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On The Edge by Maddy Bell
Copyright© 2021 Madeline Bell
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What friends are for
Cheer was, well the usual really, mostly me and Han critiqueing the actual cheer team, even after a year of doing it it still seems a bit weird being the coach rather than coached. In between, the two of us discussed coachy things, Han has the diary filling up, competitions of course but appearances at a variety of 'events', some sporting, some like Karneval, just plain old demonstrations. Of course, whilst I'm sort of in charge of the routines, my own attendance at most of the fixtures is unlikely as is Mands participation, still thats as is, short of not racing thats not going to change any time soon.
Much as i'd have liked to spend Tuesday with Gran i'd previously arranged to be at the Kiosk so once i'd consummed my double pepperoni I took myself up to the eyrie for an early night.
It was an uneventful day at Connie's Kabin, apart from the sort of lunchtime rush, it was fairly slow which did allow me to do a thorough stock check – just as well, we were running a bit low on some stuff. A quick call to the wholesalers and we should be okay for the weekend. I guess drama is the last thing anyone in business needs but it doesn't make life very exciting for the staff, I was quite glad to mount the pink thing and return home through the winter gloom.
"So,” I started, "You know tomorrow?”
"What about it?” Dad asked.
"Gran said you were going into Frankfurt before the airport.”
"It has been mentioned,” he agreed as he fiddled with the gears on Manda's training bike.
"Well I was wondering,” I started.
"If you could come along?”
"Er yeah,” I agreed.
"Thought you were gonna be at the kiosk again?”
"Kris and Nena have got it covered,” I advised.
"Best ask your Gran, see if she wants you along.”
I hadn't even considered that I might not be welcome, its Gran we're talking here but of course, Dad's right, she put up with me all day Monday in Koblenz, maybe she wants to do her own thing tomorrow? No time like the present, I went out to the kitchen where Gran was busy making a Cottage pie for dinner.
"Need any help?”
"Gaby, you made me jump.”
"Sorry, help?”
"No thanks, I think I have everything under control.”
"I'll put these pans in the washer,” I suggested.
"A pot of tea would be nice,” she hinted.
Of course, I'm an attentative and dutiful grandaughter, I filled the kettle and switched it on.
"Would it be okay if I came to the airport tomorrow?”
"You asked your dad?”
"He said to ask you.”
"Hmm, I don't suppose the shops in Frankfurt would have anything to do with this desire to visit an airport?”
"I just thought it would be nice to see you off, you did come out for my birthday afterall.”
It was kind of the truth, just not all of it.
"As long as you don't keep plying me with cake, I hate using aircraft toilets.”
Of course, as is so often the case in the World of Bond it was never going to be that simple, Wednesday morning saw not just me, Dad and Gran in the Saab but I was sharing the back seat with Mand. For why? Well the rest of her fellow students, the A level lot that is, are off on an 'exchange' trip to Barcelona for half term, Mand couldn't go due to Tenerife so she finished up having the rest of this week off. I'm sure she had mentioned it before, doesn't mean I was listening, well properly that is.
"I thought we were going into Frankfurt?” I queried as we passed the junction for the sixty six, Frankfurt Nord/centrum.
"We are,” Dad mentioned over his shoulder.
"Isn't this the long way?”
"I guess it would be if thats where we were going.”
Now I was confused and even more so when we turned off the autobahn at the airport. Of course, like most airports, they don't make it easy to get to anything – well unless you arrive by air, so we did the roller coaster time around the block thing to get to the Parkhaus where Dad found a slot almost opposite Departures.
"Why are we here? Gran's flight isn't for hours.”
"I'm well aware of that kiddo.”
Gran and Manda were stoic in not contributiing to the conversation, I'm being wound up again aren't I?
"So?”
"What happens at four, five o'clock?”
"Rush hour?” I proposed.
"What time is your Gran's flight?”
"Seven?” I suggested.
"Well near enough,” Dad agreed, "So unless we want to sit in the airport for hours to miss the traffic....”
Lightbulb moment.
"We park here and get the train!”
"Geez Gab, for brain of Deutschland you can be a bit slow at times,” Mand observed.
"Huh!” I um, huhed.
We had to go into the terminal and down several escalators but we were soon winging our way on the S8 into the city centre a few kilometres away. When we pulled into Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof I was a little confused, we seemed to be underground and there weren't nearly enough platforms. All was revealed however at the top of the escalator, the mainline trains are all above in a huge hall.
It was a bit chilly outside but dry and bright, one of those winter days that confuses you into thinking Spring has sprung. Having not been to central Frankfurt before we stayed together for the short walk along Kaiserstraße to the central shopping zone.
"Coffee anyone?” Dad enquired.
Well its been, I dunno, at least three hours since breakfast, I wasn't the only one needing a caffeine boost. I'm not a great fan of their homogenised output but Dad steered us into a nearby Starbucks™ - well he's paying.
"So what do you girls want to do?” Dad asked once we had coffee in hand.
"Look 'round the shops? I still need a new cossie.” I mentioned.
"Manda?”
"I should probably look for some proper sandals, but I could get them on the island I suppose.”
"Cheap tourist tat,” I suggested.
"Or expensive,” Gran mentioned, "They have a captive market.”
"Yeah,” Mand agreed.
"Josie, what about you, want to go anywhere in particular?”
"Just a mooch around Dave, is there a C&A?”
"I'm sure there is. Okay, how about this, you girls go do your shopping, me and Gran'll find C&A and have a look around, we can meet up later for something to eat before going back to the airport. How does that sound?”
Mand shrugged, "Sure.”
"Gab?”
"I guess,” much as I love her, shopping with Gran isn't 'fun' exactly and we did that on Monday.
"Well thats that settled,” Gran allowed with maybe a hint of relief in her voice.
"What time?” I asked.
Dad did the countback thing, "We need to be on a train about five at the latest, four in the main concourse? That gives you about five hours for shopping.”
"I'm sure we can fill that,” Mand opined.
"If you are going to be late for any reason ring, worst case we can meet at the airport,” Dad instructed.
"Okay.”
And so it was that ten minutes later Mand and I set off on our quest for beach wear!
"What about this?” Mand suggested waving what amounted to three tiny triangles of leopardskin lycra at me.
"Seriously?”
"Thought it was just your style.”
"Hardly, who buys this stuff?”
My question was sort of answered when a similar costume was waved about by another shopper, an over tanned, over painted, over age woman carrying a bit too much extra flesh to really carry off a bikini, let alone an animal print example. Mand and I looked at the woman, at each other and made a strategic withdrawal before falling about in hysterics. I just hope she hadn't heard us.
By contrast, Mand's sandal buying had actually been straight forward, we stumbled on the Birkenstock™ store who had some clearance lines, not cheap even then but de Vreen homed in on the one pair with seventy five percent off, that just happened to be her size and whilst the blue was a bit darker, they were pretty close to our team strip blue. One happy shopper which left me and the search for swimwear.
Maybe H&M™ isn't the best place for practical pool clothing so we decamped for stores as yet unexplored! Okay, the big name stores can be much of a muchness, its the small local ones that make exploring a new city 'exciting'. Mand spotted a contender when we came out of the Galeria, a place called Sportscheck™, well it was worth a go.
We headed in, there was the usual football and running stuff but there was a bit of other stuff too, hiking, racquets, even some bike gear. Okay, maybe you wouldn't come here for performance stuff but they had some big brand stuff which looked okay. And there, next to the yoga mats, swimwear! Yay, not only that but this stuff was actually intended for in the pool rather than around it, I was smitten already.
Mand's attention was taken with some trainers across the store so I was left in peace to check out what was on offer. I found a couple that I liked, a bright yellow race style affair and a more nautical white and blue example, complete with an anchor motif. I went to find Mand for a second opinion, by now she'd lost interest in trainers and was looking at walking shorts of all things.
"What do you reckon?” I asked holding my two options up for inspection.
"Depends.”
"Not helpful.”
She let out a sigh, "Why do you need a cossie?”
"For swimming next week.”
"And?”
"Maybe going to the beach? So which one?”
She took each one from me in turn, making a performance of checking the cut, opacity and stitching.
"Hmm.”
"So?”
"If it was me...”
"Yes?”
"I'd get them both.”
"But I only need one and they're like forty euro each.”
"Gab, didn't you see the board?”
"Eh?”
"The one that says fifty percent off all swimwear?”
"You're kidding.”
"Nope,” she turned me around and pointed to the huge placard hanging above the swim department.
"Oh, that sign.”
"That sign, get them both for the price of one.”
Put like that it was a no brainer.
Shopping mission complete, we returned to the main shopping street, Zell and were quickly tempted by a Frite stand. Yeah I know we are eating with Dad and Gran in a bit but we were both ready for a break from the shops and what better way than chips and lemonade?
"What now?” my companion queried.
I looked at my watch, a little before three so an hour before we are due to rejoin Dad and Gran.
"Start heading to the station?”
"If there's a Drogerie I could do with some shampoo and stuff for next week.”
"Good idea Batgirl, I think I saw one on the way up.”
Well we didn't see the pharmacy, we might've been distracted by the cheapo boutique who, even in February were selling t shirts and vest tops at silly prices like three euros! At that sort of price it doesn't matter so much if they don't last that well, they'll be ideal for next week. Mand got a couple of T's and I found a pretty cami top, a cap sleeved T and multi coloured sarong thing that would work with the yellow cossie – yes I did buy them both.
On the plus side there was an Apotheke in the station concourse and we still had over twenty minutes before we were meeting the others. That left us with time to look at the collection of small kiosks in the centre of the concourse, candles, postage stamps, 'ethnic' house decoration stuff and, oh my god, one selling Deutche Bahn stuff. Not a model railway stall as such, there were model trains but model cars and trucks, even buses, cheek by jowel with books and other themed items.
"If you're looking at that stuff, I'm gonna go find a seat,” Manda told me.
"Okay, won't be long.”
I might be a certified XX holder but that doesn't mean I can't like trains and stuff does it? Mind you, at some of these prices like may well be the limit of things, four hundred euro for a model train? Ouch. On the other hand a set of three DB Volkswagen transporters was a more affordable twenty, I was into my purse in a flash.
"There you are,” Dad noted when I crossed to the seating area.
"Here I am.”
"Lets go find some food.”
As you might expect in a railway station, whilst there was plenty of choice most of the food outlets were geared towards eating on the hoof. Several do have seating but we didn't really want sandwiches or food served on a paper plate. Having spent ten minutes looking about, we were on the point of giving up when Dad spotted what turned out to be a proper sit down restaurant hidden behind a takeaway counter.
"This is nice,” Gran suggested once we were seated.
And indeed it was, a restrained décor, proper tableclothes and a bevy of young men serving table, you could almost call it posh. It wasn't the cheapest of places and the menu was a bit heavy towards steak and pasta but on the other hand we were in before the evening rush and it was a quite relaxing atmosphere.
"So did you get your costume?” Gran enquired once we'd ordered.
Of course that meant a telling of our tale and Dad's surprise that we hadn't found the designer stores just around the corner from where we had coffee. Dang, I really will have to come again, wonder if the girls would be up for a trip?
Fed, we made tracks, get it? Oh never mind, we headed down to the S-Bahn, catching an S9 that pulled in as we got to the platform.
"You alright Gran?” I asked as we jounced under Frankfurt city centre.
"Just a bit tired luv,” she replied forcing a smile.
"Maybe you can get some sleep on the plane,” I suggested.
"Its only like an hour,” Mand observed.
"A bit more, I'm sure it was an hour and a half at Chrimbo.”
"Its still hardly long enough to sleep properly,” Mand persisted.
"You going to be okay driving home Josie?” Dad asked.
"I'll be fine.”
At the airport, Mand and I went with Gran to Departures whilst Dad went to fetch her bag from the car. We found the check in desk and stood waiting for Pater.
"Thanks for coming Gran, you didn't have to.”
"What, miss my grandaughters birthday.”
"Thanks Gran,” I told her moving in for a teary hug
"There now girl, I'll see you again soon, your Dad's hoping to get you all over in the Spring, so I'll see you then and you know my phone number eh?”
"Yes Gran.”
"Now come on, less of those tears or you'll have me at it too.”
"Mr B's just coming,” Mand advised as I extricated myself.
"I um, got you something,” I mentioned, scrabbling into my handtasche.
"Everything okay?” Dad enquired from behind me.
"Just having a moment Dave,” Gran told him.
"Its not much but I thought you'd like it.”
I handed Gran the envelope that i'd written out when I used the lav at the restaurant.
"Do I open it now?”
"Up to you.”
"Maybe I'll save it until later eh.”
"We should get you checked in Josie,” Dad prompted.
We walked along to security where we said our final farewells, waiting until she disappeared into the tax free shopping to join her fellow travellers. Of course we'll be doing the same on Friday, but instead of gloomy Cheshire we'll be flying to the sunny Canaries. It was with a heavy heart though that I followed the others back to the Parkhaus, to the car for the hour or so drive back to Dernau.
Josie wandered along the concourse towards her departure gate, pausing only to buy chocolate for her best friend and a bag of Haribo™ bears for herself, a habit picked up from her daughter. The flight hadn't been called yet so she found a seat and pulled out the envelope Gabrielle had given her. It was definitely from a young woman, no longer a child, neat handwriting just stated 'Gran' on the front of the lilac paper.
Inside was the expected card, the cursive script was in German but its message was clear enough as was her grandchilds message inside. But there was something else too, wrapped in tissue paper (how appropriate), a small lump which when unwrapped turned out to be a pretty amber brooch. Sniffing to stop herself from crying, Josie pinned the brooch to her cardigan, 'thank you Gaby'.
"Would all passengers for flight LH two four seven to Manchester please make their way to gate B twenty seven.”
Maddy Bell © 25.02.2021
