Dikwijk
“Ugh,” I said as I dejectedly continued to scroll through the nearly indecipherable descriptions and ratings on the app. But no matter how hard I squinted at the screen, all I could make out was a jumble of impossible-to-pronounce European town names.
“You are English?” came a nearby male voice, causing me to raise my head.
“American, actually,” I said, giving the man a quick, polite glance before resuming my doomed scroll through the listings of nearby youth hostels, the afternoon sun blazing across my phone screen.
“Do you mind?” said the man, coming over to gesture at an unoccupied seat across from me at the cafe.
“Uh, sure,” I said.
“This your first time in Dikwijk?” said the man, and for the first time, I noticed his gentle brown eyes and soft, messy hair.
“First, and last!” I said with a hearty chuckle.
“Oh, you did not find the Museum of Folkloric Shoes interesting?” inquired the young man, the twinkle in his eye causing me to laugh.
“Think I missed that one,” I said with a grin. “Anyway, I wasn’t really planning on coming here at all. I was hitching a ride, but then the guy’s broke down in this little town. Apparently, the guy told him it will take, like, days to fix, so I’m actually looking for a way out of here.”
“Oh? I’m actually a tourist, too. My name is Kazimierz, but my friends call me Kaz,” said the young man before thrusting out his hand.
“Sidney,” I said, surprised by the warmth of his hand as I shook it.
“I’m from Poland,” said Kaz, to which I nodded. “So, where are you heading now, Sidney from America?”
“Ha!” I said with a little laugh. “Anyway, I heard good things about this town called Sipaja. Or, at least, I think that’s how you pronounce it.”
“Oh, yes, Sipaja?” said Kaz, pronouncing it in a completely different way that sounded far more authentic than anything I could muster. “It is famous from medieval times when it was a rest stop for pilgrims. I’ve never been there before, but I heard it has a great atmosphere.”
“Cool,” I said. “So, listen, I found a bus that goes there from here, but I’m having trouble finding a place to stay. The app that I use to find nearby hostels is just showing me gibberish.”
“Jobbish?” said Kaz, his forehead wrinkling in a way that I found quite cute.
“Gibberish,” I said with a laugh. “It just means nonsense. Like, all mixed up.”
“Ah yes, I see,” said Kaz, although he clearly didn’t, which I also found quite endearing.
“Anyway, can you help me find out if they’ve got a youth hostel there? I’m kind of on a budget, and I don’t really have the money for anything fancy,” I said, giving Kaz my best sweet girl smile.
“Of course!” said Kaz, a big smile on his face as he whipped out his phone and rapidly began tapping at the screen.
As he did whatever he was doing, I lifted my cup to enjoy the last swallow of coffee, the pleasant bitterness of the rich drink mixed with the picturesque view of the cobblestone streets making me smile. It was for sights like these that I had set off for Europe. And while, yes, things were tough at times, it was all worth it when you came across a quiet little scene like the one before me.
“Oh, I see,” said Kaz. But instead of explaining anything to me, he continued to tap and swipe across his phone screen, leaving me to watch as an elderly, well-dressed woman slowly and confidently bicycled her way down the street past where I sat, a little straw basket around one arm.
“Shit! I should’ve filmed that,” I muttered to myself.
Despite missing that epic scene, I still felt quite light and buoyant. That guy Robert whose car I had been riding in had been giving me some weird vibes, and anyway, the car was quite noisy as it rattled down the road, making me appreciate the quietness of the view before me, now.
“Well, isn’t that curious?” said Kaz, never breaking his gaze from his screen, causing a rising sense of frustration to begin to build up inside of me.
Despite the placid beauty of the square and many other quaint, Old World corners of Europe that I had explored already, there was something missing, something that I craved, and so I felt that old impatience begin to stir inside me, that powerful urge to keep moving towards uglier spots where I knew I could find what I needed.
“Okay, Sidney,” said Kaz, finally putting his phone down and then facing me. “There is only one youth hostel within 30 kilometers of Sipaja.”
“Oh shit, how far away is it?” I said, feeling a touch of acid rise up from my stomach.
“It is in the center of Sipaja,” said Kaz with a completely neutral expression on his face.
“Well, great, then!” I said, perplexed at his robotic behavior.
“It is located on the grounds of the old monastery,” said Kaz, glancing down at his phone screen for confirmation.
“Well, perfect. Is there an email or something so I can make a reservation?” I asked, slightly frustrated that Kaz had his gaze fixed on his phone screen.
“One moment,” said Kaz. “Ah, it says drop-ins are welcome. No reservation required.”
“Nice,” I said. “What’s the price?”
“Ah, there is no price,” said Kaz, setting his phone down on the table. “Not for you, of course.”
“Huh?” I said. “What are you talking about?”
“It is a Free Use hostel,” said Kaz.
“Wait, so it’s free to stay there?” I said, a surge of happiness rising through me at the thought of not having to fritter away more of my money.
“In a manner of speaking,” said Kaz.
“Kaz, I’m confused,” I said. “Do I have to pay to stay at this youth hostel or not?”
“It is a Free Use hostel,” said Kaz, a little grin spreading across his face. “I thought that was an American term.”
“Look, if you don’t want to tell me...” I said.
“No, it’s okay,” said Kaz. “It means that... how can I say? A man, if he is at this hostel, and he sees a woman that he likes, it means he can... be with her.”
“What?” I said, feeling a rush of heat in my cheeks. “Are you saying that any guy staying there can fuck any woman he likes?”
“That’s right,” said Kaz, and the flush of red that I saw on his cheeks made me burst into laughter.
“You know? I think I’ve heard about those,” I said, shivering with delight as a naughty thrill raced up my spine.
“Here, you can read the rules,” said Kaz, handing me his phone, but nothing that I had ever experienced before could have prepared me for what happened next.
