“Herr Sebenschuh?”
“Ja, call me Helmut please, Nena yes?”
“Yes, you really are a lifesaver, Helmut, thank you so much for this.”
“Pleased to help, let’s get the food inside.”
Nena followed out to the van where a trio of teenage girls were unstacking boxes in the back of the elderly minibus.
“Girls, this is Nena the Reisemeisterin.”
“Hi!” the trio chorused.
“The one in the bus ist mein Töchter Pia und dieser ist ihr freund Connie und Gaby,” Helmut indicated each one in turn.”
“Nice to meet you all, thanks so much for helping.”
“Thank us afterwards,” the tiny blonde suggested.
 
 
The food was quickly taken inside and through to the kitchen.
“I’m afraid its nothing fancy, Grießklößchen suppe to start, Wiener schnitzel, Rotkohl und croquettes for main with strudel for dessert, I’m guessing you have access to Getränke?”
They’d moved into the dining room, a typical semi rustic décor, hunting paraphernalia mixed with some farming equipment – well what would you expect in the Hotel Grüner Jäger?
“It all sounds good to me,” Nena grinned, “we can do coffee and I bought beer and wine so I think we’re covered.”
Helmut’s face sank, “You have shop wine?”
“Er yes, what’s wrong?”
“We can’t have that, let’s get the girls organised and we’ll sort it out.”
“Erm, okay.”
“Get the fryers on Pia, Gab, Connie if you can make a start on the tables, how many have we?”
“With Dennis and myself forty?”
“So I think four tables, you will eat with the passengers?”
“Sure,” Nena agreed.
“Let’s shuffle some furniture then.”
“I’ll get Den.”

--:--
“She’s got a funny accent,” Pia observed after Nena and her father left the kitchen.
“And an apple,” Con mentioned.
“Eh?” Gab queried.
“You know, Adamsapfel,” she pointed to her throat.
“I didn’t notice, so she’s a he?”
“Well I don’t know any madchen with the apple,” Con pointed out.
“Cute haircut,” Pia offered as she checked the oil level in the fryers.
 
 
“You girls okay?” Helmut asked a few minutes later.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I need to pop back home, I’ll be thirty minutes so put the soup on, bread in baskets on the tables, Pia you know the routine.”
“Yes, Papa.”
“Okay, I’ll be as quick as possible.”
--:--
“Seems a nice chap,” Den mentioned as he helped his colleague in the present wrapping marathon.
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting him to bring help, I thought we’d be serving.”
“At least the punters are saved that,” Den chortled.
--:--
They were running slightly late but timetable hadn’t allowed for Helmut’s dash back to Rech.
“Ready, girls?”
“As we will be,” Gaby stated.
“Pia, drinks orders, you pair start on the soup then help Pia with the drinks, let’s go!”
--:--
The stranded tourists were a little taken aback when three pretty girls in traditional costume emerged from the kitchen. Clearly these weren’t the regular staff, they’d worn plain black tops and trousers – practical but in no way nice. With the lights down and seasonal music in the background the three smiling girls lit the room up with their colourful outfits and carefully braided and coifed hair.
It made sense for Connie to carry the tray of ready filled soup bowls out to the diners, Gaby then delivering them to table. Pia meanwhile started on the drinks orders, a limited choice of cola, lemonade, beer or red wine, her father moving to act as barman after the soup was all decanted. Pia wasn’t great at English, Herr Viessner despaired at some of her pronunciations, but she managed to make herself understood.
It didn’t occur to anyone until much later that Gaby should’ve been tasked with the job – after all she had the most experience with the language! The girls were actually enjoying themselves and the diners were soon laughing and cracking jokes.
--:--
“This is better than we’ve had the rest of the week,” Den noted as he mopped the remains of his Grießklößchen up with yet another piece of fresh bread.
“Guess you get what you pay for,” Nena allowed.
“Not only that but we get to have a drink, this red is excellent.”
“Helmut fetched it, wouldn’t let us use the stuff I bought.”
“Finished?”
“Oh, er yes thank you, Gaby.”
“They speak very good English,” Den noted.
“Can’t imagine kids in say Harrogate speaking German as well,” Nena stated.
--:--
The Wiener sauce was happily bubbling away, Rotkohl simmering beside it, only the croquettes and schnitzel needed flashing to be ready to serve.
“How we doing, girls?” Helmut asked as his helpers returned to the kitchen with more dirty dishes.
“Just a couple left, Papa, a few empty glasses,” Pia reported.
“Fine, food first then refills.”
The first fryer dinged announcing the first batch of schnitzel was ready.
“Okay, Connie if you clear the last suppe please.”
“Sure,” she agreed heading out to the dining room.
“Right, Pia, you do the kohl and sauce, Gab if you can serve to table.”
Gaby readied herself with a cloth; the plates would be hot having been warming for nearly an hour. Helmut started the line with the croquettes and schnitzel, Pia adding cabbage and sauce in a fashion that didn’t say dumped on the plate. There was nearly a disaster with Con nearly colliding with the first plates as she returned with the last soup bowls, only Gab’s quick reactions saving the accident.
“Oops!” Con mentioned.
“Next time,” Gab offered.
“More speed, less haste,” Helmut suggested.
“Uh huh,” Con agreed.
--:--
“Last plates!” Helmut announced.
“Thought we weren’t ever getting there,” his daughter stated.
It had seemed never ending to Gabs too, twenty laps, the next plates waiting by the time she returned to the kitchen.
“Glad that’s over,” she sighed as Con took the last delivery out.
“Not yet,” Pia noted, “refills.”
“Urgh!”
“I’ll get the vanilla sauce started,” Helmut added.
 
 
It was another fifteen minutes before the girls had a chance to catch their breath with a glass of Sprite® but it was only a brief respite before the main course clear up began.
--:--
“Dunno where you found them, Nena,” Jake Brown mentioned, “but the girls and the food are excellent.”
“Better than me cooking,” his wife Mary added.
Nena just smiled, it had been a fraught morning and Sebenschuh had been Hobson’s Choice , despite that it had certainly turned out really well.
--:--
The strudel was a simpler job for plating up, Helmut had half of it done before the main course clear up began leaving just the sauce to add on the way to table. Not much food returned to the kitchen, which after thirty years in the trade Helmut was gratified to see, there’s usually ten percent waste but a couple of spoons of Rotkohl and a few bits of schnitzel was exceptional.
“You want to do the coffee, Gaby?”
“’Kay,” the wunderkind agreed.
“Last round, let’s go!” Helmut enthused.
--:--
“If you can put the glasses and coffee stuff in the washer when you wrap up.”
“Sure, thank you so much for the meal and if you can thank the girls too.” Nena replied, “The dirndls and their enthusiasm really cheered everyone up.”
“Of course, I’ll be down about eight with frühstuck.”
“Brilliant,” Nena smiled in reply.
“You got anything organised for tomorrow?” Helmut queried.
“To be honest I hadn’t thought much past getting some food organised,” the blonde admitted.
“I have an idea if you like.”
“Shoot.”
“Well I could ferry you all up to the Stube, have a bit of a party, nice dinner later then get you back here afterwards.”
“That’s very generous of you Helmut, can I confirm later but that would be brilliant.”
“You have my number, I’d best get these girls back to their families, it is Weihnachts after all, Frohes Weihnachts!”
“Frohes Weihnachts.”
--:--
“That sounds like her now,” Jen opined hearing the kitchen door clunk shut.
There was a short delay and then a blur of colour launched itself into the lounge.
“Gran!”
“Whoa! Calm down, Gab, you’ll knock your gran over,” Dave opined.
Josie held her youngest grandchild at arms length. Gone was any semblance to the uncertain tomboyish child she’d last seen back in the summer, no this was a girl child and no doubt about it from the German dress to the happy smiling face.
“Gis a hug.”
Gaby didn’t waste any time in wrapping her self around the family matriarch.
“I’ve missed you, Gran.”
“And me you.”
“Can we eat now?” Jules interjected.
--:--
“Sebenschuh.”
“Helmut? It’s Nena Ziegler from Global?”
“Hello.”
“Sorry to disturb your evening, if the offer is still on we’d quite like to take up your offer.”
“Fine, I’ll get things rolling, we’ll talk details in the morning.”
“Brilliant! Thank you again for all this, enjoy the rest of the evening.”
“And you, tschuss.”
“Tschuss.”
--:--
“You look like the cat with the cream,” Den offered when Nena returned from reception.
“It won’t be a turkey dinner but there will be Christmas for these folks.”
“In that case I’ll have another glass of red.”
--:--
The Bond’s, after the delayed start to proceedings, enjoyed a very traditional Weihnachts meal – traditional German that is. No turkey, no pigs, no heavy pudding, for the families third German Christmas they’d gone native big style at least as far as the food went, the exchange of presents would still be the following morning. They were just assembling to walk round to midnight mass when Dave’s mobile started trilling.
“Bond, oh hi, Helmut… just off to mass…oh that’s alright…tomorrow morning?…ten o’clock, should be fine…I’m sure she will, hang on.”
Covering the phone he looked about for his youngest, “Gab? You want to work tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
“After your presents, Helmut’s entertaining your coach people up at the Stube.”
“I suppose so.”
“Yes or no,” Dave pressed.
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
“She says yes Helmut,” Dave told the caller. “The Grüner Jäger at ten…see you then…I’ll tell them…Fröhes Weihnachts.”
“Everything okay, Dave?” Jenny queried.
“Sure, I’ll tell you later, come on guys let’s sing some carols.”
Maddy Bell 26.12.15

 
 
Gab looked out of the Dormer, no snow but the sky looked pretty full of something, oh well, no escaping the training schedule. Sports bra, thermal bibs, merino socks, jersey, phone – everything else is downstairs. Mum was already in the kitchen similarly attired when she got there, coffee already dripping into the jug.
“I thought you were going out later?”
“I got a better offer, you don’t mind company?”
“As if, I’m only doing an hour though.” In fact after so long riding alone the last few months with Manda have been cool but she’s gone home until the New Year.
“Suits me.”
“Morning, girls,” Gran offered joining us.
“Morning, Mum, you could’ve stayed in bed, we’ll be out in a few minutes,” Jen told her.
“I’m guessing you’ll want breakfast when you get back?”
“There’s sausages in the fridge,” Gab advised.
“Done, now can I get a cup of that coffee?”
 
 
The two Bonds, resplendent in their rainbow jerseys, headed up the valley at a steady pace, it was to be a tempo ride, yeah they might do a couple of sprints but the intention was less full for endurance rather than speed.
“How you doing?”
“Okay I guess. You?”
“So so, not getting any younger,” Jen mentioned.
“Not sure I should be out with such an old lady!”
“Why you!”
Gab sprinted out of Jen’s reach with a giggle, it was all in fun and they were soon chatting away about nothing in particular. Jenny regretted missing the mother daughter stuff with Juliette, she was having a second chance with Gaby, one she didn’t intend to squander. At least with Gaby they already had something in common, how they’d ever thought she was a boy – well that was in the past.
The aroma of sausage, bacon and mushrooms greeted the Bond girls when they returned to the schloss.
“Full English?” Gab queried as she stripped off a couple of layers in the kitchen.
“Ew!” Josie allowed.
“Gabrielle Bond down here now!” Jenny ordered.
“Yes, Mum,” Gab sighed, returning to the bike cave.
“How many times have you been told?”
“Too many,” the teen sighed.

--:--
“I’ve called in a favour or two, there’ll be transport out front at ten,” Helmut advised.
“We’ll be waiting,” Nena stated.
“Okay, I’ll see you in an hour then.”
 
 
“He really is going the extra mile,” Den stated as the Stube minibus departed.
“Do you know, I think he’s enjoying it.”
“Well it’s certainly not a chore.” Den agreed.
--:--
“This afternoon?” Steff queried.
“Yeah,” Pia confirmed, “Gab and Con will be here working anyhow, Papa thought we could reprise the choir.”
“Brid’s away of course,” Steff mentioned, “oh okay, what time?”
 
 
“You seeing your girlfriend today?” Willy asked his son.
“We hadn’t planned anything, her gran is here for Christmas.”
“We’re invited to the Stube this afternoon, you coming then?”
“Why not, nothing else to do.”
 
 
“Might be real snow this time,” Nena chirped.
“Yeah,” Pia agreed, “one o’clock then oh and we’re wearing Kostüm.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope.”
“Whatever, see you later.”
 
 
“I can’t wear this, it’s got sauce all over it.”
“Let’s have a look,” Josie suggested.
There certainly was a quantity of sauce decorating the skirt, a splash of custard too. Josie gave it a quick wipe with a cloth, “It’ll wash.”
“Not time, Herr Thesing is picking me up in half an hour, I’ll have to wear something different, sugar!”
--:--
Gaby wasn’t the only one with costume malfunctions; Connie had similar issues, coffee in her case, and had resorted to the dirndl from her time as Gab’s Weinkönigin attendant. It wasn’t that bad, the red apron offset the black skirts quite nicely really. She gave a final twirl in front of the mirror, yeah not too shabby, maybe not Gaby’s model looks, not that Gab herself thought that but let’s face it if it doesn’t have two wheels she’s not interested in anything!
“You ready, Connie?”
“Coming.”
--:--
“My you look beautiful, Jen doesn’t she?” Josie pressed.
The subject of such praise stood with a face turning pinker by the second, “Gra-an.”
“Well it’s true.”
“What’s all the…fuss about,” Jen asked joining them in the lounge, “what have you done with my daughter?”
“Mu-um!” Gab complained again.
“That’s the one isn’t it?” Jen suggested.
“One?”
“From Switzerland, don’t play coy with me, I’ve seen the photo’s, Gabrielle Bond.”
“That one, yep, it’s that one.”
I’ve only actually worn it once since Switzerland and that was just to show Steff when we were bored one afternoon.
Beep, Beeeeeep!
“That’s me.”
“I’ll bring your jacket.”
“Thanks, Mum, tschussie!”
“See you later!”
 
 
“And she says she’s not German.” Tomas muttered to himself as the tiny blonde climbed into the back seat.
“Sorry dear?” Therese queried.
“Nothing love, talking to myself.”
“Sauce?” Gab enquired.
“Coffee,” Connie supplied, “you?”
“Vanilla sauce and Wiener.”
“Sucks,” Con stated.
As you know it isn’t far from Dernau to Rech, a couple of kilometres so the drive was over almost before it started and the Thesing’s Mondeo was soon parked outside the Stube.
“Hi guys,” Ingrid, that’s Pia’s older sister greeted coming out to meet them.
“Hi Inge, not here yet?” Tomas enquired.
“Papa is down there now, should be here about quarter past.”
“I’ve brought Spekulatius and so on.”
“Great, we’ve got glühwein ready for when they arrive, I’ll give you a hand, Gab, can you and Connie give my sister a hand inside?”
“Sure, come on, Con it’s freezing out here.”
“Nice Kostüm!” Inge called to their departing backs.
--:--
“I’ll just see if the transport’s here yet,” Nena told the waiting travellers.
There were no tardy’s, everyone was eager to attend the party, no more than Den who was looking forward to more of Helmut’s red! Outside, as promised, were a motley collection of minibuses, she recognised the Stube Transit, a Mercedes plastered with Apollinaris, an ageing Volkswagen belonging to the local Lions, one of those Vito things and at the end of the line another tired VW.
“Ready?” Helmut asked.
“Waiting inside.”
“Well let’s get on then, wheel them out.”
 
 
Back inside she addressed her charges, “Okay the transport’s outside, seats for everyone, let’s go.”
The Christmas refugees needed no second telling, after all the choice between sitting in a hotel room watching foreign telly or going to a party was a no brainer. There might have been a bit of friction between one or two earlier in the week but the current adversity had smoothed things out. Den bagged a pair of seats in the Apollinaris bus, which allowed Nena to marshal everyone else into seats.
“Everyone ready,” their driver asked in perfect English.
A series of replies came back to the positive.
“Okay let’s rock ’n roll!”
“Your English is very good,” Nena mentioned.
“As I’m told your German is, Dave Bond at your service.”
“Nena and this is Den.”
The two blokes acknowledged each other.
“So um,” Nena felt compelled to strike up a conversation with this Dave, “where in England are you from?”
“Worksop via Sheffield and Leicester, we moved here a couple of years ago.”
“Thought I caught the accent, we’re based out near Retford, Global?”
“Small world, eh?” Dave allowed slamming the Mercedes into top gear in pursuit of Helmut’s bus.
“You said we?”
“Yeah, wife and two daughters, you met the youngest last night, tiny blonde thing.”
“Gaby?”
“That’s her, once met never forgotten.”
“Pretty girl, I would never have guessed she was English.” Nena opined. Geez, if I was Chris I’d be lusting over her myself!
“I don’t think she ever was,” Dave mentioned slightly cryptically.
“Any relation to that biking woman, Dave?” Den queried from across the cab.
“The missus,” Dave allowed, “I’ll introduce you when we get to Rech.”
--:--
With Ingrid in nominal charge, well she is nearly twenty, the girls prepared to receive the visitors.
“Nena and Steff are coming after lunch,” Pia mentioned.
“They dressing up too?” Con enquired.
“I did suggest it,” Pia supplied.
“Did I miss something?” Gab asked.
“Papa asked if we could sing a few carols like we did for Claudia.”
“Oh right.” I get to make a tit of myself again, no elves or angels today though.
An unrighteous racket announced the arrival of the Stube bus, closely followed by four more assorted passenger carriers.
“Action stations!” Ingrid announced.
She is such a drama queen!
--:--
You don’t really want to know every detail so I’ll skip to the highlights. We greeted the Englishers with glühwein (or coffee if they preferred) along with Tomas’ Weihnacht biscuits, which certainly had them in the mood. Then whilst we cleared the debris from the restaurant Helmut and Inge took them on the cellar tour.
Mum, Gran and Jules arrived at some point and found themselves helping Eva with the snack lunch.
“It’s snowing,” Con observed.
I looked outside, “Barely, it’s not even settling.”
Yeah-famous last words.
The von Strechau’s, well Max and his parents, the Baroness has gone to his aunts for Christmas, arrived shortly before one, they certainly looked the part in their Kostüm. But I’m getting off the point, Steff and Nena arrived with their families not long after, we had our choir even if the white stuff was still falling. The party really got going when the visitors returned from the cellars, we were soon distributing the snack foods and the wine was flowing well.
--:--
“If you can please find seats,” Helmut suggested in his best English, “we have some entertainment for you, I’ve convinced my daughter and her friends to sing for us, I give you the Ahr Angels!”
We waited for the audience to settle down before running through a medley of traditional numbers, I’ll always be a reluctant public singer but I was feeling more relaxed by the time we paused for a change of pace. 
 

 
 
Having done this in the summer I moved forward in preparation for my solo as we enthusiastically murdered the next verse. 
 

 
 
Time for the solo.  
 

 
 
The others rejoined me on the chorus and we finished with much gusto and some applause. We then mangled several more carols before finishing with Silent Night – guess who ended up soloing again; I’m sure our audience thought it was planned. We had a very enthusiastic ovation during which we agreed to do Jingle Bells as a reprise this time in English – well we tried but no one seemed to care if some of it was ad libbed.
After our little concert it was time for some party games, thankfully the staff got to have a break during those jollies.
“Heya, Gab, want a drink?”
“As long as it’s not your punch, Strechau.”
“I’m wounded, fair maiden, Sprite®” he plonked a glass in my hand.
“Thanks, it’s getting quite warm in there.”
“You look gorgeous in that dress.”
“You don’t look too grubby in your Kostüm either,” I purred back
“It’s getting a bit steamy in here,” Con pronounced.
“Maybe we should go outside, eh, Gab?” Max suggested.
“As if!” I declared, “It’s snowing out there.”
“In that case,” Max leant in and planted a kiss; I had to turn my head at a weird angle to reciprocate.
“Get a room you two!” The others chorused before falling about in hysterics.

--:--
There were more sat down to eat tonight but by the same score there were more hands to help distribute the victuals. It was after nine when things wound down and our refugees prepared to return to their hotel.
“It’s been an amazing day, thank you, Helmut,” Nena stated.
“We usually have some friends around to visit, this year we have more friends.”
“Well I know everyone really appreciates how we’ve been welcomed.”
“Ach! Let’s get you all to your beds.”
 
 
“You ready, Gab?” Mum called into the cloakroom.
“Minute,” I allowed breaking off from my lip lock with Max.
“See you Sunday?”
“Guess so, I know Gran’s looking forward to it.”
“Gabrielle!”
“Yes,” I replied, “best go before we get the full name.”
 
 
“Whoa!” whilst we’ve been having fun inside the snow has been falling outside, not like feet thick but enough to cover everything including the main road.
“Come on, kiddo, Jules and your Gran are in the car already, we’ll follow the Thesing’s back to Dernau,” Mum instructed, “and sort out your lipstick before your gran sees it.”
Oops!
--:--
It was an unexpected twist that found Helmut and Dave sorting out the breakfast stuff at the Hotel Grüner Jäger next morning. There might not have been a lot of snow but there was enough that some idiot had rolled their car that resulted in their route back up the valley being blocked. The rescuers became the rescued, borrowing a room for the night rather than wait goodness knows how long for the road to be cleared.
 
 
Maddy Bell 26.12.15