The honeymoon begins...

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Admin Note: It's pretty unusual for me to retro classic a part of another retro classic story or series. However, this story, being very special to me with its feel and flow, enticed me to reshow this story to everyone. This sequel occurs after the original Notes of A Journey Trilogy and is officially part four (Chapters 1 through 11). Rather than represent the entire trilogy, readers can click the link to read it from the beginning onwards to this from the side menu bar you should see on the right of this page or the link above if they wish to read it chronologically from beginning to end. This fanfic of Madelline Bell's Gaby series is an alternate universe of her work based on a crucial moment in the series when a "What If?" situation occurred and this series of events played out. PB has masterfully taken the characters of Gaby and breathed a different life about them in an interesting and romanticized way that touched my heart. I hope you find this work as lovely as I did.

Originally published on BigCloset TopShelf on Friday 06-10-2011 at 12:03:20 pm, this retro classic was pulled out of the closet, and re-presented for our newer readers. ~Sephrena
 
Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 1
 
December 7, 2013 … MayschoáŸ, Germany

“Almost ready, sweetheart?” Maddy cheerfully called out as she was placing the last of their luggage by the front door. “Dad’ll be here soon.”

“Coming!” Gaby sang out in reply. “Just putting on some lipstick.”

When Maddy heard her coming down the stairs, she paused to look up at her wife. She was wearing her black, flowing, mid-calf A-line skirt paired with her cream, long-sleeved, cable-knit turtleneck and a pair of ‘Suntan’ pantyhose. She finished off with a pair of high black boots that had three-inch stacked heels, her feather earrings and the Aboriginal bracelet that Jessica gave her.

After she stepped off the bottom step, Gaby did a slow twirl for Maddy’s inspection.

“Do I look okay?”

Maddy briefly stared at her and then in a quiet, seductive voice replied, “…you always do.”

“I know that look, Maddy Bond! … An’ you’ll just have to hold onto all those lovely thoughts until we get to the hotel … just … like … I’ll … have ... to … dooommmmm,” Gaby cooed as she was gently pulled into a very passionate kiss.

“Mmmm … I’m gonna hold you to that promise, Frau Bond...” Maddy playfully whispered as they parted. Gaby lovingly pulled her back for an encore.

“Besides … I couldn’t exactly wear jeans when you look like this, could I?” Gaby added as she gestured towards Maddy’s outfit, an off-white, mid-thigh, cable-knit turtleneck sweater dress, black tights and knee-high boots with three-inch heels.

“You could’ve. You do have those tight, sexy black ones...” Maddy suggestively breathed.

“They’re packed...” Gaby softly revealed as she leaned in for another kiss. The doorbell rang just as their lips met.

“Let’s pretend we didn’t hear that...” Maddy whispered as the two continued to hold each other.

“That’s gotta be your dad...” Gaby smirked.

(sigh…) “Mum’s always said that there were times when his timing was impeccable ... then there were times...” Maddy quietly remarked while slowly shaking her head. ”I’d best get it, sweetheart … you grab our coats.”

As they reluctantly parted, Gaby went off to get their things while Maddy reached for the doorknob.

“Morgan, Pet … you girls ready?”

“Soon as Gabs gets our coats and bags.”

“Make sure both of you have your passports and everything!” Carol piped up.

Maddy looked over her dad’s shoulder while stepping aside to let him begin taking the luggage out to the car. She was quick to give her mum a hug as Carol started to walk through the opened door.

“You didn’t have to get up, Mum!”

“I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t come to see you off ... and maybe even do a bit of shopping after we drop you two at the airport.”

“Most people would be all shopped-out by now … being this close to Christmas,” John quietly stated as he walked back into the house.

“Never happen, Daddy. You should know that!” Maddy laughingly replied.

“You’re your mother’s daughter, alright!” John sarcastically shot back with a smile as he walked out the door towards the car with the last piece of luggage. "Sometimes I wonder what you got from me."

"The chequebook!" Both mother and daughter chorused.

“Coat … gloves … and … one bag … with visas, passport and assorted unknowns.” Gaby playfully itemized the contents as she handed them to Maddy, then took out her own keys and proceeded to lock up the house.

“You sure you’ve got your passport?” Maddy inquired.

“Right here ... I’ve already checked ... twice!” Gaby cheerfully replied as she patted her bag.

“I haven’t seen those coats before. They go really well with your outfits,” Carol commented as she watched the girls zip up their thigh-length hooded suede coats.

“Mad found these last week, in Bonn.”

“When did you get time to shop?” Carol wondered.

“We only worked a half day last Friday because of some open-house or something at the University … so a few of the girls found something else to do,” Maddy explained.

“You sure your boss didn’t mind you taking off like that?” John cautiously asked.

“Doktor Ackart was one of the girls!” Maddy snickered.

“You two remembered to pack your ski jackets and winter boots?” Carol asked as they all got into the car.

“Yes, Mum …” Gaby answered. She loved how Carol sometimes still had to pause and think when she addressed them as Mum and Dad.

“Just wanted to make sure before we got on the road. You’ll love Banff ... John and I were there before Maddy was born and didn’t want to leave… but … remember ... it is December there too!”

“We’ll be okay, Mum … relax,” Maddy quietly replied. “Oh! Before we totally forget, Gabs has copies of our itinerary for you.”

As they were leaving Mayschoß, Gaby produced two copies of a printed Word document and passed them to Carol, hoping she would read it over before they reached the airport in case she had any questions.

“Could you give one to Mum and Dad for us?” Gaby asked.

“Okay … we’ll be seeing them later this evening.”

“…An’ let Mum know … we’ll call one of you before we set out over the Atlantic. We’ll let you guys keep each other up to date.”

“We’ll also let you know when we’ve arrived … both at the hotel and Jessica’s...” Maddy added. “...Just so you don’t worry.”

“Thank-you. I guess I best read this then and see exactly how much sleep your father and I will lose with these calls,” Carol playfully commented. She then slipped on her reading glasses and turned her attention to the girl’s itinerary.

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Bonn — Calgary Flight Info:
Bonn Depart 8:50 am	to	London Arrive 10:20 am (11:20 am our time)	Sat 7-Dec Duration: 1hr 30mn	Lufthansa Flight: 4784
London Depart 1:30 pm (2:30 pm our time)	to	Calgary Arrive 3:55 pm (local) (about 1 am our time)	Duration: 9hr 25mn	Air Canada Flight: 851
Dec 7 to Dec 15: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise …we'll call from the airport upon arrival.
Calgary — Richmond Flight Info:
Calgary Depart 7:15 am	to	Toronto arrive 1:10 pm	Mon. 16-Dec Duration: 3hr 55mn	Air Canada Flight: 174
Toronto Depart: 4:50 pm	to	Richmond Arrive: 7:00 pm (local) (1 am German time)	Duration: 2hr 10mn	Air Canada Flight: 7968 Operated by: Air Canada Jazz
Staying with Jessica Dec 16 to Dec 20 …We'll call from the airport when we arrive in Virginia
Richmond — Bonn Flight Info:
Richmond Depart 8:19 pm	to	Philadelphia Depart 10:50 pm (4:50 am German time)	Sat 21-Dec Duration: 7hr 10mn	US Air Flight: 4628 Operated by US Airways Express-Piedmont Airlines
Philadelphia Depart 10:50 pm (4:50 am German time)	to	London Arrive 11:00 am +1 day (noon German time)	Sat 21-Dec Duration: 7hr 10mn	US Air Flight: 728
London Depart 10:50 pm (4:50 am German time)	to	Bonn Arrive 5:25 pm (local) Terminal 1	Duration: 1hr 20mn	Lufthansa Flight: 4787
We'll call upon departure from Philadelphia and arrival in London.

“Uh huh … well … you seem to have everything covered!” Carol stated.

“I see you’ve made a note to call us when you arrive in Calgary … but don’t mention anything about letting us know how to get you at the hotel in case of emergency.”

“We figured you won’t be too crazy about us calling you at four in the morning,” Maddy replied. “…So we’ll call later at a more reasonable time.”

“Four in the morning?” Carol asked.

“Your time. Gabs figures it’ll be close to that, before we’re checked in.”

“Oh … okay. Ummm … I don’t see Jessica’s number anywhere. You wouldn’t know that, by chance ... would you?” Carol asked as she prepared to pull a pen out of her bag.

“Mad thought you still had it ... but I know Mum still has it on her laptop ... ask her,” Gaby replied.

“Why would she have it?” Carol asked.

“From the wedding?”

“Oh ... I’ll get it from her tonight, then. At least we’ll know where you are … if not what you’re doing,” Carol replied with a chuckle.

“Mummm … I bet Gran never checked up on you and Dad when you were on your honeymoon!” Maddy whined.

“Ohhh … she wanted to,” John replied with a smile as he looked into his rear-view mirror at his daughter’s reaction.

“I still can’t believe you got the time off after working at COMBIO* barely three months,” John commented, changing the subject.

“At my final interview for the job, I told them about Gabs and I ... and that we were hoping to go abroad for our honeymoon. Doktor Ackart only said to let her know the dates as soon as we had finalized our travel arrangements.”

“...This Doktor Ackart … she’s okay with you two, is she?” Carol asked. “I admit … when you told us you got the job, your father and I were a bit concerned how the University would react to your marriage.”

“Everyone’s fine with it, Mum ... I’m not hiding it,” Maddy explained. “I’ve even got three photos of the two of us on my desk … including our wedding picture and Ivonne always has a nice comment whenever she sees them.”

“Ivonne?” Carol questioned.

“Doktor Ackart’s really laid back and insists her title should only be used for more ‘appropriate’ occasions.”

“Sounds like she’s a nice person to work for.”

“She is…”

A short time later, John entered the grounds of the Köln-Bonn airport and pulled up to the passenger off-loading area at Terminal 2. After he shut off the ignition, everyone got out while he started pulling out the girl’s luggage.

“Got your boarding passes and whatnot?” John asked.

“Miracles of online technology ... just click an’ print them in the convenience of your own home,” Gaby cheerfully replied as she reached into her bag and pulled out the documents to show her father-in-law. A scant minute-or-two later, it was time to go and both girls traded hugs with John and Carol.

“See you when you get back. Jen and Dave will be here to meet you two, so don't worry and have fun … Tschüss!” Carol enthused just before she and John got back into the car and drove off.

“Well … this is it, luv…” Gaby quietly mentioned as they gathered their luggage and headed into the terminal towards the Lufthansa departure lounge.

“It’s all been like a fairy-tale…” Maddy started to say as they approached the check-in.

“What?”

“All this.”

“How so?”

“Well … when I first said ‘I love you’, I never imagined our lives would be like this ... especially after Grottoes … an’ now … we’re leaving on our honeymoon!”

“So … you saying the Princess got the Princess?”

“Uh huh.”

“Then wait ‘til you see the hotel room! Fit for Royalty!”

“You’ve seen it?”

“Virtual tour…” Gaby smugly replied.

“How many beds, then?” Maddy challenged.

“Wellllll ... I had to make a choice … two ‘doubles’ ... or a single ‘king.”

“...And the winner was?” Maddy coaxed.

“The ‘king’...” Gaby smirked.

“Oooo … now, that has potential…” Maddy mischievously pondered.

“An’ we just don’t have a room ... we’ve got a whole suite.”

“Do we have a view?”

“Uh huh ... both the bedroom an’ sitting room face Lake Louise ... all surrounded by thick forests an’ mountains.”

“Mmmm ... with that kind of romantic scenery looking back at us … how ‘bout we just stay in bed?” Maddy playfully asked.

“For the whole week?”

“You said it’s a ‘king’…”

“It’s already been done by John and Yoko … besides … I kinda thought we could get out an’ do a few things,” Gaby hinted.

“Like what?”

“Ummm … think I’ll tell you later… keep it a surprise.”

“Gabs….” Maddy whined with a playful pout.

After the girls surrendered their luggage at the check-in desk, Gaby handed over their pre-printed boarding passes and her passport.

“Paß, bitte.”

“Mad … she needs your passport,” Gaby softly urged as she gently nudged her

“Oh! Sorry.” Maddy quickly retrieved her passport from her bag and started to hand it to Gaby.

“Not me … her!”

“…’tschuldigung.” Maddy sheepishly apologized as she handed the passport to the woman behind the counter. She then turned to Gaby and in a quiet but audible voice, uttered, “It’s all this excitement ... “

“Your German is quite good,” The woman remarked in near flawless English after noting their British passports.

“Danke,” Maddy replied. After a brief pause for a final check, the girls were returned their documentation.

“Here are your boarding passes and passports. You and … your sister … have a good flight.”

“Danke,” Gaby replied as they gathered their documentation and proceeded to go through security.

“She thought we’re sisters,” Maddy hissed as they walked away.

Gaby stopped walking a few metres from the check-in desk and looked at Maddy.

“Look at me.” As Maddy turned her head, Gaby gently kissed her on the lips while holding her wife's hand.

“Wonder what she’s thinking now,” Gaby mischievously whispered, knowing full well that the woman was probably still looking at them.

“Gabrielle Bond! … You little …” Maddy playfully replied, barely containing her laughter.

“C’mon!” Gaby was trying hard to contain her own laughter.

While still holding hands, the two girls quickly went off in the direction of Security. Once through the required checks, they began to relax as they entered the Lufthansa departure lounge. All they were waiting for now, was the boarding call for their flight.

As they sat down in the waiting area, Maddy held her passport up for Gaby’s inspection.

“Do you realize this is the first time I’ve used this? “

“Feels good?”

“Uh huh … it says ‘Madeline Bond’. Sounds nice…” Maddy had a wide grin as she cuddled Gaby’s arm and squeezed tight.

“Now you know how I felt when Gaby first used hers. Want to quickly grab something before our flight’s called? I mean … besides me? We got some time.”

“Oh pooh! You’re really gonna make me wait, aren’t you?” Maddy replied with a faux pout.

“Didn’t your mum ever tell you ‘All good things come to she who waits?“ Gaby playfully whispered.

“In that case … I guess I’ll have a tea and a strudel,” Maddy replied with a smirk.

Shortly after the girls finished their tea and returned to their gate, their flight started to board. As they entered the aircraft and once again produced their boarding passes, a member of the cabin crew directed them to their seats.

“Ihre Plätze sind in Reihe 9 Sitze B und C – rechts neben dem Notausgang.”

“Danke,” the girls replied.

“Well … here’s the Emergency exit … so these must be our seats … 9B and 9C. Which one do you want?” Maddy asked.

“I’ll let you have the aisle … put our bags under the seats.”

“You realize that we have about three hours to kill at Heathrow? Other than a very long lunch … any ideas?” Maddy asked as she sat down and fastened her seat belt.

“Wander around the shops?”

“Sounds good …”

“Or … we can catch some sleep,” Gaby playfully offered.

“Tempting … but … much too public,” Maddy cooed.

“Don’t forget we’re going west, so we’ll have to set our watches back for London and then again for Calgary,” Gaby mentioned. “Maybe we should lose the hour for London, now. Don’t want to forget and miss our connection.”

“How many hours we lose when get to Calgary?”

“Eight … I think. We’re scheduled to land mid-afternoon their time.”

“An’ it’s a nine hour flight. That’s too weird.”

“Think if you actually work it out it’s a nine-and-a-half-hour flight.”

As the aircraft started its steep climb out of the Köln-Bonn airport, Maddy tightly squeezed Gaby’s hand.

“Nervous?”

“Nope … just extremely happy,” Maddy quietly admitted.

Gaby leaned over and gave her a soft kiss before gently brushing a tear from her cheek with the back of a single finger. Meanwhile, Maddy contently smiled at her wife and closed her eyes as she laid her head on her shoulder.

As the aircraft levelled off for the remainder of the flight, the cabin crew came around offering soft drinks and peanuts to the passengers.

“Fräulein...?” The flight attendant quietly got Gaby’s attention, but easily switched to English after seeing the opened paperback in Gaby’s hand.

“Can I get you or your … friend … anything to drink?” Considering that Maddy was asleep on Gaby’s shoulder and holding onto her arm, there was little doubt the two girls were ‘together’.

“No thanks.” Glancing at her wife, Gaby softly explained in a hushed voice, “She was up earlier than usual this morning.”

The flight attendant gave an understanding smile and moved onto the next row of passengers, while Gaby turned her attention back to her book.

Later, her concentration was broken as she noticed a change in the sound of the engines and the familiar sensation of being held back. Looking out the window, she saw the ‘flaps’ on both the leading and trailing edges of the wing, were fully extended.

Gaby had just returned her book to her bag and was just closing it when another one of the cabin crew passing her seat, stopped and got her attention.

“Entschuldigung ... Frau?”

“Ja?” Gaby automatically responded in German.

“Wir sind bereit, in London zu landen. Befestigen Sie bitte Ihre Sicherheitsgurte.”

“Ja … Danke.”

“Mad? … Darling … wake up … we’re coming into Heathrow and you have to put on your seat-belt”

“Already?”

“You slept the whole flight … an’ from the way you were smiling … you must’ve had one really great dream.”

‘Oh … I did,” Maddy mischievously whispered as she put on her seat-belt and resumed her hold on Gaby’s arm.

“Gonna tell me about it?”

“Maybe tonight,” Maddy quietly hinted with an ‘evil’ grin.

Gaby closed her eyes and slowly shook her head while sporting a wide grin the whole time.

A few minutes later, she heard the ‘clunk’ of the landing gear being lowered and locked into place. As they continued their gentle descent, passing low over the airport’s perimeter fence, she habitually looked at her watch as the gentle ‘bump’ of the Boeing 737’s tires signified that they were again on British soil.

“So far ... so good.”

Soon after they de-planed, Gaby spotted one of the many British Airways hosts that wander Heathrow’s Terminal 5, providing assistance to passengers.

“That Flight Attendant said if we have any questions, these people can help us out … an’ I’ve never been in Terminal 5. I’m lost an’ I’m not a man ... so I’m going to ask,” Gaby chuckled as they headed towards the two women in BA uniforms.

“Excuse me.” Maddy was the first to get their attention.

“Miss?”

“We have a connecting Air Canada flight at … (looking at her boarding pass) gate 62 … could you please tell us how to get there from here?” she asked while Gaby stood beside her.

“Certainly … quite simple really. You see the purple sign over there?” the guide asked while pointing off to her left.

“Yes,” Both girls replied.

“That’ll direct you to the escalators and then just follow the signs to ‘Flight Connections’. From there you’ll end up in the departures area. Make sure you keep looking at the information screens for your flight information, though. They try to keep announcements to a minimum in Terminal 5. You’ll find the screens scattered throughout the terminal. ”

“Thank you. You’ve been most helpful,” Maddy remarked as the two girls started off on their quest to follow the purple signs.

“C’mon, luv … this way ... sign says we have to go down,” Gaby commented as she read the directions on the sign.

“Not having any luggage to fight with really makes things much easier, doesn’t it?” Maddy commented as they stepped onto the moving steps.

“That an’ I don’t have to worry about finding surprises,” Gaby playfully mumbled under her breath.

“And just wot are you referring to … Mrs. Gaby Bond?” Maddy quietly shot back while unsuccessfully suppressing a chuckle.

“I do hope that our stuff gets put onto the right flight, though...” Maddy abruptly added as a concerned afterthought.

“It will,” Gaby replied while giving her wife a reassuring smile.

When they stepped off the escalator, they found themselves at one end of a large open hall with one wall taken up with a bank of staffed customer service desks that had an information screen above each desk. At the opposite end to where they were standing was maze of ‘roped pathways’ that eventually led to an area, that according to an overhead display was the ‘Boarding Pass Presentation’.

“I betcha we go there,” Gaby dryly offered, nodding to the opposite end of the hall.

“We best hurry, then … there doesn’t appear to be a large queue right now. Then again … what’s there appears to be moving rather well...” Maddy observed.

A few minutes after joining the queue with their fellow passengers, the girls found themselves presenting their boarding passes and passports to one of the attendants staffing four of the desks in the area.

“Here you go ladies. Just take the escalators behind me … straight up to ‘Security and Departures’. Have a nice flight.”

“Quick and painless,” Gaby commented as they were heading up to ‘Departures’. After a short walk off the escalator and through the metal detectors of ‘Security’, they stood overlooking a large concourse.

“Well, we’ve arrived …an’ here’s your shops!” Gaby playfully enthused. “What do you want to do first … shop or eat?”

“Let’s get something to eat, sweetheart. We only had a small breakfast and I’m starved!”

“Ummm … okay. There’s a map over there. Let’s see what they have,” Gaby quickly agreed. “Since we got three hours to waste … let’s find a sit-down restaurant and have a proper meal.”

“Gabs … here’s Huxley’s! Remember? That’s the one Brit and the gang kept talking about! Let’s give them a try, shall we?” Maddy enthused while pointing to the interactive map display.

“According to this ... it should be (looking around) … over ... there! Okay … let’s go!” Arriving at the door, they saw that it was beginning to get fairly busy for the noon hour.

“Think we’ll get in and still get our flight, sweetheart?” Maddy quietly wondered.

“It doesn’t look like much of a wait ... at least judging by the way the queue is moving,” Gaby observed. Fifteen minutes later, they stepped up to the Hostess’ desk inside the restaurant.

“How many?”

“Two,” Maddy answered.

“This place reminds me of Salvatore's. You remember … that restaurant back in Worksop that Mum liked?” Gaby casually remarked as they were seated.

“I know what you mean, with all these photos on the wall … including yours, sweetheart...” Maddy answered with a giggle.

“What?” Gaby almost shouted. By now the server was at their table and a few heads were turned in their direction upon hearing her outburst.

“Sorry, Miss … I was talking to … her,” Gaby sheepishly pointed to Maddy and apologized while trying to concentrate on the menu.

“Lessee now … Mad … where’re you going?”

“Be back in a mo’. Just want to check out this photo. You go ahead and order.”

Maddy pushed her chair back in and walked over to where the framed photo was hanging. When she returned to the table and sat down, Gaby couldn’t help but notice the smug look on her wife’s face.

“Just as I thought. It’s you winning the Fem’s individual Time Trial last summer,” Maddy proudly mentioned. “You ordered, sweetheart?”

“I was watching you.” Turning to their server Gaby quickly added, “Ummm … fish an’ chips and a tea, please.”

“Now that you’ve ordered … go check it out, yourself!” Maddy urged. Gaby accepted her wife’s challenge and rose out of her chair to go take a closer look.

“I think I’ll have the same,” Maddy intoned as she passed the menus back to the server.

“…’ere … is that really your friend in that photo?” she quietly asked Maddy.

“Uh huh.”

“Cor!” A couple of minutes after the server left with their orders, Gaby returned to the table, slowly shaking her head in amazement.

“Well? Was I right?” Gaby sat down and silently glared at Maddy for several long seconds. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’...”

(sigh) “Yes,” Gaby reluctantly whispered.

Later, when they had finished their meal and their server had collected Gaby’s credit card, a tall, athletic-looking, middle-aged gentleman, approached the girl’s table.

“Excuse me … Miss? My name’s Gerry O’Brian and I’m the day manager here.” His thick Irish accent was very noticeable.

“Is there a problem?”

“Oh, no … not a’tall … but I was wondering … if this young lady was you, by any chance?”

Reaching over the table, Maddy turned the photo he held out for her wife’s inspection and took a quick look. She then quickly looked at the wall and saw that the photo, frame and all, was gone. Gaby looked at the picture and then raised her eyes to look across the table at Maddy.

“Yes,” Gaby confirmed in a soft voice.

“In that case … on behalf of Huxley’s … I’d be honoured if you’d autograph it for us.”

“I’d be happy to.” Gaby accepted his pen and proceeded to sign. As she handed the photo back, both girls noticed that she’d become the centre of attention among many of the restaurant patrons, especially those at the surrounding tables.

“Thank you. May I say … you’re much prettier off the bike.”

“Thank you…”

“I can’t get over people coming up to you for your autograph!” Maddy quietly enthused after Gerry left.

“I still feel like that when I see people coming up to Mum,” Gaby softly replied.

“I don’t know how it makes you feel ... but it kinda makes me proud ... and now everyone’s trying to figure out who you are!” Maddy cheerfully remarked as she was gathering up her bag.

“Let’em guess…” Gaby whispered while they both got up from the table. As they were walking out under the questioning gaze of several customers, they observed the manager proudly returning the now-signed photo to its rightful place on the wall.

A few minutes later, while standing on the concourse and getting their bearings, Maddy heard a timid voice behind her.

“Excuse me? Are you Gaby Bond?”

“Sweetheart … you’re being paged,” Maddy whispered into Gaby’s ear after looking back to see who was calling her. As they both turned around, they were confronted by a young girl of 10 or 11.

“Yes, I am...” Gaby softly confirmed when she turned around.

“I wanted to ask you inside ... but you and your friend were leaving by the time I got up … can I have your autograph?”

“Sure,” Gaby sweetly replied. She smoothed her skirt behind her and knelt down as the girl approached her and offered up a pen and pad.

“What’s your name, dear?”

“Maddy…”

“That’s her name…” Gaby softly acknowledged as she glanced up at her wife. “You ride, Maddy?”

“I was tested by the British Youth Program last month … just waiting to hear how I did,” the girl proudly replied. “I think I want to turn pro and maybe become World Champion like you.”

Gaby noticeably blushed as she returned the pen and paper.

“You know what? I bet you’ll do it!” Gaby quietly mentioned while giving the girl a hug. As she ran back to her waiting parents, proudly displaying the signed paper, Gaby stood up and Maddy again clung to her arm.

“Just like your mum,” she sweetly whispered as she planted a kiss on Gaby’s cheek.

“I think we better skip the shops and get to our gate,” Maddy conceded a minute or two later.

“You’re ... passing up a chance to go shopping?”

“Only because our flight’s now showing on the information screens an’ they did warn us to be there and through security at least thirty minutes before we board or we lose our seats … plus we still have to phone Mum,” Maddy added as she checked her watch.

“Guess we better get down there, then...” Gaby playfully agreed. Less than an hour later, the girls were crossing the coast and heading out over the Atlantic Ocean.

* Centrum für Molekulare Biotechnologie der Universität Bonn
(Centre of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Bonn)

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...