At the mention of the BBC email by Mum at Der Mühle reminded Gab she hadn’t checked her own for a few days. When they’d first moved to Germany the gang back in Warsop sent mail nearly daily, it was almost like being there. But of course over the weeks and months it fell away on both sides, what was important in Germany wasn’t in England, experiences were no longer shared.
The electronic messages still flew between them, just less regularly. The computer buzzed and clicked into life eventually, a new one would be nice, maybe a laptop – maybe drop a few hints for Chrimbo. The mailbox opened and she started the chore of weeding the seed from the chaff.
She hadn’t sent one to Bern about coming over yet and Mart had given her the news – ages ago. Her fingers flew over the keys, short but wasn’t that the point?
Hey Bern,
Mart said you’re coming in the New Year, that’s brill. Everyone’s looking forward to seeing you both, even Goth Gurl!
Making a flying visit to York for some dinner thing in a couple of weeks so I’ve arranged for Caro to get everyone’s Chrimbo prezzies to Warsop.
Still not riding which is a pig, I’m sure I’ve put on kilos!
We’re doing Ahrweiler Weihnachtsmarkt for the Kinderhaus again, it’s all a bit last minute but it should be well cool. Con and me are in charge of the food, we’re doing Weihnachts biscuits and coffee and cake inside. I saw a stall like that in Koln last year, it should be pretty neat. We’re wearing medieval style dresses, well obviously not the lads; they’ve got these short things over tights and a jacket.
I never told you about the wedding did I? I was a bridesmaid, yeah I know; so I got to go on the hen do with Sophia, you know, the girl I shared with at the other wedding? Anyway she had to wear this daft costume and sell cheese, Analise that is, not Sophia, it was a right riot! I’ve attached a picky.
Speak soon; give Drea a kiss for me
Gabs.
I attached the picture, a slightly blurred selfie of the hen party, great photography it isn’t but I was hardly aiming at a perfect portrait. I clicked send and returned to the incoming messages.
You could hear the yell throughout Schloss Bond.
“I got one!”
“Gaby!” Mum admonished from the landing below.
I went to the top of my stairs, “I got one!”
“One what, kiddo?” Dad enquired joining the congregation at the foot of my stairs.
“A SPOTY invite thingy!”
“Let’s have a look,” Dad suggested as he clambered up to my eyrie.
“You’ve been nominated…blah, blah, blah, it’s the junior version, hmm.”
“Well done, Gab,” Mand offered.
“When’s that, Dave?”
“Eleventh, yeah it takes place before the main event.”
“That’s the week before England,” I suggested.
“Erm, Gab, isn’t that when we’re doing the market thing?” Mand observed.
“Sugar!”
“I’ll contact them tomorrow kiddo, can you forward this to me?”
“’Kay,” I agreed, my sails well and truly deflated.
“Enough excitement,” Mum stated, “you two have school in the morning.”
“Before you two go off gallivanting can I have a quick word?” Dad asked as we gathered our stuff to go to cheer practice.
“Kay,” I agreed following him into the office, the epicentre of everything Bond.
“Sit yourselves down.”
“Have we done something wrong?”
“No, if anything the opposite, Mand,” Dad told us. “Firstly, Gabs, I spoke to the SPOTY people earlier, they are keen to make sure you don’t miss out so they will be sending a camera crew to do a resume cum interview, we’ve not sorted the details but it’ll be next week sometime.”
“Uh huh,” I allowed.
“By coincidence I got a call from the Federation this afternoon inviting the team to the National presentation ceremony the week after York. Apparently someone won some sort of pot and they need to collect it. I know you are going home that weekend Amanda but you can tag along if you want, we can get you a flight home from Frankfurt on the Sunday.”
“I’ve only just joined the team.”
“But you are part of it, Roni, Josh and Tali will be going.”
“Not Gret?”
“It’s a bit far from Cottbus for the night,” Dad pointed out.
“I guess.”
I don’t need to know now but let me know as soon as,” Dad addressed Mand.
“That it?” I asked.
“For now, I hope you aren’t thinking of breaking your exercise curfew,” pater queried eyeing up my um cheer uniform.
“Course not but like it’s easier to show the others the moves if I’m dressed properly.”
“Hmm, keep an eye on her, Manda.”
I’m feeling much better this week, none of the period stuff and the swelling has pretty much gone although I’m still a bit tender down there. Once or twice I had to stop myself from launching into a full blown move – my overseer would, I’m sure snitch on me, she might be my friend but her loyalty to Dad is, I think, stronger.
“So you gonna go to Frankfurt?” I asked as we waited for our lift back to Dernau.
“It’s a bit cheeky, I’ve not been here all season.”
“Your point being?”
“I dunno.”
“We won the team event too so there’s a pot to collect.”
“Won’t the others be miffed if I go?”
“Course not, ‘all for one and one for all,’ is our motto.”
“As long as one is Bond?”
“I’m not a prima donna!” I started to huff before she burst into giggles.
“If you say so.”
“Why you!”
“Your face,” she giggled.
The beeping of a horn announced Mum was acting as taxi tonight, glad I’ve not just eaten.
“How’s the dressmaking going?” Con asked Steff as we convened for our pre school coffee.
“Pretty good I think, that Gerta woman’s a bit of a dragon.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “but soft enough to help us.”
“Dottie’s okay,” Pia mentioned.
“So?” Brid prompted.
“Well three of the dresses are cut out,” Steff told us, “Dotty said she’ll pin the first one up today before we get there then we can do the others.”
“I wonder how Anna’s getting on with the lads stuff?” Nena mused.
“That reminds me,” Pia put in, “Anna said we need to get the hose for them.”
“They’re really going to love that,” Bridget chuckled.
“Any chance you could pick some up after school, Gab?”
“I suppose so, I can go to Bruns, what type?”
“Some nice ten den,” Nena suggested with a grin.
“Black with a seam,” Con added.
Well it would be funny but not exactly fair.
“If you can get some bright colours in like fifty or something?” Pia proposed.
“I’ll see what they’ve got,” I agreed.
School is school, it hardly changes, the routine, the timetable – exciting it’s not and we’ve got exams next year so after Chrimbo it’ll be all about revision, oh joy. Of course it was soon common knowledge that the ‘Angels’ were up to something again so it was no surprise that Frau Boxberg sent out a summons.
“Come in, girls,” the head instructed.
We shuffled into her office, Con closing the door behind us.
“A little bird tells me you are collecting for the Kinderhaus again?”
“Yes, Miss,” Steff answered.
“We’re doing a stall at the market again,” Nena supplied.
“Weihnachts biscuits,” Con added.
“And coffee and cake,” I mentioned.
“It sounds very exciting, I’m sure you’ll be well supported but just a word of caution. I don’t want to be a party pooper but you’ve got your Certificate exams in the New Year and whilst none of you should fail I don’t want you ignoring your schoolwork – especially you Fraulein Bond, you’ve missed a lot of school time since the summer...”
“It’s not…” I started to interrupt.
“I know it wasn’t exactly something you wanted but you can’t let things slip.”
“No, Miss,” I allowed.
“That’s all, good luck with the stall and remember your exams.”
So dismissed we headed to the canteen to get our delayed lunches.
Bruns is hardly a Karstadt but they do have a reasonable range of the basics, if you can’t get to Bonn or Koblenz they’ll do. Pia and Steff headed to Eloise Couture, I headed down towards the Niedertor and my shopping destination, it would be so much quicker if I could ride. It started to rain of course so I ended up trying to jog and hold my skirt down at the same time – elegant – not!
“Careful,” a body suggested as I nearly fell through the door.
“Urgh, flippin weather,” I noted as I tried to straighten myself out.
“Think I’ll wait a minute, you want a lift home, Gab?”
It was only then that I realised who I was talking to, Maria.
“Oh hi, would be nice,” I allowed, “but only if it’s not out of your way.”
“Your mother’d kill me if I didn’t take you and I want to see her anyway.”
“Kay, I won’t be long, need to get some stuff for our Weihnachts cabin.”
“Find me when you’re done then.”
You won’t find Wolford hosiery on Bruns shelves but they do some reasonable brands like Falck and Gypsy so there should be something for the lad’s legs. Hold-ups would’ve done the job but they only had flesh tones or black and only black in a thick enough weight. I went with a pair anyhow then struck lucky in the end of line bin, several pairs of seventy D, brightly coloured hose.
In theory we only needed a pair for each of them but let’s face it, they are boys and tights are quite fragile, I grabbed an armful and headed to the Kasse.
“Interesting colours, the hose,” Maria suggested as I settled myself into the passenger seat of her car.
“Long story,” I suggested.
“I’m all ears.”
“Well you remember me and some friends did a cabin at the Weihnachtsmarkt last year? Well we’re doing it again….”
Maddy Bell 02.02.16
