Gaby Book 17 - Seasons

 
 
“You what?”
“I said yes,” Dave repeated to his wife.
“But what about racing?”
“For once Gaby’s done her homework, no serious clashes.”
“What about unserious?”
“Okay, there might be some compromise needed once or twice from both ends.”
“And BC, what do they think, they are sponsoring Amanda to be here.”
“And they trust us to look after her physically and mentally, she’s not been coerced, she asked Gab to find her something.”
“You think this is sensible?”
“Look at it this way, they both volunteered and we’ll know what they are up to and where they are, it’s a win win situation. A bit more independence away from cycling will be good for both of them.”
“Hmmm,” Jen wasn’t 100% convinced but there was certainly some merit in knowing where they were – they had let Jules dictate the rules, which came near to disaster more than once. “Okay but we keep an eye on things.”
“Of course, luv,” Dave agreed, “of course.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t started Max’s chocolates yet.”
“I’ve been saving them.”
“Pull the other one,” Con proffered.
“Well okay, I forgot about them,” I allowed.
We were stood outside *the sports hall again, this time waiting to go inside for our first maths exam, the subject of Max’s present having surfaced after the idiot asked if I enjoyed them.

Further discussion was postponed as we were invited inside to do battle with sines, pi and calculus for several hours.

I idly chewed my pen top as all around me the sounds of fervent brainercise filled the hall. Wonder why Max was so deflated when I admitted to not opening his birthday gift? I looked over to where I could see his back just a few seats away; oh well, later I guess.

Maths is not my best subject, I’m okay but Einstein I’m not! I worked my way back through the paper to check my answers, well they all look okay.
“Two minutes!”
Thank heaven for that.

“How the hell do you do that?” Mand demanded.
“Practice?”

Sat with your lady bits on the carpet, legs akimbo isn’t the most comfortable but it’s something I could do even when I had ‘boy bits’.

“I’ve been ‘practicing’ on and off for years and I still can’t get right down.”
“Maybe I’m just more flexible, I do a lot of stretching you know.”
“I’ve helped you off the banister remember,” Mand agreed.
“Er yeah.”

So going down into the splits is one thing, getting back up’s another; your hips are sort of going all the wrong directions. I managed to free myself and picked my poms back up, “Again?”
The first floor landing is the only place inside the house with enough clear space we can use for cheer practice.
“Whatever,” Mand agreed.
“Okay, and one and two and…”

“What are you girls doing?” Dad enquired, his head appearing over the top step.
“The splits?” I suggested.
“Well it’s like a herd of elephants,” he mentioned eyeing us once again stretched across the timber floor, “remember you’re doing dinner tonight.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“And put the rug back please.”

We listened as he returned to the ground floor before bursting into laughter.
“I s’pose we’d best get changed,” I sighed once we got ourselves back under control. We might be at home, a home where wearing of Lycra is common but leotards and tights, well it’s not really cooking gear is it? Change means shower, which means it was twenty-five minutes before I started assembling the components of dinner, a very un-German Shepherd’s pie with real shepherd.

“How did the maths go today?” Mum asked between shovelling my culinary efforts into her gullet.
“Okay I guess, it’s not my strong point.”
“Which makes it doubly important to do well in.”
“Mu-um!” I complained.
“Well…”
“Er Jen,” Dad interrupted, “food?”
“Eh?” the rest of the fork load of course tipped down her front, “Bugger!”

We did at least get to finish dinner without further inquisition.

It was only when I returned to my room that I remembered Max’s chocolate box, I guess I’d best take a nosey. It was certainly posh, from one of those fancy places in Bonn or Köln where you pick out what you want at a euro a pop. I slipped the top off the box, there must be like a dozen choccies inside.

Indeed there were some fancy confections inside but the thing that caught my attention more was the envelope inscribed simply with ‘Gaby’. Well it wouldn’t be a card, he gave me that separately so what’s in the envelope? Only one way to find out, I put the box down and proceeded to open the paper folder.

Tickets! It was a pair of tickets for – I scanned the top card – Nena and support at the Lanxess – neee-at! Two tickets, I wonder who I should take? Er when is it? Phew, April the fifth, I found my diary, cool it’s a Tuesday so there’s nothing else get in the way of going, cooool! I placed the tickets safely in my jewellery box before plucking a choccy from the box and grabbing my Handy.

‘Hi Max,
Thx for chocs, v.tasty!
Gabs’

I pressed send before sprawling across my bed, Nena and at the Lanxess Arena, so okay I guess I have to go with Max but I can live with that I guess. Hmm these choccies are not half bad, not sure what was in that one but I could eat a box of them! I popped Irgendwie into my CD player and did some Nena karaoke while stuffing more chocolate.

“So?” Con queried as we followed the others along the cycle path towards Ahrweiler and another day at Silverberg Gymnasium.
“What?”
“You know what, Gaby Bond, Max’s choccies.”
“Oh them.”
“Oh them, she says, come on spill!”
“What are you two arguing about,” Pia enquired from ahead of us.
“Er nothing,” Con bluffed.
“’Kay,” Pia allowed returning to her conversation with Bridg.
“Your face,” I chuckled.
“Ga-ab!” she moaned.
“Okay, okay, he got some concert tickets.”
“Not Morgenstern?”
“No! Why would it be?”
“He’s a lad, lads like them, ergo he likes them.”

I think there was some logic in there. To be honest I’ve no idea what music he does like, oh him and the guys get it on to the rocky stuff when we party but like everyone does it doesn’t mean that’s what we listen to in private.

“Well it’s not Morgenstern.”
“Well who is it then?”
“Riding with Steff.”
“Nena!” Con squawked.
“Wassup,” said rider queried.
“Er nothing, Nen,” I called up the line.
“Cool,” Con allowed once she’d regained her erm, cool. “So like where, when?”
“5th of April at Lanxess.”
“You lucky moo.”
“Guess you’ll have to get yourself a rich boyfriend,” I teased.
“Didn’t think you had one?”
“I don’t, he’s not my boyfriend.”
“He does a very good impression for a not boyfriend,” my BF grinned.

“Gab!” Max hissed as I followed the others in from the bike sheds.
“What?”
“Did you, you know, open the chocs?”
“You know I did, I sent you a text last night.”
“Did you erm find the tickets?”
“Hmm, tickets, oh those tickets, Con’s really looking forward to it.”
“Oh.”

I turned to see his reaction, well he looked like his cat had just died, I’m not that cruel.
“Just kidding, I take it the plan was for like just us two to go?”
“You lovebirds coming?” Nena yelled back down the stairwell.
“Er yeah I mean if you want to.”
“Guess I could put up with you for a couple of hours.”
“Brill!”
“Gab, you’ll be late,” Pia supplied from above us.

“So what was all the whispering about?” Pia demanded when we assembled for lunch.
“Whispering?”
“You know talking quietly, first it was you and Con then you and Max.”
“I do know what whispering is,” I pointed out.
“And?” Steff prompted.
“We were just talking about Max’s present,” Con supplied.
“What about it,” Bridg started, “it was chocolate right?”
“Handmade,” I supplied.
“So what was so secret?” Pia pressed.
“Er, nothing really I guess, we were just um, discussing the flavours.”
“Sometimes, Bond,” Steff stated shaking her head.
“What about Max?” Nena put in.
“What about him?”
“Oooo!”
“Okay, he was just asking which ones I liked best.”
“Which is?” Brid requested.
“Er Ne…”
“…Ectarine right, Gab?” Con suggested.
“Er yeah, there was a mean er Nectarine crème.”

If they believe that they’ll believe anything – I should be so lucky.

Maddy Bell 23.07.16