A woman who is about to sign a contract with Idealis for a self-contained flat in Wageningen phones me to ask if we could view the flat together before the contract comes into effect. We meet up there in the late morning and I show her the living room, bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. She’s incredibly pleased with the flat and gives me a big hug. That’s rather unexpected and I’m a bit flustered but also happy that she is so enthusiastic about the flat.
I’m so naive that I think to myself: ‘Candles during daytime?’
Then she regales me with her life story. I listen with interest, but after an hour I really have to leave for the next appointment. In the weeks after she gets the key, she phones me, texts me and sends me emails every day with all kinds of questions. So often that I start to wonder what is really going on. Then she asks me to drop in on her flat. ‘The flat’s finished but I still have some issues,’ she says. I go round and when she opens the door, I see she’s heavily made up and wearing nice clothes, and there’s a strong smell of perfume. Everything in the flat looks neat and tidy — no visible issues — and some candles are lit, giving an inviting ambience. I’m so naive that I think to myself: ‘Candles during daytime?’
The woman comes straight to the point the moment I’m inside the door. ‘Eugene, would you like to go out on a date with me?’ This has never happened to me before and I’m lost for words at first. I become a little restless as I search for the best way to put it. I recently became single again and I’d prefer to keep it that way for the time being, so I tell her sorry but I’d rather not. She is very friendly about my response, saying, ‘If you change your mind, you know where I live.’