Happy & Healthy
THE PARTY OF JET
The people, the looks, a lot of Jet and of course... the book
“I’ll have what Jet is having.” It’s 4:08 PM and Jet and I are both getting ready in a rather deserted Mossel & Gin (you know, that nice little place at the Westergasfabriek site). Actually, I wouldn’t mind a gin and tonic. I mean, now that we’re here and this place is darn called ‘Gin’ and wow, soon it will be packed with all sorts of smart types who can write and speak really well and I’ll have to say something against that…
Jet is going to present her book and hands me the first copy. And whether I would like to say ‘a few words’. This brings me to the hilarious anecdote of a writer who really wanted to hand her book to actress X. She didn’t know actress X personally, but thought she fit perfectly with the story she wanted to tell. Actress X asked for ‘a little something’ and the writer asked in return for ‘a few words’. So said, so done. The presentation was there, the writer gave a fiery speech about the content of her book, called actress X over, handed her the book and stood there nicely in front of her. Actress X indeed spoke ‘a few words’. “Thank you.”
But of course, I wanted to say something nice. About Jet. About our beautiful friendship. About how we first met thirteen years ago in Paris. About that warm day at the beach in Puglia where we made plans. About her mission to get women into quinoa and Sambuca. And it had to be a bit funny and quick. But the thought that Matthijs himself, Paulien Cornelisse (that’s Jet’s cousin) and Anna Drijver would be standing right there made me feel an intense need for gin.
Jet looks at me, I look at Jet. But then we take a long time with it. We touch the stack of books that will all be sold soon. We squeeze ourselves into our stage outfits in the restaurant’s restroom and give each other gifts (you already know what I got from Jet, what I got from Jet I’ll tell you later) and then suddenly there are one hundred and twenty-five people, I can only find Jet because there’s constantly a hedge of cameras around her that she poses very professionally for.
Papa Jet is there and mama Jet (whom I’ve also known for thirteen years) and grandma Jet and grandpa Jet with his wife. It feels a bit like getting married, I say to Jet. Everyone you love gathered together. Jet addresses everyone, I say my few words. And then there’s another gin and tonic. And snacks from Jet. And I talk to mama Jet about how beautifully our lives are intertwined and then I crawl next to Jet’s signing table. With, of course, that gin and tonic in my hand, my daughter on my lap, my love and my mother (yes yes, everyone is here) opposite me and we feel the sun on our faces and look at Jet. Who we are so incredibly fond of and very # proud of.
Beautiful people deserve beautiful launches and they get them. And now I’m going to wait for the wedding day.
