Gaby Book 18 ~ Summery ~ Chapter *30* And One And Two

Printer-friendly version

 

 
 
*Chapter 30*
And One And Two

 

 

There was no one else about – well a couple of walkers up at the town end but there was a distinct lack of cheer leaders. Oh well, we hadn’t had made a set start time, they’ll be here soon enough. Might as well find somewhere to sit.

The little pavilion cum changing room by the football pitch looked a likely spot, I'll see anyone coming and I can sit on the steps. That decided I headed over and soon made myself comfortable on the top step. the track top draped over my shoulders, I rooted in my bag and found not just the apple I dropped in this morning but also the manga that I bought a couple of weeks ago and forgot about.

I pulled my feet up a step so I could balance the book on my knees, quickly readjusted my running knicks and with a decisive bite of the apple started reading. The book had been an impulse buy, I hadn’t seen the title before, ‘Gothic Sports’ , and reading the précis it sounded a bit different to the usual stuff. It didn’t take long to become engrossed, the tale of a misfit girl wanting to play football – yeah football but that's not the main thread really.

What pulled me in was the setting, somewhere in Bavaria by the hints so it’s real German Manga! No dodgy translations, missing speeches or unnecessary page notes, nope, this is manga as the writer/artist intended it. I was well engrossed, lost in the world of Anya, Loo and Filiz as they faced down the inequalities of school sports.

“Wotcha reading?”

I hadn’t even noticed someone approaching!

“A book?” I suggested flashing the cover.
“You and your comics,” Pia offered as she sat down beside me.
“They’re not comics.”
“Manga then, no one else here?”
“Duh!”
“They’re probably at Kristin’s.”
“We agreed here,” I pointed out.
“Well she only lives over the road, that place with the red roof,” P informed me pointing to the house in question, “I'll give her a bell.”

Great, I could’ve been sat here all afternoon, in fact when I checked my phone it was only thirty minutes. Pia made the call and five minutes later I spotted Kris, Lisse and Louisa crossing the green sward. Well I guess five of us isn’t too bad.

“Hey guys,” Lisse greeted.
“This it?” I queried a little disappointed, four from twelve.
“Heiki and Anna’ll be here about four,” Kris volunteered.
“Okay, we should make a start then I guess,” I proposed as I stowed my book and doffed my top.
“Looking hot, chica!” Lisse opined.
“It’s er comfortable,” I allowed as the colour started to rise.

The others were in a variety of dance / exercise stuff, bike shorts, T’s, Louisa was wearing a short, short skirt but I was certainly flashing the most skin. Spare clothing was parked, Pia connected a pair of mini speakers to her Discman and we headed out onto the grass to begin.

The others turned up earlier than expected which made things better, we could at least practice the off floor moves properly. Although we were several bodies short of the full squad we were able to work on most of the moves, I at least felt like it had been a worthwhile session. Certainly everyone had put in a lot of effort.

“Mine for drinks?” Kristin suggested.
“My bag’s there anyway,” Lisse mentioned.
“Gabs?”
It’ll take Dad a bit to get here anyway, why not?
“Sure.”

Although it looks like a house, Kris’ family actually only have the upper floor, her grandparents live on the ground floor. Seven teens quickly fill any available space, seats are at a premium, not helped by the very ‘lived in’ state of the Wüsthof abode – it makes Schloss Bond look like a palace by comparison. Not that I'm being snooty or anything, it’s just that the piles of magazines, knitting and so on didn’t help the seating availability.

Having not been before I was surreptitiously taking in my surroundings like you do, family photos were prominent on the huge dark dresser that filled one wall, a china cabinet in a corner, telly the other. The rest of the furniture wasn’t in the first flush of youth, not threadbare but certainly well used. Of the whole room, it was the decoration on the other walls that really had my attention, someone in the family was a keen hunter, I'm guessing Kris’ dad, trophies in the form of mounted antlers and even a couple of full deer heads leant a slightly Gothic feel to the room.

I’ve never really got the hunting thing, I mean, all that creeping around the countryside to shoot some poor Bambi or whatever. If it’s for sport that's just wrong, if it’s for food, well duh, there are supermarkets these days! In Germany though it’s like a national sport – there’s those hide things everywhere and round here you’ll often see people out with their guns and dogs terrorising the local rabbit population.

“Gab?”
“Er sorry,” I allowed, "Was just er daydreaming.”
“They are a bit creepy aren’t they,” Lisse suggested having guessed my thoughts.
“Erm, unusual.”
“We sort of inherited them with the flat, they’re Opa’s,” Kris supplied arriving with a tray of drinks, the mismatched glasses only adding to the ‘lived in’ feeling of Chez Wüsthof.
“Gab’s has a collection of stuffed heads, all the racers she’s beaten,” Pia proffered.
“Only a couple,” I countered raising some laughter.

We drank and chatted, chatted and drank, you didn’t think we’d be inspecting the carpet or something did you.

My phone chirped, "Best get it, Dad,” I offered to the gossip circle as I located the device.
“Heya.”
“Where are you?”
“Kristin’s.”
“You do realise it’s almost six?”

He sounded a little miffed.

“Is it? Bum!”
“So are you wanting a ride or not?”
“Er please.”
“So where is this Kristin’s place?”
“Just opposite the park, I'll wait outside.”
“Five minutes.”
“Er can we drop P off?”
“Five minutes,” he repeated.

“Gonna have to make tracks,” I told the others, “Dad taxi.”
“Guess it is getting late,” Lisse allowed.
“You want a lift P?”
“Please.”
“Best get out, he said five minutes,” I advised.
“That’s quick from Dernau,” Louisa suggested.
“He did sound a bit cheesed off.”

We’d barely reached the road before the bus barrelled to a halt opposite.

“That was quick,” I observed sliding the side door open for P to get in.
“I was at the kiosk, waiting for you to call.”

We set off in silence, oops, I forgot about ringing altogether when Kristin invited us to her place. We were only a few minutes down to Rech, Dad swung the bus into the Stube’s car park and I jumped out to do the door.

“Thanks, Mr B, you going to Garde, Gabs?”
“Er maybe.”
“’Kay, laters.”
“Laters,” I agreed closing the bus door.

“Hi guys,” Mand allowed when we entered Bond Towers.
“Caught the sun again I see.”
“Have I? Bum.”
“Hardly a surprise dressed like that,” Dad sniped.

What’s got into him, he was fine earlier, it can’t just be me not calling can it?

“I've put one of those frozen shepherd’s pie things in the oven,” Mand told us, "Should be about done.”
"Thanks, Amanda,” Dad offered, “I just need to wash up and we’ll eat.”

He stalked off, the pair of us waiting for him to leave before saying anything further.

"What’s up?”
"Dunno, he had a right grump on when he picked us up.”
"Can’t be time of the month.”
"Time of,” what’s she on about? "Whatever, he was fine earlier.”

One good thing with Mand’s meal plan is simplicity, frozen peas in the micro, stock cube and a boiled kettle, by the time Dad was back from the bathroom I was serving up.

"Something happened?” I queried once we were installed at the table.
"That obvious?”
“Just a bit.”
“I was on with the insurance company.”
“About the car?”
“About the car,” he confirmed, “looks like it’s gonna take a while.”
“How so? The crane squished it, it’s hardly a car park bump.”
"That’s the problem, there’s some issue over whose insurance covers what.”
"But the car was insured,” I pointed out.
"Doesn’t work quite like that, Gab, when Mum’s car got written off it took longer because her insurance were claiming from the council’s insurance,” Mand supplied.
“What happened?” I queried.
“Dustcart, reversed into it, bent it good and proper.”
“Nasty, was she in it?”
“You know she’s like a practice nurse? She was parked for a house call, she’d just got to the door and bam! Driver claimed he hadn’t seen her car.”
“Bit different here,” Dad noted.
"So our insurance won’t pay because it wasn’t our fault?”
"Not quite,” Dad stated with a sigh, “if it had been a road accident it’d go straight through but the building site is insured differently.”
"So we don’t get anything?”
"Not just yet, they’ve also suggested claiming for damage to the drive and garden.”
"So what’re you going to about a car?” Mand asked.
"Wait I guess, they’re talking weeks though.”
"Bum!” I opined, "Can’t you just buy one and get the insurance money later?”
"Wish I could, truth is kiddo there’s not a lot spare in the bank – oh we’re not destitute but there’s not new car money available. I'm sure George will let me use the bus but it’s not ideal.”

I've never really thought about family finances – well you don’t do you? Oh I've got my little bits of jobs and race prizes which top up my allowance but whilst not rich, I don’t lack for anything – not really. But the wider family, well we have a nice house, we had a Mercedes, eat well, Mum and Dad both work, that's how things are supposed to be.

But I guess the picture isn’t that simple, Dad took a wage cut for us to move out to Germany and bike racing isn’t as well paid as senior school teaching for Mum either. Then there’s all the stuff like power and water, insurance, fuel for the car, food, the house of course, I've no idea what it all costs but rich we ain’t. No, we don’t live in poverty but really, where would a bulging bank balance come from?

“You going to the Tanzklub’ kiddo?”

Dad was certainly more mellow now having eaten and got the insurance thing off his chest.

“I don’t have to.”
"No you don’t but you want to, that’s good enough for me.”
“I could ride?”
“And you’d be late, get your stuff, I'll take you up.”
"Thanks, Daddy,” I wrapped my arms round him and gave him a hug, what did I do to deserve him or maybe that's the wrong way around. I mean, I cause him no end of trouble, tantrums and taxis being the least of them. I squeezed tighter, “love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, munchkin,” he supplied easing me from my grip, "Now scoot, I'll wait out in the bus.”

Maddy Bell © 14.01.17

up
253 users have voted.
If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos! Click the "Thumbs Up!" button above to leave a Kudos

Comments

No Reasonable Options...

...out there besides waiting to buy a new car? Car rentals? Buying on credit? Buying a used car at least temporarily and then trading it in for a new one when the money comes in?

Here in California, I've driven rentals for seven weeks over the past four or five months due to three accidents. (My first since a spinout on the Bay Bridge in 1976.) Some collision policies here even cover the cost of the rental car, and I'm told that if the other driver is indisputably at fault, they'll cover the rental regardless. (Hopefully I'll find out soon on that last.)

Eric

"love you daddy"

That was the best scene in this episode.

Thank you Gaby's author.

How it should be?

Jamie Lee's picture

Gaby has a one sided view of how a family should operate. Some family do have mom and dad who work to make ends meet. Others only have mom or dad working. But the moms who do work don't race bikes for a living. Or their dads work for a bike racing team.

Gaby's view of family may cause her problems she Mr. Right convince her to marry him, provided Gaby gets over the none of that is happening idea.

Others have feelings too.