Brain Contour

It is not just a plain story of one being out of town. Or not seen for a week. Maricel is in the Philippines. Peter is in a place hundreds of miles away. They haven’t seen each other for over a year now.

I have always questioned the efficiency and value of a long-distance relationship. Even before I experienced it myself way back, I knew, with sorts of things that could almost certainly play inside your mind, it would never work. Think of the pain that it might create in you and your partner in all variety of ways. Communication is the essential ingredient in the love concoction and being a great distance apart could injure the bond.

Amsterdam brothels are those places where women pose in windows, so men (or women) can simply window- shop for women they want to have sex with. Having lived in the Netherlands for two years, I had been to those brothels many times, seen the women in all their grandeur, admired those with Coca-Cola figures and silently booed the grannies. I was not there for sex tripping, by the way. The locations of these legalized Amsterdam sex arenas, popularly known as “Amsterdam red light districts,” are strategically set up so that whenever I had to go to the mall to shop, I would never miss to pass by them. They are everywhere.

Amsterdam Brothels

Love must withstand the strongest of winds. Whatever it takes, hold on to it.

Let me detail the story of my Dutch friend Jacque; hers is a poster family for divorce. She was five when her mom discovered that her dad was having an affair with another woman. The discovery sparked series of unhealthy events between her parents, which eventually ended up in a divorce. For a while, Jacque and her younger sister bounced around between their parents before their grandparents had the custodial responsibilities. The custody issue confused her as much as the reason why her mom did not even attempt to acquire the rights to keep them both. Her mom frequented the night bars and so did her dad.