The Lady from Amsterdam

The Lady from Amsterdam: A Tale of Missed Connections and Regret

When the phone rang, Doc was watching football on television. As was his habit, he almost let it go to voicemail, but he was pleasantly surprised to hear Eline’s voice on the other end. He and Eline had met six months earlier during a Jazz Festival in the Netherlands. When she had dropped him off at the airport for his flight back to San Francisco, she mentioned her intention to visit him. At the time, he thought it was just talk, but now, here she was on the phone, asking for a ride from the airport.

It was a typical rainy and foggy San Francisco evening as Doc made his way south on the 101 towards the airport. His dogs had created a fuss when he left because they were expecting their evening walk. He thought to himself that they would have to wait a bit longer today.

When Doc slowed his car near the KLM terminal, he saw Eline sitting on a suitcase, waiting. His mind flashed back to the time they had shared months earlier, and he was filled with fond memories. As he pulled the car to the curb, their eyes met. Without speaking, they both knew they were happy to reunite. Doc did not trust anyone, but he trusted her. Instinctively, he knew he could. They genuinely liked each other and were friends, something that had become rare for him over the years.

However, that trust created a problem for Doc. He had built a wall around his emotions, and Eline had somehow managed to get on the other side. This was troubling for him because he did not want the wall to come down, and he did not want to care about anyone or have anyone care about him. She was getting too close, and he was feeling emotions he did not want to feel. He knew he had to walk away.

There were many reasons why Doc was the way he was. As a boy, he had endured a house of horrors where the monsters were the people who were supposed to love and care for him. Instead, he experienced the exact opposite, leading him to trust no one. He lived on the streets for a couple of years, learning to rely on no one, not even his family. As a young Marine, he saw and did things that confirmed his belief in the vileness and ruthlessness of humans. His view of humanity was anything but complimentary. Understanding his experiences helps one understand why he was the way he was.

Doc bought Eline a ticket back to Amsterdam and told her it wasn’t going to work out. He walked away without giving her much of an explanation. Years later, Doc realized he had made a grave mistake. He missed her, and the feelings he had towards her never went away. It was torture knowing he had walked away from the one person who truly understood and cared about him.

Ten years later, Doc went to Amsterdam to look for her. He found her living in a village in France. She was happy to see him, but the damage had been done, and there was no fixing it. Doc returned home with the realization that he would never see her again. It is said that time heals all wounds. Maybe it does, but for Doc, the scar would remain, a lasting reminder of the love he had lost and could never recover.