Driftwood Love

14. Grandpa

"Right, Dina?" I was snapped out of my thoughts. It was my turn to speak.

Constanze looked at me expectantly, and I apologized, "Oh, sorry. What was that again?"

I noticed the girls were talking about my upcoming vacation to Denmark. "Oh, Denmark! That's so beautiful," they sighed collectively. "Are you going to Copenhagen or where exactly?"

I explained that I was going to Hirtshals, at one end of Denmark, to spend three weeks in a small holiday cottage. Laszlo would stay with me for a week before continuing on to Norway with Aunt Merle and Uncle Gregor. I planned to spend the next two weeks alone in a small seaside cottage at the end of Denmark.

Jana looked at me pityingly, "Oh, don't you want to go into the city and experience something? You could go shopping." I nodded eagerly and explained, "Yes, don't get me wrong. I just don't have the budget for it. But I've heard there are many thrift stores that are common in every town. I'm looking forward to making some good finds because I love searching for treasures."

Sophie Charlotte looked at me pityingly, "Oh dear, Scandinavia and especially Denmark have so much fashion to offer. But I don't know if I would wear things from other people. You never know who had them before or what happened to them." She brushed imaginary germs off her chest.

Jana agreed, "No, that wouldn't be for me either. You never know if the quality is good. What if the label is stripped?" I looked at them and confessed, "I haven't thought about that. But I'm always grateful for new clothes. Second-hand isn't really that bad. The items are well washed, and you can always throw them in the washing machine. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Oh yes, Scandinavia is really expensive," Constanze remarked. "We just let the credit card burn when we were there. You can't imagine the alcohol prices either."

A collective shock followed. "Oh my God, yes, that's right. It's because the Nordic countries up there are so gloomy. They have to impose higher taxes on alcohol to prevent anyone from developing an alcohol problem.

"Ithought about the people who regularly came to the gas station to buy alcohol, swallowed carefully, but said nothing.

"Aren't you scared to be all alone in such a holiday cottage?" asked Constanze. "I hope you at least have some pepper spray with you," added Sophie Charlotte. Jana chimed in, "Yes, I would take a baseball bat with me—no one checks at the border anyway." I almost asked if she could lend me hers since all the bats were sold out in Frankfurt.

Helena looked at me and said, "And Lasse, um," I corrected her, "Laszlo, yes, Laszlo, he will continue alone with your godparents. Oh God, he's still so small. Aren't you scared to leave him alone?" The others joined in with approving noises as if they had wanted to ask the same question.

"Oh no," I said, "they've known him since he was a baby, and he's been with them quite often, staying overnight, day trips, and even weekends away. I have no concerns at all.

"We sipped our coffees quietly, and a brief, awkward silence followed. This was broken by a shrill ringing.Constanze dashed to the door, opened it, and her son came home from school—the other one was still in kindergarten. My grand cousin Kilian stormed in, greeted the girls with a wave, looked over at me and said, "Ah, the impoverished relatives from Frankfurt," and went out.