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“Mr. President: The black tulip will open in about ten minutes. As soon as it opens, I will send a messenger to beg you to come and fetch it in person from the fortress of Loevestein. I am the daughter of the jailer Gryphus, almost as much a prisoner as my father’s prisoners. I cannot, therefore, bring you this marvel. That is why I implore you to come and fetch it yourself.” Page 194 The Black Tulip Alexandre Dumas.

I looked at him; now he was reading. His paw was marking the book, and his gray fur shone. It was 4 a.m., and my tea with milk was steaming. As on so many nights, I followed my cat and his insistence on reading the books in my library, installed along the side of the staircase that led up to the terrace. Today I’d be late for work again, drink coffee to get there at three and take a nap, argue with my wife, pick up our daughter late, and of course, pray that one night—just one?—this cat would decide to eat nuts and get diarrhea and… we’d have to admit him to a clinic like they do with Hollywood actresses.

—What are you thinking about? —Sam asked. «About Sam Dirck and his unusual way of living with his owner,» I was about to answer, but I opted instead:

—Right now I’m thinking… about the black tulip.

—Do those flowers exist?

—I’ve only seen one in my life, —I replied. «I was living in Amsterdam and walking down the street where the prostitutes display themselves in large windows.»

—So?

—Cats don’t need sex for money, —I said, and went to sleep.

Notes:

The Black Tulip: A Novel by Alexandre Dumas The Black Tulip is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, originally published in 1850. Wikipedia Original publication date: 1850 Author: Alexandre Dumas Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Adaptations: The Black Tulip (1964), The Black Tulip (1937)

Origin of the flower:

It is found mainly in the Mediterranean area and Northeast Asia, although most of the varieties cultivated today come from the mountainous regions of Asia Minor, Persia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. The first tulip seeds arrived in Europe at the end of the 16th century from Turkey.

Amsterdam’s Red Light District:

Amsterdam’s Red Light District (Rosse Buurt in Dutch), also known as the Red Light District, is a central district of the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Famous for its history, architecture, cultural life, and for being one of the most liberal neighborhoods in the world in terms of attitudes towards prostitution, drugs, and sexual diversity.