Amsterdam Zuid – Almere Centrum “Can you cut these?” I bristle internally. He walked off before I noticed. “Properly”, he had added over his shoulder. And I am fucking doing it. I shake my head but continue cutting. Nine o’clock, still working for Paul. I háte him. Most names on Read more…
Leiden – Amsterdam Zuid You used to be called crazy for talking to yourself, it was completely normal now. She chats into space, occasionally grinning shamelessly at her reflection in the window. I often notice headphones too late, for a second I actually thought this girl was crazy. And yesterday Read more…
Zwolle – Schiphol “It’s like it is on the road. Red means wait.” I glance sideways with a mix of embarrassment and tenderness. Jaap loves speaking the language he spoke with his mother, any opportunity he gets. “Two minutes late we are,” he translates the Dutch intercom for the Asian Read more…
Rotterdam Centraal – Utrecht Centraal Let’s give it a try. He holds his phone up the way he sees his grandsons do it. The screen remains dark. Settings maybe? Ah there it is, the inside camera needs turning on. Again. Now he sees himself looking back, a close resemblance to Read more…
Leiden – Den Haag Centraal He turned once more, a cheerful look on his face. Would anyone notice? His face gleamed. Would they think he was weird? Or interesting? Would they think was going to Munich or a theme party? Expectantly he looked around. No one responded, but he felt Read more…
Almere – Zwolle He stared out the window with astonishment. “A windmill. And another one! They are everywhere!” He saw the giants far away and close by, it felt like the train almost hit them. “It must be windy here.” His wife didn’t respond. At home in Australia they also Read more…
Leiden – Almere Centrum I bend down to fish my laptop from my back, and there she is. Whoa. Big brown eyes look back at me with interest. For a second I freeze, this is unexpected. Then I smile. My laptop is open in front of me, but my attention Read more…
Schiphol – Zwolle “High-five!” She looks up at me cheerfully, my little lady. “Told you we’d make it.” She sounds cheeky. Before I can find my seat she’s already sitting, coat on her lap, book in her hand. I can’t imagine a better travel partner. She used to make me Read more…
Heerenveen – Schiphol “Is that it?” Sybren gaped out the window, bouncing in his seat. I chuckled, Sybren was a grown man, but it seemed that the novelty of everything stirred up his childlike curiosity. “It’s dirty, isn’t it. Yeah, I think that’s it”, Sybren nodded. He was fidgeting. It Read more…
Zwolle – Leiden With tears in his eyes he reads back his own words. Did he write this? Had it been this dark in his head? The text calls upon images that haven’t surfaced for years, but ones that are part of the foundation he’s built on. He feels that Read more…
Breda – Tilburg Too bad. She wasn’t exactly good-looking. Hopeful he gazed around, but his eye kept landing on the girl opposite him. Her make-up was sloppy. He cast a glance behind him. That was better. Also a blonde, but skinny. But he could hardly turn around on his seat. Read more…
Steenwijk – Almere He struggled to keep his eyes open. His wife had spent ten minutes fussing over the bun of the oldest, yet she hadn’t found time to brush her own hair. She had bags under her eyes and her skin was grey. Trouble shared was supposed to be Read more…
Steenwijk – Zwolle It was hard to say whether he was 25 or 45. Some guys were like that. He was balding, but that wasn’t it alone. He had the face of an accountant that had been unhappily married for at least forty years. He wasn’t dressed overly young or Read more…
Zwolle – Amsterdam Zuid Now and then a little blond wiseacre would pop above the backrests. She reminded him of a meerkat. He couldn’t quite explain, but it made him feel oddly cheerful. She sat six or seven rows ahead and they just happened to stretch in perfect synchrony, peering Read more…
Together they bend down over the book. “Look at that penguin!” Helga had lost interest a while ago, but Ans was firmly set on crocheting her fifth grandchild an animal, just like she did the others. The first two had cherished them. Her son wasn’t the type to spoil his Read more…
My attention is grasped by a muscular woman on a pole. Almost instantly it fades and I keep scrolling. McGregor with an award. Like. Oh, funny, Danielle posted a fragment from Friends. About Joey and a woman wanting to try a bite of his food. Halfway through the fragment I Read more…
She feared lagging behind, he thought. That must be it. She couldn’t stand feeling disadvantaged. She was suspicious about the weirdest things. Right now she worked herself forward with liberal use of her elbows, probably out of fear she would be denied a place to sit. She caught his eye. Read more…
“The conductor has mistaken the time, but he is on his way.” Typical Harry, he thought, letting go of the intercom. Harry was the most chaotic person he knew. No wonder they weren’t taken seriously here in the South, this nonsense would never be tolerated in Rotterdam. What bothered him Read more…
It was a cacophony of ringtones and languages. He heard Indian, Farsi and passionate Spanish. A traditional nokia rang every few minutes somewhere behind him, neglected by its owner. In that same area someone was now yapping at her phone which she had fished all the way from the depths Read more…
A girl danced past me. It was cold, but she wore shorts. Her hair twirled through the compartment, her butt swaying. Despite the silence-signs she had a loud, hoarse voice that didn’t seem to have a lot to say. She carried flyers or leaflets, it was hard to say what Read more…
She was ready to go, her eyes fixed on the slit between the doors. The train stopped, the doors slipped open and with a yelp she jumped out. She started to speed up, zigzagging between children and hopping over a suitcase. She prayed there was enough credit on her card. Read more…
Content. That was how he felt. He sat peacefully in his seat, his body swaying back and forth happily on the movement of the train. The evening sun warmed the bald stop on top of his head and he felt Karin’s warm thigh next to his. She was peering outside, Read more…