I was really looking forward to Jessica's returning to Belgium. For some reason doubling up with another non-native gives me some sort of boost in the brain. Jessica is so self-sufficient in general that she's pretty awe-inspiring in hew own right. Talk about getting things done! We have quite a bit to do while she's here, especially planning for the portions that I can add to her wedding preparations.

I headed to Schiphol basically the same time Eva left for work. I had hoped to have enough time to stop by Auto 5 and buy a gas-lid, as I think Eva's still not completely over the idea that 'lil Debbie has a pink rag stuffed in the gas compartment. Who knows how long even the rag itself has been associated with the car. It's actually some old corner of a fitted sheet, and now I'll most certainly have to throw it away when I get a gas lid. It's funny because everyone seems to be certain that it's going to be difficult to find a lid. Well speaking from previous lid-losing experiences (which is bad enough as you here your gas lid fly off the roof of your car and hurl itself in oncoming highway traffic) it was fairly easy. I simply went to the next Walmart and bought one...and the auto section of Walmart looks close enough to Auto 5 for me.

So today was by big driving-alone day. A first of sorts. Vast expanses of road-work highways and byways stretching out between here and there. Flatness like you wouldn't believe.

I ended up being entirely early. I was early on two accounts; one of which happened to be because it took me less time than I had expected, and the other of which was due to the fact that her flight arrival time had been moved back about an hour.

I parked and busied myself checking out trinket shops in the airport. I also busied myself at the newsstand and purchased the latest issue of The Economist. I also went into the airport grocery store and bought a kaas souffle (their version of the kaas broodje) and wondered through the isles packed with overpriced American products. I wonder who buys them. Americans on their way home who are dying for Apple Jacks? (they'll be there in a matter of hours where the cereal is half price) or people just arriving? (like they already know what they "can't live without?") I was curious. I suppose it might also be for people like me. Americans picking up Americans who have time to waste and then suddenly realize that they've been secretly dying for a Handi-Snack. *all reference to foods are for example only...I bought nothing and really and quite happy with my Belgian replacement foods.

When Jessica finally appeared I had already mourned the fact that if we lived in the Netherlands I could probably get a job at the airport. English and Dutch. My two most speaking-friendly languages with no French requirements to throw me off course. Oh well.

We headed out to the car and soon were caught up on each other's lives and so engrossed with the conversation that I didn't notice that my highway was ending and turning into a stoplight. We circled back and I got back on the right road. That's how it is when she's here. The two of us could probably talk about anything under the sun if we had to.

By the time we got back to Antwerp I was pretty exhausted from driving. We had hit the Friday-before-easter-weekend-traffic and just as we were driving past Berchem Station Eva called to see if we'd be picking her up. I had to decline, as I'm still not quite used to the fact that one has to put in a clutch so often and such. Automatics are so, well, automatic. Yes standards are fun and give you that "I'm doing something" feeling, but my muscles are still getting used to not only car, but its two-footed/two-armed driving as well.

But boy do Eva and I love Debbie.

IN THE NEWS:
The supersonic jet set has been discontinued by British Airways. The Concorde, the needle-nosed aircraft for the rich, is retiring after a quarter-century of ostentatiously expensive service between the continents.