When the second group passed me I gave up. Poxy bike! I pushed it down the slope – luckily it fell over after a couple of metres, I dropped to the ground and soon hot tears of frustration were running down my face.

"Gab!”
I ignored the approaching voice, the sound of passing bikes above mocking me as I gripped my knees and rocked in misery.
"Gaby, you alright, kiddo?”
I gave a half hearted shrug as a blob of snot joined the tears coursing down my chin and dripping onto the grass.
"Come, on let’s get you cleaned up, can you walk?” Dad asked.
I nodded but once on my feet found I was wrong, my whole left side was a mass of pain. Which is how I ended up in Dad’s arms for the walk to where the paramedics joined us – not sure how he was managing me and my mangled bike. The professionals quickly had me strapped to a stretcher and I ‘enjoyed’ a less than pleasant journey to the first aid post, inside the Schloss complex.

"Nothing broken at least,” Dad mentioned an hour later.
I winced as Johannes, one of the paramedics pretty much scrubbed at my raw shoulder. Yeah, nothing broken but some mega road rash and no doubt I'll have some nice bruises. Never do things by half me, not just gravel but grass burns too.
"There we go, young lady, I'll just put you a dressing on there and we’re done.” Johannes advised.
"Er thanks.”
Of course by bib’s were a right off and my jersey has had a sudden downgrade to training layer. I inspected my hip and arm, getting the dirt out had been painful but there wasn’t much blood, the dressings are more protection than medical need. Great, and it’s the wedding on Wednesday, I'm gonna look a right turnip.
"I've got you-re,” Mand tailed off, "Ouch.”
"It’s not great from this side either,” I allowed.
"The bikes away, Mand?” Dad asked.
"Er yeah, and some bloke gave us a hand with the tent.”
"That’ll save me a job.”
"Here we go,” the medic advised.
I winced again as he taped the dressing onto my shoulder, "Thanks.”
"So, good to go, young woman,” he grinned before leaving us once again.
"Let’s get some clothes on you and we can get out of here,” Dad suggested.
Mand had brought my skirt, cami and underwear, with the first aid room temporarily empty except for us Mand helped me exchange sweaty ripped clothing for stuff I could at least be seen in public wearing.
"Ready?” Dad queried.
"Shoes?” I suggested.
"Bum, I knew there was something else,” Mand mentioned.
"Looks like it’s Dad taxi time,” Pater sighed.

We must’ve looked a right sight as we made our way back to the Hymer, for the second time this afternoon I was clamped around Dad’s neck in a most unbecoming position for a sixteen year old woman – plus of course I had my hand maiden Mand following along with the remains of my cycling kit.

"You all right?” Ron asked as I hobbled to the camper’s sofa.
"Duh!”
"Well apart from the obvious,” she clarified.
"Had worse,” I sighed, yeah, cracked bones, concussion.
"You didn’t do your face this time,” Dad put in.
"There is that, I added with just a hint of sarcasm.
"Oh, I picked up your winnings,” Ron advised grabbing an envelope from the counter top.
"Er thanks,” I took it from her and slitted it open, “fifty.”
"Don’t knock it,” Mand told me,” I only got that for first girl.”
"You beat Ron? She beat you Ron?”
"I was having an off day,” Ron shrugged.
"Excuses,” Mand crowed.
"Girls.” Angela pointedly stated before things got out of hand.
"You up to eating, Gab?” Dad asked.

"Where we going,” I asked, straining to see out of the front from my spot in the main cabin.
“Zons,” Dad stated.
“Zons?”
We took the next left before he answered, "Little place across the river.”
"You not heard of Zons, Gab?” Ron ribbed.
"And you have?” I countered.
"It’s a little place across the river,” well she couldn’t keep a straight face, I'm sure I even saw Angela having a chuckle.
"Huh, mock the invalid.”
We navigated the narrow lane around the back of the Schlosspark before making a couple of rights, the second marked with ‘Zons v.Fähre’. A couple of minutes later we pulled up on a slipway above a Rhein swollen with summer melt water from the distant Alps.
"Geez, that ferry’s even smaller than Linz,” Mand pronounced.
And after I edged forward to look I had to agree, I doubt you’ll get much more than the Hymer on board, well maybe a couple of cars but you get the idea.
“Zons is just over the other side,” Dad advised as we watched the ferry edge its way across the fast flowing waters.

Once across the river Dad swung towards the village only to be thwarted in his choice of route by the smallest gateway I've ever seen. I guess you might get a Beetle van through but our behemoth of three axle Hymer goodness – no way. So after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing we were turned about and soon enough we were entering ‘Feste Zons’ from the landward side.

"So where’re we eating?” I enquired once we were parked below what I'm guessing was a watchtower.
"Carsten recommended some place down by the river, the Altes Zollhaus or some such.”
"We’ve got to walk?” I complained.
"It won’t do you any harm,” he told me.
I suppose if I'm gonna eat I'll have to walk, I took a deep breath and started hobbling off.
"Er, Gab,” Ron called after me.
"What?”
"Wrong way.”
Grrr.

Dad was armed with his camera, he was doing the David Bailey thing about every five metres. So okay it’s all oldie worldly, a mix of old brick and timber frames, narrow streets and on a warm Sunday afternoon, quite busy with visitors from, by their accents, as far away as Düsseldorf! My leg wasn’t actually too bad to walk on, running is out but I wasn’t going to run anyhow.
"How’re you going to do the wedding?” Mand enquired as we drifted towards our destination.
Yeah, the wedding, "Guess I'll have to wear a cardi.”
"Wedding, Gab?” Angela asked.
"Yeah, you remember Sophia in Stuttgart last year? It’s her sister tying the knot.”
"You certainly mix in exalted circles, Gaby.”
"Her boyfriend is nearly a baron,” Mand spouted.
"He is not!”
"His Dad’s the Baron,” Mand pointed out.
“Max is not my boyfriend!”
"So where were you last night?”
“Max’s,” I allowed cautiously.
"Sounds like a boyfriend to me,” she stated matter of factly.
"Have to agree,” Ron put in, "You never said anything about last night?”
"There’s nothing to tell, we had dinner, I came home.”
"Hmm,” Ron allowed with a raised brow.
"You lot,” Dad called from behind us, "Restaurant’s here.”

The Altes Zollhaus does traditional German or, er traditional German, they had a set menu which everyone agreed would do the honours, soup, Schweinfillet with veggies for the main and coffee to follow. To be honest I didn’t think it was anything special, I certainly wouldn’t make a special journey but I guess we were only over the river. There was nothing to linger for so we headed back to the camper, Dad did detour to take a look at the moat but somehow he was at the Hymer before us.
We didn’t use the ferry to go back, we picked up the A46 motorway which whisked us most of the way back to Mettmann where we rounded off our late lunch with more coffee and a decent wedge of Oma cake, a delicious affair with raspberry mousse, cream and chocolate drizzled over the top. We didn’t stay too late, Marcus was expected home and I'm sure Angela would prefer to be with her man rather than entertaining us.

"How’s the bike?” I queried passing Dad a mug of tea.
"Not as bad as I thought,” he allowed before sipping his tea. "I thought you’d broken the shifter but it was just twisted.”
"What about the chain?”
"Well I'll put a new one on just in case but it looked okay, couple of scrapes on the saddle and pedal, can’t do much about them, fresh tape and she’ll be ready to rock and roll.”
"It just slipped out from under me,” I mentioned.
"No one’s blaming you, kiddo, these things happen.”
"But I shoulda been more careful.”
“Main thing is you’re okay, a few scrapes I know, but nothing broken, like your bike, with a bit of TLC you’ll live to ride another day.”
He went to give me a hug, stopping himself just before grabbing my sore shoulder – I made do with a kiss on the head.
"Think I'm gonna go to bed, work in the morning.”
"I'll take you up.”
"You don’t have to.”
"I'm taking you,” he told me firmly.
"Thanks, Dad, see you in the morning.”
"Night, kiddo.”

I'd barely got into bed when my Handy started buzzing.
"Hello? Bond.”
"Gab? It’s me.”
"Bern?”
"Duh!” she replied.
"You got a new phone?”
"Er yeah, Dad got it on contract so I can ring Mart.”
"Hang on, let me put it in my contacts.” I quickly hit the relevant keys, "Okay, so what’s up?”
"Why does anything have to be up?”
"It doesn’t, look sorry I've not been in touch, it’s been kinda hectic here.”
"Your snack bar thing?”
"How’d you know?”
“Mart, we do talk you know. Anyway you’ll never guess what?”

Maddy Bell © 30.03.17