“Where’re the blumen?” Steff enquired at morning break.
“School office,” I offered around a chunk of Streusel.
“Margot was asking if you’ll be at the Stern this week?” Pia queried.
Sugar, she’ll be on at me about the cheerleading.
“I guess so.” I half sighed, another evening booked up. “You guys remember I told you about Manda last week?”
“The English racer girl?” Brid suggested.
“The same, well you never guess what?”
“How are we supposed to guess something when we don’t know what you are talking about.” Nena mumped.
“She has a point, Gab,” Con agreed.
The wind taken from my sails somewhat I nearly forgot what I was going to say.
“So what is this revelation then?” Steffi prompted.
What indeed, oh right, Mand, “Well, she’s got the apprenticeship* with Apollinaris.”
The others looked blankly back.
“She’s coming to Germany, to stay.”
I can’t say the others looked that enthused by the news.
“For how long?” Pia asked.
“Easter at least.”
“When does she come?” Con queried in turn.”
“After mid term, they have to get her schooling sorted out.”
“She’s not coming to Silverberg?” Steff noted.
“Dunno yet, might be the college in Bonn Goth Girl goes to.”
“The English place?” Brid confirmed.
“Uh huh,” I agreed.
“So we going to Koblenz Saturday?” Nena changed the subject.
“Where’d they come from?” Dad enquired when I stumbled indoors behind the flowers after school.
“I got given them at school.”
“Max?”
“As if!” who were they from? The school I guess. “There was a special assembly thing about the weekend, I got them after that.”
“Best get them in water then.”
“Er yeah, where’s Mum?”
“Down at the Pinger’s, she’ll be back for dinner which you are supposed to be doing?”
Sugar! Bang goes emailing the other BC guys, I meant to do it last night and forgot. I found a big vase thing under the sink and ‘artistically’ placed the flowers into it, it was the nouveau look I was going for, honest. I checked the dinner list, Tuesday, beef roulade with spuds and veg – pretty straightforward, the meat just wants going in the oven, we buy it already prepared from the butcher, it’s the taters that take the time. Oh well, might as well crack on.
“Don’t forget Roni’s coming down Saturday.” Dad noted as we waited for dinner to cook.
“Saturday? What for?”
“You’re racing at Hockenheim on Sunday, I did tell you when we dropped her off on Monday, we’re staying in Speyer Saturday night, it’s a bit far to motor down Sunday morning.”
Bummer, looks like Koblenz is out.
“… So we’re driving down Saturday,” I informed the others as we sipped coffee in Thesing’s Wednesday morning.
“The price of fame,” Steff lamented.
“Tell me about it,” I sighed.
“So when does your racing end, Gab?” Pia queried.
When indeed? In fact Dad was at pains to go over my programme for the rest of the season last night so whilst the regular season ends with our trip to Japan there’s a youth track series BC want me to ride and George is apparently keen for us to at least make a show at some regional cyclo cross events. So it might not be full on race season but I’ll be doing something or other most of the cooler months.
“It eases off in October.”
“Poor ol’ Gab,” Con lamented with a grin.
“No dress today, Gaby?” Con’s mum noted.
“There’s nothing happening today is there?” I haven’t missed something have I?
“Not that I know of.”
“Phew!”
I was back to a more normal, for me at least, outfit for school, t-shirt, capri’s and plimmys.
“Pity, you looked so nice yesterday.”
What’s that meant to mean?
“Mama!” Con censured.
“I was only saying, she looked lovely yesterday.”
“Um thanks,” I guess it’s better than cute.
So Wednesday, and Thursday following it fell into a similar pattern to last year, some of the subjects moved around the timetable but essentially it was same old. Koblenz was rescheduled; instead we were meeting Anna for coffee down in Remagen Saturday morning. Friday started much the same but instead of an evening of training and homework, I did kind of promise Pia I’d go up to Altenahr for Garde.
“Six thirty then, Gab?”
“Er sure,” I agreed.
“Tschussie!” Pia offered with a wave as we went our separate ways.
“Tschuss!”
“Bye.”
“Laters!”
Everyone bade their farewells, those living up valley kicking off up the cycle track leaving me and Con to cross over into Dernau.
“You back for Tatort on Sunday?”
“Dunno, thought it finished before I went away.”
“It did, it’s the new season, dummy,” she supplied.
In case you’ve forgotten Tatort is our favourite cop show, it’s German so there’s none of the terrible over dubbing that imported shows get although compared to some Brit stuff the plots can be a bit pedestrian and predictable.
“Come round for dinner if you’re back.”
Now that’s an offer I want to take up!
“What time?”
“Tat starts at twenty, dinner at half to.”
“Have to call you Sunday when I know the time.”
By now we were at the bakery where we pulled to a halt.
“You coming here or the station in the morning?” Con quizzed.
“Here I think,” I looked at my watch, four thirty, shitza! “I need to dash.”
“Always on the go,” Con supplied as we hugged.
“That’s me, dynamo Bond,” I allowed as we separated, “see you tomorrow.”
“Tschuss!”
“Where’s the fire kiddo?” Dad asked as I rushed into Bond Acres a couple of minutes later.
“I’ve got Garde tonight.”
Dad doesn’t exactly approve of Garde, well my involvement; it’s caused some friction a time or two since I started with it.
“You need a lift?” he offered.
“I’m supposed to meet Pia.”
“We can pick her up.”
“In that case, yes please,” that’s saved a good half an hour, “I’d best call her, let her know.”
Dave watched as his youngest child skipped out to the phone to make the call, doing the Dad’s taxi bit goes with the territory of course but the local news was full of a recent assault on a schoolgirl over in Mayen. You can’t wrap them in cotton wool and you don’t want them living in fear but the evenings are closing in and it’s not the nicest road for a young girl to be riding along on her own.
Dinner was schnitzel with croquettes and some veggies – simple, quick and not too heavy, not only that but it was as much as Jenny Bond could be bothered to cook!
“Not sure I should let you out in that outfit,” Jen observed.
“It’s just dance stuff,” Drew pointed out.
Just dance stuff indeed, that was true enough, it wasn’t really what it was, leotard and tights is pretty standard for girls exercising, no it was how it showed her son, no daughter’s body off.
“Are you putting anything else on? It can get a bit chilly this time of year,” she suggested.
“Okay,” Drew sighed, “I’ll take my hoody.”
Well it was better than nothing Jen lamented.
“Thanks, Herr Bond, Dad says he’ll pick us up and drop Gabs off after.”
“Tell him thanks, Pia.”
“Sure.”
The drive up to the dance club was only about ten minutes, there seemed to be quite a few cars about which is a bit unusual, I guess everyone got a lift tonight.
“Gaby, congratulations on your racing.”
“Thanks, Hannah.”
The clubhouse was abuzz with the girls of the Ahr Alles Stern Garde; the head coach pulled the little blonde to one side.
“Thanks for coming, Gaby,”
“I said I would,” I mentioned.
“You did but I know your racing comes first. Do you remember what we talked about before the summer, the cheering?”
Unfortunately.
“Yeah of course.”
“Can we talk after Garde? The committee are keen to get it up and cheering so to speak.”
Maddy Bell © 15.09.2014
Comments
Never a spare minute
Hey don't burn yourself out, Gaby. I know you've got buckets of teen energy going on, but there's a limit!
"Reach for the sun."
What about Gaby's road boo boos?
The last time Gaby acquired a badge of honor from the road she was sore for several days after the crash and burn. It also took several days for the road burns to heel.
Now though, she doesn't seem to have any soreness or problems because of healing road rash. There also the injury to her scapula, that was to take a few days of rest to get over. And she's gone to dance class? Wouldn't the tights bother her road rash and maybe open it again?
Poor Gaby, a normal teenage life she can't have. With her it's training and racing when her friends are being typical teens. When will she have a normal life, one where she can go places with friends and sleep as late as she wants?
Could it be that because Gaby never had a normal life she is socially ackward? Which also contributes to her never learning to stand up for herself?
Others have feelings too.