A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

Not long after my monthiversary, my freshly acquired brother needed a little help with carrying furniture.
If it was something usual, I wouldn’t write about it, but the lives of expats in the NL are everything, but dull.

Don Huán was about to install a chair and a table to his new home, but there was one small obstacle:
He had nothing to carry it with, and this is where I came in the picture.

Since he was lacking an extra pair of hands, nor had the time to take two turns before the shop closes, only one solution seemed to be possible:
“Yo bro, could you help me out?”
The answer was obvious.

However, there was one detail he forgot to mention, which was: The target was a secondhand shop, on the other side of our beloved town.
Being unconscious of this fact, I immediately jumped on the bus to get to his place, then off we went to score some furniture.
Along the way towards the shop, he offered a jonko, which is the Dutch slang equivalent for a joint.
The sun was warm, the company was good, you only live once, one would’ve been a fool to refuse.
By the time we got to the shop, we were well baked, even more, eager to finally carry his new household property.

To be honest, when I saw the secondhand shop, my jaw dropped.
It was bigger than an IKEA, perhaps even cooler.
It took no more than 15 minutes to find the right combination of a desk and a chair, though finalizing the decision was not something we took lightly. We had to take the weight into account, because it was a 30 minute trip, and one does not walk through the entire city with a heavy desk at hand.
But well, we had no other choice.
After a small showoff of our Dutch language skills at the cashier, we picked up the stuff and started our journey.
Huán carried the desk, considering that he is 2 meters tall, with an equally firm shape, which was just right for his height.
There we went on the sidewalk, with the chosen appliances on our backs.
Since the entire town has already seen us, you too, deserve the pleasure of witnessing this casual expat act:

He was one hell of a turtle.

With just a few quick pauses to rest, and even a switch, so both of us could equally express our manliness, we got home.
Now, if you have never seen Dutch stairs before, well. They are fucked up.
A normal stair anywhere else in Europe would be half as tall- if not less; than the Dutch ones, as you can clearly see here:

Yea, it’s basically a ladder.

Though we managed to carry it up and finally settle in, it was a tough exercise for the day; as well for our friendship.

He was way too grateful, considering the amount of struggle at hand, but little did he know, I was more than glad to help.

I am not your friend, unless whatever is at issue concerning you; is my concern also

Seneca

Take care,
Erik

25.02.2019 – Day 35