‘I’m having a treat since I’ll be doing a lot of work on the houseboat later.’
‘I’m not one to judge – enjoy. And anyway, we always love the custom. Thank you.’
‘Oh. Do you and Beatrix own this place?’
Ted jumps down and brushes against Abe.
‘Yeah… and Ted, too.’
‘Ah, of course. Well, I’ll definitely be a regular. This hot chocolate is amazing!’
‘We aim to please. I only use the best Belgian hot chocolate. It’s my secret ingredient.’
‘Great decision. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a hot chocolate like it.’
A group of cyclists walk in, and the coffee shop fills up.
‘I’d better go. I need to give them some help behind the counter,’ says Abe.
‘Yes, me too. I need to get cracking with the painting.’
‘Well, good luck. I’ll be seeing you.’
‘Thanks. Yeah. See you soon.’
I leave the cafe on a high, thanks to the sugar fix coupled with the happiness of making new friends already. What a lovely person Abe seems to be, and I hope I’ll make a friend of Beatrix soon too.
As I walk along the canal with a big smile, I wrap my scarf around me tightly to protect me from the cold air. I’d love to think the houseboat will give me a warm welcome but it’s still a little cold in there. The heating will be one of the next jobs in store. For now, though I want to start the painting, which should keep me warm.
I change into an old tracksuit that I purposely kept as I knew it would come in handy for working on the houseboat, and start with a base coat in the master bedroom. The previous owner must have already planned on painting this room since it is already sanded, which saves me a huge job. The sooner I get my room sorted, the sooner I can sleep in there. My new bed should also be arriving any day, so I need to get moving.
I am about to finish the first bright blue coat when I think there is a shadow blocking the natural light from the skylight window. At first, I think the stork might be back and obstructing the light, but then I realise it’s Abe, who is standing beside me and trying to get my attention.
‘Abe. Oh my god, you gave me a fright.’
‘I’m so sorry. It wasn’t my intention. Your front door was open. I did shout but I guess you couldn’t hear me from in here.’
‘Oh no, I can’t have closed it properly. I guess that door will have to be another priority to look at.’
‘It just needs filing down a little. Make sure you pull it tight after you. There’s a knack to it. Anyway, I just wanted to pop in with abroodje gezondI had left over. I knew you were going to be busy at work here so I thought perhaps you wouldn’t have time to eat tonight.’
‘Is it that time already?’
‘Yup. I already closed the shop.’
I look down at the baguette with lettuce, tomato, ham and egg. I didn’t think I would need any food after that pancake earlier, but I have worked up quite the appetite after a couple of hours of painting.
‘That’s so kind of you, thank you. It looks delicious.’
‘It’s not a problem. You’ll see that we all look after each other around here. It’s hard work, renovating one of these. I did mine a few years ago and the neighbours made sure I ate and drank. Sometimes you forget to look after yourself when you’ve been painting for five hours straight.’
‘I can see how that happens. That’s interesting. So, any tips on restoring these things?’
‘Nope, except be careful of your knees. You may want to wear some kneepads before you start on the floors,’ says Abe, gesturing to the pots of antique pine varnish that are stacked up in the corner ready for the next step of the renovations.
‘That sounds like great advice.’
‘Anyway, I don’t want to keep you. You’ve made a great start, by the way,’ says Abe, eyeing the bedroom walls.
