Politieke Besties

Chapter 5

Jesse knew he had done a good job at school. People told him he was doing well and he had felt proud. But it took a while for him to register it completely. The day he really understood that he had done it he received an important phone call.
Through a contact he had made during his student activism he had somehow simply been referred to his dream position. He would work for the GroenLinks party, helping with the election manifesto now. What a beautiful fact.
Jolein agreed to move with him to Den Haag. So he cleaned out the room, the one he had shared with Hannes for so long and packed his life into boxes. They loaded them into a moving van, alongside Jolein's posessions. She had found them a cute flat in Den Haag, a bit further from the beach than they had liked, but close enough that they could afford it.
The morning they left for the new city Hannes, Rob and Sjoerd came to wave them goodbye. It was sunny outside, Rob was sporting a ridiculous sunhat. Yet the whole affair felt terribly melancholic. Rob's hug was bone crushingly strong. It was always surprising how much strength the thin guy could muster from within him in order to pulverize the skeleton of anyone who dared to hug him. Thankfully Sjoerds hug was gentler. Then came Hannes, who did not care much for hugs at all. As a goodbye, Hannes slipped a piece of paper into Jesse's pocket. When Jesse later unraveled the paper during a quiet moment on the drive, he could not help but chuckle. It read: "Rob's Jawline counter" followed by an exorbitantly high number. Ever since that first day Hannes had kept score. He chuckled again. If Hannes had conjured up the same work ethic he had produced for this counter for his school work, he would have graduated alongside Jesse. But he knew, Hannes was more comfortable taking a semester longer and graduating with slightly younger Rob in Spring. Not everyone was as desperate as Jesse to step out into the world.

Life in Den Haag was idyllic, the work hard but fulfilling. Only sometimes, Jesse would get really lonely, having left his friends behind in Nijmegen. Whenever he missed them so badly his heart would ache, he pulled his bike from the garage to go in circles around the block until his head felt lighter and he was ready to go back to work. His fitness improved significantly those first three months in Den Haag. Jolein liked it and did not forget to mention it regularly. If she ever felt home sick she never told him about it. She seemed so well fitted for life in this city. During the day she went to museums alone to draw and sat in cozy coffee shops reading. Jolein loved their walks on the beach, still several tram stops away. At home she produced wonderful paintings that soon covered their new flat's walls in exquisite colour.
He proposed to her on that beach. She clasped her hands over her mouth and said yes.
Jesse had been nominated as Political Talent Of The Year, Jolein was pregnant with their first son and life felt truly grand. Sometimes Jesse would lie awake at night, next to Jolein, one hand on her stomach, feeling for movement and bask in the warm feeling of a lifelong plan coming to fruition. With her so close, he felt the proudest.

He did not drive out to see Rob and Hannes graduate. The event was so close to the election and they needed him in the GroenLinks office. The two, gallantly as ever, understood. Rob and Sjoerd in turn had refused an invitation to drive out for Christmas. But a wedding invitation, Jesse was sure, they would follow gladly.

When Jesse suggested to add the two to the guest list, alongside Hannes, he caught a shadow pass over Jolein's face. "What?", he inquired. She kept silent for a moment as if contemplating her next words. When she spoke, she spoke hesitantly as if treading lightly. "Jesse... I know you were in love with him." "What?", Jesse echoed himself. Jolein chewed on her lip. "It's fine. I know you aren't anymore obviously and I am not jealous... I just wonder if it would be awkward to invite Rob to the wedding." She had spoken softly, one hand on her stomach the other stroking across the guest list. Jesse grasped that hand and interlocked her fingers with his. How did she even know about that? He knew, he had never been a good actor. And this beautiful woman before him, the mother of his child, had unfortunately always been able to read him like a book. A million questions were spinning around in his head. "Honey, that was so long ago. I love you. I want to marry you. He's a friend.", he stammered instead of asking any of them. She sighed."I know." Jesse traced his thumb over the back of her hand. "I want to invite him because I miss him.", he stated, "I miss them all. Rob and Sjoerd and Hannes." She nodded. She knew he was homesick. "I won't go against you on this but I do wish you would let me invite them." "Oh? Using your diplomatic training?", She mocked a smile dancing on her lips, "I told you not to bring work home." Then she sighed again, more forceful this time. "Fine.", Jolein exclaimed, "Let's add two more people to this guest list." Her fountain pen scratched across the page.