Same Places, Different Worlds

Chapter 2

Hey, there! First of all, let me introduce myself. The name's Mike. Mike Orange, and I am a 19 year old college student, born and raised here in Amsterdam. I like to think of myself as a social butterfly, since I like being around people, making new friends, and just smile. Smile. Smiling is as important to me as air and water. Growing up, my parents thought me to always smile, even when life knocks you down. That's always been my approach to life ever since. Now, here's the funny thing about me: I'm Senegalese-American-Dutch-Indonesian in heritage. Yup, that's right. Let that sink in. Now, you might be thinking, 'What, the- how's that even possible?!' Well, it's simple, actually. My dad, whose name is Mack, is a first generation Senegalese-American from Algona, Washington, while my mom, Jackie, is a third generation Dutch-Indonesian who, like me, is born and raised in Amsterdam (well, actually she was born 2 cities away). Alright, now that that's out of the way, we can continue with the story.

I happily walk out of the airport's plaza and towards the parking lot (where a friend of mine is waiting), a skip on my step as usual. It's so nice to be back home after a long trip. Oh, I bet you're wondering where I was before, right? Well, I was in Germany to pick up, uh..... a few things, have a small vacation and also to check in on a few friends there. They gave me a bag full of an assortment of sweets, chocolates and cheeses that I just love so much.

Speaking of bags, that guy, Dante, is quite the character. His reaction when I came up to him, his shy demeanor when being around people, the face he made when he's surprised. He sure is interesting. I surely hope that I get to meet him again. I would love to be his friends, since eventhough we had a... should I say, unique, encounter, we didn't really officially became friends. 'No matter. I will do my best to make him my friend the next time we meet. Daar kun je op wedden!'

Arriving at the parking lot, I look around for any signs of the person who's suppose to pick me up, or at the very least his car, but my search is interrupted when an arm suddenly wraps around my neck. I try to break free of the hold, but before I could, a fist collides with the top of my head!

.........and gives me a nuggie.

"Fuck, Danny! Laat los, idioot!" I scream-laugh as I kick around for a little while longer before he finally lets me go. I playfully punch him in the arm in response. "Ouch. Nice to see you, too." I only roll my eyes before enveloping him in a big hug, which he welcomes. After a good few minutes of being in the embrace, we let go of each other and make our way towards his car.

Oh, right. Where are my manners? I want to introduce to all of you: Danny Berg, twenty, geeky, a great violinist, and one of my best friends. We met when I was working as a waiter for his mom in her bakery back when I was in high school (we didn't went to the same school, though). Everyday, he would stop by the shop after his violin lessons, around the time I was taking breaks. At first, he was super shy and we didn't really talk or anything, but after a conversation about Gravitech, I managed to break through his walls and we became fast friends through our mutual love and admiration for the hero. Okay, okay, I'll admit that I'm a nerd, too.

Halfway through the drive, and through our favorite album, Danny starts up a conversation. "So, how was Germany?" I begin to tell him about everything I did, the people I met, and places that I went to.

"So, I was walking around downtown and then, while I was buying a kebab, I saw this middle-aged dude selling newspaper. I bought him a kebab, too and we sat down and he starts telling me about himself. He had a daughter that came out to him. Now get this, you would think that he'd be pissed, right? Well, he wasn't, but she thought he was, so the next day, she literally walked up to him with a suitcase, flipped him off and just ran away!" "The hel- Really?!" Danny looks at me in disbelief, to which I only nod my head. The two of us bursts into a fit of laughter due to the hilarious story, which causes the car to swerve left and right (thankfully there are no cars around, since we choose the section of the highway that isn't too crowded). Our chuckling session is cut abruptly, however, when a loud honk from behind caught us by surprise. In an instant, Danny's hands fly from holding his sides to grabbing the steering wheel and steadying the car, gripping it with so much force that I'm surprise that he didn't rip it off. Danny pulls the car over at the highway's shoulder, allowing the vehicle behind us to pass through. Danny tries to calm himself down by taking deep breaths, his hands not leaving the steering wheel for even a second. I, on the other hand, had a slightly different reaction.