Gaby Book 18 - Summery

 
I cracked open an eye, the second one was needed to focus on my alarm clock, urgh ‘nother ten minutes before it goes off. Closing my eyes I laid back into my pillow with a sigh, morning already and sounds of my sister and Manda getting ready to depart drifted up from two floors below. I suppose I could get up now but on past experience it’s better to let them get off before I clutter the place up, Dad’ll have breakfast sorted after all.

It went quiet then as usual Dad stuck the radio on, Jules complains if he puts it on while she’s here so the music is a signal the Bonn contingent have left. I slapped the alarm as soon as it started, hauled myself out of bed and into my tiny en suite. Geez, I must’ve put more into yesterday than I thought, I'm kerknackered.

“Mornin’” I allowed before searching out my favourite mug, the angel one from the Kӧln Weihnachts, for my coffee.
“Morning, kiddo, weren’t expecting you up yet,” Dad offered from behind his paper.
“Why not, I always get up this time for school, well nearly always,” I amended.
“Short term memory.”
“Eh?”
“You finished on Friday?”

My brain took a moment but eventually the penny dropped.

“Urgh! What am I doing up!”
“You could go back to bed,” Pater suggested.
“I'm up now,” I sighed.
“So what’s your agenda for your first day of freedom?”

Before I could get my brain to work that out Mum joined us.

“Thought I could hear voices, morning, princess.”

Princess? Ha.

“Tea, luv?” Dad enquired.
“I'll do it,” Mum told him grabbing the kettle, “so what’s Baby Bond up to today?”
Baby Bond?
“Mu-um!”
“Wazzup, baby girl?”

Dad for his part was hiding behind the paper which was shaking about somewhat.

“Oooooo!”

Mum burst into laughter, Dad barely a moment behind.

“The look on your face kiddo,” Mum mentioned pulling me into a tight hug.
“I thought you’d gone loopy,” I suggested.
“Couldn’t help it,” she chuckled, “seeing you sat there looking like your sister’s Tiny Tears®”
“I do not,” I huffed, “for starters she didn’t have pink hair,” and for seconds she was mine.
“So, daughter mine, what are you doing today?”
“Er not sure.”
“I'm sure we can find you some stuff around the house, your cave could do with a good hoover for starters.”

As if!

“I erm did say I was gonna go see Con.”
“You only saw her on Friday,” Dad noted.
“And?” I challenged.
“Just saying.”

I did do a load of washing before I went out, I really must buy some new knickers, that machine seems to eat them faster than socks. It was still only just nine when I mooched into Thesing’s.

“Someone else couldn’t sleep,” Herr T suggested.
“Yeah well, Con upstairs?”
“Go on up.”
“Thanks.”

I made my way upstairs to the apartment.

“Con?”
“Kitchen! You want coffee?”
“Er tea please,” I requested joining her in the family kitchen.
“It’s cool about the Imbiss, eh?”
“It is?”
“Our own business!” she enthused.
“Calm down, Con,” Therese told my bubbly friend as she joined us, “Gaby hasn’t agreed – yet.”
“She hasn’t? You haven’t?”
“Well I only found out Saturday,” I pointed out, “and I was away the rest of the weekend.”
“But you’ve got to, it’ll be brill,” she demanded passing me a cup of insipid looking tea.
“I'm meeting the estates manager at ten, why don’t you both come and have a look with me?”
Well it’s not like I've got a lot on, “Er sure.”

It’s not far up to Altenahr, well you know that already, from door to door in the Thesing’s elderly estate car took just over ten minutes including waiting at the temporary lights at the tunnel. Therese parked across the road and we headed over to the cabin. Riding past you don’t take much notice but close up it was clear that the building had seen better days.

It might only have been shut a couple of weeks but already bill posters and graffiti ‘artists’ had added to its misery. The paint was dirty and peeling, weeds colonised the guttering and the buildings fabric even rotting in places. Impressed; I was not.

“Frau Thesing?”
“Herr Schreiber?” Therese offered in return.
“Yes, nice to meet you, nice day,” he smiled.
“This is my daughter Connie and her friend Gaby.”
“Girls,” he shook everyone's hand, “shall we?”

Gaining access was quite quick, just one big padlock securing the kiosk, I made a mental note, security. I'd imagined that everything would still be inside, you know, the fryers, fridges and so on but the only stuff left in situ was the plumbing and the disgusting looking griddle cum hotplate. Oh and a load of rubbish.

“It needs a lot of work,” Therese noted.
“Hence the low rent,” Herr Schreiber inserted.
“Hmm, let’s talk numbers,” Mrs T suggested leading the council official back outside.

“What do you reckon?” a slightly less enthusiastic Con asked.
“It needs completely gutting,” I opined, “plus all the gear.”
“Dad reckons he knows someone.”
“Still gonna cost a bit.”

I tried to imagine how it should be, fryer and stuff there, fridges, we could have a hot cabinet for pies over there, coffee machine. Maybe we could do ice cream, couple of tables with chairs? Big umbrella or two, we could have like white or yellow uniforms, something that looks fresh and clean, note to self, laundry.

“Earth to Gaby?”
“Er what?”
“You mumbling to yourself,” Con stated.
“Just imagining what it might be like.”
“Let’s go out.”

“So erm Herr Schreiber,” I started, “could we have like tables and stuff out here?”
“Ja for sure, the rent covers the kiosk and the ground around,” he checked the plan in his folder, “yes up to the footpath here and across to the fence.”
“Kewl!” Con allowed.

Indeed it was quite a big area, I'd seen it used for ad hoc car and motorbike parking but I reckon there was space for quite a lot of seating. On the other side, effectively the rear of the plot it was bordered by a rickety fence at the top of the river bank and a grotty bit of chain-link fenced gate behind which was clearly used for bins.

“I need to speak to my husband,” Therese advised, “get some quotes, run some figures.”
“Sure, sure,” Herr Schreiber agreed, “I'll leave you with the keys, we can talk again in a couple of days, say Thursday?”
“That should be okay.”
“And of course ring me if you have any questions.”

The man from the council departed leaving the three of us to close up the building.

“Well?” Therese asked.
“It needs a lot of work.”
“Presuming it’s all sorted, all the equipment’s installed?” she prompted, “What was that about tables?”
“We could put some tables, umbrellas and stuff out, people’ll buy more if there’s somewhere to sit.”
“Okay, anything else? Con?”
“Hey, Gabs is the brains of the outfit, Mum.”
“Anyone for coffee?

“Dad?”
“Wassup, Baby Bond?”
“Yeah whatever, so you remember I said about the snack bar on Saturday?”
“Up in Altenahr,” he agreed glancing over the spreadsheet he was working on.
“Well we went to look this morning.”
“And?”
“Well I think I want to do it, I mean painted up and with some tables and stuff it’ll be right cool.”
“You’ve got school again in a few weeks and possibly more stuff with BC.”
“I wouldn’t be working full time,” I pointed out, “and it’ll help when I go to college.”
He grunted, “I don’t want you taking on too much kiddo, you already work at the bakery and on Eve’s trailer.”
“Not exactly regular and I wouldn’t be at the bakery any more, I could schedule weekends better.”
“And when you go to college?”
“That's months away.”
“Well we probably won’t open so much when the tourist season ends – and we’ll have some other staff.”
“What does Connie think?”
“She’s dead keen.”
“I'll talk to your mother, you’re sixteen, we won’t stop you but at least listen to us.”
“That’s why I asked you.”
“I'm not against it, but just remember the Thesing’s might be friends but it’s their business, it’s not just a hobby for you and Connie, they’ll be looking for a return on their investment.”
“Uh huh,” I agreed.
“Hello?” Mand’s voice sang from the kitchen.
“I'll speak to her later, kiddo.”

“So how was it for the idle today?” Mand enquired as we walked along to Rech for our lift up to cheer practice.
“Okay I guess.”
“Drinky poos by the pool, a quick nap after lunch.”
“If you must know me an’ Con were looking at a business opportunity.”
“La dee dah!”
“Serious,” I pressed.
“Right, Gaby Bond, entrepre thingy.”
“Entrepreneur, actually it’s Con’s rents, they're taking over the snack bar in Altenahr an’ me and Con are gonna run it.”
“Give over!”
“True I swear.”
“How you gonna make any money, you’ll eat the profits.”
“Har, har.”
“You need any staff?”

Talk about mercenary.

Maddy Bell © 01.12.16