Chapter 24
R osie found it difficult to smile, even for the customers, though she did her best to act as cheerfully as possible.
Her colleagues had noticed the change in her, as Finn was constantly glancing over and Fenna had also popped round a few times to talk about things that they wouldn’t normally talk about.
Emma had delivered her three coffees and Noah (along with Emma) had delivered her a lunch and forced her to eat it while they took it in turns to serve her customers.
The support she was receiving was almost overwhelming and though she appreciated it, she couldn’t wait to leave at the end of the day and be alone to cry.
As the work day drew to a close, she pulled down the shutter over her tiny pitch, and turned to see a small army led by Emma marching towards her.
‘Emma told us what happened,’ said Finn.
Rosie shot Emma a poisonous look. ‘What? I asked you not to say anything about Max breaking my heart by sleeping with his ex who has the most annoying, stupid tinkly laugh I’ve ever heard.’
‘Actually,’ Finn said, his eyes darting between them, ‘she didn’t mention any of that. She just said about your houseboat.’
‘Oh.’ Rosie’s face flooded with heat. It crept up from her neck, over her cheeks and across her scalp. ‘Sorry, Emma.’
‘I should think so. Of course I didn’t spill our girl-chat secrets.’
Finn cleared his throat. ‘We need to talk.’
Everyone else– which included Noah and Fenna– nodded.
‘Okay,’ Rosie said nervously, stretching out the word. ‘But if this is some kind of intervention, can we at least do it in the pub?’
‘Definitely,’ Emma said and the group marched outside and along the canal to one of the restaurants in a small side street.
A large umbrella shaded them from the evening sun, and the bright green climbing plants decorating the houses, their bushy leaves reaching out over the buildings, gave the small space a cosy, secluded feel.
Noah asked Rosie what she’d like to drink, and took everyone else’s order. ‘Emma, would you help me with the drinks, please?’
‘Oh,’ she replied, her eyes widening in surprise. ‘Of course.’
Rosie bit back a smile– her first genuine one of the day– as the two still-completely-besotted-with-each-other idiots headed inside.
‘Emma told us everything,’ Finn said. ‘Well, everything about the boat and the cost of repairs and you possibly heading back to England.’
‘I get she didn’t mention about Max and our brief, but amazingly intense relationship.’ One that had held so much promise she felt the same stab of pain that had plagued her since their last argument.
‘Umm, no she hadn’t mentioned that.’
‘But I’m sorry it didn’t work out with him,’ Fenna added. ‘He was very handsome.’
‘He was,’ she said with a sigh.
Finn cleared his throat. ‘The boat. It’s just bad luck. Houseboats do take a lot of looking after and your landlord should have done a better job. Not all landlords in Amsterdam are like that.’
‘I know,’ Rosie replied with a laugh.
Fenna nodded. ‘Do you have to return to England, though? Is there nowhere else you could live?’
Rosie shook her head. ‘That boat was literally the only thing I could afford to rent and I know this sounds silly but... well... you know my mum was a botanist. She died when I was young and so, when I came across the Forget-Me-Knot , I thought it was a sign from her that this was where I was meant to be. Everything just seemed so right, but now I’m not so sure.
Everything seems to be going wrong. I don’t have enough to fix the damn boat and even if I did, what then?
It’s going to take me years to build up enough money to open a shop with the small pitch I’ve got.
I just feel like I’m better off leaving at the end of the summer when my final penny runs out.
’ She shrugged, helplessly. ‘Maybe packing up now and going home before I land myself in enough debt to make me bankrupt is the best thing to do. No one can say I didn’t try, can they?
’ She gave a small, pathetic smile that she in no way felt.
At that moment, Emma and Noah returned with a bottle of wine in a cooler and five glasses. He poured the wine and silence fell for a second.
‘I can understand why you feel how you do,’ Finn said, surprising everyone with his empathy and kind tone.
‘But you mustn’t give up. You remember I said I started with a tiny pitch at the flower market and a bike.
There must be something. Could you sell flowers from the houseboat too? If it’s done up?’
‘I– I don’t know,’ she confirmed, dropping her eyes to her glass, then taking a sip of the delicious liquid. She’d hoped that one day she might, but she hadn’t explored that option; she’d considered it but hadn’t thought through if she’d have employees. It all seemed too much to hope for.
‘You can,’ Fenna confirmed. ‘I know lots of people who sell goods from their houseboats.’
‘So you could also start selling from home, as well,’ Finn said.
‘But I need a home for that to happen,’ Rosie replied. ‘Look, I know I sound all doom and gloom and it’s really kind of you all to try and help me, but I really don’t think there’s enough money to make this work.’
‘Can you get the money somewhere else?’ Noah asked. ‘Your family or a bank loan?’
Having worked so many low-paid jobs and living perpetually off her overdraft for such a long time, any bank would laugh her out of the building if she asked about a loan.
‘There isn’t,’ she replied, feeling guilty for being so grumpy.
Was this how Max had often felt? It was a vicious cycle.
She felt hopeless and because of that, her brain refused to look for positives.
She’d believed before that there were always solutions out there if she just looked for them, but she couldn’t lift this veil of defeat that obscured her vision.
She had to fight this overwhelming urge to run and hide from the world.
As silence descended and Noah tutted. ‘Look at that—’ He pointed to where someone had purposefully dropped some rubbish. ‘How can people do this to our beautiful city?’
‘I agree,’ Fenna said. ‘The historic part of town– especially the flower market– needs protecting from things like that. The city does what it can but people don’t realise the significance of it. It’s our history, our heritage, and it’s getting worse. So many areas are falling into disrepair.’
Rosie suddenly lifted her head. No one had noticed except for Emma, who was watching her quizzically.
S uddenly, the nebulous idea that had floated in her head after her visit to the council offices began to take shape.
Fenna’s words mixed with the thought that had struck her the day before but that she couldn’t quite grasp.
As soon as she’d heard the word ‘community’, she’d thought of the Milkshake Festival, of people coming together in love and support of one another, encouraging respect and understanding, acceptance and pride.
The wheels in her brain were turning, the part of her that sought solutions firing back to life.
After another gulp of wine, she finally had it: a solid idea.
‘I’ve come to know that look,’ Emma said. ‘What are you thinking?’
Rosie had no idea if it would work, and they might all laugh at her for even suggesting it.
But the word was circling, details starting to cling to it like iron filings drawn to a magnet.
For all she knew, there was already something of that kind and the idea might go nowhere, but she was with exactly the right people to ask.
‘A festival!’ Rosie declared. ‘I was thinking about organising a festival that celebrates the canal community, its heritage and those who look after it. Something like a floating canal festival.’ Fenna and Finn looked at each other while Emma and Noah both dropped their eyes. ‘What?’
Finn was the one to speak. ‘There is already a canal festival. It’s held in August each year, called Grachtenfestival . It’s a music festival and people perform all around the canal areas.’
‘Oh.’ Rosie’s shoulders slumped. But a spark had come back to life and she refused to let it peter out again.
She’d had a taste of being a grump and she didn’t like it one bit.
Now she was beginning to think more clearly, she knew the idea had merit.
‘So maybe a floating canal festival is too broad. Besides, it would take too much organising to get the word out everywhere around the city and to get people to attend. When I worked in a marketing team, I was told people had to identify their niche.’
‘Well, our niche is the floating flower market,’ Noah said, and everyone nodded.
‘So could we organise a floating flower market festival?’ Rosie asked. ‘We could raise funds for people who need help keeping their heritage protected in the Bloemenmarkt and canal district?’
‘It sounds like a great idea,’ Finn said, smiling widely.
His face looked completely different now he’d relaxed, and he seemed much happier.
‘I more than anyone realise now how important community is. If you’re organising this,’ he said to Rosie, ‘can I suggest we pay you a fee from the profits? The rest of the money can then be dealt out to those who need it. That way, no one can accuse you of anything underhand.’
‘Will that be okay, do you think?’
Everyone nodded, though the worry remained as to what she’d do if it wasn’t enough. But it was a start. She’d just have to work hard to make it successful.
‘Does anyone know anything about organising festivals?’ Fenna asked. Her blonde-grey hair hung loosely around her shoulders, catching the soft evening light. More people were joining them in the small, secluded spot and the noise level rose.
Noah’s cheeks coloured and he pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. ‘I used to work at an events company before I started the cheese shop. Maybe some of that knowledge might come in useful.’
‘Actually,’ Fenna began, ‘my daughter works for a graphic design company. I’m sure she could help put together some flyers or something. Get a discount on getting them printed.’
‘We definitely need a theme, though,’ Rosie said, pushing her wine glass to the side and leaning forwards on the table. ‘What exactly are we trying to achieve? Because raising money is the goal, but what else? We want to...?’
‘Raise money to preserve the cultural heritage of the canal community,’ Finn said, making a note on his phone.
‘And,’ Emma added, ‘showcase the talent of people in the Bloemenmarkt area.’
Noah smiled at her, nodding as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. Emma grinned widely. ‘And wider if we can. If we get enough interest. We want to showcase everyone around the Bloemenmarkt and who lives and works on the Amsterdam canals. Though that might be a bit too big a goal.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Rosie said. ‘And we might as well aim as high as we can. If this doesn’t work and I end up going home, it won’t be for lack of trying. I’ll go out with a bang!’
‘You won’t be going anywhere,’ Emma assured her, taking her hand and squeezing it.
Rosie swallowed down the lump in her throat. ‘So what do we do first?’
Finn looked up from his phone, where he’d been typing furiously.
‘First, we need to inform everyone in the Bloemenmarkt . Let’s call a meeting for tomorrow morning.
I’ll contact everyone I know who works there.
If we all do the same, we shouldn’t leave anyone out, and we can catch up with anyone who misses it during the day. Agreed?’
‘Agreed.’ Finn nodded.
Rosie could see why Finn was such a successful businessman. He might not be the most creative of thinkers, but he was focused and organised– exactly the skills they needed for this. She was grateful to have him and everyone else around her.
‘Thank you, everyone. I don’t know what to say.’ She forced the tears back from her eyes.
Emma hugged her, as did Fenna as they were closest. Noah and Finn glanced at each other slightly awkwardly before Finn raised a glass. ‘To the floating flower market festival!’
Rosie grabbed hers, eager for a top-up. ‘It has a nice ring to it!’
Now she just had to make it a reality and in the smallest timescale imaginable.
She took another glug of her wine, draining the last of it from the glass.
Her natural good cheer, w hich had only just returned, was in danger of disappearing again, but she had no option but to grit her teeth and dive straight in.
If nothing else, her mum would be proud of her for trying.