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*Chapter 33*
Not Boxing Day

 
 
I slept like a log, it’s been quite a busy few days after all, the waitressing, training on the bike and it just being Christmas so I wasn’t amused when Mum demanded my appearance just after eight Boxing Day morning. Except of course here in Germany we don’t have Boxing Day as such, if it wasn’t for it being Sunday a lot of businesses would be open pretty much as usual. Anyhow, reluctantly I crawled from my pit, had the shower I missed last night and dressed in a denim mini and my new jumper.

“About time,” Mum huffed.

“It’s Christmas,” I moaned, “where’s Dad?”

“Not here,” she told me; she’s certainly in a mood this morning.

I poured tea into my mug, “How come?”

“Your Dad and Helmut got stuck down in Ahrweiler, an accident or something closed the road.”

“At least it’s not snowing this morning,” I noted looking out across the gardens white expanse.

“It only stopped twenty minutes ago.”

“We having cooked breakfast?” I posed in hope, I like a fry up but we rarely have one these days.

“No, you’ll have to make do with your usual frühstuck.”

Bum. I set to laying the table, cheese, meat, choccy spread – they all found homes on the table.

“How come I had to get up and Jules hasn’t?” I complained.

“She has, she’s fetching the brotchen.”

“Oh right.” Of course, the Thesing’s will be busy today.

“Morning, kids,” Gran greeted as she joined us in the kitchen.

“Morning, Mum.”

“Hi, Gran, you want tea?”

“Love a cup, that your new jumper?”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“Looks nice and warm,” she told me as I poured her tea.

“Uh huh, it’s a bit itchy though.”

“Haven’t you got anything underneath?”

“Only my BH.”

“Your what?”

“She means bra, Mum,” Mum cut in, “the German is Bustenhalter, BH for short.”

“Ah,” Gran allowed, “you need to put a vest on.”

The sounds of Jules coming in through the garage alerted us to impending eating time.

“Geez it’s cold out there,” the Dark One opined when she joined us.

“How are the roads?” Mum asked.

“I saw a plough on the main road, it’s a bit dodgy around the village, Dad rung?”

“He sent a text, he’s getting breakfast down there before coming home.”

“Any washing, kids?” Gran asked once breakfast was done with.

“My dirndls,” I mentioned.

“Will they go in the washer?”

“They’re cotton, Mum.”

“Okay, go fetch them then, Gaby, we’ll have a look,” Gran prompted.

I took the opportunity to put on a cami under the jumper whilst I was upstairs, it certainly eased the itching. Two dirndls and the underpinnings make quite an armful, I had to take my time returning to the ground floor. Am I glad we don’t wear this stuff all the time, it might look ‘decorative’ but it’s a bit of a pain.

“The whites need a boil,” Gran pronounced inspecting my underskirt and blouses, “not sure I want to put the dresses in the machine with the ribbons and buttons, dry clean I think.”

“I’ve got a dress that needs the cleaners,” Mum put in, “I’ll take them in tomorrow.”

That decided I ended up helping Gran with the washer, well washers – we have one for bike kit and the ‘house’ machine, we used one for the boil wash, the other for a cool wash for everything else.

“What time are we supposed to be at Wilhelm and Gloria’s?” Dad enquired after finally getting home close on ten.

“Between twelve and one,” I advised – well that’s what Max said anyhow.

“That’s okay then, the roads should be clear by then.”

“So you two are an item then.” Jules stated as she flopped onto the other end of the sofa.

“In his dreams, I am so not interested.”

“Coulda fooled me, looked pretty hot and passionate at the Stube last night.”

Oh yeah, the Stube.

“It was just a Christmas kiss.”

“Christmas kiss? You believe that if you want.”

“It was,” I protested.

“A peck on the cheek is a Christmas kiss not five minutes without coming up for air!”

“It was not five minutes!”

“Okay, six.”

“Why you!” I grabbed a cushion and laid into her.

“GIRLS!” Mum called from the kitchen.

“Gaby’s got a boyfriend!” Jules taunted.

“I have not!” I huffed.

“I know what I saw, sis, and what I saw was you and Maxxie having a full on snog.”

I tried a different tack, “Okay, we kissed, it doesn’t mean we’re a couple, I was tired and he caught me unawares.”

“So it wasn’t you I saw leading him out to the cloakroom then?”

“I didn’t.”

“There are other witnesses,” she suggested.

Shite!

“I was caught up in the excitement,” okay, that sounds pretty lame even to me.

“I saw what I saw,” Jules stated.

“Well it won’t be happening again.”

“If you say so, Baroness.”

“You!”

I laid into her with the cushion again.

“Mum, Gabs is attacking me!”

“Just you wait!”

“GIRLS!” Mum shouted again, “Will you give over!”

“She started it.”

“Did not,” Goth Girl riposted.

“You can both stop,” Mum ordered coming across to the lounge, “what are you wearing to go to the Strechau’s?”

“What I’m wearing?” I suggested.

“You have got to be kidding if you think you are going to show me up dressed like that.”

“I was going to put some tights on,” I mentioned.

“You can put a dress on,” she stated, Jules smirked. “You too, Jules.”

“But, Mum…”

“But nothing.”

Anyone would think we’re going to a fancy do rather than family friends.

“Yes, Mum,” we chorused.

“And Juliette, go easy on the makeup eh?”

“Whatever.”

My turn to snigger, Jules can get a bit carried away trowelling on the slap, I’m more au naturel, less is more!

“Well hop to it, we leave in an hour,” Mum chivvied.

Hmmph, if she thinks I’m getting too dressed up she’s got another thing coming, besides it’s the middle of winter. I climbed wearily up to my eyrie; I bet none of the others have got to get prissied up today. Surveying the contents of my closet didn’t help in selection of something suitable – there’s so much in there!

What do you wear for such a soirée? I really do need to sort out this lot, Cosplay outfits jostle with formal gowns and posh frocks hang side by side with summer fripperies. I started to play musical dresses just to find something suitable.

“Your mum asked me to see how you were getting on.”

Jump? I nearly had a heart attack!

“Gran!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump,” Gran told me.

“I was a bit engrossed I guess.”
*
“So you found something in there?”

“I need to get rid of some of this stuff.”

“I’ve still got stuff in my wardrobe from when your mum was your age,” she admitted.

“I dunno what to wear, any ideas, Gran?”

“Let’s have a look.”

I was only a couple of minutes behind Mum’s schedule when I joined the rest of the clan clad in what I’d guess you’d call a cocktail dress, it’s one of my LBD’s, not too glitzy but still quite dressy.

“You seriously wearing those?” Jules queried.

‘Those’ as my sister so eloquently puts it are the slightly ratty flat ankle boots I wear for school this time of year. High fashion they are not but reasonably warm and comfortable trumps style for me – I’m not alone, all the girls have some, not the same of course but ankle boots.

“There’s snow out there,” I pointed out, “I’m not wearing heels.”

“I presume you are taking something to change into?” Dad enquired in a bemused tone.

“She’d better,” Mum cautioned.

I held up the carrier bag I’d brought down, “Uncomfortable shoes, one pair, for the wearing of.”

“Come on then,” Dad suggested.

Guess who had to sit legs akimbo in the middle? I might be the smallest but seriously, every time there’s more than the four of us? I had to hitch my dress up just to sit in the car, very ladylike, not that I want to be but I also don’t want to expose my knickers to everyone either. I draped my jacket over my knees to maintain a degree of decency.

Normally we would head straight out to Rech but with just a set of 4x4 tracks heading that way Dad took us into Dernau and out onto the main road. The road was surprisingly busy but it was clear and we were soon turning into Rech whose roads were white over. There was a dodgy moment on one corner when the car slipped sideways but we made it into the von Strechau’s courtyard safely, I was surprised to find we weren’t the only guests.

Maddy Bell 12.03.16