Page 15 of A New Life in Amsterdam

It’s a strange feeling when you dream of someone and then can’t get them out of your head.

I don’t think I will be able to speak to Abe ever again without going bright scarlet.

It’s not like he knows about my dream, but I still feel so terribly guilt-ridden.

His poor partner Beatrix, what would she think if she knew I was having strange dreams about her man?

To take my mind off the dream, I keep myself busy for the rest of the morning until the carpenter arrives as promised.

He introduces himself as Erik and has helpfully brought the sander and floor polisher with him that I hired from the store.

Even though he is here for the floor, he looks at the kitchen cabinet I managed to destroy as he passes.

‘You have woodworm?’ he says, pointing.

‘Oh, no. That was me. I, umm, drilled.’

‘No, you have woodworm,’ he says, taking a closer inspection.

‘Look at this.’ Erik points to a tiny two-millimetre hole in a cabinet that I didn’t go anywhere near with a power tool. My stomach lurches. Woodworm on a boat? The survey didn’t mention that.

‘I’ll have to treat it. This isn’t good.’

‘Oh, no. How much will that cost?’ I say, trying to avoid sounding panicked.

‘I’ll have to check it for you back at the store, but you don’t have much choice unless you want things to get worse.’

He then proceeds to inform me that I will have to change the cabinets, which I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do, but I can see that he is right.

He says I can order new ones, which he should be able to fit in a few weeks’ time.

I am just about to browse the hardware store’s selection of kitchen units online when there is a knock on the door.

‘Hey! Sorry to bother you. We’re just going to the Sunday market. We wondered if you wanted to check it out?’ says Abe, standing at the door with Beatrix. I try to forget the dream as I see Beatrix smiling at me.

‘That’s so kind of you but I have the carpenter here and it’s a bit stressful.’

‘Ah, is it Erik?’

‘Oh, yeah. I think that’s his name.’

‘Then he’ll be fine. You can trust him here on his own if you want to join us. He works on all the boats around here.’

‘Oh, I don’t know. I shouldn’t really leave him. We have some drama with woodworm.’ Although as I say that the drilling noise becomes unbearable in such a small space and I realise I would quite like to get out of here for a bit.

‘Oh, no. Sorry to hear that, but Erik will see it right. He’s great at all this kind of stuff. You’re in capable hands.’

‘That makes me feel better.’

‘Yes, don’t worry, and forgive me, I don’t think you and Beatrix have met properly, have you?’

‘No, we haven’t. I’ve seen you around and in the coffee shop. It’s great to meet you, Beatrix.’ I smile but still can’t look her in the eye.

‘You too, it’s good to have someone new living here. It was dark and so empty before,’ she says with a genuine smile.

‘Thanks, it’s going to take time to get it into shape, but I hope I’ll make the neighbourhood proud by the end.’

‘Yup, I’m sure you will. It just needs a new breath of life and maybe some woodworm treatment here and there,’ says Abe with a smile.

‘Anyhow, we wondered if you wanted to join us at the flea market. It’s a Sunday market, so it will be another week before you can check it out.

But, if you really don’t want to leave Erik here alone, I understand,’ says Abe, as I notice him looking at some masking tape that Erik must have used somewhere that has now attached itself to my trousers.

Why did I not feel that latching onto me?

I quickly pull it off and with the racket that Erik is continuing to make, decide that perhaps I should go along after all.

‘You know, that sounds like an offer too good to refuse right now. I’d love to check out the market. I’ll just need to get changed.’

‘Sure, take your time. Just give us a knock when you’re ready,’ says Abe.

I hurry to get changed, popping on a polo neck jumper to ensure I don’t have any further weird thoughts of Abe unbuttoning anything.

Then I rush over to their houseboat. It’s good to have a closer look at the barge.

Like mine, it’s not as modern as some of the others around here but you can see by the shiny, fresh red paint that it has been lovingly restored to look as good as new.

There is a gorgeous seating area outside with upcycled pallets that have been painted white and made into sofas and a matching table.

As a bouncy egg chair swings in the breeze, I can just imagine Abe, Beatrix and Ted enjoying sitting out there.

Ted happily greets me when Abe opens the door. He is already wearing his red bandana, ready for his shopping trip.

‘You look cute,’ I say.

‘Oh, thanks. I’m glad you like my new coat,’ says Abe.

‘Oh, no. I meant Ted… Oh…’ I blush so badly that my face turns the colour of Ted’s bandana.

‘Just teasing you. Sorry, Beatrix always says I have a silly sense of humour.’

‘Oh, ha. Um, yeah. Anyway, where is Beatrix?’

‘She’ll meet us there. She had to go and grab something first. I’m afraid it’s just me and Ted for now. Is that okay? I hope you don’t mind.’

‘Um, no. It’s okay. Very okay.’ Very okay?

As we walk along the canal in the direction of the flea market, Abe points out shops and places I must visit around here. He shows me a great place to buy chocolate, which is much appreciated, and there are a couple of bars he recommends.

‘So, do you like markets?’ he asks.

‘Oh, yes, I love them. Although the good thing is that when you live on a houseboat you don’t have the space to get too carried away.’ I should probably stay away from them completely since I am recovering from a shopping problem, but I don’t admit that to Abe.

‘That’s true. We can’t accumulate too much. It’s a shame because there are so many markets around here. You can find almost anything. I love buying vintage books and clothes,’ says Abe.

‘Ah, I thought you had good style.’

‘Do I? Thank you.’

As I gaze at Abe in the shaggy full-length coat he’s wearing, he suddenly grabs my arm.

‘Hey, careful.’ It is only then that I spot the bicycle whizzing past me.

‘Wow, you saved me. Thank you.’

‘It’s okay. You have to be careful of bikes around here. Remember two things… Always use kneepads when working on the houseboat floors, and look out for bikes. Those are my two tips. You have to look after your knees and, well, nobody wants to be run over by a bicycle.’

‘Now that definitely sounds like good advice.’

‘I’ll try to think about what else you’ll need to learn to survive life on a houseboat in Amsterdam.

’ Abe laughs, which is infectious, and I grin from ear to ear as we walk along until we finally reach Westergasfabriek, which sells everything you can imagine.

Stallholders stand around selling Spanish ham, organic food and drinks, crafts and paintings, and there are even vintage stalls selling gorgeous fake fur coats.

I suspect this is where Abe bought his long coat.

‘Oh wow, I love this place already,’ I say.

‘It’s great, isn’t it?’

The smell of spicy salami wafts over as we walk past a food stall.

I remember that I still haven’t done a proper supermarket shop since I arrived here as I have been so preoccupied with getting the barge comfortable enough to stay in.

So, I pick up some cold meats to take home with me.

They smell spicy and delicious. Then we make our way towards some of the crafts and I admire some pretty handmade crocheted teddies.

It gives me the idea that I could maybe have a stall here selling my felted animals one day.

We wander around the stalls until we bump into Beatrix, who waves as she spots us. Then the three of us stroll around the market with the sound of traders vying for attention and the smell of onions sizzling on food stalls.

‘Hey, I have to show you my favourite stall,’ says Beatrix, pulling us all in another direction. She leads us to a stall selling home-made wines, where the owner allows us to sample some.

‘This is delicious,’ I say. It is made of elderflower and nothing like the wine you buy from the supermarket.

‘There are no sulphites, so you don’t get a bad head with it,’ says Beatrix.

‘It’s totally organic,’ says the stall owner.

‘Wow, now I can see why this is your favourite stall,’ I say to Beatrix.

I take a bottle of the wine to try at home and then move on to a stall selling art.

The most beautiful pastel painting of a canal in Amsterdam with bikes and people dotted around attracts my eye.

I can’t leave without having it to hang on the wall of the barge and I promise myself that I won’t spend a penny more.

This market might be just my kind of place, but I am determined I’m not going to slip back into my old shopping habit.

By the time we head for home, Abe is carrying the painting and I am laden with food and drink.

As always, I ended up going overboard but I did need a painting for the wall and, well, who can say no to a bottle of wine that promises it won’t give you a headache?

Maybe having a stall in a flea market like this wouldn’t be such a good idea.

I’d end up spending more than I could make on buying stuff.

I try to tell myself that I don’t need stuff any longer, buying a houseboat is fulfilling enough.

But today was different. This is about organising my new home.

When we reach our canal, Abe brings my new painting inside the houseboat, and I thank him for giving me such a lovely time.

Erik is finishing off for the day and gathering his tools when we arrive back, and Abe and Erik say something in Dutch to each other. Abe looks disappointed and they both shake their heads. I spot the half-completed floor, which looks worse than when he started.

‘I’ll have to come back next Sunday,’ says Erik.

‘What? Are you going to leave it like this?’

‘I’ll put something over it. I’ll see what I can find in the van, but I’m full until next weekend. There is more rotten wood than you said. I should have come here first to check before starting. I thought it was a small job, but now I’ve started…’

‘Oh, I thought at least we could finish the floor. I’ve got the floor sander ready and everything now. I’ve only rented it for a week.’

‘I’ll explain to the store what happened.

These things take time. You can’t expect a big job like this to be finished so quickly.

There’s been no work done here for a long time.

I’m sorry. Look, I noticed your front door was sticking.

At least I can do this on the way out so it’s secure for you.

Would you like me to take a look at it?’

‘If you could. Thank you.’

I try to weigh up the positives – at least I won’t have to fight with the door each time I open it, but I am disappointed that I can’t get down to polishing the new floors tomorrow as planned.

I am also a little freaked out that I have been sharing this place with little critters unknowingly, although Erik assures me before he leaves that the woodworm damage is limited to the kitchen cabinets and we have caught it early enough.

We say goodbye to Erik, and as Abe and I stand there looking at the carnage that Erik has left behind with practically no floorboards or cupboard doors, I could burst into tears.

There were bound to be hiccups, and with Abe standing here in the middle of it all, I desperately try to hide my disappointment.

I thank him for introducing me to the market and to Beatrix, and we part ways politely as our day together comes to an end.

I have enjoyed his company, and after the setbacks with the houseboat I open my new bottle of wine and devour some cold meats and cheese, trying not to dwell on the negatives and instead thinking about how I could have spent so much longer with Abe and Beatrix.

In fact, I wish they were here now sharing this bottle with me but that would be terribly pushy of me.

We have only just met. They have their own lives and other friends.

Just because Abe is particularly caring and helping me settle in doesn’t mean that he wants to spend an evening with me too.

No, he is a helpful neighbour and there is nothing more to it than that.

In fact, this super-cool handsome guy and his lovely wife probably feel sorry for their new neighbour and that is why they are so kind.