Ans chose an outdoor table at the little café along the canal even though the sky sagged with heavy clouds. She was grateful for a few minutes alone, away from the pristine town house and the breathless intensity of her employer’s personality. Eloise hadn’t fallen into the pit of melancholy the professor had warned about, but she set such a hectic, frantic pace that Ans feared it was only a matter of time before she collapsed. She and Ans had been coming to this café regularly, and the friendly young waitress, Jansje, smiled as she walked over to greet Ans.

“Your mother isn’t with you today?”

“Pardon? . . . Oh . . . no, Eloise isn’t my mother. I’m her companion. She went out for coffee with her husband today.”

“I’m so sorry for assuming . . .”

“That’s okay.”

“You seemed so close, like mother and daughter or at least good friends, always running off to do things together.”

“Well . . . yes, I suppose we are friends. I sometimes forget that I work for her. She’s been good to me, taking me to so many interesting places that it hardly seems like work.”

“Do you want your usual?” Jansje asked.

“Yes. Thank you.” Ans watched her disappear into the café and realized how much she longed for a friend her own age, someone she could daydream with and talk with about silly, unimportant things. Someone uncomplicated, who didn’t keep Ans always on edge. “Do you have time to visit a bit?” Ans asked when Jansje returned with her coffee and pastry. “I’d like to ask you a question.”

Jansje glanced around at the other outdoor tables. “Sure. We’re never very busy in the afternoon.” She pulled out one of the metal chairs and sat down but couldn’t seem to resist straightening the sugar bowl and the ashtray and other items on the table while they talked. “What’s your question?”

“I’ll have some free time this Saturday night while my employers attend a dinner, so I was wondering what there is to do around here.”

“Do you want to meet some boys?”

“Not especially.” Ans smiled at Jansje’s look of surprise. “I mean, I’m not looking for anything serious —I just want to meet some people my age and have some fun. I grew up in a dreary farm village where nothing much happened. It’s so small that if I looked twice at a boy, everyone in town would start discussing our wedding.”

Jansje laughed. “And you didn’t like any of those boys?”

“They were as interesting as wooden clogs. All they knew about were cows and crops. This is a university town. There must be someplace fun where the students go.”

“Do you like to dance? My boyfriend, Bram, and I sometimes go dancing.”

“You have a boyfriend? Tell me all about him!”