I Remember Every Little Thing As If It Happened Only Yesterday

It started on a sunny day in April 2003.

I was sitting in front of Amsterdam’s Heineken Music Hall—reading a book, minding my own business, waiting for the doors to open—when I was joined by this girl. We chatted a bit, passing the time, until I had to report to the artist’s entrance for this meet and greet I had managed to sneak myself into. After the show I our paths crossed again, but after a quick review of the show, we went our separate ways.

A year later I walked into the lobby of a hotel in Hamburg, and there she was again. We weren’t the only ones there, as we were both part of an international group of people who made an effort to see the same show at the same time. During that weekend, we saw each other several times, had a lot of fun getting drinks with a friend down at the Reeperbahn, but in the end, we went our separate ways.

Over the next few years, we saw each other irregularly, but kept in touch as a result of sharing the same musical interests and hanging out in the same corners of the internet. It’s a small world, after all. But by and large, we went our separate ways.

It’s been a sunny day in August 2013. I’m just about to take my rental bike and head back to Maastricht, which is twelve kilometers through an unfamiliar terrain, and I have to return the bike in less than an hour. I’ve said my goodbyes—it’s also been the annual meet-up for people with an appreciation for a certain American singer—as she walks towards the road with me, she says that she’d like to see me again, you know, just the two of us. And without thinking about it too much, I say that seems an excellent idea to me. Then, I spend the entire drive to my hotel going, “omygodomygodomygod!”

From there on, events progress rapidly. After three weeks of taking things slow and keeping our heads level, we get to the stage where I’m with her when I don’t necessarily have to be home in Amersfoort. On January 1st, 2014, I’m officially moving in, and three months later, we’re married. This summer, we’re moving back to Amersfoort, where we’ll work on our happily ever after.