Gaby Book 20 ~ Express ~ Chapter *36*

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*Chapter 36*
Recovery

 
Monday morning and I feel like poo! Somehow Dad’s as chipper as usual, maybe its because he’ll have a helper elf, I mean Manda here today. Yeah, while I'm sweating over a hot er hotplate, de Vreen is done with school until September so she’s free to have a lie in and fully connect with the BC ‘training camp’. Its not sour grapes, I enjoy being at the kiosk but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to be with the guys like last year.

But less of my moaning, Dad brought me and the baked goods up to Connie’s Kiosk before whizzing off to look after his new charges – okay I'm jealous, I'll admit it. And then there’s my impending visit to the clinic this afternoon.

"What’s up with you?” Nena asked finding me staring into space for a third time, "You look like you lost ten euro and found ten cents, you not win yesterday?”
"Er yeah.” I allowed.
"So what’s up?”
"Nothing.”
"Come on, spill,” she pursued.

When I told my friend it sounded unbelievably stupid of course.

"So what happened in Bonn?”
"What didn’t?”
"Oh?”
"Well you know we were going to stay at Boris’ place, well it turns out he and my sister are playing house.”
"They are engaged,” she opined.
"Yeah but like the Rents don’t know.”
"You gonna tell them?”
"Course not, well anyway Boris cooked dinner….”

My discourse was interrupted several times of course, we are running a business after all.

"You Gaby Bond have more adventures than anyone I've ever known.”
"I don’t.”
"You do so, you go to see a band and end up singing with them, that would never happen to me.”
"It could,” I protested.
"No it couldn’t, you know I can’t hold a tune.”
"There is that,” I allowed, "But you still get to do stuff.”
"Nothing as exciting as you, I'd best clear those tables.”
"Er yeah, right,” I agreed.

Maybe she’s right, I do always seem to be in the right or is it wrong place.
 
"Hiya!”
"Bern, wasn’t expecting to see you today, you come on the Express?”
"No, Erika and Mart are over in the car.”
"Didn’t think your bus was until this evening.”
"Half six, we’re doing Kӧln and dinner before I go, thought we’d stop and say bye to Tante Gaby didn’t we Drea?”
The baby gurgled at me.

I went around to the garden, you can’t say goodbye over the Frikadel can you?

"Wish you were staying longer.”
"Be careful what you wish for.”
"Why so?” I queried as I chucked a giggling Drea under the chin.
"Well I know we got stuff sorted but I still want to come move out here.”
"When you’ve finished school though?”
"Me and schools don’t exactly get on do we Gab’s?”
"But I thought you wanted to be like a kindergarten teacher?”
"I thought I did, but lets face it, with my record I've got no chance, who wants an ex druggie single mum looking after their kids?”
"But that isn’t you.”
"Maybe, maybe not but its on my records, nope, I've done my GCSE’s, that's me done.”
"So what are you going to do?”
"Not sure Gab’s, I can’t sponge off mum and dad forever, something’ll turn up.”
"Yeah,” I agreed with a sigh.
"Look, I need to go, the Preiser’s are waiting, I'll ring when I get home.”
"You’d better,” I scolded giving them both a hug and Drea a kiss on her bonce. "Have a safe journey Bern, hang on a mo.”

I sprinted back into the cabin, grabbed a couple of bottles and a Frikadel sandwich from the fridge, bagged them and returned to the travellers.

"Here, for the journey.”
"You don’t have to Gab.”
"Hey, what are friends for?”
"Thanks Gab,” she pulled me into another hug before departing, both of us leaking from our eyes.
 
"We talking today?” Max ventured some time later.
"Shouldn’t we be?”
"Well you weren’t exactly talkative on Saturday,” he pointed out.
"I er had stuff on my mind.”
"Sorry for you know the bed thing, not sure how I ended up in there, think I was three sheets.”
"No kidding,” I agreed.
"Well you were hardly sober.”

With that I can’t argue but it didn’t make our er intimacy situation any less traumatic.

"So, chicken pie?”
 
"Hi Gaby,” Fritzi greeted me after spotting me in the waiting room.
"Er hi.”
"Not here for anything serious I hope?”
"No er just routine stuff, you know,” I pointed to my nether regions.
"So you been to any more gigs?”
"Went to see Hase again on Friday, in Bonn with my sister.”
"Become a fan eh?”
Well almost a member of the band actually, "Sort of, Jules was on about going to see Nina Hagen next month.”
"Interesting taste your sister,” Fritzi allowed.
“Gaby Bond, room five,” the receptionist called over.
"That’s me, see you soon.”
"Not on a professional basis I hope,” the nurse suggested.
 
"Hello Gaby, what can I do for you today?” Dr Martin enquired, “please take a seat.”

I gingerly sat, where to start? Well in for a penny.

"I think I'm pregnant.”

To give her her due her expression never faltered.

"Well you wont be the first young woman I've seen with child,” she started, "So what makes you think you are expecting?”

To be honest, for the second time today what I told someone'd sounded stupid even to me.

"I'm being silly aren’t I?”
"Not in the least, there’s nothing wrong with being cautious, pop behind the screen and put the gown on, I'll get the nurse in and we’ll take a look eh?”

And so, willingly for a change, I suffered the indignity of an internal exam.
 
I finished making myself decent and rejoined the Doc at her desk.

"Well, everything looks in order, no tearing or abrasions.”
"Is that good?”
"Well I know you’ve dilated in the past but most women suffer some damage their first ‘natural’ time, either some tearing or I guess you’d call them friction burns and often some inflammation.”
“’Kay.”
"If I had to give a snap answer I'd say you hadn’t been penetrated.”
"Not,” I mumbled.
"But,” she went on, "Because we want to be certain, we’ll do some bloods.”
"Okay, but you don’t think I'm pregnant?”
"I think it unlikely, especially given your history.”

My history, the fact I didn’t have the right plumbing, or wrong as far as I'm concerned, until last autumn. But not being with child is good, yeah, most definitely.

“Gaby?”
"Er sorry.”
"I'll ring you with the results, probably Thursday.”
"Er okay, Mum doesn’t have to know does she?”
"Well I'm not going to tell her,” Doc Martin advised, "How is your mother?”
"Okay I think, she’s been away racing for a couple of weeks.”
"Tell her hi when you see her.”
"I will, er thanks.”
 
I got in from my medical excursion in better humour and a few minutes before Dad and Mand returned.

“Are you going cheering tonight?” Dad enquired.
"Er yeah, we need to work on stuff for next week, you coming Mand?”
"I guess,” she allowed – I think she enjoys it more than she lets on.
"Well in that case,” Dad went on, "I'll just grab a sandwich now then.”
 
We spent the session going over our non competition routine, we’ll be doing a couple of shows so we’ve split our proper offering in two to give the audience a bit more to watch.

“P za?” I asked with a chuckle as we gathered outside the clubhouse.
"That is just so bad Bond,” Pia mentioned.
"Thought it was pretty good.”
"No Gab, that was so awful its not even funny,” Mand added.
"So you girls all okay for Adenau?” Hannah queried joining us after locking up.
"Should be,” Mand stated, "We’re racing on Saturday so unless we fall off.”

Hold that thought Mand, I so do not want to crash again this season.

"Will you have transport do you think?” Han added.
“Probably,” I'll have to ask Dad I guess.
"Inge’ll probably take us,” P suggested.
"Okay, I'll see people at Garde on Friday?” Hannah suggested as Dad arrived in Mum’s A.
“Unless we get a better offer eh P?”
"Nite girls!”
"Bye Han!”
"Tschussie!”
 
"You gonna fetch them Gab?” Dad suggested waving a twenty note in my direction.
"I'll go Mr B!” Pia offered, grabbing the money before I could react. She was gone like a rocket.
"What’s that all about?” Mand asked.
"You really don’t want to know,” I proposed.
"What am I missing?”
"Oh alright, she fancies one of the lads in there.”
"This I have to see,” Mand opined getting out of the car.
"Did I miss something?” Dad queried.
“Just girl stuff,” I advised as I followed de Vreen to the pizza shop.
 

© Maddy Bell 09.06.17

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Comments

Still fretting

Podracer's picture

So Gabs still isn't sure, Don't think it will affect her racing focus though!
" - unless we fall off". Really Manda, don't jinx it.

"Reach for the sun."

“Just girl stuff"

Lucy Perkins's picture

Exactly. Most of us would be happy with that. I know I am, and I hope everyone else here achieves that...
Another wonderful slice of life. Oh yeah..and I want an invitation to Gaby and Max's wedding .I mean, old friends, came from her her hometown, used to live in Bonn,...

Love as ever Lucy

"Lately it occurs to me..
what a long strange trip its been."