The ridicilous roadtrip

You’ve got to be kidding me!’ I'm staring with eyes wide wide to a small square beige car with three grown ups jammed in their seats.

I walk to the passenger side and I have to cramp myself into the tiny car my eyes wander with disgust to the pristine white interior. ‘Tell me this is a joke.’ My friend Jan smiles. ‘No this is our vehicle for the next few days. Take it or leave it.’ I step out of the car and raise my eyebrows ‘Then I leave it.’ Jan gives me a pointy look. ‘Boris you hide too much in that house of yours, you are maybe old, but not dead. Come back in!'

‘Come on Boris brombeer, get back in!’ Two voices as in a choir sing from the back of the car I sit back down with a grumpy sigh ‘Only if you two stop singing. ‘I shoot an angry look to the back. ‘Jan what happened to your car?’ ‘It broke down yesterday. My wife was so gracious to lend us her new car.’ Mm gracious or a miserable yest? I mumble in myself. We change the village road for the highway and it feels like all the eyes of the world are on this car. It must be a ridiculous sight; Four old man barely fitting in a square car. I open the window for some air. The walls and windows of this car are closing in on me. Jan puts his hand on my shoulder ‘Cheer up my friend, it is going to be an amazing road trip.’ He points his hand to the front window, as if he is on a hero’s quest. 'Off to the border!’

Our first stop is a coffeeshop to have some beverages. I feel al my bones crack when I step out of the car. A group of young people rush to us.

A smily girl starts talking ‘We saw you from the other side and thought maybe we could take a picture with you guys before your car. It is amazing!'

‘Sure! Jan, Jared and Bas nod in agreement. You’ve got to be kidding me. I need to get out of here. As I walk off Jan drags me into the picture. I would never voluntarily do this and no way I am gonna smile on this. This proves it. We are that ridiculous. They see us as zoo animals. One of the guys takes the picture and they hurry of.

I trudge behind my three friends to the restaurant. We take a seat outside in the sun. I close my eyes as the three of them are chatting about nothing sensical. How long is this roadtrip going to be? Silently I sip on my black coffee. I feel the sun on my face burning. It is actually not that bad here in the warm fresh air. Then suddenly I feel a hard wet liquid dropping on my head. I fear the worst. I grab a napkin and take it on my head. My friends start laughing. Jan cannot help himself: 'Well good thing you lost your hair twenty years ago Boris.’ with a sigh I wipe my head clean and take my coffee back into my hand.

Our second stop is in a little town. We are gonna have some lunch. Finally something I like. We walk through a shopping center and my eye catches two pair of long socks in a shops window . ‘295 euros for a pair of socks, what a lunatics!’ Jan, Jared and Bas stand next to me. They start chuckling. ‘That sure is ridiculous.’ Jared claims.

After lunch we walk through the city. There are some beautiful sights to see, in Jared’s words.’ As we walk next to a dirty looking canal. We cross a bridge and suddenly next to me a postbus hits the curve of the bridge. I try to avoid getting hit and my back is into the railing of the bridge. Only the rail is very low and I tumble right over the edge into the water. The current is pretty strong and takes me. I try to stay afloat and hear the voices of my friends calling me ‘Boris keep holding on. We are coming.’ At this point I have taken several sips and the disgusting canalwater swirls around in my mouth. I try to spit it out. A little sailboat is coming closer to me and I see a hand reached out to me. I grab it, but the sailor loses his balance and also falls into the water. He climbs back again with ease and we try again. This time I’m safe on the boat. But the next moment I see the sail coming right at me and giving me a push back in the water. Sputtering I surface and the hand is again reaching for me.

I sit on the boat careful not to hit the sail again and the sailor puts me back ashore, where my friends are waiting.

I crawl to the grass and fall on my back totally swamped. I close my eyes and try to regulate my breath again. When I open my eyes I see the concerned faces of my friends. Then I look to my feet. One of my shoes and a sock is gone.

Im soaking wet, but the dryness of the situation dawns on me ‘Well luckily I can get a new pair of socks at that shopping center.’

The tension lightens and me and my friends burst out laughing . It feels like a ton of weight is lifted of my shoulders. The seemingly heaviness and bitterness that slowly crept in is gone and laughing makes me relaxed

‘I’m glad you can laugh again, my friend.’ Jan reaches his hand out to get me up.

‘Me too.’ And I give a pat on his back. ‘me too.’

I look around and all the colors seem to burst. The green grass. The blue water, the flowers blooming with purple, wide and yellow. I inhale their sweet scent.

‘Let’s get those socks.’ Jared screams as he waves his hand to the front. Like we are again on a serious quest.

We buy new socks. Not the 295 pair. And new shoes. And the rest of the day is delightful.

The next day I go into a shop to buy 4 copies of the newspaper. Some journalist just caught us on the grass when I was still dripping of the water. My story is printed on the front. The shopkeeper is in a jolly mood as I buy the newspapers 'Well it must be important news today. I nod and smile. I walk to the door again and look over my shoulder. The shopkeeper is now with a confused look in his eyes. 'Hey, you just look like..' The door closes after me.

When I get home I show my wife the newspaper and tel her the whole story. My copy of the newspaper is framed on the wall above the cough. Every day when I enter the living room I am reminded again:

That life is not over even though I am old. There is still time to make jokes; Or be the joke for that matter