Chapter *9.26*

Feminine Wiles

"What?"

"You know damn well what."

"I do not."

"Yes you do, standing at the side of the road shaking your booty."

"Oh that." I grinned

"Yes that, come on spill."

"There's nothing to spill, I just thought I'd provide some encouragement."

"You could've done that by just shouting." she pointed out.

"I suppose."

"If you'd told me before I could've planned a bit better, I took a chance on you still being there on lap three."

"Yeah well."

"Does your Dad know?"

"Don't be daft!"

"You still haven't told me why?"

She's like a flippin' Rottweiler sometimes and to tell the truth I wasn't sure myself.

"Well I was like telling the girls about back in England, a couple of my friends did the cheer thing once or twice."

"So?"

"Well like I wondered what it'd be like, to you know do it."

"Come on , Drew, there's more to it than that and what happened last week?"

Indeed there was and it wasn't necessarily directly connected to the cheering business. She was going to find out sooner or later, might as well be now.

"This goes no further okay, promise?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Promise?"

"Okay already, I promise."

"'Kay, well you remember what Dad told everyone in Celle, about my erm condition?"

"Sure, you've got some extra plumbing?"

"Well the extra plumbing is in full working order, last week was my er time of the month."

"Time of the, but you can't, you don't, how does?" Ron babbled.

"It freaks me out too."

"I don't understand how, Mum said you were bleeding."

“I was and quite likely have been for a while but the blood was being absorbed internally? The Doc's reckon that if it wasn't for me racing and so on this would've happened a couple of years ago at least.”

“So why now?”

Why indeed.

“Well Doc Fischer reckons this time it was a heavy flow, more blood and like with racing I ruptured something inside, hence the bleeding.”

“Eww!”

“You want to be on my side of it .” I noted.

“So , like , what happens now?”

“I guess I join the sisterhood full time.”

“You don't sound very enthusiastic.”

“Well it's not like I've much of a choice Ron, they either take out the clearly working girl bits leaving me effectively a eunuch or the outies become innies and hey presto – instant girl.”

“You have been pretending to be a girl.” Ron pointed out.

“Yeah but like , I always had the option of returning to boy mode, it was never meant to be permanent.”

“I guess not. So the cheering today, that was what, seeing what being a girl was like?”

“I know what it's like, I guess I just wanted to see if anyone thought I wasn't a girl.”

“That was all you too?”

“Well I had a little help from Berlei™,” I mentioned.

“Well you know I'll always be your mate, ot oh, I think your Dad's back.”

“You promise not to tell anyone?”

“I said I wouldn't.”

“What have you two been up to?” Dad enquired.

“Just talking , Herr Bond.”

“ Let's get you home.”

Ron's parents were already back when we got there so we had the obligatory cuppa then set off home. Dad seemed a little lost in thought, I wasn't feeling very chatty either, when Dad put a CD on I was quite happy. That is until the Dadaokie started, he can't sing at the best of times but his sing along to Bolan's Ride A White Swan was excruciating!

Once home it was time to catch up on stuff, email Mad, write to Bernie, do my washing – oh and tidy the house up ready for Mum's return tomorrow, not necessarily in that order.

I hit the print icon and waited for my missive to Bern to spew out. Lets see now,

Dear Bern

What a week! Well its official – sorta, I'm a girl. Not just being Gaby at school and stuff, no the Doc's say that I have a full set of operational girl plumbing which they know because I kind of had a period last weekend! It's so not fair, I don't want to be a girl, I want to be me, the boy? But I guess that's not to be.

I'm gonna be on the end of some cutting and dicing in the not too distant future I guess, I still haven't decided quite what, go complete girl or non functioning bloke, a bloke-ette if you like!

Enough about me, what's happening in your world? I guess junior is getting a bit restless by now, I can't believe I'm gonna be an honory uncle, well aunt probably!

Nearly forgot, I guess Mad has told you about Helen being attacked? Well the good news is that she's making a good recovery; she might be back at school next week.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,

Hugs

Drew

Seems okay, I'll post it in the morning, I'm sure I've got a stamp in my purse.

“What are you grinning about?” Anna enquired as I took my usual seat in Thesing's.

“I had an idea last night.”

“Ot oh, Fraulein Bond has had an idea, take cover!” Steff boomed out.

“Give over!”

“So what is this idea?” Con asked delivering a tray of coffee to our table.

“I need to talk to Pia before I tell you.”

“You get us all interested then slap us down.” Anna moaned.

“Here you go , girls.” Frau Thesing slid a tray of lunches onto the table.

“Thanks Frau T.” Steff mentioned.

“You okay this week , Gaby?”

“So far.” I allowed.

“Your mama home?”

“Later today.”

“Gut, I want to speak to her.”

Sounds ominous.

“Sorry I'm late,” Pia puffed joining us, “puncture.”

“Sucks.” Brid supplied.

“You got it fixed quick.” Steff mentioned.

“Nah, I've borrowed Mama's.”

Makes sense if you've ever tried to get a wheel out of one of the monsters we ride to school, no quick release, hub gears and they weigh a ton.

“Where's Nena?”

“She's got the day off, her rents are taking them to Phantasialand.” Brid told me.

“Nice day for it.”

And indeed it was, after the cooler weather yesterday this morning has dawned bright and warm – Sod's Law as it's a school day.

“I'm ho-ome!” I sang out when I got home.

The day at school was as tedious as you'd expect, blah, blah, blah, scribble, scribble, scribble, lesson after lesson! Yeah a typical day at Silverberg Gymnasium.

“Drew?”

“Yo.”

Mum came into the hall where I was changing out of my school shoes.

“Come here kiddo.”

I didn't need a second asking, I was soon enveloped in Mum's embrace.

“Oh Drewbie,” Mum started, “I wish I'd been here for you.”

“ It's alright.”

“No it's not.”

“Mum really, it's okay, I'll live.”

“You'll live but how are you about it?”

“Dad's told you everything I guess.”

“You really worried him, us last week.”

“I didn't mean to.”

“He thought we'd lost you, no don't say anything to him Drew.” She held me tight, stopping my instinct to go and find Dad.

“Are you okay having another daughter?”

“Drew you've been playing the part long enough that you should already know my answer to that. Me and your Dad, look we're okay with however things play out, your sister has been a trial at times, by comparison you've been a doddle, this just makes things a bit more – interesting. Son or daughter we're happy just to have you here with us.”

It was essentially what I needed to hear, an affirmation of familial love from the most important person in my world, Mum. That probably sounds a little unfair on Dad but, well my relationship with Mum is just different. We hugged a while longer before Dad came to find out where we were.

“So what do you think P?”

I hadn't managed to talk to Pia at school; I rushed home to see Mum after so I ended up ringing.

“You can be an utter ditz sometimes , Gaby Bond but other times you're a genius!”

“This time?”

“Genius. Not sure how we do it but it's a brilliant idea.”

“We'll have to get the Fischer's on board.”

“Your boyfriend might be quite handy.”

“He's not my boyfriend! But you're right, I think Max and Mart'll be useful, do you think your Dad'll let us use the cellar?”

“I'm sure of it, this is gonna be so much fun!”

Fun but sad too.

to be continued....