Gaby Book 28 ~ Balancing Trick ~ Chapter *8*

Gaby Book 28  Balancing Trick by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2023 Madeline Bell

 
"Thought you were gonna ring earlier,” I blurted into the mouthpiece.
"Sorry?” a voice that was not my Father queried.
"Oops, sorry, I thought it was someone else.”
"I get that a lot,” Stefan chuckled, for it was the BlauHase frontman on the other end of the connection.
"I was expecting Dad to ring,” I explained, "He’s away with the senior team. So to what do I owe this pleasure?”
"And hello to you too Erd. Well Robert has got some stuff he thinks we should do and as you’re presence would be required, well there’s stuff to discuss and it’d be best sooner rather than later.”
"Okay,” I replied cautiously.
"So what are you doing tomorrow night?”
"Tomorrow?”
"Things are moving fast.”
"Not got anything planned but like I said, the Rents are away so I can’t really get anywhere.”
"We can come to you, its not like we’re that far away.”
"To the house?”

My mind suddenly fixated on Dad’s ‘no party’ dictat, it wasn’t a party per se but it’d be impolite not to offer drinks and, and…
"Erd? You still there?”
"Oh, er sorry, just thinking.”
"Dangerous that thinking lark, anyhow we were thinking a restaurant or bar in your village maybe?”

I had to think for a moment, whilst there are a few places in the village they are mostly of the Weinstube variety or a bit, well twee, not really your rock‘n roll sort of places. But there was one candidate.

"There’s the Römerhof at the bottom of the town, they do actually play music from this century.”
"They do food?”
"Nothing fancy, pommes, wűrst, that sort of thing.”
"That should do, six thirty okay?”
"Er yeah, you want Ne-isty along?”
"No real need.”
"Okay.”
"Great, we’ll see you at half to seven at this Römerhof place then.”
"Yeah, you okay finding it, its just off the main road on Römerstaße.”
"We’ll find it,” he assured me, "See you tomorrow, tschuss.”
"Tschussie.”
 

"Not your dad then,” Mand correctly surmised before helping a wayward string of pizza cheese into her mouth.
"Stefan, we’re having a band meeting tomorrow evening apparently.”

Hey, pizza! I took another bite of the still warm, just, delight. Okay it woulda been better warmer but Ill not let a few degrees c spoil things.

"On my own again then,” Mand sighed.
"I thought you were revising?”
"You can only do so much before your brain melts.”

Yeah, I can identify with that, exams are the Devil’s work!

"You wanna come with, be my chaperone for the night?”

I think the Rent’s will approve and whilst its not got the reputation of that road house up the valley, its still not somewhere a single teenage girl would generally visit.

"Thought you’d never ask, so where’re we going?”
"The Römerhof, the Wild West of Dernau.”
"Cool,” she enthused.
 

It was nearly ten before Mum, rather than Dad, rang.

"Mum! How’d it go?”
"Well,” she started in sober tones, "It was a hard day, that hill is a killer.”
"Tell me about it,” I agreed, the memory of burning muscles and gasping for breath still quite raw from my own efforts.
"It was another classic Ardennes race, long breakaways but everyone was back together with seven K to go.”
"Its not exactly a finish for the sprinters,” I observed.
"Or old fogey’s,” Mum added.
"Oh well, there’s always next year.”
"Yeah, no ones ever one two back to back,” her tone changed and she nearly blew out my ear drum as she squealed, "I won!”
"But I thought you said…”
"I did, but along with age comes experience, sometimes hiding in the bunch all day pays dividends.”
"So?” I pressed.
"Well a couple of teams, Trek and Boels I think, were driving things when we came into Huy, things were getting a bit stringy with those roundabouts, Anita and Katy were riding herd, I was about top twenty as we turned onto the climb.”
"That’s quite far back,” I opined.
"I’d normally agree but I was pretty sure most of those up front would be going backwards on the climb, you can’t drive forty, fifty K for best bit of twenty K and still have legs fresh enough for the Mur. Anyway someone pulled a foot out on that righthander, Anita and a few others had to stop but me and Kate were far enough back to get around unhindered.

It was carnage on the Wall of course, tired legs overcoming enthusiasm, I think I was in about third about two lengths down as we crested the steep bit. Anyway, that’s by the by, they started fiddling with gears in preparation for a sprint. There’s no time for all that finessing malarkey on the Wall so I took my chance up the right.”
"Neat!”
"Three lengths and Katy took the bottom step too,” Mum enthused, "Bonds two, the rest nil!”
"I thought there was something wrong when Dad didn’t ring earlier like he said.”
"My fault,” Mum admitted, "We had a ‘bit’ of a celebration, as you do, you’re Dad managed to turn his ankle when we came out of the restaurant so we’ve been at the hospital in Liege for three hours this evening.”
"He’s alright?”
"Yeah, nothing broken, they strapped it all up, looks worse than it is, couple of day’s rest and he’ll be running marathons, he’s in bed with the painkillers now. So everything okay in Dernau? No wild parties? House fires?”
"Mu-um,” I groaned.
"Well I had to ask.”
"I’m meeting Stefan and the guys tomorrow night, stuff about the band.”
"In Bonn?”
"Nah, they’re coming to the Römerhof, don’t worry I’m taking Mand for moral support and chaperonage.”
"Well just be careful, that place has a reputation.”
"Yeah, as a pub, we’ll be fine, the lads’ll be there.”
"Just don’t sign or agree to anything without running it past me and your Dad okay?”
"I won’t.”
"Promise me Gabrielle, I’m serious, the music industry is full of sharks out for a cut of your earnings.”

Ot oh, Sunday name.

"I won’t, I promise.”
"Okay, what time is this ‘meeting?”
"Half six.”
"One of us will call on Wednesday then.”
"Fine.”
"Well I need my beauty sleep even if you don’t, g’nite kiddo.”
"Yeah, nite Mum and give Dad a hug from me.”
"I will, bye.”
"Bye.”
 

Tuesday arrived a bit brighter than we’ve had of late which meant I didn’t have icicles hanging from my nose when Olaf pulled up. The brighter weather had clearly awakened a few motorway morons, we passed two fender benders before we even got to the interchange and a more serious collision had a lane closed as we dropped down towards the Rhein. We were in plenty of time for our various appointments when we reached Neustadt and the car park though.

"We meeting for the train later?” Max enquired.
"Should be.”
"So what’re you up to tonight?”
"Why?”
"Well I thought we could, you know, take a walk in the vineyards?”
"Hmm, well tempting as that might be, one, the ground’s still damp from the weekend and two, I’m going out with Mand.”
"Bummer, rain check?”
"Definitely,” I offered pulling him down for a quick lip lock before flouncing off towards the Business College for the mornings education.
 

Of course, the commute back to the Ahrtal was opportunity enough to practice a bit of tonsil hockey, well at least as far as Remagen.

"So where are you two off to tonight?” my BF enquired as the Express failed to live up to its name going through Bad Neuenahr.
"Just down the village to see some friends,” which wasn’t a lie.
"I don’t suppose?”
"You wouldn’t enjoy it, you know...”
 

“...what its like when girls get together.”
"You fibber Gaby Bond,” Mand accused when I related the incident as we finished getting ready.
"I never said it was a girls night.”
"Just strongly hinted,” de Vreen observed.

We were running a bit late of course, when I got home there was a cryptic ‘watch Eurosport’ on the answering machine from Mum. So instead of getting ready to go out I ended up watching the last hour of the mens Fleche coverage. Davide Rebellin riding for the German Gerolsteiner team won in a fashion not dissimilar to Mum yesterday.

It was only when they returned to the studio afterwards for the usual dissection of the race that the reason for the message became clear, Mumsie was there giving some insider take on the race and the result. It was obviously about the mens race but the director couldn’t resist showing the finale of the womens event for comparison. From what Mum said last night the result was down to luck but the video footage told a different story, Mum was clearly taking it to Verstratten and Depoorter, their errors only cemented Mums position.

Of course they then couldn’t resist showing my race – I didn’t even realise they were filming it. Seeing it from the outside, so to speak, I never really looked in danger, yes they were gaining on me on the lower slopes but once I hit the Mur itself, well it might’ve felt and sounded like they were breathing down my neck but the reality was that I had good clear road and my acceleration over the top just served to increase the gap.

As usual they talked a load of codswallop comparing the girls race to the lads but they only showed about two seconds of their podium, I must’ve had a good minute! So there. Mand got home just in time to catch a reel of highlights from all the weeks Wallonie action which included a repeat of me claiming the win, was she impressed? You have to be kidding.

"Even I could’ve won from there.”
"If you say so.”
"So, what’s the dress code for tonight?”

I hadn’t really given it any thought.

"Casual rock chick?” I suggested, "I dunno, its food and drinks with the band, nothing special.”
"You still have an image to uphold.”
"Which is?” I enquired.
"Sexy vixen.”
"That is so not me!”
"If you say so but it most definitely is Erdbeer,” she stated.
 

"You sure about this?” de Vreen asked, gripping my waist in a death grip.
"Walk if you want but I’m not.”

I turned the key and the Mofa burst into life. Okay, maybe riding a pink Mofa through town at fifteen kph isn’t exactly rock and roll but it beats the poo out of walking in these boots, you know, the ones I got on Tenerife for the tour? We wobbled out of the drive but our stability improved once we were moving a bit quicker, taking the longer but quieter route through the centre and past the cemetery to reach our destination. The big motorbike parked outside the bar, all chrome and leather tassles, did its best to intimidate my machine but you can’t be weak to pull off pink can you, well?

Of course helmets of any description and fancy hairdo’s don’t go well together so its just as well mine was in simple braids, more native American than Sasoon whilst Mand pulled hers into a pony while I secured our helmets, my passenger having borrowed Jules’ for the short journey. I suppose we could’ve gone without, its not a requirement but it is a condition from the Rents. Any ways, I took a breath and led the way into the Römerhof.

As bars go it was pretty ordinary, you’ll find its like pretty much anywhere, Dad calls them ‘spit and sawdust’, nothing fancy, just a bar selling booze without any pretentious ideas of being anything more. There were a few people in, mostly, by their attire, those of more manual employment grabbing a beer after work. The arrival of two young women attracted some attention as you might expect but as Mum would say, acting like you belong will get you into lots of places so I aimed for the bar.

"See if you can find a table,” I instructed.
"Er okay,” Mand agreed before heading towards one of the vacant glass holders.

"What can I get you ladies,” the barman, a chap I vaguely recognised from around the village, asked.

Well by preference I drink wine but given where we were.

"Two beers please.”
"ID?”
"Er right, moment,” I fished in my purse and eventually found the card and handed it over.
"Fine, I have to check,” he advised returning it after a cursory glance, "Alt?”
"Er yeah, please.”
"I know who you are,” he mentioned as he started pulling our drinks, "Not seen your friend before.”
"You do?”
"Of course, everyone knows the Weinprinzessin.”
"Gott, that was like three years ago.”
He shrugged, "You made an impression,” he pointed to a nearby wall where there was a rogues gallery of Weinprinzessin. "And besides, I’m a BlauHase fan.”
"We have fans?”
"Why wouldn’t you?” he finished our drinks with a top off.
"How much?”
"This one’s on me, not everyday we have royalty in here.”
"Er thanks, do you have a karte?”
"On the board,” he pointed to the end of the bar.
"Thanks for these.”

"What was all that about?” Mand enquired.
"Free beer, he’s a BlauHase fan.”
"No accounting for taste.”
"Hey, I resemble that!”
"There a menu?”
"On the bar.”
"Its a bit, er…”
"Rough?” I whispered.
"I was going to say male, we’re the only females in here.”
"Which is why you’re here.”
"And there was me thinking is was because you like me.”
"Anyhow, the others should be here soon.”

Right on cue the door opened and Animal stepped through followed by his girlfriend Samantha, Big Jo and Stefan.

"Guys!” I called out.
"Erd!” Stefan returned as the newcomers turned towards us.
"We might need some more chairs,” Sam suggested.
"We just grabbed a table,” Mand told them.
"I’ll get some drinks,” Big Jo mentioned, "You girls okay?”
"Er yeah, fine.”

There was a bit of chair and table moving during which Marcus and LJ arrived with their respective partners. Greetings and introductions were made and it was almost like being back on the road, is it only ten days ago that we rocked Das Bett? Clearly the lads had all come straight from their day jobs, the WAG’s too, which made me feel a bit overdressed.

I never said did I, I finally settled on my skinny jeans with a vest top, Jules’ leather jacket adding a bit of insulation if not actual warmth for later – and of course those boots.

"Jasper’s sorting us out some food,” Big Jo told us when he returned with a tray of beverages.
"Jasper?” I had to ask.
"The barman, think he’s got a crush on you Erd.”
"Leave the girl alone Jo,” Hilde interjected.
"Just saying.”
"I think its the band he’s into,” I suggested.
"So why is your picture on the wall? Nice kostum by the way.”
"Kostum?” Anna queried.
"I was the Weinprinzessin a couple of years ago,” I explained, "He’s got everyone’s picture up there.”
"Maybe we should change our look, I bet you’d look good in lederhosen Stefan,” Marcus chuckled.
 

Maddy Bell © 15.06.2023