Photo Guy Ackermans When the sun sets behind the star flats of Wageningen, the darkness on Vijzelstraat is dispelled by the candlelight of Café Daniels. It is Thursday evening and I am standing behind the bar. Across from me gives a young student is her neighbour a playful look. The light from the red candle dances lively in her chestnut brown eyes. The young couple is too busy with their mating dance to notice me. I realize that they won’t be ordering anything else before they leave me, flying away on their pink cloud.
On the other side of the bar, I suddenly hear bursting laughter. The warm light pales and takes on a jolly undertone. It’s the regulars. Without wasting words on an order, I pour them their beers. The graying group looks down at their glass who is proudly displaying her foamy collar. ‘It’s been quite a week’ says a balding man. ‘Last week, my stepfather fell down the stairs and ‘broke his hip. The poor man can’t get out of bed for six weeks’. He takes a big sip, as his wife makes a crude joke. The group bursts into laughter again. That evening, there is lively dancing, joking, and drinking, till in the tiny hours it’s time for the group to go home.
Young man, please follow your heart, don’t be misled by the expectations of others, and walk your own path.
When I close the curtains, I see an old gray-haired man sitting at the bar with his head in his hands. His walking stick is parked tightly beside him. He begins to muse, ‘Oh, those good old times. When time seemed endless. A time when there was no distinction between me and love. Young man, please follow your heart, don’t be misled by the expectations of others, and walk your own path.’ The flame in his eyes is sorrowful. The faded past weighs heavily on him, but every word he says is a truth.
I listen and ask questions. I am drawn into his life, but remain outside of it. As the candlelight begins to dim, I decide to end our conversation. As I close the door behind him, I think to myself: ‘As a bartender, I am a spectator of the passage of life. I see life and I see death without becoming part of these stories’.
I blow out the candle and the light dies.
Philip Timmers (19) is a second-year bachelor’s student in International Development Studies. He likes gardening and is always up for some fun. He enjoys reading in nature on warm summer days.
