Gaby Book 25 Only Five Minutes by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2019 Madeline Bell After all the excitement of the last few weeks culminating in the trip to Austria, surely Gaby can get back to some sort of 'normal'? Well it wouldn't be Gaby if it was that simple would it?

 
"Gab?” Con queried.
"That's me,” I confirmed.
"What's up? Aren't you supposed to be in class by now?”
I rolled my eyes even if she couldn't see me do it, "I wish, we're stuck in snow.”
"We?”
"You know Max, Freddy and Olaf.”
"Max eh?”
"We do it every day Con.”
"I know but you're always good for a wind up. So why're you calling me?”
"Bored, what've you got today?”
"I'm on my work placement remember, sugar I need to get a move on, I need to be there in twenty minutes.”
"Handy you could do it in Dernau,” I noted.
"Well if you don't ask, have you got to do one?”
"The others on the course do but Lisbet says running the kiosk covers me this year.”
"Jammy! Look I need to get off to the Kindergarten, catch you later?”
"If we ever get off the autobahn.”
"You will, and you've got Max to keep you warm, laters.”
"Tschuss.”
 
"I still think Leverkusen will win,” Freddy opined.
"In their dreams little brother,” Olaf replied.
"There is no way they'll beat Hertha,” Max added.

Well that hadn't taken long, five minutes of football talk and they were already arguing. And when did Max become such an expert on kick ball?

"Any news?” I asked the armchair pundits.
"Nada,” Olaf sighed, "Looks like we might be here a while,” he added waving at the windscreen.

The snow was settling on the glass despite the occasional sweep of the wipers, outside did not look pleasant. Olaf still had the engine ticking over to work the heater but with the cold outside and four adults inside the nett effect was steamy windows and an increasingly close atmosphere inside.

"You alright Gab?” Max enquired as the discussion of the giant slaying skills of Beyer Leverkusen ran out.
I shrugged, "What do you think?”

Yeah I know, its not his fault , blame the Gods for the weather but they aren't here and he is.
 

It was another two hours before the Polizei got the traffic moving again, there had been several minor dings to sort out as well as all the white stuff. We were directed down to the 'old' road which was now moving freely, even if there were still a few flakes of white falling. I would've been quite happy to have just gone back home at this point but Olaf was keen to get into his office so we finally rolled into Koblenz just turned twelve.
 
I knocked on the door, I need coffee and I know where I can get a half decent cup.

"Come!” a voice encouraged from beyond the woodwork.
I pushed the portal open and snuck my head around the edge, "Hi Lisbet.”
"Gaby, wasn't expecting to see you today.”
"We got caught in the fun on the autobahn, any chance of a coffee?”
"Sure, I'm only marking some papers.”

It didn't take me long to get Lisbet's coffee machine going and I was soon sipping on a warming cup of Columbian.

"So what are you going to do now you've got here?”
"I had intended doing some reading,” I allowed, "Not much else doing with everyone on their placements.”
"Well I think you should head home as soon as possible, you know they've forecast more schnee later on?”
"Really?”
"Really,” Lisbet confirmed.
"Damn, I'll have to text Max, see what him and Freddy are doing.”
My lecturer took a sip of her own coffee, "I'm just going to make a call.”
"You want me to leave?”
"No its alright, sit and drink your kaffee.”

I settled back into my seat and fished my Handy from my Handtasche and tapped out a message to my BF.

'going bk hmas soon as, u?
G xx'

I pressed send then put some more hot beverage inside me.
 
You know what its like, you don't mean to eavesdrop but you can't help sort of overhearing and thus I caught the tail end of Lisbets call.

'Near Remagen...very...oh I think so...no, the spring term...yes...that should work...i'll let her know...fine, tschuss!'

Sounded interesting, enquiring minds and all that.

"That was Herr Dietmeyer,” Lisbet mentioned.

I kinda know the name but in what connection.

"Sounded interesting,” I admitted.
"We were discussing a certain students commuting.”
"Commuting sucks.”
"I couldn't agree more and I only live in Ehrensburg. So Arn agrees with me, especially with the long term forecast, that its pointless coming all the way down here just to sit reading in the library.”
"Well I can't argue with that,” I agreed.
"So we've agreed you can do the course work at home until the spring term starts and everyone is back on campus.”

Did I just miss something?

"Sorry?”
"You don't need to come down to Koblenz until next term Gaby,” Lisbet confirmed.
"I thought you were talking about someone else.”
"No young lady, definitely you, there are conditions.”
My brain was still struggling with the whole concept, "Conditions?”
"Understand we aren't just giving you a holiday, we do want you to do some work so we'll have a telephone seminar each week to see where you are and I'll set some written work to be done. Of course if you need to talk I'll be here as usual but unless there is anything where we need to be face to face you can timetable the work to suit yourself, that okay?”
"You sure this is okay? Dad'll have kittens.”
"Very sure and Arn is in total agreement, you're my best student, I shouldn't say this but you are so far ahead of the rest it seems rather punitive to have you do all the travelling for basically no reward. So Gabrielle Bond, I'll sort you out some work and drop it in the post then I don't want to see you until next term.”

Dang! She shoots, she scores!

"I don't know what to say.”
"Thank you?”
"Goes without saying, thank you Lisbet.”
"Just don't let me down eh, we've already gone a bit out on a limb with your 'placement'.”
 
By the time i'd gathered myself together, had a second coffee with Lisbet and collected a couple of weighty tomes from the library it was heading for fourteen. Max hadn't replied so I wrapped up and headed for the bahnhof through the slushy streets, I'll ring him later. I still can't believe it, three weeks until half term plus that week, thats a whole month without having to come down to college and its properly official.

It was only when I got to the Löhr Centre that I realised i'd not had any lunch so I treated myself to a slice of pizza from the Backhaus and a bag of fudge from the chocolate shop – and a Lübecker marzipan bar for emergeny use. The Löhr station is a bit basic and exposed so I was glad that the weather wasn't doing anything other than grey and cold – especially as the Zug was five minutes late leaving the main station. When it did arrive I managed to claim one of the single seats upstairs, plenty of space to get comfortable and eat my late lunch.

Four whole weeks at home. Well except for my shifts at the kiosk, maybe I should do some extras? Well that and at half term its the Apollinaris training camp, unlike Austria which was all about team building, Tenerife is going to be a solid training block ahead of the Spring Classics. Not that I'm riding the classics of course, well not unless the Federation call me up, I can't deny it would be good to return to Roubaix and maybe get to do some of the others.

"You're looking chipper considering the weather,” my favourite train conductor observed.
"I've got a month off college,” I beamed.
"Alright for some,” she mumped.
"It can't be that bad Myleen?”
"We were stuck at Ahrbrück for an hour this morning, frozen points,” I was informed.
"That's nothing, we were stuck on the motorway for three hours.”
"Okay, I'll give you that. So you won't be on the Express every day then?”
"Not until I go back for spring term.”
"Don't we live some exciting lives.”
"Oh I don't know, there's a würst eating contest at Der Mühle next week.”
"Sign me up,” Myleen grinned.

A few tentative flakes were blowing about when I left the Express at Dernau, nothing much on their own but they were joining the remnants of earlier falls. The roads and paths were currently clear although white was encroaching on the edges of the tarmac and micro drifts sat along the wall bases as I transited the village to reach Schloss Bond. One thing's for sure, training will be indoors tonight.
 
"Hi!” I called out to anyone who was listening, "I'm home!”
"Stick the kettle on kiddo,” Mum requested.

Yeah, code for make a pot of tea – not that I'm against the idea.

“'kay,” I yelled back, hanging my ski jacket up as I did so.

The pot was already warming before my parents both arrived in the kitchen.

"I take it you got to Koblenz okay?” Dad queried.
"Eventually, we got stuck on the autobahn, the Polizei closed the road, then we couldn't get off the junction, nightmare, it was lunchtime when I got to college.”
"The forecast is more overnight, maybe you should go on the train tomorrow.”
"Myleen said the train was stuck this morning, stuck points or something.”
"I thought it was only British Rail that suffered from things like that,” Mum suggested.
"Think I'll just give it a miss.”
"That sounds a bit flip, what aren't you telling us, is the college closed or something?” Mum enquired.
I gave a little giggle, "Or something.”

The kettle reached its zenith so I turned my attention to the tea pot with any explanation.

"What's so funny?” Dad asked.
"Oh nothing.”
"Well if its nothing you can tell us then,” Dad logic at its best.
"Lisbet said I'm not go back until next term.”
"That's your tutor right? Why, have you been suspended, what have you done Gabrielle Bond?”
"Nothing Mum, honest. She said there wasn't much point in me going just to read in the library.”
"Don't you have lectures or tutorials to go to?” Dad queried.
"They're all suspended until next term because everyones doing their placements.”
Mum cut in, "So why aren't you doing a placement?”
I did the eye rolling thing, "Don't you guys ever listen, I told you, I get a bye because of running the kiosk.”
Mum started pouring the tea, "So they've told you to stay at home?”
"Uh huh, Lisbet's sending me some stuff to do but I don't have to go to Koblenz until after Tenerife.”
"Well don't think you are gonna sit around here doing nothing for a month.”
"As if.”
"You can start by cleaning that pit you call a bedroom.”
"Mu-um!”
 
"Why didn't you reply to my SMS?”
"My phone was out of charge,” Max replied forestalling my planned rant, "So what did you want?”
"Doesn't matter, guess what.”
"What.”
"Dur, I don't have to go to college for four weeks.”
"They finally worked out that you're a fraud?”
"Huh! I'll have you know I'm top of the class.”
"So go on, I can tell you're itching to tell me.”
"If you don't want to know...”
I could hear the intake of breath down the phoneline, "Lets hear it.”
"Well you know we were late, well I thought i'd get a coffee with Lisbet before going to the library....”
 
I looked up at the skylight, whilst the moon was shining brightly through my little portal to the heavens, a few errant snowflakes were settling on the glass, one here, another over there. We watched the RTL news specifically for the weather, of course it dominated the news too, closed roads, delays up at the airport, a ten car pile up over on the Frankfurt motorway. The forecast didn't look too bad, light snow over night with heavier falls through tomorrows rush hour, much the same as today then except tonight it was falling on top of todays contribution, am I glad I can stay indoors tomorrow.

The bad thing about that is that Mum was deadly serious about sorting out the eyrie' Okay, its not the tidiest of places but I know where everything is, sort of. Hmm, maybe she has a point.

I wonder what its like up at the Preiser's? If its settling down here it'll be a lot worse that high up, I know someone who'll be enjoying it though, its a pity I can't get there but it'd be far too dodgy to ride. I'll have to give Bern a call in the morning, oh and Con, maybe I'll pop into the Kindergarten and wind her up.
 

© Maddy Bell 28.07.2019