After All These Years

By Hans Boin

She temporarily stays with her mother. Here she meets old school friends, soon it becomes clear that she is still in love with him. He has remained the man of her dreams.
How to proceed now?
Continue with her life or tell the truth, which could turn his whole life, as well as hers, upside down. She may even lose him as a result.
She finds work in a big hotel and everyone is happy with her.
More and more often she sees her lover and slowly she allows him into her life.
But the biggest problem is yet to be solved, but how many friends should Astrid help? A party, this time without wine, becomes the turning point in the lives of Astrid and her lover.

Have you read it? Then leave a review for me and for other readers.
Thanks in advance

• Language: English
• Publisher: Queva Uitgevers
• Release date: Feb 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9789083225760

Book preview

All persons in this book were created by the author.

Any resemblance to deceased persons or persons still alive is based on pure coincidence.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced and/or published by print, photocopy, microfilm, electronically by sound recording or playback equipment or in any other way without the prior written approval of the publisher.

The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews with a copy to Queva Publishers

English translation: (C) Queva Publishers - The Hague 2022

First edition e-book: Copyright © 2022 by Hans Boin 

Cover photo: FrancescoHazz711

ISBN: 978-908-322-57-60

NUR 301 : Literary novel

Queva Publishers

The Hague

www. Queva-Uitgevers.info

[e-mail]

Life would be a lot easier

if you could choose who you fall in love with.

(author unknown)

For you, 

my favorite daughter 

and favorite son

~1~

Astrid Pronk is happy, very happy, because she is back home with her mother. If you had asked her, ‘Where will you be in three months?’ She would have said, ‘Just here, in Fleurie,’ A plan to go home, to her mother, had not occurred to her. Now she was there anyway, after more than ten years. All quite suddenly. In six weeks the sale of the hotel had been arranged. Her job was finished, where could she go now? Astrid called her mother.  

‘Mom, do you mind if we come and live with you for a couple of weeks? Monique has sold her hotel so she doesn’t have a job for me anymore. Is that possible, Mom?’

‘Of course dear, you, all two of you, are welcome in my house. Besides, I really like the fact that my favorite granddaughter is coming to live with me now. When are you coming?’

‘Mom, I don’t know yet, there’s still a lot to do at the hotel. I still have to organize a farewell party for all her classmates.’

‘Okay. My child, just drop me a line when you know more and when you’re on your way.’

‘Fine mom, of course and thanks, you’ll hear from me.’ She closed the call and put the phone away, on the big table in the middle of the room and made a joyful dance of pleasure, both her treasures coming back and the coziness again too. 

Now Astrid lived with her mother, in a large house in a neighborhood called Gold Coast In her room, where she had slept from baby to whale, Juliette now slept and she stayed in the guest room. Quite appropriate she thought.  

‘Pff,’ Astrid sighed, ‘Where should I start, so many boxes to unpack.’ She started with the clothes, as she thought it best: first Juliette’s and then her own. In half an hour three boxes had already been unpacked. Again she sighed. She was tired of all the sudden changes in her life. She peered without looking at her daughter, in her mind going back to her first love. He used to live around here too, would he still live here? Who could I ask? Her mother wouldn’t know, her best friend she hadn’t spoken to yet and she also wasn’t sure if he still lived here. 

Juliette looked up from her coloring book, with a sad face she asked in French, ‘Mom, when are we going home?’ Astrid was startled awake. 

‘Huh what, we’re home, dear. Now we are still sleeping at Grandma’s, soon we will both have our own bedroom in our house. To buy a house I need work, I don’t have that yet,’ her mother said back in Dutch and stroked her over the head and gave her a kiss on top of her head. Juliette said nothing, she just colored on.  

‘Ding dong,’ echoed the bell in the hallway. Astrid took a step toward the door, but the little girl was already jumping from her chair, running past her and opening it. Astrid came after her. 

‘Mom, there’s a lady at the door.’ The little girl now spoke Dutch, she ran back into the room. Astrid opened the door further ... a lot of screaming sounded from the hallway. The little girl looked up from her coloring book in surprise. Curious as ever, she wanted to know why there was so much noise in the hallway.  

‘Hey sweetheart, welcome home,’ Juliette heard say from behind the hall door.  

‘Yes, thank you,’ was all Astrid said and she hugged the woman.  

‘Come in, give me your coat.’ She took off her coat. It was far from winter, but the coat was heavy, with a fur collar. Astrid could already see that it was not cheap, just like the dress and shoes Janine was wearing. That handbag was blue leather with a few gold letters on it, Hermès. She smelled of flowers, just like before. 

‘Come on over, do you want coffee,’ she asked immediately before sitting down. Juliette came into the room and looked at the woman.  

‘You have nice clothes ma’am, they look good on you.’ It made the woman smile.  

‘Thank you... um, what’s your name?’ 

‘I’m Juliette.’ She stepped up to the woman and gave her a hand. The woman took the hand, squeezed it a little and smiled a little. Astrid entered the room again. 

‘Jules, I see you've already met Janine, she’s a very old friend of mine. We went to school together way before you were born.’ 

‘Of course mamma, the way you taught me with compliment and all.’ Juliette walked over to her little table where she was coloring and continued to color. Janine looked from the little girl to Astrid and back to Juliette. At a rapid pace a number of questions came out of her mouth, she didn’t know what she saw. 

‘Do you have a daughter? Where is her father? Don’t you live in France anymore? Are you still going back?’ 

‘Yes, I don’t know, yes and no.’ Astrid wondered if she had answered the questions Janine had asked correctly.  

‘How did you know I was here?’ At that moment the room door swung open and Astrid’s mother Ivonne entered.  

‘Hi Grandma, have you done all the shopping now and not forgotten anything,’ asked Juliette. 

‘Bye dear. Yes and didn’t forget anything, not even banana custard which you like so much.’ She stroked her head for a moment and said, ‘She heard that from me, I ran into her last Sunday on the boulevard. I didn’t recognize her at first. She came up to me and asked ... ’

‘Are you Mrs. Pronk, Astrid’s mother who lives in France?’ said Janine. The corners of Ivonne’s mouth went up, she was now laughing. 

‘Yes, I vaguely recognized a face, I was immediately reminded of you, you were just here. I told her that, but also told her to stop by after a few days, now that you’ve come back here.’ Janine now looked at Astrid and with a slightly protruding lower lip she said, ‘You’re doing well, by the looks of it a handsome and very polite daughter, you look good yourself by the way. Nice long hair again with a lovely figure for a mother. You will be well in the market.’ 

‘Thank you, Janine, I’m not here hunting or vacationing, I’m coming back to live here. Now I’m looking for a house for us and I’m looking for work, if you know anything with hotels I’D love to hear from you.’ 

‘Mom, shouldn’t you be making coffee? To offer and not to give, is not nice.’

‘Little smart aleck, now go on with your coloring.’ Ivonne stood up.  

‘You two stay and chat, and I’ll make some coffee. What would you like to drink, Juliette?’ 

‘Tea, Grandma.’ 

‘Coming up, dear.’ 

‘Come and sit in the conservatory for a while, it’s lovely there.’ The faint sunshine still shone well into the conservatory through the windows, which had become quite dirty from the storm of the last few days. There were some leaves and thin branches from the trees further down the garden. On the terrace there were more wet leaves stuck to the table and chairs, which stood cozily in a shady part of the garden. 

‘Now I am curious. Tell me everything, where is your daughter’s father,’ Janine asked. 

‘I don’t know where her father is. I haven’t seen him for a very long time.’ 

‘How long ago? 

Astrid became silent. ‘What should I do, should I tell her? My big secret and the biggest secret from Juliette. 

‘Well ... ’  

‘Um ... ten years?’ 

‘What?’ 

‘Yes, I was pregnant at the time I went to France and I didn’t know it.’ 

‘No ... really, you don’t mean that?’ She was very surprised. 

‘You know how that works, there’s a seed that gets to an egg and it starts growing and so on.’ 

‘Yes, that’s right and I was just taking the pill.’

‘Do you know who the father is,’ Janine asked. 

‘Oh yes, during those last days here, I partied heavily. During those parties, I ran into one of Den Heyer’s boys. He had such a nice rough face, a tight belly with a pair of muscles that would blow you away. A six-pack to boot,’ she sighed. 

‘I mean, did you tell him or were you both so drunk that you hoped it was him?’ 

Startled, she replied. 

‘No, we weren’t that drunk and no, I didn’t tell him, why should I. I want nothing to do with him, he ran away at that party, remember? My life with Jules is good now. He‘D be a nuisance.’ 

‘Okay, calm down, how did you do it in France? Working with a fat belly, later raising a baby into a pretty girl?’ 

‘I’ll tell you, do you have a minute?’ 

‘Tomorrow morning I have free time and now is also possible, but I’m quite hungry now, do you want a pizza?’ After the pizza and the coke, Astrid started to tell that after those weeks of partying she hadn’t run into Fatty. She had previously applied for a job at a small hotel in the Beaujolais.  In her mind she went back to that time and said. 

‘An email had come in showing that they were keen to speak to me, via Skype, for the position of hotel manager. The first conversation via Skype was mainly about ambitions and apparently that struck a chord, because the next day they sent me an email if I could come over for a personal interview. I had to make a three-day reservation for this and eating and sleeping was not a problem. I had to buy a train ticket or fly, if that would be cheaper. If the interview went well for both parties I would get the amount of the ticket back. It took some time to figure out how the ride would go, Google was very patient and helped me get the right tickets.’ Astrid saw herself back in France. 

~~~

She arrived in the small town of Fleurie. She got off the train and looked around. She was standing on a small platform, the station had been there for at least three hundred years. It wasn’t, of course, but that’s how old it looked. You could almost smell the scent of all the steam trains. What a quiet and relaxed atmosphere prevailed in the small village. Outside on the square in front of the station three men were sitting on a bench under a shady tree talking about pétanque. With her phone in her hand, she walked across the square to the hotel, just outside the village. A short ten-minute walk, the screen indicated. Taking a deep breath, Astrid sniffed the scent and smelled wine. What a lovely air this is. Really something different from the sea air at home. The air was truly infused with wine. There were vineyards everywhere, sometimes with a wall around it. Much more often there was nothing at all. The road, a bit of grass and then the vineyard. Rows of grape vines, which had their branches wrapped around wires. About five large bunches of grapes hung from just one branch of a stick. Astrid paused for a moment and took in the hotel. The hotel was a well-kept stately large house. She walked a few steps toward the entrance. The breakfast room was downstairs and from there one had a nice view of the road and the farmlands behind it. A few feet away, on a weathered cabinet with a plastic sheet in front of it, were a number of photographs pasted. Four rooms were downstairs, with their own entrance outside under a shed roof. Another photo showed a hallway in front of the breakfast room with a staircase. A small card indicated that the owner Monique also lived there. There was a brass bell with a string attached, 3 X bells was written on the sign. Hard, Astrid pulled the string three times. She smiled from the loud sound that made her ears ring. She heard a lot of stumbling and the door opened with an icy fearful sound. A young woman not yet forty opened the door. 

‘Good day ma’am, I’m looking for Monique or is that you,’ she asked in her best French. The woman smiled warmly.  

‘Yes I am Monique. I think you are Astrid, is that right?’ Now it was Astrid’s turn to laugh broadly.  

‘Yes indeed, that’s me.’ 

‘Come in. How was your trip, pleasant and good connections?’ Full of her pleasant journey, she told of the cold coffee that was exchanged for a hot one a moment later, the nice boy who sat diagonally across from her but had to get out in Paris, and the smelly old lady who came to sit next to her afterwards. She smelled strongly of the smell of burned wood and garlic. Together they laughed about it. 

‘Hot coffee,’ she asked with a broad smile.  

‘Tell us a bit about yourself and girlfriends and of course boyfriends, also like to talk about your future plans.’ After the story about the girlfriends, boyfriends and other chatter they walked through the hotel. Monique showed the large kitchen.  

‘Look, equipped with all the quick conveniences like ovens, warming ovens and a professional dishwasher that does the dishes in three minutes,’ she told them as Monique opened and closed the doors one by one. Together they walked across the grounds. Behind the parking lot was another small house, and behind that was her small vineyard. Astrid thought the cottage was so picturesque, she slapped her hand in front of her mouth and stopped abruptly.  

‘What a nice house that is. So cute, do you rent it out?’ Monique shook her head.  

‘No, from mid-June to the end of August we live in the cottage ourselves, it’s not so noisy there. The tractors with their heavy dark sound can hardly be heard there, also it is a lot cooler there. On a completely different note, I’ve been thinking about a renovation for a while now. I want to buy a piece of land from the neighbors and put an extension of rooms on it. There’s room there for a swimming pool, which could have a roof over it in the winter. Next door, a small gym could be created. What do you think about that?’ Astrid looked at her and smiled. She walked into the garden, looked at the plot. She thought about it for a moment and then looked into the large flower-covered garden of the neighbors. On the other side ran a narrow country road to the back of the neighbor’s house and on to other vineyards. 

‘Why don’t you use that country road to go to the parking lot and use the current driveway to put a building against it? Then the hallways would be covered and it would be easier to put an extra floor on top. So that at least twelve more rooms can be built. The parking lot will then be preserved and a covered terrace will be added.’ Monique looked at her again, walked backwards and looked at what she meant. Monique turned to Astrid.  

‘When can you start,’ she asked.  

‘Basically right away, but I have to apply for the necessary work permits and then I have to find housing.’ 

‘No girl, you have the Dutch nationality. Then you can just work within the EU. You can live in the little house behind for the time being and if it clicks, we’ll make an arrangement. Well. Are you staying right?’ Astrid’s face got a smile from ear to ear and immediately the sun started shining over her hair.  Astrid took a good look at Monique, she liked her. She wasn’t much older than she was, maybe a nice friendship could grow out of it.  

‘I have clothes for five days with me, that is really too little. I would like to go home and say goodbye to my parents. They are the only family I have left.’ 

‘Fine, how long do you think it will take you in Holland to pack and come back here?’ 

‘I think a week.’ She pondered with a large frown across her forehead. 

‘I want to say goodbye to all my friends, I won’t be seeing them again for a while.’ 

‘No you don’t have to, they are just welcome in your little house. Come on, a glass of wine on the happy ending! Monique walked back towards the house and together they entered the wine cellar. Monique showed the cellar with the private wines and those for the hotel. There she took out a bottle of champagne from the pupitre. Arriving upstairs, she grabbed two glasses. With a soft plop she opened the bottle and poured the glasses full. 

‘Cheers, Astrid.’ They looked at each other, a new friendship was born.  

‘To a fine and long-lasting partnership.’ They sounded together on the future. The two glasses tapped softly against each other, a high-pitched tone confirming their light kiss. 

~~~

‘Yes, I remember it well, you only came back after a week. You were completely smitten with that hotel and that woman. You didn’t want to have a farewell party. Your mother organized that, a little against your wishes.’ Astrid was deep in thought and went back in time. 

~~~

She walked into her little house, looked around, turned twice and sat down on the sofa. She called her parents first and told them that the owner wanted her to stay right away. Her mother was shocked, ‘No Astrid, you’re coming home for a while.’

‘Of course mom, what do you think. I’ll stay here for a few more days, then I’ll come and pick up my clothes and any other things. I guess I’ll have to rent a van then to take some of my stuff. Will you come along right then, to see how I’m going to fit in and to get to know Monique? I think she’s a really nice person,’ Astrid commented.  

‘That’s fine, dear, we’ll take you. See you in a few days.’ 

‘Bye mom, big kiss for you and dad.’ With moist eyes, she put down the phone. She sighed deeply and wiped her eyes. She walked through the house and saw that there were two bedrooms, a large bathroom with a shower and toilet. There was a spacious kitchen with all the appliances in it. At the back of the garden was an outdoor clay oven. In front of it was a garden furniture made of scaffolding wood. A big bench, three big chairs and a table with two holes in it for the umbrellas. Astrid walked around and thought that she could manage quite well here, with a few adjustments here and there. Those old paintings to the attic, the one granny chair out. She wanted the rocking chair from the barn. The house phone rang. Surprised, she answered it. ‘This is Astrid.’ 

‘Hi with me, are you coming here for dinner and some wine is due,’ she heard Monique say through the phone. She had to think for a moment.

‘Well, please, I’m coming.’ Late that night she did not walk in a straight line to her new cottage and to her bed. The next day she was at the hotel by 7:30.  

‘Good of you to be so early, now we can do breakfast together.’ The phone was ringing by now.  

‘With Hotel Fleurie, you are speaking with Monique.’ While she continued with the telephone conversation, Astrid finished setting the tables. There were only eight guests present she had read, so she only had to set four tables for two. She picked up the stack of plates that were still waiting on one table. On each table she placed two plates, on another table there was a cloth lying wrong, wrinkled and all. She wiped the table with her hands for a moment. Thus, the rug lay nicely again.  

‘You’ve seen that, Astrid,’ Monique said with admiration in her voice. Immediately she thought that Astrid would make a good successor to her. After breakfast Monique told about the reservation system, which was the heart of the company. Within three days the reservation system had no more secrets for her and after another two days to get to know the back end of the system, she made a few changes on the last day. When she explained this to Monique, the latter was again pleasantly surprised that she had figured out the system so quickly and had made the improvements. The different colors for the double and triple rooms were indeed easier to see now. 

~~~

‘I can still remember the trip back very well. The whole trip I made notes, what I wanted to know more about or what I would change if I were in charge.’ 

‘Mummy, will you read me a story later,’ asked little Juliette.  

‘No, dear, you may read Mama a story now in Dutch, do it about Lamp and the sea monsters at the lighthouse.’ 

‘Oh, nice, that one is very exciting huh.’ 

‘First brush your teeth, say hello to Janine and then I’ll go upstairs with you, okay?’ Juliette nodded, hopping upstairs. 

‘That’s a sweet kid, Astrid, you did a good job.’ 

‘I’m going home. Are you going shopping with me tomorrow afternoon? I desperately need some new clothes, only those closets have become too small for my clothes.’ 

‘I’ll ask my mother to look after Jules. Where and what time?’ 

‘Around half past twelve, if you get off the streetcar in front of the town hall then, I’ll meet you there. Good?’ 

‘Top, I’ll be there.’ She hugged Janine, together they walked to the door. Hugged each other one more time.  

‘Bye, see you tomorrow.’ Astrid ran up two steps at a time to her eye candy. 

‘I’m here, where are we in the story,’ she asked Juliette. 

‘Mom, you know best, Lamp has to go upstairs to light the lighthouse and it’s storming.’ 

‘Oh yes, what happens then, read aloud.’ Juliette began to read the story aloud. For her age she could read well and she liked it. In France she often went to the library to get both French and Dutch books, her mother wanted her to speak the two languages well. Always useful she thought. 

The chapter was out, she had to go to sleep. 

‘Dors bien, maman.’ Astrid replied with: ‘Toi aussi, chérie’, gave her a kiss, cut out the lamp and closed the door softly. 

She had another glass of red wine with her mother, they talked about this and that until her mother started talking about Dick. 

‘Have you heard anything from Dick recently or in recent years,’ she asked. 

‘No, nothing. Why would that be necessary,’ Astrid asked in amazement. 

‘Well, before you left, you were hopelessly in love with him and you left quite suddenly for France.’ 

‘Yes, and... Is that a reason to keep in touch? I haven’t heard from him again, why should I?’ 

‘Maybe because of Juliette?" She suggested. 

‘What do you mean by that, Mom?’ 

‘Well nothing, just a feeling.’ 

‘Mom, not for one thing or another, I saw other guys after that and I was just on the pill, until about three years ago. François left and I stopped. Now there are no men in my life for a while. Most men want a woman without a child and not with a child. I have it really good with Juliette now. She’s a wonderfully fresh and nicely headstrong child.’ 

‘Yes, she is. She’s a darling, I’m glad she’s here now.  

‘Oh, then you won’t mind looking after her tomorrow, I’m going into town around twelve to buy some clothes with Janine.’ That was fine with her mother, she loved being alone with the little girl. Chatting about all sorts of things together. 

She got out of the streetcar and looked directly at Janine. Astrid walked up to Janine and gave her a warm hug. 

‘Come, we’ll have lunch first, I’m hungry.’ Janine put an arm through hers and more or less pulled her along to a nice restaurant in one of the small streets nearby.  

‘I know a nice and quite good little restaurant, come on.’ 

‘It’s called My First Love, really something for you.’ She smiled at that and little laugh lines appeared around her eyes. The menu the two friends were reading looked neat and the prices were on the reasonable side by Dutch standards. Compared to France, it was too expensive. 

‘Do you know what you want yet?’ 

‘No, I’m thinking of a salad, I always like that and it’s healthy food.’ 

‘Yes, if that helps,’ Janine said. Astrid looked around and saw that a girl was already walking towards them. 

‘Good afternoon ladies, what can I help you with,’ asked the girl who carried a card with the name Marije. 

‘Good afternoon Marije, we are just looking at what we want to eat. Is that okay? 

‘Of course ma’am, I’ll be back