With three suitcases packed up, and a large box of fragile art supplies on its way to Sophie and Jerry, I was ready for my American adventure. I had a small furnished efficiency apartment waiting for me in Chicago. It was just three blocks away from Sophie and Jerry, and it was an easy walking distance from my new job.

Anna got together with my Amsterdam friends to throw a big going away bash in our favorite local pub. They celebrated with multiple rounds of drinks, and I got roped into singing karaoke. Anna and I won the contest singing old Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duets. We substituted “ocean” for “river” in the “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” lyrics.

As I walked her home after the celebration, Anna said, “I’m going to miss you so much, Lucas. You’re not just a great friend. You are like the brother I don’t have. It feels like a family member is going across the ocean.”

I asked, “Will you come and visit me? I was serious when I said you would love hanging out with Sophie, and she would be ecstatic about having the company.”

Anna hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. She said, “I’ll be there.”

* * *

When I moved out of my parents’ house, it was easy to go back home and retrieve all of the things I realized I forgot to pack up. It’s a little more complicated when you move across the ocean. Jerry stared at me in disbelief and said, “Why do you need a particular shirt that you left back in Amsterdam? We do have stores here in Chicago.”

I said, “Because it fits, and I’m sentimental.”

He said, “C’mon, Lucas. I’ll hop in the car and take you shopping. We can get you whatever you forgot, and it will probably be cheaper than what you would have to pay to have it shipped here.”

I turned to Sophie for help. She asked Jerry, “What about that old half-deflated basketball in the corner of our bedroom closet?”

Jerry held up a hand and said, “Whoa, now wait. That’s a different kind of thing. That basketball went through the hoop when we won the semi-final game in our conference. I had my hands on it just before it cleared the basket.”

I said, “But it’s just a basketball. We can go shopping and buy you a new one.”

Jerry threw his hands in the air. “Obviously, I’m not going to win this one!”

Before I left Amsterdam, I packed up the belongings I didn’t plan to take with me and arranged them in a rented storage unit. At Anna’s suggestion, I drew a map of the unit and made a list of what was where. I left the spare key for the unit with her. It was easy to make a list of the items I forgot to bring with me and feel confident that she could find them.

We finished the moving process three days before I was scheduled to teach my first class. I invited Sophie and Jerry over to my apartment and cooked a quick dinner for all of us.

I was excited to shop at Chicago’s South Loop Farmer’s Market. They had all the produce I needed and a lot of varieties I’d never seen before. I also found sausages and ground beef that I brought home for my home-cooked meals.

I used the fresh vegetables I brought home from the market to make my own version of Dutch stamppot. Jerry stuck his nose in the air when he walked through the front door and said, “That smells delicious. Who knew that Sophie’s little brother could cook? You didn’t do that when you visited and stayed at our place.”

I laughed and said, “I didn’t want to get in Sophie’s way. She loves her kitchen.”

She hugged me and said, “He was on vacation. Now, he’s getting ready to go to work. This is real life, and you have to cook, or you don’t eat. That’s what our mother always said.”

“Or you eat out of a microwave oven,” said Jerry. “That’s what I learned to do.”

We spent a fantastic evening together. The food was as good as I hoped, and Jerry suggested that I join forces with Sophie sometime for a Sunday evening meal. I laughed when Sophie said, “Maybe we can join forces and teach you how to cook.”

He said, “Now, any handyman job you have, I can do that. I’ll fix electrical outlets, give the refrigerator a swift kick when it needs it, and hang the new shower curtain. Cooking is outside of my skill set, and it can stay there. Two is company in the kitchen, but three’s a crowd.”

The furnishings in my apartment weren’t luxurious, but they were adequate. I had a large sofa, and Sophie cuddled with Jerry at one end. I sat at the opposite end and pulled my legs up toward my chest while we watched a movie on the TV set that I purchased at a Chicago electronics store. I knew that it would be a hassle to transport one from Amsterdam, and I didn’t have a sentimental connection to my TV.

When the movie came to an end, Jerry spoke up in his loud, gruff voice and said, “Lucas, you need to figure out how to meet people other than your sister and me. You’re a young, handsome guy, and I’m sure there are plenty of other young guys out there waiting for someone like you.”

Sophie patted Jerry’s cheek and said, “We don’t need to rush him. He hasn’t settled in yet, and you already want to send him out to the wolves.”

I tried to focus on the conversation and not think about James. I also attempted to come up with internal ideas of other guys I might find attractive instead of feeling like I would go out hunting for a carbon copy of him.

Jerry said, “He’s a big boy, and he can find friends. I’m sure there’s a group of young faculty that head out for drinks, too. It’s a big city with a lot of people. You just need to put yourself out there.”

I didn’t want to think hard about how to develop a social life in a new country. I raised my arms above my head and began to yawn. I said, “This has been a fantastic night. Thank you, guys, but I’m getting tired, and I have to stop by the college and fill out paperwork tomorrow.”

With a loud laugh, Jerry said, “I think we’re getting thrown out, Sophie.” He stood up from the couch and offered his hand to help her up. “Thank you for dinner, Lucas. It was great, and you know how to cook. I’m not going to remember what you call that dish, but I’ll remember that it tasted awesome.”

Sophie and I said in unison, “Stamppot.”

Sophie added, “We had it a lot for Sunday dinner growing up.” Speaking directly to Jerry, she said, “Honey, why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll meet you in the lobby. I want to talk to Lucas for a moment in private.”

He nodded and gave me a final wave. Sophie pushed the apartment door closed, and I raised an eyebrow wondering what she had to say. I asked, “Is something wrong.”

“No, but I had a question I didn’t want to ask in front of Jerry. I thought it might be easier for you to talk one-on-one with me.”

I said, “It sounds serious. I’ll do my best to answer.”

“I’m curious about James, the hockey player. Have you been in touch with him?”

I shook my head. “No, I think I told you. We broke up a long time ago.”

She said, “Yes, but now you are so much closer to him. I didn’t know if you thought about that.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess it would be impossible not to think about it, but I try and push it out of my mind. I think Jerry is right that I need to try meeting other guys. This feels like a golden opportunity. Chicago is huge. There has to be a good guy out there for me.”

Sophie reached her arms around me and hugged me tightly. She said, “I’m so happy that we’re here together. I missed you when you were back home.”

We both jumped slightly when my cell phone chimed. It was the middle of the night at home in Amsterdam. I saw the look of worry on Sophie’s face, and I think we were both concerned something was happening with our mother and father.

I pulled the phone from my pocket and looked at the screen. It was James.