“Gott, I hate coming this way,” Mand moaned as we started the climb up towards Esch, you know, where Anna and her mum live.

I let out a giggly snort at that.

“What?” she demanded.
“Nothing.”
“There so is Bond.”
“Honest its nothing really, its just you are getting good at Germlish.”
“Germlish?”
“You know, mixing German and English up?” I suggested.
“I don’t.”
“You do,” I confirmed.
“Well if I do its you and the girls fault,” she huffed.
“I never said it was a problem, if anything its cute.”
“Cute?”
“Makes you fit in too,” I added tapping the gear shifter to go down a gear.
“Hmmph!”

Why are we going this way? Well he might not be going to Canada but that doesn’t mean he’s not involved. Far from it, it was hardly a surprise when we checked the training schedule in the workshop that our usual Tuesday ride up around the ‘Ring had been replaced by the somewhat flatter terrain to the north behind Bonn.

Its not an area I know particularly well, Dad even pinned up a sort of route card so we don’t get lost. Essentially we go north via Rheinbach, loop around Phantasialand then return south through Allter and Meckenheim. According to Dad’s note its the same length as the Worlds course and at a hundred and five K, almost spot on the race distance.

We made short work of the road up to Anna’s place – I can recall pushing the Schauff up here a few times, then quickly fell into a comfortable road eating pace as we headed across to Vettelhoven. I say comfortable, its in the high twenties, nudging low thirties at times, the upper end of conversation speed.

“How’d you reckon she got here?”
“Hmm?” I’d been contemplating what to cook for dinner this evening.
“Your cousin, how’d she get to Altenahr?”
“She hasn’t said,” I pointed out.
“There’s something weird about it.”
“Weird?”
“Yeah, you don’t just disappear from Yorkshire and appear in Germany three days later.”
“Maybe she found a Star Trek® transporter?”
“Hello, reality check Bond.”
“Well if you’re so clever, what's your theory then?”
“Aliens? I dunno but you have to admit its a poser.”

There’s no doubt about that.

“I’m sure she’ll tell us in her own time.”
“Maybe,” she allowed, “which way?”
“Left, takes us straight up to Rheinbach.”

“You all sorted for college?” my companion asked as we took the turn that will take us past Phantasialand, best bit of fifty kilometres into our ride.

Its a bit strange following the signs for the theme park and it not being our destination, we’ll have to organise an Angels trip up here once we’re all settled into our new schooling regimes. Not that I’m big on doing all the rides and stuff but we’ve always had a good laugh when we’ve been before, I think the last time was for that cosplay thing.

“Gab?” Mand prompted.
“Er oh yeah, we’ll have to come up with the girls to Phantasialand.”
“Where did that come from?”
“Well we’ve not really done anything together for ages.”
“Right, so school?”
“What about it?”
“Geez Gab, do you ever listen? Are you all sorted?”
“Think so, Max has got us sorted for a lift down each day with Olaf, Freddie’s brother.”
“Thought Max was doing engineering?”
“He is, the Business School is only a few minutes walk away from the technical college.”
“Handy,” she smirked.
“Well it’ll save getting up for two trains,” I agreed.
“Not exactly what I meant, you said a lift down, how’re you getting home?”
I allowed a shrug, “train I guess, so what about you? You are going back?”
“Yeah, your Rents can be quite persuasive.”
“So what courses you doing?”
“A level History and English and Gcse German.”
“Wotcha want to do German for, you already speak it pretty well.”
“Hardly well, I can’t read much and I really have no clue when it comes to writing stuff.”
“Guess it can be a bit confusing but why?”
“Well if I’m gonna be spending more time here it’d be nice to actually understand a bit more, you know like when I’m working at Der Mühle actually holding a conversation.”
“Guess that makes sense, so when do you start back?”
“Next Tuesday, they get the lower school sorted before the seniors go back.”
“You gonna be okay?”
“I can’t hide forever.”

Once clear of Bruhl we cut the chat in favour of upping the tempo with about ten K of through and off, a hard effort that saw us in Alfter a bit light of fifteen minutes later. The traffic was a bit heavier this close to Bonn so we eased off to thread our way through the connurbation, how people ride in traffic all the time I’ll never know. It wasn’t long until we returned to open roads though, the road rolling south towards Meckenheim, wide and well surfaced for the most part.

We didn’t need to go right into the town, instead we bypassed that, going through the growing housing developments east of the town. Eighty kilometres down, less than thirty left, we eased off a bit, fishing out some snack food to get us back to Dernau. Reminds me, I need to make another batch of Bond’s special flapjack, might be worth taking some to Canada, better check I’ve got enough oats and stuff when we get back.

Its not been too warm, more than a few clouds keeping the sun largely at bay but as we took the turn at Oeverich that takes us down into the Ahrtal the wind started to rise bringing some ominous looking skies in its wake. A kilometre later the first spots of liquid sunshine darkened the road, first slowly then we were pretty much drowned as a sheet of wet enveloped us. We pushed on to the bridge under the A61 where we both gratefully pulled up in the dry but windy portal.

“We waiting it out?” i queried.
“I really need to get back,” Mand sighed.
“Two minutes?” I suggested.
“We are already drenched,” she pointed out.
“Why’d it have to rain?”
“Looks like blue sky following behind,” de Vreen observed as she pulled her race cape out of her jersey pocket.
“Yeah,” I sighed, “flippin’ weather.”

I pulled my own jacket on and with the wet still falling we set off from our shelter. I’m sure riding in the wet can be fine but I’m not a fan and the line of wet arcing from my front tyre back into my face wasn’t doing anything to endear the pastime to me now either. The descent through Lantershofen was a bit greasy which kept our speed in check and under the law of Sod we’d no sooner joined the Ahrweiler bypass than the wet ceased and at Silverberg the road was bone dry!

“What happened to you guys?” Maddy asked as we dripped into the kitchen.
“Damp stuff from the sky?” I suggested.
“Gabrielle Bond!” Mum snapped from behind us, shower, change, now!”
“Mu-um,” I complained, “I was gonna make a brew.”
“And you Amanda, I’ve only just done this floor.”

Oops!

It was nearly fifteen minutes later when I returned to the kitchen, de-grimed and dressed for polite company.

“Tea in the pot,” Maddy offered clutching her own mug.
“Cool,” my stomach interrupted with a rumble, “anything to eat?”
“It’ll be dinner soon,” Mater replied.
“Not for ages, I’ve not even decided what to do yet.”
“We’re going up to Rech to eat as soon as your Dad gets back.”
“Where is he anyway?” I queried, he’s usually waiting for us to get back from training.
“Sorting out something with the house in Niederbeiber before he hands the keys back tomorrow.”
A cog finally engaged, “Rech, the Stube?”
“The Schloss, I was talking to Gloria earlier and she invited us all up.”
“I’d best change then,” I sighed, shorts and a T won’t exactly cut it at the von Strechau gaff.
“I’m off then,” Mand called from the hall.
“You need picking up?” Mum enquired.
“No thanks, Jurgen will drop me back after, tschuss!”
“Laters,” I called back as de Vreen set off for the Express,
“Who’s Jurgen?” Mum asked.
“Chris’s dad I think, so, full royalty?”
“Smart will do.”
“Er what about me?” Mad queried.
“Hmm, see if you can find your cousin something as well kiddo.”
“You’d best come up to the boudoir,” I suggested.

“Your boobs are bigger than mine,” I opined a few minutes later as I shuffled stuff in my closet.
“Only one size, so this restaurant is a bit fancy?”
“Could say that,” I dismissed another frock for Mad, its tight on me, so big boobs wouldn’t stand a chance, “s’not a restaurant though.”
“It isn’t?”
“If Gloria’s invited us we’re going to the house.”
“And they’re a bit posh?”
“Could say that,” I agreed.
“And this Gloria, who is she?”
I decided to wind my cousin up a bit, “Baroness von Strechau, Max’s mum.”
“And Max is?”
“My boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend! Since when do you have a boyfriend?”

Good question and its a sign of how far Mad and I have drifted apart that she hasn’t heard about Max. Mind you I was denying our relationship for over a year even if everyone in the Ahrtal seemed to know about it.

“A while.”
“So what’s he like?”
“Looks like you’ll be meeting him later, how about this?” I held up a less form fitting frock, nice but not too nice if you know what I mean.
“You’re the expert Gab, I can’t believe how many clothes you’ve got, I think I’ve got like four dresses altogether.”
I shrugged, “I guess I do have quite a lot, here you’d best wear these too,” I told her waving a pair of shoes towards her.
“You got anything without a heel?”
“Think I’ve got some flats somewhere.”

Maddy Bell © 17.08.2018