Perception

XLI

Eli took her to the entrance of the park and asked for two tickets in English. She smiled fondly. She should actually teach him some Dutch, at some point. Eli greeted the lady behind the booth kindly and then he gave Anna her ticket. She followed him into the park, and really they did seem to walk straight back into the 19th century.
"Oh, wow..." she whispered as she looked around. There were those wooden houses she'd seen already, there were small windmills, little canals and the sweetest looking wooden bridges.
"Apparently we can go on a boat as well." Eli said, looking around him with awe on his own face too.
She took his hand happily, intertwining their fingers, and she looked down at the cobble head stones as their feet fell on the centuries old street.
How many footsteps would have fallen on these stones over the ages? She felt like the history was seeping into her cells, transforming her into a young mother with a white lace hood on her head, rocking a baby in front of her little house with the green wooden facade, waiting for her young husband to come home from his day of hard labour on the fields.
"I wouldn't want to live in those days." she told Eli. "Because I love having choices, I'm very glad I can study and choose what and who I want to be. I know it wasn't as idealistic as it looks from where we are now. But at the same time... it seems like a simpler time, don't you think?"
Eli nodded, and then he started grinning.
"Yeah. Plus, it was way easier for us men, of course, when women just stuck to their assigned places in the kitchen."
She burst out laughing and she gave him a playful punch in the shoulder.
"Sure. You keep dreaming, mate."
He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, his nose in her hair for just a moment.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't have it any other way."

They did wind up going on the boat, and they sat on a wooden bench together, their fingers intertwined as they looked out at the picturesque old worldly scenery and the beautiful fields. And after they got off the boat they walked into one more ancient wooden windmill, painted in the customary green colour. Anna looked breathlessly at the inner workings of one of these things that she had seen dotted around all of Holland, without ever knowing how they worked. It was all wood, and you could see up to where there was a massive stone to grind the grains, which would move as the sails where pushed round by the wind. It was awe-inspiring, and through it all she held his hand, chatting, pointing things out to him, laughing with him. Then they walked into the museum shop and Eli bought her a small painted wooden clog key chain.
"I know we're technically locals now, so maybe we shouldn't walk around with touristy clogs." he said when they were back outside. "But this is still cute, and if you do decide to get a bike you can put it on the key."
She giggled and stood on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, the blue and white clog safely in the palm of her hand.
"It's lovely, thank you."
"Are you ready to go? I have a little picnic in my bike bag."

I have a little picnic in my bag. Was he seriously saying that to her? He really had thought of everything, hadn't he? And now that he mentioned it she was actually pretty hungry.
"Wow. You're spoiling me." she smiled.
They walked back to their bikes, unlocked them and cycled for a little while until they came back to a field they'd passed on their way in. There was one of the wooden benches that were strewn around everywhere here, and the view was to die for. She could still just about make out the shapes of the wooden houses to her right, and in front of her was nothing but rolling green fields.
Eli put his bike on the grass next to the bench and started unpacking his bike bag. He produced two thermos flasks and gave one to her, then he took a tea bag out of his back pocket and handed her that too.
It was Twinings green tea.
"You pay attention, don't you?" she said softly.
He looked up, a bit nonplussed. "Of course I do."
She grinned. "Most people don't, you know."
"Don't they?" he shrugged. "Well, to each their own, I guess."
He pulled two enamel plates out of the bag and put some bread rolls on them. Then he sat down on the bench and gestured for her to sit next to him.
"It's not pizza quattro formaggi, but it'll have to do." he smiled.
"It's great, Eli."
And it was true. Not that she'd dated, but she couldn't imagine that there were many men who would have taken her on such a lovely date.
This was turning out to be a fantastic day.