The Philippaerts Twins

Chapter Two

Nicola helped me get my luggage into Olivier's silver BMW, and then opened the car door for me. I blushed and bit back a huge fangirl-like grin. With a smile as thanks, I sat down in the passenger seat. The younger twin took the wheel, and Nicola made himself comfortable in the back seat of the small sports car. Then we were off to Genk.

Only one word is needed to describe the one and a half-hour long ride to Genk: Awkward. Olivier did not offer any conversation whatsoever, and I was too self-conscious to do so myself. Occasionally, Nicola lowered himself onto the spot between the two front seats and would point me in the direction of landmarks or perhaps tell a short anecdote to try to lighten the mood. However, the conversation would die right there and the atmosphere would get even tenser that before.

As we neared our destination, the amount of horses I saw through the window increased. Soon enough arenas, pastures, and barns became common on the view from the road. I got more excited as I saw this. I couldn't help but gawk at the sight. You would never be able to see this where I'm from. In Panama you'd be lucky to find horses around, let alone show jumpers. There were maybe less than two hundred riders in total there, and here it was hard not to spot one every few minutes.

At one point we passed a farm with an arena near the front gate, and a rider was jumping probably over a 1.45m. I nearly jumped out of my seat and bumped my forehead against the glass. I could hear Nicola trying to cover a laugh with a cough, and when I turned around even Olivier had a small smile on his lips. I tried to play it cool for the next few minutes, but whom was I kidding? I had my face glued to the window for the rest of the car ride.

The car came to a halt before a white gate surrounded by medium-size brick walls. The gate opened automatically as Olivier pushed down a button in one of his keys. Inside, there was a huge pasture that contained a couple horses to the right and a smaller one to the left. A gravel road divided both fields and led to a large white and brick house. There seemed to be a lot more behind it, but the younger twin guided the car to the house and stopped it there.

Just as Olivier killed the engine, a middle age man with grey hair and a round face came out of the house with a big smile on his face. I recognized him as Ludo Philippaerts, the father of the twins and four times Olympic medalist. He didn't seem as intimidating as I thought he would be. Actually, he seemed quite friendly; like a huge, grey teddy bear. I opened the car's door and stepped outside to meet my boss for the summer.

"Welcome! You must be Nina," he greeted.

"Yes," I answered, "It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Philippaerts," I told him honestly.

"Nonsense, call me Ludo," he said warmly. I nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Well, it is a delight to have you here, and to finally be able to put a face to Saori's friend that she couldn't stopped telling me about," he told me. Saori is a friend of mine who lived in Belgium for a year and stayed with the Philippaerts for a while. When she told me Ludo would love to take me in for the summer, I almost built her a shrine right there on the spot.

"Thank you Mr. Philippa– Ludo," I corrected myself, "I'm very grateful for this opportunity," He gave me an understanding nod.

"You must be tired from traveling all the way here, and I wouldn't want to overwhelm you with the job on the first day," He began, "So why don't you get settled in, and I'll call you down when dinner's ready," He finished with a smile. I would love nothing more than to go meet the horses, see the grounds, and maybe even go for a short ride, but I was starting to feel the exhaustion from the trip. Therefore, I agreed to Ludo's offer and with Nicola as my escort, I made my way to my room.

"This is it," Nicola said while gesturing to a dark wooden door.

"Yeah, um... thanks?" I intended for it to sound like a normal thank you, yet it came out more like a question. I just couldn't get used to being near the guys that had covered the walls of my room as posters for years. To be honest, there were more pictures of Eric Lamaze than of the Philippaerts twins, but that didn't mean that there weren't a couple of their H&M modeling posters. I guess this is how a normal girl feels when they meet one of their favorite celebrities. I was burning with excitement not only for the twins, but also for the job itself. How many riders my age wouldn't kill to be in the position I'm in right now? That reminds me I still have to thank Saori, again, for setting me up with Ludo.

Nicola lingered for a moment as if unsure if I would be okay on my own. I gave him a small, reassuring smile, and with that he left. Pushing open the door of my new bedroom, I was surprised by the size of it when I entered. I knew the Philippaerts were wealthy even though they were too humble to show it, but this was way out of what I had been expecting. It's not like my mom and me were strangers to money, but we just rather spend it on horses and truly important things(like more horses). Mom didn't give me everything I wished for, she made me work hard and earn things in order to keep my feet on the ground.

The room was amazing. There was a king bed with silken covers, and the wooden floors were a dark, cherry color. There was an empty walk-in closet to the left and a large bathroom next to it. To the other side there was a desk and a couple shelves with some books and movies on them. There was also a flat screen TV and an abstract painting of what I am assuming is a horse. Even with all of this, the room was spacious enough not to feel crowded. I had hoped to rest an hour or so before dinner, but eagerness consumed me. As soon as I shut the door, I dropped my bags near the entrance and threw myself on the large bed, unable to shake the wide grin off my face.