On a date

Posted by: fracas on February 12 @ 5:42 pm

We had a long lunch, at one of the restaurants at the market square. Every time I go there, I feel like I’m on a date with Reinout. It’s an odd feeling, making me feel hot and cold at the same time. After all, our first real date started there; in a grand cafe on the Grote Markt in Haarlem. I had been to the hairdresser that day in a best effort to make myself pretty for our date. When I stepped inside the cafe I could see him sitting at the bar, working his phone. It’s an impression I will never forget! He was wearing a beige corduroy jacket and if I recall correctly a black shirt. He looked great.

He was looking for a watch, and he asked where he could find one. Luckily an exclusive watch and jewellery boutique had opened just off the Grote Markt. We went there and after going through some different makes we found the perfect one. A silver band (I don’t like leather), rectangular watch with roman hour display. Very classic and stylish.

Aimlessly we were walking until we hit a cafe and stepped inside. It ended up being our home for the next 4 hours as our conversations just kept flowing. We had dinner there, and before long time was approaching 10 pm. We moved to another location, XO also on the Grote Markt. The music was loud but it didn’t really matter. We found a corner with a sofa made for two people falling in love.

That evening went so quickly and as we wanted to savour every moment of it, we decided to take into a hotel. It became hotel Carlton. It was rather innocent, cuddling up in bed talking, kissing and touching. There is something very odd encountering a strange body for the first time. The unfamiliar smell, the texture of the skin, the feeling of the hair… Some people may find themselves at ease, but I never have. It hasn’t come naturally in the past. Yet this time around it did. I soon fell into a heavy sleep and didn’t wake up until late in the morning. Reinout ordered breakfast. We sat there like two school kids on a picnic sharing all of our food between ourselves, commenting on how great the jam was with the croissant.
I still didn’t know how things would end up there and then, I only knew it felt good.
—

Today I got the same feeling. The feeling of anticipation and butterflies in my stomach. Like being on a date again. I asked questions, loads, about past events in childhood and later. Some of these questions I already knew the answer to. Still I can hear those stories over and over again. And as with all stories, they grow a little every time they are being told, adding depths and nuance to the narrative. It’s like a grand canvas, where every word and story is another brushstroke. This painting has become a Never Ending Story, continuing to develop though shrouded in mystique and secrecy. I don’t think I will ever solve this riddle. I don’t think I even want to in fact. Because riddles are suppose to be hidden and concealed. That’s what makes them so appealing.