The New American Dream

Part Four: Amsterdam | Chapter Thirty-Six

It was mostly dark around me when I felt a light tapping on my arm. Upon blinking a couple of times I realized that there was the faintest hint of light coming through the window and the pulled-shut curtains.

It took me a moment to even realize what was going on and who was trying to wake me up, but then I recognized Dan standing in front of my bed, looking expectantly down on me. He put his finger tho his lips and motioned me to be quiet.

"Do you want to go on an adventure with me?" he whispered with a smile on his face, in the faint light I could still make that out.

"How late is it even?" I asked as quietly as possible, rubbing my eyes and feeling around for my phone which I promptly found under my pillow. At least I had remembered to plug it into the charger.

"About for in the morning. The sun is about to go up. I have an idea, will you come?"

Groggily I scrambled to sit up, pushing the hair out of my face.

"Do I get time to get ready?"

"Not longer than fifteen minutes, I need to still get ready too. Come on," he whispered and laughed quietly, holding his hand out for me to help me up.

I took it and let him pull me up, whispering a quick thanks and then grabbed the first fresh clothes I found, while Dan sneaked out of the room. It turned out the jeans were Cassie's but I was sure she didn't mind.

I tip-toed into the bathroom where I brushed my teeth and freshened up a little as quietly as I could. My hair was a mess so I just brushed through it and banished it into a ponytail, my face I only washed, there was no time for anything else. When I thought I looked decent enough for whatever it was that Dan had planned I sneaked back into the bedroom, grabbed my purse, phone and shoes and left the room. Dan was already waiting outside, now wearing fresh clothes and looking less messy than fifteen minutes ago.

"So what are we doing?" I asked as I tried to keep my balance to put my shoes on . I kept my voice low but at least I didn't have to whisper anymore.

"It's a surprise. Come on."

We took the elevator downstairs and said a quiet good morning to the receptionists, then we were out and the cool morning air of Amsterdam hit my face.

"Do the trains even go already?" I asked Dan.

He shook his head. "Not before six. But we have plenty of time before breakfast even starts and anyone realizes we're gone. I thought we'd walk, it takes about an hour from here to the center. What do you say? We could I guess try and get an uber if you'd prefer that."

"No, I think walking is fine," I smiled. "A little bit of light exercise to wake up completely sounds good. And we can watch the sun rise."

A smile spread on Dan's face. "I hoped you would say that. That was exactly what I had in mind."

I smiled back at him and then he walked ahead, taking the steps down to the sidewalk. As we walked I enjoyed the still cool wind blowing over my skin and the view over the Amstel was a very nice thing for so early in the morning. Dan and I chatted about the last days and about how much we loved it here.

"I just feel so free right now. All the pain I felt in the last couple of years feels so far away, as though I left everything behind at home. I didn't even realize what big of a weight that was on my shoulders."

Dan nodded. "I think I understand what you mean. I didn't go through quite as much as you did, but I think I can grasp the concept. My parents divorce was pretty hard and when my mom, Zoey and I left our hometown and were on our way to L.A. it felt very liberating. I like the feeling very much."