Never let down the ones you Love.

Even though my financial situation was below the frog’s ass, my friends were there for me, regardless of how much money I had or made.

In times like these, basically anything can save a Life.
A smile, a short talk – or an entire pizza.
The fact itself that you can count on the ones around you gives you enormous strength.

My beloved Spanish vriendin¹ offered to take me out tonight, even thought she was unable to get more than 3 hours of sleep during the past 48 hours.
How many of the people you know would do this to their friend?
Certainly a few, but not many.

She took me to the greatest restaurant in town, Happy Italy.
We sat down and she wouldn’t let me leave without filling my stomach with the tastiest dish.
“It’s all on me, don’t worry” – she added with a warm smile.

*Side note: I was hired here 2 months ago as a waiter, but the management didn’t prepare my contract regardless of the countless phone calls, e-mails and personal discussions I’ve had with them.
Being in a situation where I can’t afford to buy food without getting in debt didn’t move them either;
But in hindsight, it was one of the greatest blessing disguised as a disaster.

I have to say, after eating the same things every single day for more than 2 months now – it was incredible. Every single bite I had from that bowl was heaven itself.
The amount of luck I had for stumbling upon such great friends during my early days is indescribable.
After consuming the mightiest dinner, she banged her fist on the table and said:
“Alright, let’s play some pool“
She asked for the check, paid without hesitation and we left.

“Get ready to get your ass kicked, no fooling around this time“
Fierce competition, I must say.
As soon as we entered the pool area, the dim lights and the pop-music in the background put the mood on the right track.
We immediately got a desk, then she started to kick ass.

When things got a little hot in there, some unexpected situations would occur, where a completely missed thrust would unexpectedly put 2 balls in a sack.
She filled all the holes with the cue in her hand, and that made her a very satisfied Woman.
We are still taking about pool.

After roughly one and a half hour we would sit out on the balcony, so she could smoke a cigarette while I was gazing at center of the city.
That was the right time to propose the idea:
“If you had a wish, what would you ask for?“
– Why?
Oh lord, if I only knew why Women love answering questions with another.
“Well, because I’m gonna make it happen; in reality.”
– What do you mean?
“Pick something, and I’ll put it on my dream list.”
– Ahhh, your bucket list. Well, let me think.
“You know how it works. Whatever gets up there, will happen. There is no need to rush, take your time. Just don’t forget: There is only one, so choose wisely.

A week later she came up with the answer, and it gave birth to another dream:
– Travel to Hawaii with our Families with Claudia (#73)

It might take one or two decades, but the purpose of a bucket list is to fill you with memories, experiences and moments to look back on with a smile.
This will surely be one of them.

With a bright attitude towards our imaginary future we said goodbye to each other and took the road towards our beloved soft clouds (i.e. Bed)
For her, it was merely a short bike ride.
For me, it was supposed to be a 30 minute bus ride, if I only didn’t get on the wrong one.
At the first unexpected turn it didn’t seem suspicious.
“It’s a night bus, after all. Probably just touching a few extra stops to make it more efficient”
How naïef ²
The next thing I know is that we were heading towards some entirely different city, so I got off at the next stop immediately.

*Pulls out google maps*
“80 minutes by walk, cool“
It was 2 am, but my headset was charged – so there wasn’t really anything to worry about; No workplace was waiting for me the next day.
After 10 minutes of walking I left the suburb and found myself in a dark forest. If I happened to be attacked by a thief or a deer I wouldn’t notice a thing, because all I could hear was Narcissist by Rome blasting my ears on repeat.

Life could’ve barely been any happier at the moment.
There was food in my stomach, music in my ears, and I spent some time in great company after a few toilsome weeks.
As I started to get close to edge of the forest, I stumbled upon a farm, full of sheep.
I don’t think I’ve seen many sheep in my life (-well, I didn’t see much this time either, because of the abundant darkness that was surrounding this slightly uncivilized territory) but there was an entire flock of them, baa-ing as if they were practicing to sing.

If a tall wire fence didn’t separate us, I would’ve hugged those fluffy cuties.
A little later my path had a small turn, and as their baa-ing turned into weeping, I was pretty sure they were sad and saying bon voyage to their new friend.
This turn put me on a bicycle path, which could only mean one thing:
Civilization.
As I was nonchalantly walking in the dark, I suddenly found a golden retriever in front of me.
For the first time in my Life, I almost shit my pants. I didn’t pay any attention on the road, since who would expect to bump into a dog in the middle of nowhere at half past twee ³.
Unfortunately there was no food with me that I could share, nor a shelter I could give him. He was just laying there untroubled, without the intention to lick, bark or bite me.

After 15 minutes I finally met with the first streetlamp.
I could finally see, nay, I even had an idea where I was.
Taking the opportunity of the bright light and the vibe of the music it was time to do a handstand, because it’s not even 3 am and we’re here to do gekkie⁴ things.

In a way, it was very liberating to know that I don’t have to work the next day (in ~5 hours*), though it’s still disappointing that I couldn’t get a job under 2 and a half months.
As I was thinking about fixing the situation, so I could finally leave bread and peanut butter behind, a white rabbit ran through in front of me.
It was like a lightning bolt, he crossed the road faster than I can blink.
Just under the past hour I’ve seen a dog, sheep, white rabbit–
Nature put countless species on Earth, it’s weird to think about how lucky we’re to be humans, instead of flies or chickens on a farm eating dirt chips.

“I need to get a job” – I kept on rehearsing
I’ve applied to almost every single place in the city where they don’t ask for Dutch, but they didn’t need me. Luckily the social Life of this day gave me a huge shot of #stopbitching and now I was on fire again to get things going.

When I finally arrived home, it took less than 10 minutes to get in bed and visit dreamland for a while, after all – it was a long night.

The next day I woke up with the same enthusiasm towards Life that I had when I arrived here.
All it took was a bowl of pasta and a good night with a friend.
In that moment, I knew that good things were about to happen, I just have to hold on a little longer.

No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it.

Seneca

Take care,
Erik

06.04.2019 – Day 75

[Dutch Dictionary]
Vriendin ¹ – Female Friend
Naïef ² – Naive
Twee ³ – Two
Gekkie ⁴ – Silly