Gaby Book 28  Balancing Trick by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2023 Madeline Bell

 
Maybe a service area on the Autobahn wasn’t the best place to get the news but I don’t suppose there really is a ‘good’ place for such things. Its not the first time death has touched my life, there was Nena’s sister, Claudia last year but this is the first time that its been a close family member. Well I suppose close might be pushing things, I never had the same rapport with Nanna Bond as I do with Gran, partly because we saw less of Dad’s parents and partly because Nanna wasn’t that sort of person.

We were sat in the cafeteria for quite a while, nursing our coffee cups, me gripping Dad in a tight hug, occasionally letting a torrent of salty tears run down my face. Dad, well Dad was being his usual stoic self, returning my hug but otherwise just sitting there. And of course Manda was keeping her own counsel sat across the table, it was she who broke the moment.

"Erm, shouldn’t we get back home?”
"Hmm, sorry Amanda,” Dad started, "I was miles away, what did you say?”
"It’s gone nine, shouldn’t we get back to Dernau?”
"Sorry, I didn’t realise it was that late, you should’ve said something before.”
"I er, didn’t think I should.”
"You’re right of course, this isn’t really the time or place, come on Kiddo, lets get you home eh.”
"We should let Mum and Jules know,” I sniffed.
"It’ll wait, its not like there’s anything they can do.”
"Guess not,” I allowed.
"Come on, I’ll make the calls when we get back.”
“’kay.”
"Come on Gab’s, loo first,” Mand told me as she moved coffee cups to the tray to deposit on the trolley.
 

The rest of the drive back to the Ahrtal was a sober affair, there was no way I was gonna get back to sleep, I briefly tried but all I could think about was Nanna. In the end I returned to the cab and sat next to Dad, the radio providing a quiet commentary to the journey, the music unadulterated by Dad’s usual less than tuneful accompaniment. He was clearly lost in his own grief, a few times I caught him wiping an escaping tear from his face.

Maybe driving a couple of hundred kilometres through the dark NRW countryside wasn’t the best thing he could be doing but what alternative did we have, neither Mand nor I drive yet and we’d have to make the journey at some point. Maybe sooner is better than later? Who knows, not me that’s for sure.
 

Beep, beep. Beep, beep.

I slammed a flailing hand onto the offending time piece.

Beep, beep.

Okay, it took me a second go to actually shut the thing up, whoever invented six o’clock in the morning should be shot or worse! No sense putting off the inevitable though, I pushed the duvet back, exposing warm bits to the cooler air which in turn set me on the usual quickstep to the bathroom to deal with matters. It was only as I sat there that I remembered last night, Gramps’ phone call, the news he imparted. I was delving into my sock draw before I remembered Dad telling me I didn’t have to go to college today.

Well I was up now and what am I going to do if I stay at home? No, I think I’ll go, it’ll take my mind off things plus I really do need to hand in that essay.

As usual, Dad was already up when I got downstairs, there’s always stuff for him to do when we get back from a race, last night’s news doesn’t change that.

"You going to college?”
"I’ve got an essay to hand in.”
"Given the circumstances I'm sure they’d understand if you didn’t want to go.”
"It’ll keep me occupied, "Are you okay?”
"I’ll be alright, just a bit of a shock, I’m more worried about your Grandfather, I spoke to your Aunt Kath after ringing your Mum last night, she’s going down to see Gramps this morning, your uncle Sam spent the night there.”
"Are we going over then?”
"Well not today, we’ll see what’s going on, what needs doing.”
"You want another cuppa?”
"Go on then,” he allowed, settling back into his seat, "How are you doing?”
"Okay I guess, it was more of a shock than anything, we weren’t exactly close.”
"You’re Nan was never the most hands on with relationships, standoffish even but she is, was a good person really.”
"I know, we were getting along better since they all came over last year.”
"Maybe its just kids she had a hard time with, I got on with her better when I left for Uni.”
"Could be,” I agreed, "I’d best get off, Monday traffic is always a ‘mare, don’t want to upset the chauffeur.”
 

"You look tired,” Max mentioned as I slipped into the car beside him.
"Bit of a weekend, mornin’ guys.”
"Morning Bond,” Olaf returned, "Everything okay?”
"Sort of.”
"That sounds ominous,” he returned as we accelerated away from the curb.
"Does that mean you didn’t win,” Freddy suggested.
"No I won, would you expect anything less?”
"So if you won your race thingy what’s up?” Max pushed.
"We got some news on the way back, my Oma died yesterday.”
"The one who came for your birthday?”
"No, Oma Bond, I think you met her last year when the family all came over?”
"I don’t remember,” Max admitted, "So you okay?”
"I guess, think Dad’s pretty upset, don’t think he wanted me to come today.”
"Why did you?” Olaf asked from the front.
"What would I do at home, make tea?”
"She has a point,” Freddy observed.
"Oh, before I forget Gab’s” Max started, "Message from my cousin.”
"Which one?”
"The annoying one?”
"Sophia?”
"That’s the one,” he agreed.
"Message?” I prompted.
"Yeah, bit cryptic as usual, May the fourth.”
"That it?”
"In its entirety.”
"What’s on May the fourth?” Freddy asked.
"Don’t you know anything little brother,” Olaf chuckled.
"Well?”
"Star Wars day dummy.”
"I still don’t get it,” Fred admitted.
"May the Fourth be with you? Its a pun in English, you know from the films?”

It doesn’t roll off the tongue quite the same in German, ‘möge der Vierte mit der sein’ doesn’t roll off the tongue quite the same does it?

"So Max’s cousin, this Sophia, wanted him to remind you it was this Star Wars day?” Freddy surmised.
"Didn’t think she was into science fiction,” Max opined.
"Don’t think she is,” I agreed fishing my diary from my handtasche. "Lets see, May, fourth, sugar.”
"Eh?” Max managed.
"May the fourth, its her birthday.”
"That makes sense now, she said to take your dancing shoes.”
"I’d best give her a bell later, I know I sort of agreed to go.”
"There’s no escape once she has you in her claws.”
"Sounds like quite a girl,” Olaf suggested.
"Sophia Thun und Taxis, youngest daughter of Duke Ludwig, my cousin once removed,” Max stated.
"Like the Thun und Taxis in Stern and all those magazines?”
"The same.”
"And they’re your relatives?” Olaf queried.
"Every last one.”
"Didn’t realise I was driving royalty around.”
"I only do Dukes and below, its Gab that does the Prince’s and other Royals,” my soon to be ex boyfriend cackled.
"Ma-ax!”
"Well it wasn’t me dancing with Prince William.”
"Once and only because you dragged me to the wedding.”
"It was at least three times and I didn’t see you complaining too much.”
"A, er,” I stammered.
"The British Prince?” Olaf queried.
"Yup,” Max confirmed.

At least he doesn’t know about the skiing incident!
 

"Gaby, can I see you after, my office?” Lisbet requested as she returned last weeks work.
"Er sure,” I agreed, well you can hardly say no to your tutor can you?

I perhaps haven’t been paying as much attention in class as I should this morning, well my head has been all over the place what with one thing and another.
 

"Coffee?” Lisbet offered when I presented myself some fifteen minutes later.
"Er sure.”

For a change I didn’t get the job of making it. I sat on the slightly saggy sofa, my tutor joining me once caffeine had been poured and distributed.

"So, did you have a good weekend, you were racing?”
"Er yeah, two day at Bremen.”
"Ah, not been there for a while, you do the Altstadt?”
"We didn’t go into the actual city, the race was based at the University Campus.”
"Did you win?”
"Er yeah,” I admitted.
"So what’s troubling my star student today?”
"I always seem to have some issue don’t I? You must be fed up of sorting me out.”
"Mark my words, compared to some, your problems are a breath of fresh air, so what is it that has you so down?”
I took a sip of my coffee before starting, "Well we found out last night that my Oma had died…”
 

I certainly felt a bit better by the time I’d poured my feelings out. Maybe its because she’s not directly involved in stuff but I do find talking things out with Frau Olafsdottir helps me see things a bit clearer.

"Let me know if and when you are going to England and I’ll sort out the paperwork.”
"I seem to be off more than I’m here,”
"Admittedly you’ve had more absence than we like to see but you are up to date on your coursework and we knew at the start of the year that you could have commitments outside of college. We agreed to that and so far things have worked out okay. We don’t really expect anyone to have a hundred percent attendance but you’ve not taken any days not previously agreed so as far as the college are concerned your attendance is above average.”
"I do feel a bit of a fraud sometimes.”
"Don’t, all the faculty know about your cycling career, believe it or not the college has never had a sports star in the student body until you came along, we’re all proud of your achievements.”
"What about the other students?”
"You’re all teenagers, well mostly, most of them don’t care, everyone has their own issues after all. We try not to draw attention to individuals, okay its unavoidable sometimes but we try to give all students a fair shake of the stick.”

I looked into my now empty coffee cup, I did feel a bit better about Nanna Bond but I still had one nagging problem.
"All I’ve got to do now is work out how to tackle Sophia’s birthday bash.”
"A friend?”
"Yeah, you don’t really get a lot of choice where she’s concerned.”
"But you don’t want to go to this Sophia’s party?”
"Its not that exactly but its like next weekend down in Stuttgart.”
"I’m sure she’d understand if you said you couldn’t get there,” Lisbet suggested.
"But she came up for mine, dragged her parents along too so it’d be a bit off not to reciprocate.”
"Long word for Monday morning, I see where you’re coming from. And she’s a good friend I take it, you’ve known her for a long time?”

Where do I start?

"Well she’s actually Max’s cousin, we met when I went to a family wedding in Bayern a couple of years ago….”

Twenty minutes later and I’d given Lisbet a potted history of my and the rest of the families relationship with the Taxis clan.

"You do get yourself in some pickles Gabrielle.”
"Tell me about it.”
"Have you spoken to Amanda about next weekend?”
"Not yet, I’d forgotten all about it until this morning.”
"Well maybe that should be the first thing before making any snap decisions.”
"Yeah, that makes sense, especially with everything else that's going on.”

 
Talking with Lisbet always seems to put my problems into perspective and to be honest, like she said, my problems are mostly quite straightforward. She’s certainly good at seeing through the often self made mire that surrounds teen issues, years of practice I guess. I think most importantly she’s not too close to what’s going on, I couldn’t have the same conversation with Mum or even Connie, their take on things would be too influenced by our relationships.
 

"I’m home!” I called down towards the bike cave, I could hear music and the compressor was chugging away so Dad was about somewhere. "I’m putting the kettle on!”

Lets face it, first order of things when you get home is always the kettle – even if you end up using the coffee machine! I sat at the kitchen table to await either kettle or Dad and started flicking through the latest edition of the local free paper – guess it turned up today. Back when we lived in England, most households took The Chad, in addition the free Warsop & District News came out once a month, most of the ‘news’ was recycled from Chad or the Worksop Guardian. Here, Die Ahrtaler is a much more reliable source of local news, each edition will have reports on things that the locals consider important rather than stuff gleaned from more regional or national press.

If you are ever short of something to do, pick up a copy, likewise if you want to know the result of the five a side at the sports hall or the latest offers at the supermarkets, well Die Ahrtaler is your one stop source! Anyhow, I mention all this because as I flicked through something in the ‘What’s On’ listing caught my attention, actually two things. First was the line up at the ‘Over Twenty One’ dance in Bad Neunahr Saturday night and second was the family day at Ahrweiler on Sunday.

I’d usually ignore the dance, well its not of interest to me is it, I’m only seventeen for starters and they usually play crap, in my opinion, disco music. This one was different though as it featured live bands and to my horror, BlauHase! I know Stefan mentioned something about a gig in the next few weeks but surely he wouldn’t’ve signed us up for a fogey’s disco? Guess I’ll have to give him a call and see what the score is – can I even take part as I’m ‘under age’?

The second item was a bit simpler, now this I do remember, the All Stars are doing a couple of demo spots, it’s one way to get new recruits and we really could do with some slightly younger members if we are going to keep going. Looks like its gonna be a busy weekend. My musing was disrupted by Dad’s arrival in the kitchen and the kettle reaching its zenith.

"Okay kiddo?”
"So so, you want tea?”
"Thought you’d never ask.”

I got up and started to make the tea, Mand would be back soon so I made a pot.

"We’re getting a bit low on tea bags, have to get Gran to send some more.” Well you can’t get decent tea here.
"Hmm.” Dad allowed.

Tea in pot mashing, I moved it, cups and milk to the table.

"You speak to Aunty Kath? How’s Gramps?”

Dad took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before answering.

"I did and dad, Gramps is as good as can be expected.”
"So?”
"Eh?”
"When’s the funeral? We’ll have to book flights and stuff right?”
"Dunno yet kiddo, its not as simple as just booking things, there’s lots of hoops to jump first.”
"When you’re dead you’re dead, what could be simpler?”
"I wish it was, apparently they have to do a post mortem to determine how she died before they’ll issue a death certificate which you need to move on with the undertakers. Uncle Sam and your Aunt are gonna look after that stuff, Kath is gonna stay with Gramps for a few days.”
"When will they know when the funeral is?”
"It might be a few days yet, don’t worry, we’ll have time to get organised. That tea mashed yet?”
 
Maddy Bell © 15.06.2023