Flying Home Page #2

those kind of mistakes.

Of course. I should have known.

- Enjoy.

- Thank you very much, Martha.

Cecile, as beautiful in

death as she was in life.

Good morning.

The...

He is in church. Morning Mass.

I see.

- Eggs?

- Yes, please.

Is this decaf?

What?

It's like coffee,

but without the caffeine.

We're honest people here, sir.

Oh, one's enough, thank you.

So, Martha, are you from around here?

Yes.

I've lived here all my life.

I know everyone.

So tell me, what do people

do around here all day?

They work.

And when they're not working?

They... They like football.

You know, with the feet.

They like... TV. They like...

I was wondering, is there a local

pub around here somewhere?

Yes. In De Zavelput.

It's three kilometers.

Say if you want more.

Hey, what's up?

Nice day today?

Let me help you.

That's okay.

- Hi.

- Hi.

What would you like to drink?

I'll have a Coke, please.

I'm Isabelle.

I'm Colin. Colin Evans.

Yeah. I know who you are.

Everyone in the village is

already talking about you.

I only just got here.

Well, it's very easy to

become a star in this town.

In the whole of Flanders,

for that matter.

I thought you didn't understand English.

English, yes.

American, no.

He used to be my English teacher.

Yeah.

Until so-called "health problems"

got me fired.

That's the weirdest

pool table I ever saw.

It's very typical for Belgium.

It's a fun game, you know.

Really? I'm actually

pretty good at pool.

Oh, yeah? Would you like to try?

Sure, I'd love to.

Do you want red or white?

Red.

Of course. The color of aggression.

Pierre, leave him in peace.

And Coca-Cola.

So you line up the balls like this.

The game is very simple.

The one who first succeeds

in pocketing his five balls

in the opponent's pocket, wins.

We both start at the same time. Okay?

Okay.

I'll count to three and

then we shoot. Ready?

One, two...

Wait, wait.

You first have to make a bet.

It's his first time,

so let's forget about that.

No, no, I think we should.

I'll buy Pierre a beer every

time I lose. How about that?

Fantastic.

But I want you to have one, too.

Sorry, I don't drink alcohol

this early in the day.

"Sorry, I don't drink alcohol

so early in the day."

Fine. I'll have one, too.

Okay, here goes.

One,

two,

three.

Nice shot.

Thanks.

So, do you work here full-time?

No, only during the summer.

I study biology at the

university in Ghent.

What about you?

I'm a high school teacher.

That's why I have all

summer to find that grave.

Yeah, I heard about that.

I think it's really

great that you do this.

Well, family ties are important

to me and my entire family.

One day, I want to be able to

tell my kids where they came from

so they might better understand

where they're heading.

That's beautiful.

Two beers, please.

No mercy?

You don't look like the

kind of guy that needs it.

A rematch after this one?

Why not?

Shall I walk you to the door?

No.

I'm fine, thank you.

Here, your keys.

No. You keep the car.

- Really?

- Yeah.

You're still gonna help me

find that grave, right?

Yeah. I'm happy to help. It's exciting.

- Sure you don't need help?

- Thank you.

I'm good.

- Bye.

- Bye.

Hey.

Drink lots of water, okay?

Thank you. That's very sound advice.

Come on.

- You're sure this is going to work?

- Yes.

But you must drink it all in one time.

- Hi.

- Hi.

How are you feeling?

Good.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

Wait, you still have...

- First time you're wearing this?

- Yeah.

- Well, it looks good on you.

- Thanks.

So what cemetery shall we go to first?

I don't know.

There's a lot of them, right?

Yeah, more than 100.

- Let's start with the biggest one.

- Okay.

So, where do we start?

These are really good.

You can't live in Belgium if you don't

like French fries with mayonnaise.

Sure feels good to be out in the open.

This really reminds me of

where I was born and raised.

Where was that?

Bearsville, New York.

It's near Woodstock.

Woodstock. Wow.

Yeah, don't get too excited.

Nothing really happens there anymore.

Does your family still live there?

Yeah, but me and my dad, we...

He's always pushing me.

Ever since I was a kid.

It wears me out sometimes.

I hardly ever see my parents.

What?

Nothing.

It's just that

I thought you said family ties

are really important to you.

They are. They are. It's just...

I'm sorry. I didn't mean

to come across all gloomy.

Must be the country air

messing with my head.

- Oh, God, is it 2:00 already?

- Ten past.

Sh*t. I promised my granddad

I'd join him at the club.

- The club? What kind of club?

- A pigeon club.

- A what?

- He races pigeons.

He's really good at it.

I never knew you could race pigeons.

Well, it's a big sport around here.

Well, I'd love to see this.

Let's go.

Thank God. I thought

you wouldn't make it.

And I can't manage without my mascot.

He says I bring him luck.

Not that his birds need it.

So, you are the American?

I'm afraid I am.

Isabelle tells me you race pigeons.

Sounds very interesting.

Really?

Tell me, what's the thing that

makes it interesting to you?

Just the whole concept, you know.

The whole concept?

- Jos, your turn.

- Okay.

Don't worry about my granddad.

He's always a bit

overprotective when I...

You know, when he sees me with someone.

So he should be.

What are they doing?

Well, the pigeons all have a

ring with all their data on it.

And that big guy over there,

he scans the rings.

And from that moment on,

the pigeons are officially in the race.

The birds are then put

together in shipping crates

and brought to the start

of the race, which is,

Amiens. That's in France.

How far is that from here?

About 200 kilometers.

Look.

That's Wittekop. It's his favorite bird.

What happens next?

Tonight, trucks will take

all the birds to Amiens.

And tomorrow, around 10:00 a.m.,

the birds will all be

released at the same time.

Thousands of them.

The first one home wins.

A real champion dove can

be worth a lot of money.

Up to 200,000 euros.

I'm sure your friend is not interested

in the financial aspect of the sport.

Oh, I find it fascinating, sir.

I'd love to know more.

You should show him your loft.

Tomorrow I could make us a nice lunch.

We could all wait for the birds to return.

That'd be awesome. Thank you.

I'm warning you. It's boring.

He hates my guts.

He'll warm up to you. You'll see.

So, are you ready for some more

country air to mess with your head?

Sure.

This is a really beautiful spot.

I've lived here all my life.

But when my father died,

my mom went back to Holland.

And I went to live with my granddad.

But the house is still ours.

I'd be heartbroken if anything

would happen to this place.

Why would something happen to it?

Well, a while ago, there was

this Belgian building company

and they were planning on putting,

like, a huge apartment complex here.

Luckily they ran out

of financing, but...

I swear, I'd chain myself to a tree.

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