The Seventh

Chapter 11

It was mid summer 1997, They were in Cologne for a 3 days festival called The Bizzare festival. Their manager booked them an almost nice hotel, 3 rooms for the 6 of them. They were totally happy with this arrangement, they were young and everything fame-related was new and very exciting for them, none of them didn't really care about not having privacy, they didn't really need it, they were best friends who were used to living with each other for god's sake.

Till was in the bathtub of their shared room with Richard, giving Emma a bath while his 4 year old was complaining about how she needed her rubber duckies in the bathtub or else, she couldn't get cleaned. Till was laughing at her weird statement when he heard Richard coming into the room. 

"Reesh is that you?" He called out.

Richard stepped inside the bathroom with a grin on his face "I just got the best B.J in the world"

"Papa Reesh what's a BJ?" Emma asked leaning against the tub, curious of what made Richard so happy. 

"Ehhmmm...It's...um...It's  a sandwich, doll. a very tasty sandwich"  Richard did his best.

"oh..." Emma said.

"Really? a sandwich Reesh?" Till rolled his eyes. Richard robbed the back of his neck apologetically. 

"Hey you brought her rubber duckies, right?" Tille asked.

"yeah let me check" he went back to the room and  checked his big suitcase.

"I hope he's brought them papa" Emma said hopefully. Till smiled and kissed her wet face. "Me too, baby"

"found it" Richard came back to the bathroom and sat beside the tub, he had the duckies in his hand. "Give me ten big kisses if you want them" He demanded cheerfully to his little angel. 

Emma laughed as she stood up in the tub and wrapped her wet little arms around Richard's neck and started kissing his face with big noisy kisses. Richard was laughing and counting. "eins...twai...drei...vier..." Suddenly she slipped in the tub and Till got her in time and helped her back up again while laughing. Emma splashed water in their faces in protest. 

"Hey hey,., fully clothed people over here" Richard fake-protested while laughing. 

"Come into the tub Papa Reesh, let's play" She yelled happily and splashed more water on him.

"Ok, you owe me six more kisses anyway" He got up and took his clothes off and stepped into the tub in only his boxers, just like Till. 

The 3 of them were playing and laughing, Emma was the happiest kid ever. she was a little sunshine laughing at everything. In moments like these Richard hated Anna the most, the bitch really fucked him up, he just wanted to be his daughter's only Dad. It was true that She called him Papa and was with him all day and most nights she even slept in Richard's arms, but It simply wasn't enough for him, he needed to be known as her real father cuz that's what he thought he was to her anyways. He obviously couldn't say anything, no one could know. He just kept it inside him and tried to seem happy which he really was but sometimes their messed up past would get the best of him. 

After the bath was over Till stayed to take a shower himself while Richard was drying and dressing Emma. "hands up sunshine, up up up" as he put the T-shirt on her and pushed it down her head. As soon as her head was out of the T-shirt she asked: "Papa Reesh how does Paul know Russian?" 

"Put your hands on my shoulder baby,,,, his mom is Russian, that's how he knows" He put her pants and underwear on her and started drying her hair. 

"What's a mom?" She asked, her voice muffled by the towel over her head. Richard swallowed hard, he didn't know what the fuck to tell her. "It's um...um..." He got interrupted by Till who was out of the shower. "You know how you have two Papas? some people have a mom and a papa or two moms, moms are just like papas, only they're women" 

Emma nodded in acknowledgment while Richard let out a relaxed breath and looked thankfully at Till who gave him a kind smile. At times like this, Richard thought to himself that maybe Emma was better of like this. Till was extremely wise, he always knew what to say, then again it wasn't like anyone was gonna take her away from him.

 Just like Till told him a year after that day "Reesh the result of this Test really doesn't make any difference in our situation, she's OURS, no matter who she shares blood with" 

They went down at the hotel's restaurant where the other four were waiting for them. The second they got to the table, Schneider opened his arms for Emma "Look at my little rainbow all cleaned up and pretty for her Uncle Schnei to kiss her" He held her and kissed her several times as she was giggling loudly. 

"Can I have one of those BJs for dinner?" She asked with hopeful eyes. Schneider's jaw along with the others dropped. "Have a what, rainbow?" Schneider asked again while Richard was face palming. "I'm gonna kill you, Kruspe" Till whispered to Richard, unable to cover his grin by the way. 

"Where did you hear that Emma?" Paul asked, he still didn't get how she heard it.

"Papa Reesh said he just got the best BJ ever, he said it was a sandwich" She said innocently.

"What is wrong with you people?" Flake rolled eyes at them while Paul and Schneider were bursting into laughter and Ollie was just Shaking with it and Emma kept asking what was going on. 

"Nothing sweetie, those sandwiches have bananas in them and you're allergic to bananas, remember?" Richard tried to clean up his own mess and it only made them laugh harder and Emma nodded and giggled with them eventho the 4 year old still didn't know what was going on.

"Nice cover up, but next time please don't use bananas in this type of context, you know she's also allergic to pistachios." Till whispered to him again while grinning. Richard smacked his shoulder while saying a quiet "asshole".