation, pairs taking anything up to a few kilometres on the front before slipping back to sit in.
Its not a bad road, the only real climb is out of Holzmülheim, a loopy, draggy affair which broke our rhythm a bit as climbing styles and prowess vary but by the top no one was more than a few lengths behind. There had been a bit of shuffling of course, i'd moved up as Jasper slipped back which put me alongside Hen on the front of our group.
"Training going okay?”
"So so,” I allowed, "Got some 'cross from next week, hone the race muscles.”
"I've had a couple of goes, never ends well,” Hen admitted.
"I'm not that good, its just a bit of fun.”
My companion snorted, "Your not good would be anyone elses best effort.”
"Don't be daft.”
"So Wundermädchen, how many have you won?”
"I haven't....” I started, but of course I have, back in England before all this, "A couple of Kinder races.”
"See, mere mortals would be shouting from the treetops.”
"What about you? Racing this year?”
He rocked his right hand a bit, "Maybe, maybe not, the Missus is due in April so I probably won't have the chance.”
"But family comes first right? Do you know what it is?”
"We think a baby,” he chuckled.
Duh!
"You know what I mean, boy or girl?”
"Boy, at least its only one, Paula's sister has two sets of twins.”
"Better let my sister talk to her, she's expecting twins now.”
Our conversation ended as we entered Tondorf, with our odd number I found myself alongside the earlier puncture victim, Simon.
We picked up the two five eight which follows the upper Ahrtal for a bit before crawling out of the main valley at Müsch and over the top to Adenau. To be honest i'd forgotten how much fun this sort of ride can be, even when I do get to do group rides theres a training agenda thrown in. With the Wielersport lads, its just been social – well except for the Blankenheim sprint which I didn't contest, Mand did but I'm pretty sure she eased off to give Erik the 'win'.
It didn't even click with me that we turned right rather than left when we reached Adenau, I was extolling the virtues of my Campagnolo gears to Ludo, my current riding partner.
"Easy!” someone called from the front.
I looked past those in front to see them turning into the square. Oh well, in for a pfennig.
"We would've stopped at your kiosk...” Hen offered as we came to a halt outside of Linda, a snack cum coffee bar i've used on infrequent trips up here.
"But we've been closed,” I finished for him.
"Not permanently I hope?”
"No, in fact we'll be open tomorrow, we've got a charity concert thing and then we'll be open weekends again from the following week.”
"Concert?”
"In aid of the Kinderhaus, we've got BlauHase playing tomorrow.”
"Wait, I think I saw some posters on the way up the valley this morning.”
"I hope so, we'll look a bit silly if no one comes,” I chuckled adding my Pinarello to the stack of bikes.
In truth, I know its a sell out, well our capacity is only a hundred so its no great shakes but even so.
They'd got the chairs out so with almost a dozen of us we commandeered a couple of tables to enjoy the weak sun even if it was a bit parky. If you've ever done a 'social' ride with cycling enthusiasts you'll know theres no such thing as a quick coffee stop, we'll talk throughout the ride and then remove a donkey's rear legs when we stop! And everyone will get involved, from the elder statesmen to the Weltmeisterin, no one is too grand or unimportant to be part of the gestalt.
Eventually though, murmurs of 'orders' started circulating, Simon set off on his own and shortly thereafter the rest of us departed Marktplatz to start the last leg of the ride. There was more banter now, ribald comments called up and down the train, several of which had me blushing. But these guys are like an extended family, nothing is meant by it and its taken in good humour – you wouldn't last long if you hurt easily.
We started to shed riders in Altenahr as people headed for their homes, to resume the 'normal' side of their existence. There were still six of us when we reached Dernau, Mand and I usually cut off down Zaungartenstrasse but instead we went up to the Esch turn before leaving the others.
"Good ride,” de Vreen mentioned as we rolled the last few metres to the Chateaux Bond.
"Yeah,” I agreed, "Well pukka!”
© Maddy Bell 22.07.2019
