The shiny red and white glass beads were spread out neatly on the table with a hot glue gun sitting beside them. Julia had placed the beads on the table in order of their placement on the gold lock, leaving just enough space in the middle to delicately write their names in the middle. It took her weeks to find just the right beads, and she was determined to re-create the love she felt into a creative design. Her friends had waited at least three months before they placed their locks on the Hohenzollern bridge over the Rhine river, but Julia couldn’t wait any longer. She knew that Damien was the one she wanted to be with forever.
Julia bit her bottom lip and held the first red bead between her fingers as a hint of glue dropped onto the back of the bead. She carefully placed the bead in the right corner of the lock, and smiled at the beautiful result. With each bead it became easier, and soon there were alternating red & white beads all around the border. Feeling daring, Julia also added white beads on the sides and bottom of the lock until the only space left was the middle area where she’d write their initials.
As the hot glue dried the sparkling beads, Julia took her red marker and slowly outlined their initials, adding a few swirls underneath for extra glamour. Her face glowed with joy as she admired all her hard work. She quickly packed up all her craft supplies just in case her little sister suddenly charged into the room. No one had any idea she was creating a lovelock, not even Damien. Her secret plan was to meet Damien on the bridge at 6:00pm, and then they would go have dinner along the canal at their favourite restaurant. Her heart was beating fast at the thought of surprising Damien with her artistic masterpiece, and showing him how much she loves him. They’ve been going together for six whole weeks now, and Julia was certain he felt the same way she did.
Julia sorted through all her dresses and finally decided on the dress she wore on their first date. It would make the evening even more romantic! She then picked out the perfect necklace, perfect earrings, perfect hair clip, and finally the perfect shoes. Julia tucked the lovelock into the inside pocket of her black purse, making sure that Damien wouldn’t be able to see it before her big surprise.
As Julia strolled along the bridge the bright sun glowed onto the Dom Cathedral in the distance. There were crowds of cyclists and people walking along the bridge tonight, and Julia looked for the exact spot she picked out to place the lock. She didn’t want it lost amongst all the other hundreds of locks piled on some parts of the fence – she wanted the lock all on its own so it would stand out. Ultimately she wanted other people to clearly see her work of art, since she was planning to apply to Cologne University next year in their fine arts program.
It was 5:53pm, and soon Damien would be there. Her fingers and toes were starting to tingle, and she could hardly wait for him to get here. After admiring the view from the bridge for a few moments, Julia turned around.
She had to blink a few times to make sure she was seeing things clearly. Maybe she was in a dream? She looked again, and her mouth dropped open and shoulders slumped forward. Damien’s back was facing her, but she recognized his black leather jacket and faded jeans. Julia thought, this can’t be happening. We are meant for each other. What is he doing?!?!
Damien was standing next to a girl she didn’t even recognize. They were holding a lock together as they both attached it to the wire fence. After the lock was bolted they took the key and turned around to face the river. Damien flung the key over the edge of the bridge, and it floated in the air for a while before landing in the swift current. As his eyes re-focused on the bridge he suddenly noticed Julia. She was standing with her legs planted firmly on the ground, and hands gripping her hips so hard they almost formed bruises.
Damien felt the piercing of her glaring eyes as he tried desperately to form a smile and guard his new girlfriend from the impending threat. He then swiftly guided her to the other side of the bridge, holding her hand while he glanced back at Julia a couple times. Julia kept staring at the two of them, trying to think of creative ways to throw Damien off the bridge with his new girlfriend.
When Damien and the girl became just a distant blur, Julia turned back around to face the river. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her leg muscles still trembled from shock. She looked at the lock in her moist hands and contemplated whether to hurl it into the water. But it looked too beautiful to just throw away, so she just held onto the lock like it was a sad, pathetic gift. Her head dropped down with exhaustion as the tears spilled down her cheeks like tiny rivers. She couldn’t bear to see anyone, or even tell her friends about this humiliating experience.
After what seemed like an eternity, she suddenly felt a tap on her right arm. She looked up with her waterlogged eyes and puffed lips to see a boy standing beside her.
“Sorry to bother you, but are you ok?” he asked tentatively, squinting to see her face behind all the tears.
Julia dazed back at him, and then wiped her face after realizing how awful she must look right now.
“I noticed this lock on the ground and wondered if it was yours,” he added.
Julia looked down in confusion, not remembering when the lock slipped from her hands.
“Uh yeah, that’s mine, I guess,” she replied.
“It’s really nice. Did you make it?”
“Yes, I made it,” Julia said with a frown. She looked back at the boy for a few moments and then added, “You really like it?”
“Well yeah, it looks like you went to a lot of work. Must be some lucky guy,”
Julia’s face immediately turned back to a stone-cold expression, recalling the moment she saw Damien with that other girl.
“That lucky guy is a jerk. I think I’ll just throw it over…”
“No! Wait just a second, you should save this,” he called out while trying to grab the lock from Julia’s hand.
“But why? I made the lock with our initials on it. Where am I going to find another great guy with the intial “D”?” she said defiantly.
“Well, you see it might be easier than you think. There could be someone…”
“No, I’m really not interested right now. But thanks anyway,”
The boy smiled back at Julia trying to cheer her up, even though he didn’t fully understand the whole story. As Julia stood staring out at the river in heartbreak, the boy gently put his arm around her. He then wiped away her tears and smoothed out her frizzy, windblown hair.
As they walked back across the bridge toward the canal-side restaurants, Julia slowly opened up to the boy’s kindness and generosity. They found a small café to get a bite to eat, and the horrible events on the bridge gradually melted away. The evening was turning out to be not so bad after all.
After placing their order Julia looked at the boy with interest and asked, “What’s your name?”
“David.”