You know how some days you feel like a turtle, carrying the whole world on your back while constantly at risk of accidentally flipping over with your feet flailing about in the air with a very long shot of anyone happening by to correct the situation? Weird analogy but I was definitely in turtle mode this past week. The stress from work was beginning to seep out of my body as back pain, knee ache, and even lethargy. Though I think some of that was weather-related.

So on a very wet afternoon I took a break and headed to the local H boutique here in Belgium with very little hope of finding anything but a small accessory as a pick-me-up trinket to “correct the situation.” When I walked in, a very charming salesperson approached me and began a conversation in French. Generally the salespeople in Brussels would eventually break into English either to practice their English or to help me out when I run out of steam in French. But in this case, he patiently continued in French without watering down the vocabulary or even slowing down his speech speed, even when I struggled more than a couple of times to find the right conjugation in my head before replying.

Anyway, while all of this was happening, my eyes went straight to the glass case where they displayed bags available to us mere mortals, aka walk-in customers. Right there at eye-level was a shelf with three Evelyn III bags, all in the same 29cm size, in a bright red, etain grey, and dark brown. So of course the conversation led to my trying on the grey bag. I told him I’d never really considered this particular style before, but it just looked so delicious as a messenger bag. Slouchy, utilitarian, modern and soft all at the same time. As he was going on and on about how such a bag would make a lot of sense for a traveler like me, I was trying to do the currency conversion in my head.

Then of course I asked about the Birkin/Kelly. No luck there, but I must say rejection in French sounds so much more pleasant. After a few minutes more of banter about the hunt for these bags, I told him I needed to ponder the decision a bit more and perhaps come back for it. Peut-être. As he politely helped me with the umbrella at the door, he complimented me on my French (that’s a first!) and for not switching to English as a reflex. So that whole trip was already a lesson on its own. No matter how much you may think you are butchering a language, try and try again because it’s the only way to improve.

As I headed back out on the street to find a cafe with wifi so I could research the current price for this bag back in the US, I caught a glimpse of a gal popping up from the metro exit with a toile version of the Evelyn slung across her body, holding a trench coat over her head in lieu of an umbrella. It was raining cats and dogs at this point, but I had to stop in my tracks to do a double take. Was this a sign?

Anyway, once I got the pricing information from my friend in Asia who thankfully was online, it was only a skip and a hop back down the road to adoption, part 3. Definitely another unplanned adoption, but still an orange blessing nevertheless!

I know what you are all asking… didn’t part 2 also involve an etain grey Hermès bag? And in Clemence leather? Well, err, yes.

And that’s all I have to say about that.