Nanny in Seattle, part 10

Some say you shouldn't change your hair when you are mentally unstable. I just shaved my head on one side and painted the rest of my hair bright purple. Daphne is shocked, but the children loved it. Mark will probably pass out when he sees me, conservative douchebag. Will probably threaten to call my dad again.

I don't care.

They are happy to have me. A nanny who moves with them without complaining. Good trustworthy nannies are hard to find. And the children are very fond of me. And I am fond of them.

From the moment I heard Eddie had a girlfriend something seemed to have died inside of me. I became a men hater. Carel, then Eddie and to be honest Eddie was at the end of a long chain of men who were spiteful. I guess my father was the first, always comparing me with my older sister; miss perfect.

"Eddie went to Seattle. Washington State. Together with his girlfriend." The Aussie girl had said with a vicious smirk on her face. No idea why she seemed to dislike me.

But even though Darcy and me had became good friends, I really wanted to go home after I heard that. With tears in my eyes I arrived at the Van Breukelen house where Mark and Daphne were waiting for me to tell the news they had to move to Seattle because Mark's company needed him there.

Move to Seattle.

And if I please, please, please wanted to come with them...for the children.

Move to Seattle.

"Eddie went to Seattle. Washington State. Together with his girlfriend."

I said I would love to come with them, went upstairs, called my mom and the next day I went to the store to buy tampons and hair dye.

We are now a week in Seattle. It rains. Compared to San Diego this is so much more like home to me. The climate is exactly the same as Amsterdam. The smell is the same, the grey sky and the sound of the seagulls. It is a very nice house. My room is bigger than in San Diego, I even have my own floor. With a bathroom, a sitting room and a sleeping room. Private. My own stairs too. I can come and go as I please.

But again.

I know nobody.

I look out of my window. Rain.

Nothing new there. It is my free afternoon. I decide to take a stroll.

It is a nice neighbourhood. Quiet.

Lot's of boats on trailers in the gardens. I pass a house with a stone wall, little ferns growing from the cracks. I trace the structure with my fingers.

"Hi."

From across the street a guy is sitting under a carport. He is a mechanic or so. Wearing an overall. He is working on a motorbike.

"Hi." I say.

"Seen you passing with those kids a couple of times." Are you their sister or their mom?"

"Their nanny obviously." I laugh.

"You just moved here, didn't you?" He wipes his hands on a cloth. Comes walking up to me.

"I'm Chad." he says and gives me a handshake.

"Lotte." I say.

He is a nice looking guy. Black hair in a bun, green eyes, strong jaw. His handshake is firm.

"Lotte," he muses. "You're not from around, are you?

"No, I'm Dutch."

We talk for a while. He is staying with his parents, but he lives in Vancouver. Studies there. But he is working on a paper and needed a short break from his study. He asks me what I want to do after this year as a nanny. I tell him I want to study anthropology.

We talk about music. If I like music. We talk about the Cure, my favourite band. We talk about the music scene here in this town.
He looks at my hair. Says he likes it. It's daring, he says.

And then he asks me if I want to go out with him tomorrow.

He is a really nice guy. I totally forget I am a men hater now and  I say yes.

I have told Daphne and Mark I am going out. They know Chad, talked to his parents, they think it is alright. But they insist on me being home at half past one, though. Fair enough.

He hasn't told me what kind of music, but I assume it isn't classical music. So I'm wearing my old French army boots, a legging and a really torn bib & brace of which I've cut the legs. A top under the overall. Daphne raises her brows when I'm about to leave, but she doesn't say anything.

Chad was waiting on the drive. He doesn't have his hair in a bun now. It is long black, curly hair. Really beautiful. He is wearing a white tee with a brown chequered jacket over it. Torn pants and dr. Martens. So I'm not underdressed. Just right. I'm glad.

He opens the door of the passengers seat of his car and we leave.

I haven't been down town yet. Chad parks the car and we walk the last bit to the venue. It isn't raining for a change. There is a bit of a cue and there is an atmosphere of excitement among the people. Everybody seems to know each other, like a tight community. The people are friendly, but agitated at the same time. As if something is about the happen. Something special. They also seem sad, as if someone has died.

Chad knows a lot of people and talking, greeting, walking brings us really close to the stage. He is strong and he kind of puts his arm around me to keep me safe in the exited crowd. I don't mind. He isn't pushy, just protective.

It's said that the support act is a debut gig of a fresh band composed of veteran Seattle rock musicians and a new singer recently recruited from California. Chad is exited. I am just curious.

I'm not really paying attention what is going on stage. Just watching the crowd, who are talking all the time, but then they become more quiet and captivated somehow. I can understand why. The deep baritone of the vocalist is awfully mesmerising and when I curiously look up the stage I see a shy singer studying his boots but at the same time producing an amazing sound together with the sensual but groovy band. At the moment I recognize him I know I squeeze Chad's arm, hard.

The singer is Eddie.