Brave

Sixteen years ago I was a Girl Scout leader. Sixteen years ago someone asked if we would accept a teenager into our troop. This teen was an exchange student from Russia. I asked the girls if they would accept her into the troop. Sixteen years ago a tiny red haired young woman entered our lives. Her charm and her vivacity enthralled us. Last night, sixteen years later, we took the train from Hague to Leiden. We were met by a red haired woman at Starbucks. She took us on a bus, in the rain, to her home. She made us parsnip/pumpkin soup and risotto. We drank a bottle  of wine. We ate stinky cheese, green grapes and Russian bread. We met her fiancee. We saw pictures of their trip to South Africa where they got engaged. We learned about their jobs in finance and marketing. We were fully entertained for three hours. My two week  European vacation is coming to a close. This dinner was a classy way to bookend the trip.