The Free Use Hostel
Avery Sam
The Free Use Hostel
Avery Sam
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Dikwijk
The Free Use Hostel Rules
Itches Left Unscratched
Hot Shower
Two Young Men
Sacred Vows
Dirty Old Man
That’s What I’m Talking About
Dominika
It’s Complicated
Mitch
Circles
Mr. Tight Shirt
Hot and Greasy
Three Points
Three Hot Blondes
The Monk
The Monk’s Tale
Guardian of the Book
More Than a Little Sticky
Artificial Everything
Bananas
Wet Spot
The First Time
Catfight
The Best of Sexy Times
So Milky
Free and Alone
The Black Church Bridge
I Got You
Fire in the Fireplace
An Ancient Greek God
The Final Frontier
He Chose You
A New Life
Bounding With Joy
Dikwijk
“Ugh,” I said as I dejectedly continued to scroll through the nearly indecipherable descriptions and ratings on the app. But no matter how hard I squinted at the screen, all I could make out was a jumble of impossible-to-pronounce European town names.
“You are English?” came a nearby male voice, causing me to raise my head.
“American, actually,” I said, giving the man a quick, polite glance before resuming my doomed scroll through the listings of nearby youth hostels, the afternoon sun blazing across my phone screen.
“Do you mind?” said the man, coming over to gesture at an unoccupied seat across from me at the cafe.
“Uh, sure,” I said.
“This your first time in Dikwijk?” said the man, and for the first time, I noticed his gentle brown eyes and soft, messy hair.
“First, and last!” I said with a hearty chuckle.
“Oh, you did not find the Museum of Folkloric Shoes interesting?” inquired the young man, the twinkle in his eye causing me to laugh.
“Think I missed that one,” I said with a grin. “Anyway, I wasn’t really planning on coming here at all. I was hitching a ride, but then the guy’s broke down in this little town. Apparently, the guy told him it will take, like, days to fix, so I’m actually looking for a way out of here.”
“Oh? I’m actually a tourist, too. My name is Kazimierz, but my friends call me Kaz,” said the young man before thrusting out his hand.
“Sidney,” I said, surprised by the warmth of his hand as I shook it.
“I’m from Poland,” said Kaz, to which I nodded. “So, where are you heading now, Sidney from America?”
“Ha!” I said with a little laugh. “Anyway, I heard good things about this town called Sipaja. Or, at least, I think that’s how you pronounce it.”
“Oh, yes, Sipaja?” said Kaz, pronouncing it in a completely different way that sounded far more authentic than anything I could muster. “It is famous from medieval times when it was a rest stop for pilgrims. I’ve never been there before, but I heard it has a great atmosphere.”
“Cool,” I said. “So, listen, I found a bus that goes there from here, but I’m having trouble finding a place to stay. The app that I use to find nearby hostels is just showing me gibberish.”
“Jobbish?” said Kaz, his forehead wrinkling in a way that I found quite cute.
“Gibberish,” I said with a laugh. “It just means nonsense. Like, all mixed up.”
“Ah yes, I see,” said Kaz, although he clearly didn’t, which I also found quite endearing.
“Anyway, can you help me find out if they’ve got a youth hostel there? I’m kind of on a budget, and I don’t really have the money for anything fancy,” I said, giving Kaz my best sweet girl smile.
“Of course!” said Kaz, a big smile on his face as he whipped out his phone and rapidly began tapping at the screen.
As he did whatever he was doing, I lifted my cup to enjoy the last swallow of coffee, the pleasant bitterness of the rich drink mixed with the picturesque view of the cobblestone streets making me smile. It was for sights like these that I had set off for Europe. And while, yes, things were tough at times, it was all worth it when you came across a quiet little scene like the one before me.
“Oh, I see,” said Kaz. But instead of explaining anything to me, he continued to tap and swipe across his phone screen, leaving me to watch as an elderly, well-dressed woman slowly and confidently bicycled her way down the street past where I sat, a little straw basket around one arm.
“Shit! I should’ve filmed that,” I muttered to myself.
Despite missing that epic scene, I still felt quite light and buoyant. That guy Robert whose car I had been riding in had been giving me some weird vibes, and anyway, the car was quite noisy as it rattled down the road, making me appreciate the quietness of the view before me, now.
“Well, isn’t that curious?” said Kaz, never breaking his gaze from his screen, causing a rising sense of frustration to begin to build up inside of me.
Despite the placid beauty of the square and many other quaint, Old World corners of Europe that I had explored already, there was something missing, something that I craved, and so I felt that old impatience begin to stir inside me, that powerful urge to keep moving towards uglier spots where I knew I could find what I needed.
“Okay, Sidney,” said Kaz, finally putting his phone down and then facing me. “There is only one youth hostel within 30 kilometers of Sipaja.”
“Oh shit, how far away is it?” I said, feeling a touch of acid rise up from my stomach.
“It is in the center of Sipaja,” said Kaz with a completely neutral expression on his face.
“Well, great, then!” I said, perplexed at his robotic behavior.
“It is located on the grounds of the old monastery,” said Kaz, glancing down at his phone screen for confirmation.
“Well, perfect. Is there an email or something so I can make a reservation?” I asked, slightly frustrated that Kaz had his gaze fixed on his phone screen.
“One moment,” said Kaz. “Ah, it says drop-ins are welcome. No reservation required.”
“Nice,” I said. “What’s the price?”
“Ah, there is no price,” said Kaz, setting his phone down on the table. “Not for you, of course.”
“Huh?” I said. “What are you talking about?”
“It is a Free Use hostel,” said Kaz.
“Wait, so it’s free to stay there?” I said, a surge of happiness rising through me at the thought of not having to fritter away more of my money.
“In a manner of speaking,” said Kaz.
“Kaz, I’m confused,” I said. “Do I have to pay to stay at this youth hostel or not?”
“It is a Free Use hostel,” said Kaz, a little grin spreading across his face. “I thought that was an American term.”
“Look, if you don’t want to tell me...” I said.
“No, it’s okay,” said Kaz. “It means that... how can I say? A man, if he is at this hostel, and he sees a woman that he likes, it means he can... be with her.”
“What?” I said, feeling a rush of heat in my cheeks. “Are you saying that any guy staying there can fuck any woman he likes?”
“That’s right,” said Kaz, and the flush of red that I saw on his cheeks made me burst into laughter.
“You know? I think I’ve heard about those,” I said, shivering with delight as a naughty thrill raced up my spine.
“Here, you can read the rules,” said Kaz, handing me his phone, but nothing that I had ever experienced before could have prepared me for what happened next.
The Free Use Hostel Rules
In the bright afternoon sunlight, it was hard to make out the words on Kaz’s phone, but I felt a pulse of excitement shoot through me as I slowly scrolled through the text that would change my life.
THE FREE USE HOSTEL RULES
1) Only foreign guests allowed inside the hostel - no locals allowed!
2) The staff are exempt from the rules of free use
3) No men allowed in the Women’s Area of the hostel from 2am to 10am - no exceptions! And vice versa
4) Showers are required every 24 hours - be clean, people!
5) All guests consent to be freely used at any time
5b) EXCEPT FOR WHEN THEY ARE SLEEPING!!!
6) Guests must clean up after their messes, especially in the kitchen area
7) Smile, have fun, and spread the love!
8) Female guests stay for free. For males, the price is 100 euros per night.
“Wow,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest as I handed Kaz’s phone back over to him.
“I’ve heard about these places,” said Kaz, two distinctly pink splotches visible on his cheeks. “They’re becoming quite popular, especially with all the inflation and stuff and prices going up.”
“Tell me about it,” I said, uncomfortably aware of just how little money I had left in my bank account.
“Of course, I’ve never been to a free use hostel,” said Kaz, and the obvious discomfort that he felt brought a smile to my face. What can I say? I found his innocence kind of charming.
“Me either,” I said, giving him a serious look for a long moment before we both broke out in a grin.
“I mean, it’s kind of crazy, right?” said Kaz, an adorable little squeak audible in his voice. “That a guy could... you know, just use a girl whenever he wants.”
“I know,” I said, feeling a sharp jolt of excitement ping somewhere deep inside of me. “But it’s kind of sexy, too, don’t you think? That a guy can just... you know, look at you and decide he wants you.”
“Oh,” said Kaz, spluttering as he took a sip of water from his glass, his hand shaking.
“I mean, you’re young and single, right?” I said. “You know how hard it is out there, with all the dating apps and whatnot. It’s one giant mess. Maybe this free use way is better. No messing around with dinner and all that endless talking.”
“Yeah, maybe,” said Kaz, taking yet another gulp of water.
“You want to know the truth?” I said after a long moment. “I’ve been traveling across Europe for weeks now. I’ve seen all kinds of cool stuff and met all kinds of interesting people. But I haven’t hooked up with anyone, you know?”
“Oh?” said Kaz, his cheeks flushed with color as he nervously played with his phone.
“Yeah,” I said. “I don’t know if it’s me or the guys in Europe or what it is. Like, they’ll smile and joke around with you, but it’s like... I don’t know. They just give off little boy vibes, you know?”
“Right,” said Kaz, nervously tapping on the side of his phone in what seemed like a completely unconscious gesture.
“Like, make a move, already! Kiss me! Come over to me on the dance floor and grab me! Make me feel like a woman, you know?”
“Sure, sure,” said Kaz, his voice sounding weak and reedy.
“Instead, they just want to clown around and talk for endless hours about, well, anything. And if another guy asks me to go get a coffee with him, I’m gonna scream!”
“Hey,” said Kaz, fidgeting in his seat.
“What?” I said.
“It’s just that... well, no. It’s nothing,” said Kaz.
“What? Come on, you can tell me,” I said, flashing Kaz my best sweet girl smile.
“It’s just that’s why I’m here,” said Kaz, his eyes locked on mine. “At this cafe.”
“Wait, what?” I said with a laugh. “You’re here for a date?”
“Yeah,” said Kaz with a little chuckle, his cheeks now a scarlet red.
“Oh my god,” I said, unable to repress the grin on my face. “I didn’t mean to... you know.”
“No, no, it’s okay,” said Kaz, unable to meet my gaze.
“So, where did you meet her? On the apps or maybe out in the club? Come on, you wild boy. You can tell me,” I said, flashing my friendlist grin at Kaz.
“Actually, I met her at the hostel here in town,” said Kaz, the bright red color on his cheeks causing me to break out into a hearty laugh.
“Wow, no shit?” I said. “Cool, cool. Well, you go, boy. I wish you the best of luck, Kaz.”
“Thanks, uh, Sidney,” said Kaz.
“It’s not a free use hostel, by any chance, is it?” I said, breaking out into a hearty guffaw when I saw the look on his face.
“No, no,” said Kaz, hiding his eyes from me as he nervously gulped down the last of the water from his glass.
“Listen, man, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot,” I said, leaning over to give Kaz a friendly pat on his forearm. “I know I can be a little... vulgar at times.”
“It’s fine,” said Kaz, beads of perspiration clearly visible on his forehead.
“Listen,” I said. “What’s the lucky girl’s name?”
“Maria,” said Kaz, nearly choking on his words.
“I’m sure your coffee date with Maria will go great,” I said, rising to my feet. “And, seriously, don’t listen to me. I’m just a silly American.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” said Kaz, his eyes looking everywhere but at me.
“Listen, I’ve got a bus to catch,” I said as I hoisted my backpack onto my shoulders. “It was nice to meet you. And I really do hope your date goes well.”
“Thank you. It was nice to meet you, too,” said Kaz, rising to his feet to give me a moist, limp handshake.
And with that, I turned and headed off, pins and needles of excitement racing across my skin as I began to think about what lay in store for me at the free use hostel.