"Cramp." I meant it as a statement rather than as a question, but she gave a distressed nod anyway.
I stepped out and took hold of the handlebars while Mad helped her off the bike and onto our bench. I looked across and got the nod from Mad, she must have had the same idea as me. We each grabbed a writhing leg and gave it the kind of rub that we usually reserved for each other. The mystery girl stopped biting her lip as the cramp eased and got that faraway look.
"Oh, don't stop, don't ever stop."
"OK, it's not like we planned to do anything with the rest of our lives. Apart from serving the fair lady...."
"Catrina, call me Cat."
"I'm Drew and my partner in crime here is Maddy." I could tell she'd be ok now and stopped rubbing, so did Mad.
"Awww, I usually get to do the introductions." she said. I smiled to myself, I think it was going to be a Gaby moment and I'd just headed it off at the pass. Now I went into mum lecture mode.
"You really should cool down better to avoid cramp like that."
"I know, I know. It doesn't get me like that usually, but I pushed extra hard today."
"How'd you do?" asked Mad.
"29.12!"
"Way to go Cat, that's only 2 seconds slower than me. What was your best time before?"
She blushed slightly before admitting that this was her first 10 miler. I guess that explained why I hadn't seen her here before, I knew the faces of most of the junior riders from this area after all. I found her kind of intriguing, she was about our age, maybe a little younger and that time wasn't bad for her first ride. It was Mad who got in there first with the personal questions.
"So where are you from?"
"A little place on the Herts & Bucks border right on the edge of the Chilterns. I'm up here staying with my Gran." That explained the accent.
"Where's she live?"
"A few miles down the road in Warsop."
A million to one chance. I'd read enough Discworld to know that with odds like that it was an absolute certainty, here was living proof.
"That figures. If you want to ride back with us you're welcome."
So we rode back together, Mad and Cat rode two abreast and chatted a bit. From my position slightly behind them I was able to catch a lot of their conversation as they talked about family, friends, likes and dislikes, even school!
When we stopped at the chippy I left Cat looking after the bikes so I could have a few minutes with Maddy.
"You've only known her five minutes and already you're telling her your life story." I joked.
"If you don't behave I might have to tell her yours too 'Gabs'."
The way she was smiling told me that she was joking, or at least I think she was.
"I think she's a good laugh and she's here on her own, we can run it past the gang tomorrow and if they agree we'll 'adopt' her until she goes home." Mad added.
"Don't you think her mum's going to say something about that?" I asked smiling.
"We'll give her back in one piece."
"Ok." I said, "Promise me one thing though, no Gaby talk when she's around."
I had got Mad's agreement as we got to the front of the queue so we left the talking for a bit, went back to the bikes and concentrated on the eating. We may not have been talking but I could tell something was going through Cat's mind as she glanced at our bikes in turn.
"Penny for them." I said between chips.
"Huh?" Cat joined us back in the land of the living.
"Oh, I was just thinking, I took such pride in my bike, but next to yours it's a bit of a clunker."
"Nothing that a new frame, wheels, gears and brakes wouldn't fix!"
I'm glad to say she saw the funny side to that one.
"Oh and please get yourself a different helmet, Tufftops are okay for kids but not really for racing."
"I know, Mum and Dad got me the lid that looked like it was safest, I've begged them for something a little less embarrassing but no joy yet. Still trying though."
"Seriously though there's nothing wrong with your bike, this was your first trial, the amount my family rides it's hardly surprising we've got the good stuff."
"What about Maddy's? That's a serious race bike."
"I'm riding Drew's mum's bike while she's away." Mad added.
"Your mum rides too?"
Mad and I gave each other strange looks.
"What? Tell me, what am I missing?"
"Have you heard of Jenny Bond?" I asked.
"The one that rides the Euro circuit and has won the women's Tour? One very cool lady."
"See that woman you've just described? That's my mum that is."
"Noo waaay."
I don't think she believed me until Maddy backed me up.
"You are soo lucky and I am not worthy." Cat said.
Lucky? I don't have any problems with what mum's doing, I'm so proud of her that I could burst; but I'd hardly call seeing your mum every few weeks lucky. Before I could say anything Mad jumped in with most of what I was feeling making Cat feel bad.
"I'm sorry Drew, I didn't think there would be drawbacks like that. I know how I would feel to be separated from my mum."
"S'ok, you weren't to know." It's an easy assumption to make so it wasn't really her fault.
I couldn't face the last few chips, so I dumped them and walked over to where we had left the bikes to eat. To show there were no hard feelings I decided to let Cat try a proper bike, I explained and offered my steed to Mad so Cat could have mum's bike and I could ride her 'clunker'. Obviously she was thrilled. We rode back into Warsop and swapped bikes and addresses before leaving Cat to go to her Gran's while Mad and me went to mine. With mum's bike returned to the security of the garage Mad got a lift home with Dad. I chilled out until dad got back.
"I hear you found one of mum's groupies tonight, maybe we can get her an autograph."
"She's not that bad dad, she certainly appreciates mum's efforts. Oh shit!"
"Drew."
"Sorry dad, I just realised something. Do you think it's possible for someone to know about her tour win without seeing our podium picture?"
"It's certainly possible son, unlikely though."
That was what I feared, she must have seen me in the Paris pictures as Gaby. Why does everything have to get so complicated?
"I thought you have a cover story sorted out?"
"Yeah, the misprint story. It cuts me up to use it though, I want to tell people I was there for mum's moment of triumph."
"I know, but the people who matter most know that you were there, take comfort from that." That was a better thought to go to bed on.
After the Wednesday exchange meeting and then the gang getting together to discuss a few other matters, I leaned across to Mad and mentioned our new friend from last night. I thought we were being discreet, but I guess not because Ally had noticed.
"What are you two cooking up?" she said.
We both gave our 'butter wouldn't melt' looks which of course won everyone round immediately (yeah right). Then I let Maddy explain, adding my little bit where necessary.
With our friendly bunch there were no objections to including Cat in our activities, but Rhod did make a very valid point; with the arrival of our American friends on Friday the chances to do stuff would be a lot more limited than usual. Oh well, we'd see how things worked out.
Thursday wasn't looking too promising, the skies were overcast and neither Ally nor Bernie could make it, so it was just the three of us (me, Mad and Rhod) at Mad's place.
When Aunt Carol sold us on her shopping plan, I thought now would be a good time to bring Cat onboard. "Do either of you have a problem if we ask Cat to join us?" I asked. Maddy agreed straight away but Rhod was a little reluctant, I think he had been looking forward to not being outnumbered by girls for a change. I tried to think of some way to win him round but came up blank.
Mrs P came up with a solution, one strange enough to surprise us all, she reasoned that being an adult, and therefore supervising, she didn't actually count. What I found even more surprising was how easily her logic had won Rhod round.
As Aunt Carol wasn't ready to go straight away, I called Cat to give her the good news while Mad found the pictures from the weekend. The pics turned out really well, really flattering, although I would never admit it to anyone.
Rhod was particularly impressed by the J.K. Rowling pics, he finally believed we had actually met her. Apparently both of us telling him wasn't enough. Well I suppose if he'd told me that, I might have needed photo evidence to be convinced.
We picked Cat up from her Gran's place and made our way to Meadowhall. Not wanting to bore her with the impending visit of our American friends we found other things to chat about and before we knew it talk had returned to the Con.
"I always thought that those con things looked like fun." Cat said.
"You mean you haven't been to one then? " Maddy asked, "Obicon was right on your doorstep too."
"No-one to go with, my mum and dad aren't into that kind of thing and none of my friends do it either." bemoaned Cat, "I'll live though," she smiled, "I've got bikes and other things to keep me going instead."
"Other things?" Uh oh, when Maddy got curious she was a force to be reckoned with.
Cat seemed reluctant to say more, surely she didn't have anything to hide?
"Well ummm, I'm no fashion victim, but I like clothes"
"Don't we all," Maddy enthused then turned and added, "No offence Rhod."
"None taken."
Cat continued, "Then, I umm.. I go to guides."
"Girl guides? What's wrong with that?"
"I was a Brownie once." Maddy added.
"I stopped advertising the fact when I was getting teased about it at school, it was too much fun to stop me doing it, but generally I don't talk about it too much unless I'm with other guides."
"Yes, I think we all know how that is." That was one of the worst things about secondary school, you either conform or get picked on for being different. Strange how that doesn't matter with sports, you could have three heads and green skin, but if you were in the school's first XI then hardly a word was said.
"And then there's the ummmmm."
"Come on, you've started now you've just got to spill it." Mad said.
"Dolls." Cat finished with her chin on her chest.
"Dolls!!" The three of us said almost in unison.
"Yes dolls. I used to play with them now I just collect them, is that okay?"
Rhod replied, "Okay! No need to get so defensive. Where would the fun be if we all did the same stuff? I mean I've done costumes but I've not gone as far as these two."
I was about to give him the look when I realised that he meant the con.
"Drew probably wouldn't have done it either without my assistance." Mad beamed proudly.
'Persistence' too I thought and smiled, but about something else. Maybe one day I would burst Maddy's bubble and tell her about Gaby's first appearance on a tandem with my mum; but not today.
"So now that the spotlight has turned away from me, what did you go as?" Cat asked. I had to think quickly to work a way out of that one; maybe I'd be lucky for a change.
"Do you know many anime characters?"
"Not really, just the ones from Sailor Moon and stuff that's on normal TV."
Way to go Drew, about time something like this went my way. I can tell her the ones she won't have heard of and bend the truth about the others.
"Well Mad and me went as a pair one time, I was Chii light and she was Chii dark, then we did the whole Harry Potter thing."
"And got to meet J.K. herself." Mad interrupted.
"Wow, you guys!"
I hoped she wasn't going to ask to see pictures, right now I couldn't handle 'Drew why can't I see you in this picture? Oh no, my mistake, there you are dressed up as Hermione?' Time for a little change of subject I think.
"So then Cat, if you could choose a character which one would it be?" I asked.
"Well like I said, I only recognise the ones that make it to the main five channels, so that narrows it down a lot. But there was one that stuck in my mind, Cardcaptor Sakura in her kitty outfit. It's got my name all over it."
"Would you be totally authentic?" asked Mad with a wry smile. I had no idea what she was getting at but by the look on her face I'm guessing that Cat did.
"Ewww, no way. Me in rubber, I don't think so."
Mad explained that it was some kind of plot device, something to do with lightning and the rubber being insulation from it. She remembered downloading some pictures and promised to show them later. Mrs P pointed out that she had seen a few Kitty Sakuras at events, hardly any were brave enough to do the rubber thing, but in her opinion it looked great in a shiny lycra.
"What about Catwoman? That's also got a cat theme." It seemed Mad wanted to push it.
"Did I mention ewww! Plastic raincoats are one thing but that's just yuck." Cat replied.
"Maddy, stop teasing. You know as well as I do that there are all kinds of cat costumes out there." Carol intervened.
"Sorry mum, sorry Cat. Maybe I can show you some of them some time, I've got lots of pics."
We arrived at the other end of Meadowhall and prepared to do the boring bit first. Supermarket shopping was never my idea of fun, so to make it as short as possible we split up into two teams. Mad, Rhod and I got the easy stuff, while aunt Carol handled the produce and provisions with Cat. It gave the three of us some more time to ourselves to talk, mostly about our exchange partners.
We got done quicker than we'd expected, Mrs P said that once Rhod and her had taken the shopping back to the car they would meet us in BHS, I voiced the other's thoughts and asked why there?
"Because somebody isn't wearing a bra." Why did Mad and Rhod look at me when Mrs P said that? Surely she didn't mean me, I wasn't being Gaby today. I couldn't even say anything without causing suspicion.
"She means me." An embarrassed Cat said.
Phew, I could relax again. I joined the others in giving our southerner friend a questioning look.
"Ok, I admit it, at times I'm Little Miss Absent Minded. My mum says I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached to my shoulders. So this morning believe it or not I forgot to put one on."
"How could you forget that?" Maddy asked, folding her arms across her chest, emphasising her own 'assets'.
Cat shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I haven't been wearing them long enough, I didn't even notice until your mum pointed it out."
So, once again I found myself in the girls section of a shop trying to disappear into the fixtures and fittings. I stood away from Mad and Cat, it was safer that way. If someone else mistook me for a girl our new friend might not hear. When Aunt Carol returned, Rhod wasn't with her.
"I'm sorry Drew, I wasn't thinking, you don't need to be here for this. Rhod's waiting for you outside Massarella's."
As I left them I heard Aunt Carol grab an assistant and say, "My niece needs a training bra." I wonder if Maddy had realised that she had so many mystery cousins.
I found Rhod where Mrs P had left him and we bagged a table while we waited for the girls to catch up with us.
I got lost in the aroma of the coffee so I have no idea how long it was before the three of them found us, they sat down just in time for our drinks to be served though.
Everything seemed to be normal at first but as we sat there drinking I had that uneasy feeling as if someone was looking at me. I scanned around and every time I looked in Cat's direction she looked away, so something was definitely up.
If anyone would have any idea Mad was probably the one who would know so I caught her attention and she must've understood that I needed a quiet word. She excused herself and as soon as I got the chance to join her we found a convenient corner to talk.
"What's up with Cat?" I asked. I'd hoped Mad would ask what I meant which would have shown that there was nothing to tell, instead she just looked at her feet.
"What have you said?"
"Nothing Drew, somehow Cat knows about Gaby, I've tried to deny it but she's not having any of it."
"How, what?" I was getting a little flustered, hardly surprising.
"Mum suggested I help her change and in the changing room she just came out with it, 'Maddy, why was Drew wearing a dress for the picture in Paris?' I tried telling her that you were ill and the papers made a mistake with the Gaby thing but she just gave me a 'yeah whatever' look." My body sagged.
"She said she could tell because she knew a boy like you when she was younger but I think there's more to it than that. You ask her and see if she convinces you."
"I'm not sure I want to confront anyone about it. What do you think she's going to do?"
"Drew I don't know, but there's only one way to find out." Mad was right, I had to ask her and unless I could think of something that meant I had to admit to being Gaby first.
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