De clan van nonkels, tantes, neven en nichten wist even met zichzelf geen blijf. De grootmoeder was op de kast geklommen. De mater familias van 95 had het gewaagd om de ramen boven de keukenkastjes te poetsen.
Ze moest hen nu toehoren.
‘Dat is onverantwoord gedrag’, zei een vrouwenstem.
‘Je moet begrijpen, als je valt’, voegde het nichtje toe.
‘Trappen en hoogtes zijn taboe. In de tuin werken mag’, concludeerde de oom met het hoogste diploma.
De oude vrouw zei niets. Ze zweeg en keek naar al diegenen die er nooit geweest zouden zijn zonder haar. Ik zweeg ook. Het was net om wille van de trappen en de taboes dat ze het zo goed had gedaan.
‘Misschien is ze nu oud genoeg om zelf te beslissen wat ze wil’, probeerde ik nog.
Even later waren ze allemaal weg. Alleen wij twee zaten in de zetel. Het bleef een tijdje stil.
Mijn grootmoeder zuchtte diep en keek uit het raam. Ik zag een traan opborrelen in haar linkeroog. Ze was oud, waardig oud, en had een lange sliert nakomers. Je zou kunnen zeggen dat ze een reden had om te blijven. Voor even toch nog.
Het bleef stil, maar ik knikte, omdat ik het begreep. Zette me zelfs schrap. Voor het altijddurende eeuwige morgen.
Het leven heeft zijn eigen logica.
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
In Love (< Deathly Hallows I)
Harry (to Hermione about Ron): Are you still mad at him?
Hermione: I am always mad at him.
Monday, 18 July 2011
Comfort
'Don't rely on what he says. Most of the time, they mean something different anyway'.
Sarah slammed the car door close before I could ask any further, leaving me perplexed and curious in front on the wheel. We had just finished an inspiring night out, and I felt ready for the world again. That was one of her talents, getting my confused thoughts straight, putting my rambling thinking in perspective. She wasn't aware of it herself, but she was a saint in disguise. Some more details to her last phrase would have been useful though, as a kind of back up for difficult times - a tape you can replay whenever some brainwashing needed to be done.
I saw her hurrying towards the main street, so I pulled up and started to drive next to her. My car windows were down.
'I need to know more about the nothing is what it seems', I shouted. 'Why would a man say the opposite of what he thinks?'
She looked at me and smiled.
'I don't know, I just noticed they do it all the time'.
'So they say they love you, but actually they don't?'
An agonizing despair started to take hold of me. There should be something one could take as a starting point.
'No, it depends. Sometimes they do talk sensibly. Often they even say things they wish were true. But then they feel the opposite'.
For a moment I didn't know what to say. How come she took it so lightly? How did she move through the day?
By now she had reached her tram stop, and waited patiently on the side of the road. I stopped the car and continued talking to her.
'I'm sorry, Sarah, but how then do you know what he thinks of you?
'I don't', she said. 'But that's fine. I just know you can't figure it out. Ever'.
So far about about saving some time.
image taken from http://www.biteycastle.com/blog/woodblog.html
Sarah slammed the car door close before I could ask any further, leaving me perplexed and curious in front on the wheel. We had just finished an inspiring night out, and I felt ready for the world again. That was one of her talents, getting my confused thoughts straight, putting my rambling thinking in perspective. She wasn't aware of it herself, but she was a saint in disguise. Some more details to her last phrase would have been useful though, as a kind of back up for difficult times - a tape you can replay whenever some brainwashing needed to be done.
I saw her hurrying towards the main street, so I pulled up and started to drive next to her. My car windows were down.
'I need to know more about the nothing is what it seems', I shouted. 'Why would a man say the opposite of what he thinks?'
She looked at me and smiled.
'I don't know, I just noticed they do it all the time'.
'So they say they love you, but actually they don't?'
An agonizing despair started to take hold of me. There should be something one could take as a starting point.
'No, it depends. Sometimes they do talk sensibly. Often they even say things they wish were true. But then they feel the opposite'.
For a moment I didn't know what to say. How come she took it so lightly? How did she move through the day?
By now she had reached her tram stop, and waited patiently on the side of the road. I stopped the car and continued talking to her.
'I'm sorry, Sarah, but how then do you know what he thinks of you?
'I don't', she said. 'But that's fine. I just know you can't figure it out. Ever'.
So far about about saving some time.
image taken from http://www.biteycastle.com/blog/woodblog.html
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