I walked into the Gregor Samsa bookshop last night not remembering the type of music I’d be hearing.

Two smiling guitarists greeted me.  They were warming up for the show.  Marcel from Rio de Janeiro played lead.  Zander from Ghent was the bass player.  (I hope I haven’t spelled his name wrong.)

I was immediately engaged.  May all performers be nice people.

And then they began playing and singing … mostly samba tunes.  It was magnetic.  I was drawn so easily into their world.

Zander’s eyes were only for Marcel.  He did incredible bass runs without looking at the strings.  Sometimes his eyes rolled so only the whites showed.  Zander was lost in the music.

Marcel sang with such passion, in Spanish I believe.  I understood no words and I understood everything.  And when he sang about Rio, all three of us melted.

I was sitting with my friend Anouk before the concert started.  We caught each other up with the events of the last month …  me Amsterdam, Springsteen, Core Festival; her writing songs, rehearsing, giving a talk on archives.

Anouk asked me “How is the cello playing going?” I cringed. “I haven’t done much.” > “Why not?” > “Fear.” (That I won’t be able to resurrect the quality of playing that I had as a teenager – but I didn’t tell her that.)

I told Anouk that I’d been intending to walk through the doors of the Poel music school but I hadn’t. Staff there had told me to come back at the end of May to find out more about their music training program which starts in September – group cello lessons, music theory and music history. And perhaps to register. More fear.

Anouk just looked at me, softly but with purpose. “Okay, I’ll visit Poel sometime this week.” She smiled.

As Zander and Marcel were about to begin, in walked Anouk’s friend Ann. She sat with us. At the break between sets, Anouk introduced us.

The topics ranged wide but eventually returned to playing the cello. “I have a dream: to sit on the bench in the tiny park by the Oudburg … and play my cello.”

Anouk: “Let’s set a date when you’ll do that. I’ll come.”

Ann: “I will too.”

(Gulp)

I opened my phone calendar. I glanced at July. The 7th spoke to me.

“Friday, July 7 at 2:00 pm.” (Central European Time)

Anouk: “Can you make it at 5:00?”

Bruce: “Yes.”

***

So there you have it, dear friends:

1. Poel’s office opens at 3:30 today. I’ll be there.

2. Wherever you are in the world, think of me on Friday, July 7. Do the math for your time zone.

3. There’s a lot of cello practice between now and then!