2021 - Rainy roadtrip

It’s amazing how the world turns green during just one day after seven long months of total greyness! It’s overwhelming and unbelievable.



- Great spot for a tea brake, Kaarna thinks and takes off her helmet. It feels good to enjoy the sun again. The meds are definitely working.



The sun warms her up so she decides to be brave and go to swim for the first time this summer. Jesus, it’s cold! Her brain freezes and she runs back fast. Well, nobody can call that swimming, but at least she went to the water!



Filia approaches Ken with two sundaes.
- Time to take a brake, strong girl.



This is nice. The fine ladies’ ice cream moment in the sun. Although Filia’s language is far from a lady.




The next morning Ken is fast asleep when he suddenly wakes up with a near heart attack! It’s Filia! She’s standing beside his bed and talking talking talking the way she tends to do.
- Breakfast is ready!
- What the... how the...??? 
- The door was open.
- I must have forgotten to lock it in the evening...




Filia has prepared croissants with jam.
- And a sandwich for you. I already ate my salty breakfast at six.



She has even picked fresh flowers and put them in a wine glass. Ken is both touched and annoyed at the same time.



As soon as Filia leaves, Ken calls Kaarna:
- Pack your things. The roadtrip starts now!



- What’s the hurry, Ken? I thought you had work to do.
- I need a brake from Filia. And I finished the most urgent work, so we can be away for almost a week.
- So we’ll be back for my next therapy session?
- Of course! Everything ready? I’ll just get dressed and then we’ll go!



They have only driven for a few hours when the rain starts. Kaarna checks the weather forecast.
- It’s going to be rainy all week!!! In every part of the country!!! 
- The forecasts haven’t been very accurate lately. It might still be sunny.
- This roadtrip is going to be a nightmare if it rains all the time!



They climb up on a observation tower, but the view is not really breathtaking due to the fog and rain.
- Kaarna please. You shouldn’t be standing on that side of the bar. Get back now.
- Well, maybe you should think twice before bringing a depressed person up in a tower like this, Kaarna replies.
Ken knows she’s joking, but he doesn’t find it funny at all.



 There’s an automobile museum over there. Let’s go there! Ken suggests.
- I’m freezing and tired. I’ll be in the van.



Ken is mesmerized by the old cars and trucks. Everything was more beautiful back in the old times. Clothes, houses, vehicles.



Ken finds Kaarna in bed in Herbert. Reluctantly she gets up and they continue the trip in silence.




Finally the sky clears up.
- Yay!!! The sun is coming out!
- It’ll only shine for a short while.



They go to an art exhibition. Ken thinks that the sculpted bird looks hungry. 
(Katoavaiset by Andrei Bakharev)



And then they buy ice cream portions in the cafeteria of the art exhibition. Ken notices that Kaarna is starting to overcome her anxiety. Sun, art and sugar did a good job.




The next day is cold and somewhat rainy again. Ken and Kaarna visit the ruins of a medieval castle.



Ken is thinking about the medieval churches and castles in Finland that are still standing up:
- We should travel to one of them later this summer. I want to wear my medieval outfit and you could take amazing photos of me in the authentic surroundings!
- Maybe.



- I’m freezing! This is horrible! Kaarna complains.
- It’ll soon be warm, as you know. Our bodies will warm up the bed and the blankets keep it well. Like every night. We’ll go home tomorrow.




- Good morning! It has stopped raining. What would you like to do on our last day on the road?
- Could we see my sister? We’ll be driving past her home town.
- Isla? Yay! I have always wanted to meet her!



Meet Isla, Kaarna’s little sister. She’s studying at university and she’s a lot younger than Kaarna. Kaarna was 14 when Isla was born and at first they were inseparable. But then Isla’s puberty hit and Kaarna moved to another part of the country and they started to grow apart. Now Isla has an hour or two free at lunchtime so Ken and Kaarna can meet her!



- It’s so nice to meet you, Isla! We bought a pizza for lunch, I hope you like salami.
- Hey Ken! I’m actually a vegetarian and I try to avoid carbs! But no worries, I just had lunch.



Kaarna and Isla are catching up and Ken feels relieved. Kaarna has been in such a bad mood that it’s wonderful to hear her laughing for a change. If only the rain would stay away now. Ken himself needs the warmth and the sun too, and he’s getting tired of trying to stay positive only to take care of Kaarna and her moods.



Unfortunately Isla has her afternoon classes and Ken and Kaarna need to move on. Kaarna asks if Isla would visit her during the summer.
- I’ll try. In July maybe.



Kaarna usually thinks that she actually has no idea what love is. But this is definitely love. She loves Isla, she has always loved her and always will. Even if they don’t see each other much and don’t know a lot about each other these days. But this is pure love.




Getting back home is not that bad... 
- Miss Amadoria invited us to their final dress rehearsal at the summer theater! Remember the play? He’s the choreographer.
- Rehearsal? But not the actual show?
- It’s the same thing actually. They perform the whole musical in front of an audience for the first time.
- Musicals... they are embarrasing. And played by non-professionals... very embarrassing indeed! Summer theater, it’s outside, right? It’s definitely raining that night.
- Naturally.



They arrive at the summer theater and Kaarna rolls her eyes:
- There’s nobody else in here. Awkward.
- People will come.




Olli notices them and comes to say hello. 
- Brilliant, you are here already, you can take the best seats. Here is a perfect spot. I’ll be sitting over there with the director. Have you been to a musical theater before?
Kaarna answers:
- No. It’s awkward. They burst into singing all of a sudden! It’s super annoying and ruins everything. They should decide whether to talk or sing, but not the both!
Olli laughs and says that he still hopes Kaarna will enjoy the show. Ken quickly changes the subject and asks about the corset he made for Miss Amadoria.
- Oh, it’s amazing! It fits me perfectly and is so well made and fanstastic in every way! Well, I need to run now, but we’ll see again after the show, right? Enjoy!!



Ken has a useful talent to see the problems beforehand. Of course he knew that Kaarna will be cold sitting still in the outdoor theater. He wraps her in a quilt.
- Better now? Look... people are coming in... And isn’t that Taylor and his foreign hubby?
- Geordie! Yes.



Taylor and Geordie join Kaarna and Ken, and Taylor proudly tells that their son Jason is the star of the musical.
- That kid is born to perform, it’s in his blood, in his soul!
- And also Taylor’s sister is on the stage! Geordie adds.
- Shut up, Geordie, snaps Taylor.




The musical is a crazy comedy about Moulin Rouge and the child actors definitely make everybody laugh. 




But it’s obvious that the true talent on the stage is Taylor’s sister, who’s the leading lady.




Even Kaarna likes what she sees and hears. She still prefers watching movies though. It’s so clear that the actors are just actors in theaters. But movies... you can immerse yourself into to story, without having to think about the camera men and directors and microphone dudes and make up group and all the fuzz that goes on behind the scenes.







When the play is over Taylor and Geordie go backstage. Taylor is super proud of Jason.




Geordie too, but he feels an urge to make the star feel proud of herself now.
When Taylor hears him complimenting her in the back, she yells quickly:
- Shut up Georgie and keep your hands off her fat ass! 
Taylor doesn’t mind lending Geordie to other women, but for heaven’s sake not to her own sister!



Ken has to wait for a while until Olli is free again, and he goes to say thank you. When he notices that Olli has received flowers like the actors, he feels super embarrassed. He should have brought a bouquet too!




They walk home via the scenic route. Ken is still talking about how they didn’t know how to behave at the theater.
- First you said that thing about musicals to Olli! Then I didn’t realize to bring him flowers! We acted like morons.
- Yes, we are such miserable losers. We could jump to the rapids right now.
That is enough for Ken, who starts to scream and cry:
- Stop that talk!!!!! I hate when you talk about suicide that way!!! I don’t even know if you’re serious or joking!!! Can’t you imagine how hard is it to live with your negativity all the time?! It’s like a black hole that is sucking me in and I try to be overly positive, and that’s not in my nature!!!!!




Keen feels bad about yelling to Kaarna and runs to McDonalds to get a meal that they share by the rapids. They eat silently and then Ken says:
- I’m sorry. It was stupid of me to scream to you like that. I was hungry and cold. Now I’m only cold. Let’s go home.