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The phone clicks off. I know that word will spread quickly now that Dan knows, and likely it means Elise will hear about it soon. It almost makes me wonder if my parents or my sister herself will even reach out at all once they hear about it. Part of me hopes that they do, and there’s another part of me that hopes they just… don’t.
Roxanne goes forward to search for her mother and sister as we stand close to the exit of the Louvre, and I take a chance to call Oma quickly. After all, she’s the only supportive memberof my family. When she answers the phone, it’s almost funny to hear what she has to say. “Ah, Andries. I’m assuming you’re calling me to let me know you’re an engaged man?”
My eyes widen in surprise. How the hell did she know? “You must be psychic, Oma. I have no idea how you do it.”
She laughs heartily in my ear. “Oh well, it’s just putting the pieces together.” She pauses for a beat, considering me. “Do you want me to tell your parents, or are you going to do that?”
It’s a difficult question, to be honest. Since I’m over the moon with happiness, I want to share it with the world, but instead I say, “I’ll do it myself… when I feel it’s the right time.”
“Alright, my dear, I promise I’ll make sure I won’t ‘spill the beans,’ as they say.” I truly hope so.
I see Roxanne has spotted her mother and sister, so I tell her I need to go. Her congratulations is her signing off. And I know she means it, truly.
When Yao and Lili walk up to me, their hands filled with souvenir bags, they start gushing about the paintings they were able to see. I frown, exchanging a quick glance with Roxanne, but I notice her hand had been hidden behind her back all this time.
As they show us what they brought from the souvenir store, Roxanne says, “I actually also have a souvenir of my own.” She reveals her left hand, the ring on her finger gleaming, and immediately her sister squeals loudly and throws her arms around her. Yao looks at me and smiles, then walks forward to hug me.
“My new son. And what a wonderful son you will be,” she says it into my ear causing me to glow with pride. Being accepted by my future mother-in-law is something I never could have expected when I met her back in that hospital room so many months ago. Lili gives me a hard hug as well and then grabs hersister, the three of them walking in front of me as they start to chatter away about a possible wedding scenario.
What is the future is going to bring us? There’s no way of knowing for sure, but as long as I’m with her, that is absolutely fine with me.
43
Amsterdam, April 18, 2022
Dan
She’s gonna kill me.I can already feel the anger pouring out of her skin as she storms into the tea room of the Astoria Hotel and races in my direction, her purse firmly pressed against her shoulder.
“So?” she asks without wasting any second, lowering herself into a chair in front of me. “Do you have any news?” Her big amber eyes blink a few times, staring right at me.
I cringe internally in anticipation to what is yet to come, but I try to hide it by rising my teacup until it meets my lips and I give a gulp. “I do.”
“And?” she presses on, her tone filled with anticipation. Andries is my best friend and the fact he got engaged in Paris makes me want to cheer with his sister, but alas, I know all too well that Elise isn’t gonna like the news one bit. I take another sip of my tea, heaving a long sigh as I ponder the best approach. “They are having a great time in Paris.” I give her an awkward smile.
“Dan,” she scolds just as fast, her body leaning forward and her forearms resting on the table. “Did he propose?”Always so straight-froward…“Yes or no?”
She might be younger than her brother, but Elise—unlike him—is not naive and is much less of a romantic.
I give her two nods of the head, my gaze dropping to my cup of tea.
“Fuck,” she grits between clenched teeth as she leans back on the chair. “We have to stop this madness.” A gush of air bursts from her lungs as she processes the news. “He’s screwing himself over. Dad’s gonna be furious.”
I hum at her vaguely, before blurting a quiet, “Andries seems happy though.”
“Happy?” Elise repeats with shock in her eyes as she leans forward again. “He’s being eaten alive by a professional liar! I don’t trust that womanat all.” Her index finger even taps on the table as to mark her last words. “How can you side with him on this?”
The thing is, I’m not siding with anyone. I enjoy playing in both teams to keep a good relationship with both, and it helps to create a bridge between Andries and his family.
“What do you suggest we do?” I ask, intrigued, as I take the pot and fill her cup with some blooming tea. “Roxanne sold her agency, they are now living under the same roof, and they just got engaged.” I pause for a beat, observing the frustration building in her accelerated breath. “Life goes on, Elise.” I shrug.
“This is so fucked up,” she snaps, head shaking in dismissal.
“Hey.” I lay my hand on hers for a second, bringing her attention back to me. “Now that Andries is pursuing life on his own and without his family’s support, your dad will have no choice but to rely on you to continue the legacy of the family business.”
She huffs, rolling her eyes before she focuses again on me. “Who knows….” There’s a trace of disappointment in her tone that squeezes my heart. “Maybe he wants to give another promotion to that Karl once he leaves prison.”
“I don’t think so,” I tell her sincerely. “Karl is good at sales but he isn’t family.” Seeing the annoyance in her gaze, I add, “Let’s be honest here, who’s doing an internship at Van Den Bosch Industries?”
