As Dave made his way down the aisle to his seat, one of the flight attendants was making her way up the same aisle from the opposite direction. They just happened to meet as Dave found his seat and was opening the overhead compartment to stow his carry on.

“Excuse me?” came the voice.

Dave, once he had realized that he was being addressed, said, “Yes?”

The man held out his hand as if to shake with Dave and said, “I'm Robert Springston, and…”

“…Dave Bond,” he replied as he shook the man's hand.

“Bond? That name sounds familiar…any relation to that racer, Jenny Bond?”

“That's my wife. She races for Apollinaris.”

“So why isn't she making the trip with you?”

“A couple of reasons. First, she's been ill and is working on regaining her form, but also she's staying with the kids.”

“Didn't I hear something about one of your kids…Gaby was the name, wasn't it? Was racing in America and…” There was a ding, and the ‘Fasten Seat Belts' sign lit up.

At the sound, Dave looked up and realized that the plane that had been almost empty when he last noticed was now about half full, and moments away from takeoff. He reached down and fastened his restraint, then looked over at the gentleman he had been conversing with just as the man was fastening his own.

“…Oh yes, where was I? That's right, Gaby I think was her name, wasn't it?”

“Yes, she has a bit of a flair for the dramatic.”

“I'll say, autograph hunting in the middle of a race? That took some guts.”

“Well, that's not something she's ever in short supply of.”

“Beautiful girl, from what I saw in the papers.”

“Yes she is. Very much the mirror image of her mother.”

As the plane taxied toward takeoff, both gentlemen diverted their attention from their conversation to listen to the pilot welcoming everyone on board over the public address system. Once he was done, and they had managed to become airborne, Dave and his new acquaintance seemed to have lost interest in their chat, and both chose instead to simply close their eyes and sleep, or at least think quietly.

_____________________

I suppose I'm actually doing this, huh? It should prove to be interesting, at least. Funny thing is, even though I've been talking with George quite a lot about things, and I have to admit that he's not nearly as slimy as I had first thought, I'm still not certain about what my job is going to entail. I mean, I know the broad strokes answer, but so far haven't really got a feel for the nuts and bolts of what I'm going to be doing. Well, I don't suppose I'll be in the dark much longer, eh?

So is everyone who flies for business as chatty as that fellow over there? I hope not. I was beginning to think he'd never shut up. Okay, I know that's a bit of a rude thing to think, but seriously, he was quite the chatterbox. Seems to know quite a lot about my family, too.

I didn't realize Gaby's exploits had been so widely reported. This could actually be difficult for Drew, what with Gaby developing a bit of a following of her own. What happens if suddenly she disappears? I mean, if the latest from the doctor is any indication, there doesn't seem to be a physical reason Gaby has to stay around, but that doesn't really address the psychological reasons, does it? And as much as I think Drew would like to think otherwise, Gaby is a much more vibrant personality. Almost like when he's trying to be Drew, there's a large part of him that is hidden, and that makes him seem a bit reserved. Conversely, Gaby seems to enjoy things in a big way, all the time.

Strangely enough, I don't know that Drew would be missed by the cycling world, were he to go away. He may be a national champion, but the truth is he isn't nearly as well known as Gaby is, oddly enough. Somehow I'm afraid that if it turns out one of them has to disappear, he could be the one to go instead of Gaby, and those of us who would miss him are far fewer than for her. I'm afraid a choice is going to have to be made soon that could lead to one or the other of them going away. I just hope that no one allows the public persona to be an influencing factor. I can't imagine how awful it would be if Gaby were the one chosen just because of the public factor. That's a decision that's going to have to be made solely on the basis of what my child wants and needs. No other factors should be allowed into the discussion.

Jules was less difficult this morning, at least. Maybe our chat did some good, eh? I realize this is all terribly difficult for her. I don't mean to make light of that in the least. But we just couldn't function as a family with her acting the way she had been, making everyone around her absolutely miserable. I hope we've seen the last of ‘Hurricane Juliette', but will remain on alert for anything that might blow up.

­­_______________________

Dave's mind continued to drift as his flight made it's way toward Bonn, and what Jenny had described as ‘a fresh start' for their family. At some point, he must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing he knew, the passengers were being instructed to fasten their seatbelts in preparation for landing. Once he had complied with instructions, Dave looked toward the gentleman he had been chatting with when they first boarded and said, “Good luck.”

Robert looked back at him and smiled as he said, “You too. I hope you enjoy the new job.”

“Oh, I'm sure I will.” After a few minutes of more or less silence around them, the passengers felt the unmistakable bump of wheels touching runway, indicating that they were once again on terra firma. Inside the building, there was the thankfully brief and uneventful encounter with German customs, after which the smiling face of his new co-worker, Mike, greeted Dave.

“Welcome to Germany, Dave,” he said as he vigorously shook Dave's hand.

“It's good to be here. How have you been?” Dave asked as they began walking toward short term parking, where they would retrieve their transportation.

“Busy, but good,” Mike replied. “George wanted you to report to his office for a meeting straight away, so once you're done with that, we can get you to work on some repairs this afternoon.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Dave said. “So, how have the girls been doing?”

“Oh, fine, fine. They're looking forward to experiencing some of that ‘Dave Bond bike setup magic', as they put it. They were very impressed with how you prepared the bikes in Atlanta, and I'm afraid they may never want me touching them again,” Mike said, chuckling as the last part was spoken.

“But I didn't do anything special,” Dave started to protest.

“Don't tell the girls that. They seem to think you have some sort of magic touch when it comes to bicycles.”

“Well, I don't suppose I would want to dissuade them of such thoughts, would I?” Dave grinned.

When they arrived at the car park, Mike led them straight to the Mercedes that Jen had been issued last year. Upon seeing it, Dave said, “That looks familiar.”

“Yes, George was trying to be frugal, and figured since Jenny wouldn't be returning to the team just yet, he could assign you her car and put off having to buy another company vehicle for the time being.”

Mike tossed the keys to Dave, and then they proceeded to get in the car, Dave behind the wheel. “Well, it will be difficult, but I suppose I'll just have to make do with it then, won't I?”

With Mike giving directions, as Dave wasn't familiar enough with the area yet to know exactly where he was going, Dave drove them to Apollinaris HQ, where they arrived just as the team was coming in from a training ride. The first to notice the newest arrival was Tina, who shouted as soon as she saw them get out of the car, “Dave! Good to see you!”

Dave headed toward where the ladies were putting up their bikes and said, “You too. How do you ride in this weather? It's too cold for me.”

Maria was the next to speak, “This is nothing compared to how cold it can be sometimes. Then we get to work on the track, but today it was nice enough for a ride outdoors. Would've been better if I weren't having so much trouble with my shifters. Maybe you could take a look at them?” she said directly to Dave.

‘I guess what Mike said was right,' Dave thought to himself. Then he spoke, “I'm sure we'll be able to get it sorted,” and bent down to take a quick look at the bike. It only took a second to spot the problem. “Mike, take a look at this. Here's the problem. These gear teeth are bent.”

Mike took a peek, then said to Maria, “I guess you found some black ice. How's your side?”

She looked at him for a moment, then said, “A little sore. How did you know?”

“The only way you could have done that is if you dumped in the middle of the road and just happened to his a rock or something when you went down. See here where it bent the gear teeth?” His next statement was directed at Dave, “So, do you want to take care of this after you finish with George, or shall I?”

“Are you going to bend it back into place, or replace the gear?”

“Straightening the gear would be simpler, but the way she rides, it would never be the same. Probably replace.”

“Then I'd best leave it to you. I'd take hours getting that thing apart and reassembled, and I have no idea how long this meeting is going to take.”

“Fair enough. I suppose you should be heading that way then,” Mike said, then looking toward the offices, said, “There he is now. I'll see you after,” and with that Mike returned his attention to Maria's bicycle.

Dave waved goodbye to the team and went with George into his office. As they entered, George asked, “How was your flight?”

As they each took seats, Dave in the chair in front of the desk and George behind, Dave responded, “Oh, it was fine, thanks. Mike said I was going to be using Jen's car until she is able to return?”

“Well, yes, since it was already here and she won't be using it for a while yet, it seemed logical. I see you've already started working out there,” George joked.

“I didn't do much. I was just the first to take a look at the problem.”

“You do know that one of the reasons we wanted you is because of your skill in bike setup?”

“I never thought I did anything special.”

“On the contrary, Jenny spent weeks trying to get Mike to duplicate your setup when she joined us last season. It wasn't until he was able to take a look at her bike back home that he understood what she was wanting, and could duplicate it. He was most impressed, particularly with the results you got with the equipment on hand.”

“Well, thanks, but seriously, I just set it up the way she wanted it. The only thing that could be considered ‘special' about it is that we took time discussing how things felt when she was riding, and made adjustments accordingly.”

“Be that as it may, the rest of the team is anxious for you to do the same with their bikes.”

“I'll do what I can, but it takes time to get things settled. It's a very hit and miss, organic procedure.”

“And that's part of why you're here. Now, as for the other part…”

“Yes, the development program? How is this going to work? Am I to scout new members, our will someone else be doing that? And what exactly is entailed in running the program?”

“We haven't really got anything set in stone, as of yet. You may well be doing some scouting, when your duties with the team allow, but we'll also have some others doing that as well. Basically, once we've identified a talent, it'll be your job to get them signed up, make sure they have what they need to compete, and work with our training staff to set up programs for each individual rider. Then you'll be checking back with each member periodically to assess their progress, and when necessary, recommend adjustments.”

“Sounds like a lot of work. How many members are we looking at?”

“At the moment, the only one signed is Gaby, of course, but the plan is to eventually have about a dozen riders you'll be overseeing.”

“And I imagine when new members come in, they'll come here for a few days where they'll get a chance to work with the trainers, and Mike and I will do thorough setup and any necessary repairs to their bikes?”

“Correct. Now, I bet you'd like to get settled in at the apartment and such. We thought you'd be comfortable in Jen's apartment for the time being.”

“Yes, I thought I'd check back in with Mike to see if he needs me, then go get unpacked. I want to start looking for a house as soon as I can though, so we can get the whole family moved.”

Getting up from behind his desk, George came around and offered Dave his hand as Dave also rose from his seat. “Welcome aboard,” he said, as he led him back to the garage, where Mike was finishing up replacing the bent gear on Maria's bike. Most of the ladies were still there, having just finished getting cleaned up following their training ride, and they converged on their new mechanic.

“Ladies,” George spoke to draw their attention, “Mr. Bond will be working with each of you in turn dialing in your setups to make the bikes work better for you.” Turning to Dave, he then said, “I assume you would find it easier to do one at a time, rather than trying to change everyone's setups at once?”

“That would probably be best, yes. Maria, since I know yours has been in pieces, what say we start with it tomorrow morning? I'll need to talk with you about how you want things to work, then we'll make some adjustments and talk again after training tomorrow, all right?”

“I'll see you in the morning then,” Maria replied.

Dave turned to Mike and said, “Do you need me to do anything before I go get unpacked?”

“No, I think I have pretty much everything under control for now. What's on your agenda this afternoon?”

“House hunting, I'm afraid.”

“Ew, have fun with that. I'll see you in the morning.”

Dave turned away and walked toward the car, waved goodbye to everyone as he got in, and drove to the apartment building he would be calling home for the short term. He carried his bag to the apartment, went in and soon found himself dropping the bag on the floor, and himself on the sofa. Before he had a chance to think what he needed to do, he was nearly asleep.

So he rubbed his eyes, said, ”I have far too much to do to be falling asleep. Best get busy.” He got back up off the sofa, picked up his case, and took it to the bedroom where he emptied its contents into the drawers and closet.

Once all his clothes were put away, he headed out into town, where he hoped to find an estate agent who spoke English to help him in his search for the new family abode.

The first agent's office he entered proved to be of assistance, as there were several people on staff who spoke English fluently enough to be of assistance.

After conferring with the receptionist, he waited a few moments and was greeted by a gentleman in a very nice suit. “Hello, my name is Wilhelm Jaeger. May I be of some assistance?”

Dave was impressed by the gentleman's command of English, and also noted that for the first time he could remember, the first word that jumped into his head when dealing with an estate agent was not ‘slimy'.

He followed Mr. Jaeger to his office, and en route told him, “Well, I've just started a new job here, and my wife and children will be moving here as well, as soon as I can find a house for us.”

Taking their seats around the gentleman's desk, he asked Dave, “Would you care for some coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Wilhelm reached over to an intercom transceiver on his desk, keyed it, and said, “Could you please bring two coffees in?” Turning back to Dave, he said, “It should only be a moment. Now, how may I help you?”

“As I said, I'm looking for a house for my family, who will be moving here as soon as we can find something acceptable.”

Just then, the receptionist came into the office with two coffee mugs on a tray. “Sir, would you care for any milk or sugar?” she asked Dave as she set his mug in front of him.

“No thank you, I'll take it black.” Dave then turned his attention back to Mr. Jaeger, “I'm frankly not familiar with the German house market, but I hope we'll be able to locate something we can afford.”

“I'm sure there won't be a problem in that regard. So tell me, what size property were you looking for?”

“Well, at least three bedrooms, multiple baths if possible, a small garden would be nice…and a garage is a necessity.”

“Why the garage? I mean, is there some reason other than wanting to protect your car, which by the way is very nice, if you don't mind my saying so.”

“Oh, that? It's a company car, actually. No, the garage is for use as a workshop and storage area for bicycles.”

“All right, I think that gives me a fair idea what kind of property we're looking for. Let's start with a search of our database, and see what we come up with, shall we?”

Dave took a sip of his coffee, and said, “Absolutely.”

Mr. Jaeger scrolled through screen after screen of listings, occasionally turning the monitor so Dave could see a particular listing. After about an hour of repeatedly doing this, they had assembled a list of properties to take a look at, once appointments could be set up to visit them.

“I have your contact information, so I'll be in touch as soon as I can set up some viewings,” Wilhelm said as he offered his hand to Dave.

As Dave took his offered hand and shook it, he said, “That sound good. Hopefully, we'll get lucky. I don't look forward to being away from my family for long periods of time.”

Wilhelm escorted Dave out of the office and watched him go out the door. Dave climbed in the car and drove straight back to the apartment, thinking about some of the houses he had looked at pictures of this afternoon.

____________________

I don't know that any of those will wind up being the one, but at least we've made a start of the search. After last year, being apart like that, I won't let us live separated like that again. We need to get everyone back together as soon as possible.

I must admit that I did like the look of a couple of those houses, and I'm anxious to get a peek at the real thing, but things may get complicated in that we're used to a certain standard of housing, and I don't know if we're going to be able to afford the kind of place we're used to.

We may wind up needing to sell the place in Warsop to recover the equity in order to afford a nice place in Germany, but I know that would make everyone sad, even me. I've got a lot of time and sweat tied up in that house, and I don't really want to part with it. Ah, well, we'll just have to see what I can come up with, won't we?

I still haven't figured out what exactly it is I'm supposed to be doing in setting up bikes that everyone seems to find so impressive. All I've ever done is try to get it as close to how the individual rider wants it as I can. It can take weeks to get things dialed in, but once you have a fair idea what they want, it's easy to set up another one for them.

Do mechs usually not take the time to talk to the riders to find out how they ride, what kind of feel they want, that sort of thing? Maybe that's it. Oh, well, we'll start in on Maria's bike tomorrow morning. I'd best get there early so I can get it up on the stand, then as soon as we have a chance to talk, I can start making adjustments.

______________________

Dave pulled the Mercedes into the carport that was provided for tenants' vehicles and went straight upstairs to the apartment, which he would be calling home until he finds the house for his family.

Once inside, he headed first to the kitchen, to see if he could find anything to eat. The search of the refrigerator yielded absolutely nothing, except a moldy old apple in the crisper drawer. And when the only thing he found in the cabinets were some granola bars and tea, he knew that tonight was not going to be a night for dining in. He remembered seeing an inn just down the block, and started walking in that direction in search of a meal, and a little relaxation.

After a heaping plate of sausages and hot German potato salad, not to mention a pint of beer, Dave returned to his rented abode and prepared for bed. He crawled under the covers, and dialed the telephone, calling home. As it rang, he turned out the light and sat there enveloped in a relaxing darkness as Jenny answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Hello, luv. How're things at the old homestead?”

“Well stranger, about the same as they were when you left this morning,” she said playfully.

“You sound like you're feeling all right.”

“Other than missing you? Yes, I'm fine.”

“It will only be for a few days, then I'll get to come back home for a few.”

“I know, but now I think I'm starting to understand how you felt all last year. I'm sorry.”

“You, my dear, have nothing to apologize for. It's just the requirements of the job.”

“Speaking of which, how's it going?”

“Somehow, your teammates have got the impression that I'm some sort of magician when it comes to setting up race bikes. You wouldn't happen to know where that idea came from, would you?”

“I'm sure I have no idea, kind sir.”

“Whatever. Listen, I went to see an estate agent this afternoon, and he's supposed to be lining up appointments for me to look at some houses over the next few days, so I might have a better idea where we're going to be living soon.”

“That sounds fantastic. I'd best get back to it here. I'm sure you're absolutely exhausted after the trip, and everything else you've had going on today.”

“That I am. In fact, I'm already in bed, and the moment this conversation ends, I'm going to sleep.”

“Well, then I'll not keep you any longer, luv. Good night, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you too. G'night.” Dave disconnected the call, replacing the receiver in its cradle, then laid down and was quickly asleep.

The next few days flew by, as Dave found himself working on bikes all morning, then following a daily meeting with George, he would spend the afternoon with Wilhelm, looking at houses.

Unfortunately, while work was going well, the house hunt was not. He had toured more than ten houses over the next few days, and frankly none of them were right. They were all either too small, or not in very good condition. Each night, he would talk on the phone with Jenny, discussing the properties he had looked at, coming to the conclusion that they might not be able to move the family as quickly as they had initially planned.

It was then that they devised the idea of Jenny staying in Warsop with the kids through the end of the term while Dave continued to look at houses, with him returning home every ten days or so.

“Jen, how are you, luv?”

“Better, now that I hear your voice.”

“Same here, luv. How's teaching going?”

“A bit strange, but good. I actually have Drew in one of my classes, and that is difficult, trying not to pay him any special attention or show any favoritism.”

“Understood, but you've taught Jules before, so at least it's not completely uncharted territory.”

“That's true. How are the girls doing?”

“Oh, fine. I almost feel like I'm stealing money, I'm doing so little.”

“I imagine that's an exaggeration.”

“Maybe yes, maybe no. Of course, once the racing season kicks in, I'm sure I'll be feeling a lot busier, particularly when I have to go scout kids for the development squad.”

“Oh, you'll be busy, but I'm guessing you'll enjoy every minute of it.”

“I hope you're right. You haven't said anything to the kids about the change of plans have you?”

“No, I was waiting for you to come home so we could tell them together. I daresay, it may make Jules' week, if not her month.”

“How's Drew doing? Any more problems that need to be addressed with Dr. Johnston?”

“Other than the fact that he still seems to have some swelling in his breast tissue, not that I know of. At least the sensitivity is better. I'm beginning to worry that the swelling might not go away.”

“Well, you can ask the doctor about that next visit. Surely this isn't the first time something like this has happened.”

“No, she said it is rare, but not unique. I almost forgot to ask, how're you holding up all alone there?”

“Well, I'd be lying if I said everything was fine. I miss all of you horribly. I think if I had my way, I'd never be away from any of you ever again, but that's not likely to happen, is it?”

“No luv, you're right about that. All we can do is get through this until we can be together again.”

“Thanks Jen. I'd love to sit here talking to you all night, but I have to get up early to start in on Tina's setup, so I'd best get off now, so we both can get some rest. I love you.”

“Love you too. We'll see you in a few days.”

“G'bye.”

“Bye, luv.”

Dave hung up the phone, and tried to go to sleep, as he had a busy day ahead of him. Of course, as is so often the case, the harder he tried going to sleep, the more his mind raced, keeping him awake.

___________________

She's right, of course. Just a few more days, then I get to go home for a few. I can hardly wait. I know I'm enjoying the work with the team, but I miss my family so much. Is this how Jen felt last year? I don't know, but it's certainly a miserable way to live. I know I've only been away a few days, but I have this horrible fear that they both will have grown six inches while I was gone.

Everyone with the team has been so good. The girls have all been great, practically begging me to ‘do my magic' on their bikes. I've tried to tell them that there's no magic involved, but…

Mike has been great to work with so far. He's been curious as to just exactly what I was doing that made everyone rave about them so much afterward, but even after thinking it over, I still couldn't tell you what it is I'm doing.

I mean, it's just a twist here, a tweak there, and see how it feels. Once you've twisted and tweaked and screwed enough, you get everything just exactly the way you want it. That's all there is to it. No magic formula. Pity there isn't though…I might be able to pick up an extra euro or two selling it around the tour. Now, THAT'S funny!

It sounds like Jules has been a bit less difficult this week. She's still doing her “punk princess” thing, or whatever the kids are calling it these days, but at least she hasn't been blowing up regularly like when we first talked to them about the move. I imagine she'll be thrilled to find out they get to stay in Warsop until the summer.

Of course, that means I'm stuck being away from them all…it's like Jen and I switched places, and I can tell you I don't like it. But, at least I get to go home every couple of weeks for a few days, which is better than the deal Jen was working under last year. We'll make it, I know that much for certain.

So Drew's swelling isn't going away? I wonder if that's significant? I mean, he's a very healthy, trim boy, so having protrusions from his breast area no doubt adds to the overall impression that he's a teen girl, what with the slender waist, wide hips, and powerful and what some no doubt would call shapely legs. When will they go away? Or will they at all? What happens if they continue growing? Does Drew have to start wearing a bra all the time?

Somehow I can't imagine that doing anything other than making it easier for people to put together two and two and get that Gaby and Drew really are one in the same. I hope it doesn't' come to that point, because if people figure out that Gaby is an alternate identity for Drew, he'll never be able to live it down. That would be disastrous for the boy. He'd never be able to live it down, I'm sure. It could even destroy his cycling career before it even gets going.

No, anything we can do to keep the two personas separate until Drew decides what's what is what we have to do. I just hope and pray it doesn't backfire on us. If I don't make myself stop thinking about this, I won't get any sleep at all tonight. There's just what I need tomorrow. Just stop thinking. Relax, stop thinking so much…

___________________

Once Dave finally managed to force his mind to stop racing all over the place, he was able to eventually fall asleep.

Jillian 01.10.06 © 2006
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