“Thought you’d be up yesterday.”
“Thought you might’ve called round,” Con suggested.
“I had stuff,” I offered in my defence as I finished changing from Radrennerin to short order cook.
“I heard,” she admitted, “Nen told me about the party.”
“I think the whole valley saw you on the telly Gabs,” Kris added.
“That’ll be everyone except me.”
“How’d you miss that?” Kris queried, sticking a cup of coffee in my hand.
How indeed? “had to do my washing from the weekend.”
“So lets see then,” Con demanded.

My friends might not understand my sporting fixation but they always want to see the spoils, a fact I had at least planned for.

“They’re not much to look at.”
“Shiny!” Kris offered taking a gong and fondling it.
“Gabrielle Bond, under eighteen individual time trial,” Con read off, “that's where you race on your own right?”
“There was a clue there Connie,” Kris mentioned.
“I was just checking.”
“They real gold Gab?” Kris queried.
“Don’t think so, plated I expect.”
“Thats a swizz,” Con stated as they exchanged gongage.
“The Weltmeisterin one’s definitely gold, there's a certificate and everything in the box.”
“Must be worth a fortune,” Kris suggested.
“Its not like I can go to the bank and cash it in, not that I would anyway.”
“I guess,” she allowed, “we putting out the parasols today?”
Con looked out the window, “there’s a few clouds up there.”
“See what it’s like when Max gets here,” I suggested, “we can get him to put them up.”
“Sneaky!” Con offerred.
“Like your thinking Bond,” Kris added.

I pulled Con into the back and whispered in her lug, “what we doing for Nen’s birthday?”
“Go for a meal?”
“Right, so what you getting her?”
“Dunno, I hadn’t thought about it, why?”
“Just something she said yesterday.”

Con raised an eyebrow in question.

“I was trying to decide what to wear last night, she sort of hinted I was lucky to have so much choice.”
“I doubt even the Queen has as much, you have got quite a bit in that cupboard.”
“Yeah,” I agreed with a sigh, “anyhow I was wondering whether we could put to and get her a nice dress or undies, what do you reckon?”
“Sounds okay, what about the others?”
“Not asked but the more in, the more to spend I guess.”
“You two doing any work?” Kris called back.
“Er yeah, be right there,” Con returned.
“I’ll ring round later.”
“Don’t forget we’re working tonight.”
“I know,” bum, it had sort of slipped my mind.

“Ma-ax?” I cooed when the object of my attentions arrived at the window.
“’brellas?”
“Please,” I giggled.
Oonly for you ladies,” he agreed.

Yes! I gave a very unladylike arm pump in celebration of the success of my tactic which brought a roll of Con’s eyes in reply.

“So how’d it go last night?”
“Woulda been better with you there,” I suggested dipping another potato stick into the mayo on his plate.
“We still on for tonight?” he queried sawing at his schnitzel.
“What about Con and Mand?”
“They won’t mind, this your Jäger?”
“Er yeah, I did a batch last week, what’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing,” he defended, “its better than mums, right creamy.”

Well I couldn’t help glowing with pride.

“Maybe a bit salty mind,” he concluded with a thoughtful look.
Well say pride comes before a fall, “huh!”
“Its alright though.”
“I could go off people,” I huffed.
“Honest Gab, its just that's its a bit different to normal.”
“Hmm,” I allowed.
“So i’ll be at the Stube at nine, i’ll leave my bike at yours and walk up right?” he told me before stuffing more Schnitzel into his maw.
I sighed deeply, “’kay.”

“Ouch!”
“Well sit still then.”
“I am.”
“Coulda fooled me,” Mand suggested as she tugged my locks into some sort of order for the evening. “so you seeing Max tonight then?”
“He’s gonna walk us home.”
“Really?”
“Really, how’d you know anyhow?”
“You are so transparent Gaby dear.”
“I am?”
“You only ever have a ring in your schnozz when Max will be about.”
There was no point in denying it, most of the time I have a tiny stud in the hole, “you think Mum noticed?”
“She wasn’t born yesterday Gab,” Mand pointed out, “there, the perfect Prussian princess.”
“Hardly perfect.”
“Aha, so you admit to being a princess, I knew it!”
“Give over!”
“Yes your majesty, come on or we’ll be late.”
“Con’s not here yet,” I mentioned as we headed downstairs.
“Oh yes she is,” said individual called up.
“When’d you get here?”
“’bout five minutes ago, your mum let me in. Max meeting us then?”
“Not you too,” I sighed.
“What’d I say?”
“We just had this conversation upstairs Con,” Mand supplied.
“Does everyone know?”
“Maybe not Frau Holdorf,” Con suggested.

“Can you ask your boyfriend to pop in and see me when he gets here Gaby,” Herr Sebenschuh requested.

Really? Does everyone know?

“Er okay Mr S,” guess i’d best give him a call, to warn him.
“So, Connie, Amanda coats please, P and Gaby drinks, ah, looks like them now.”

It was indeed, the huge bus swinging easily into the car park to disgorge its cargo of eager English holidaymakers.

“There’s something different about you Gaby,” Julia, the coach guide suggested.
“Mand was playing with my hair earlier.”
“Nope, Col?”
“Don’t ask me, you look gorgeous as usual Gaby,” the driver flanneled.
“Er thanks.”
“Got it, you’ve had your nose pierced!” Julia announced.
“Er, months ago actually,” I pointed out, “i usually just have a stud in.”
“That must be it, the ring looks cute on you, just fancied a change huh?”
“Her boyfriend likes it,” Mand told the Englishwoman, “they’re on their way back Gabs.”
“’kay.”
“Boyfriend eh?” Julia probed.
I tried to play things down a bit, “well he’s a boy and a friend, he helped us out the other week when the German girl came?”
“I think she did mention a lad.”
“Well i’d best get ready for your passengers, the others’ll be wondering what I’m up to.”

We’re a well oiled machine (not that sort of oiled!) these days, we can serve fifty covers a full course in minutes flat. The menu is always the same although Mrs S, Eva does something different, well the family meal, for the crew. Tonight's lot were quite docile but there was more beer than wine on the table, not usually a sign of Mr S doing much business on the cellar tour.

Max waved to me when he arrived, I pointed over to the bar where Pia’s dad was tallying up the till.

“What’s all that about P?” I asked, we were busy moving and laying tables for the morrow.
“No idea, he was on about entertainment the other day, could be that I guess.”
“Max? He can’t hold a tune to save himself,” I chortled.
“Who said anything about singing,” Con pointed out.

“Like these,” Max mentioned lifting a loop of my ornately braided hair.
“Mand got a bit carried away.”
“I approve,” he chuckled.
“Don’t get any ideas von Strechau,” I advised, “ so what did Helmut want you for?”
“Yodelling.”
“Yodelling?” I parroted.
“Yes, yodelling,” he reiterated, “the Lions are putting on some sort of Heimat thing, he’s recruiting ‘volunteers’.”
“Its a wonder he hasn’t asked any of us girls, some of us can at least hold a tune.”
“Don’t think they want Dark Purple.”
“Its Deep Purple and why not?”
“Think lederhosen and thigh slapping?”
“Really?”
“Straight up, you fancy having a go?”
“Not likely!”
“Damn, i’d best get you taken off the list then.”
“You didn’t?”
“Nope, but your face was a picture.”
“You!” I slapped at his arm.
“Yodel leh hey hoo!” he taunted skipping clear of my hand.
“What’s that racket?” Mand called back to us.
“Get a shift on you two,” Con suggested.

Max loped up the road with me in pursuit, well you can’t really run in these frocks so I was more skipping than running, a terrible yodel issuing forth every few metres.

Maddy Bell © 12.10.2017