‘Ooh, what have I missed since I’ve been here? Let me think.’ I’ve been enjoying the Dutch food so much that there isn’t anything I have missed particularly.
‘Perhaps custard creams. I’ve not seen any in the supermarket yet. Although maybe I haven’t looked hard enough, but a packet of custard creams and some of those fancy sea salt crisps I like would be amazing, thank you.’
‘Brilliant. I shall see you tomorrow then, with your goodies.’
‘I can’t wait.’
By the time Debbie has put the phone down she is sounding a lot happier. It will be so nice to see her, although, as I look around, I realise I have a few things to sort out first. The spare room, for a start. Until now, I’ve used it to dump my suitcase and anything that didn’t quite fit in my bedroom. It’s going to be a busy time getting everything ready for Debbie’s arrival. I panic as I realise there’s not even a bed in there.
I haven’t had much to do with Gerrit recently, but I pick the phone up to ask him where he thinks I could find a camp bed at such short notice.
‘Hey, how are you settling in?’
‘Oh, brilliant. Everything’s perfect.’
‘I’m so happy to hear that. It’s a different way of life living on a houseboat. I guess it’s not for everyone, but if you can be chilled and okay dealing with the occasional leak, then you’ll be fine.’
‘Leak?’ He never mentioned anything about those when he sold me this place.
‘I guess it’s been quite dry this year, so you’ve been lucky there’s no leaks so far.’
‘Okay, let’s hope there aren’t any in the future. Anyhow, do you know where I can find a folding bed?’
‘Yes, of course. IKEA. There’s a big one here. Have you been there to look?’
‘Nope, but that’s a great idea. I’ll go online now and check it out. Thank you, Gerrit. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that – you’re always so helpful.’
‘No problem. Oh, and while you’re on the phone, did you get the surprise I left for you?’
‘Surprise?’
‘The pumpkins?’
‘It was you who left them for me? Ah, thank you so much. They add a splash of colour to my front door here. I wondered where they had appeared from.’
‘Sorry, I should have sent you a message. I hope it didn’t alarm you.’
‘No, not at all. I wasn’t alarmed, only curious.’
‘It’s just my wife and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch, and they got a little carried away. They couldn’t decide which pumpkins they wanted, so we took far more than we needed. The kids carved the ones they wanted, and we had two left over, so I thought, since you’re such a great customer, that I’d drop them over to you. Call it a housewarming present.’
‘Well, that’s very kind, and thank you for finally solving the mystery.’
As soon as I finish chatting to Gerrit, I order some bits from IKEA, including a camp bed, sheets and a single duvet, along with a print of a sailing boat for the room. It’s not quite a houseboat, but hopefully it will make Debbie feel at home. Although as I look at the room in its current state, I can see that it is going to be a big job to sort things out in time for tomorrow.
I sigh as I look at all the mess. Why did I think it would be a good idea to use the spare room as a storage area? There’s some cupboard space still left in the wheelhouse, and I find myself stuffing books and photographs inside. By early afternoon, I have made enough space for the bed to go in. By the end of the afternoon, the room is practically empty, although if Debbie opens the cupboard in the wheelhouse, everything is going to come flying out. Perhaps I should have been even more conservative with all the stuff I brought over. I dust and polish and wonder if I have enough time to run to the flower market for some fresh tulips. It would be nice for Debbie to arrive to tulips in her room to make it even more authentic.
Since I don’t want to risk missing the IKEA delivery tomorrow, I pop my coat on and head over to the flower market before it closes. As I am passingAquaholic, I see Abe outside.
‘Hey.’ He waves over to me as Ted comes running down off his houseboat to greet me.
‘Hello, Ted.’
‘Sandy, I was hoping I’d see you today. How’s the head?’
‘Yeah, it’s not too bad. It was a lovely evening. Hope you didn’t have a sore head this morning.’
‘No, I didn’t have too much last night.’
