Mum made a special effort with those early visits of our new uncle, in decorating an attractive table at lunchtime.
Her best damask tablecloth in soft pink or warm yellow was the base for the massive Wellner silver cutlery nicely polished next to the creamy earthenware plates from the well-known Regout in Maastricht.
Fresh ham and smoked beef were laid out on the oval table and of course the Gouda cheese protected by a bell-shaped glass cover was not forgotten. A fresh cooked egg in a white earthenware eggcup, set at the top of the plate.
It was a pretty view, a sight that we had not seen for a long time. The tall chairs covered in brownish purple ‘velvet’ were still empty awaiting this special guest.
Not that we were so keen to occupy them, that ticklish irritating seat cover gave an itchy feel on our bare skin and our legs were always dangling off the floor.
On Saturday afternoons our new Dad-to-be took me to choral practice at Toonkunst on Jansbinnensingel.
The choir was under the direction of maestro Brandts Buijs, an old grumpy man with a large drooping moustache. The upstairs location was filled to the rafters with the sound of the Matthew Passion, broken up by the admonishing voice of the hard to please conductor.
It was not an easy introduction for an introvert boy and after the Easter performance we never went back. It became now obvious that changes were occurring in our household.
A friar Clement visited us at a regular basis, to introduce ‘Uncle Jan’, a Baptist, to the Catholic faith, much against his inner conviction as we came to understand later. However the poor man had not much of a choice, pressured by Marie already 2 months pregnant and the church laws and views on marital affairs. Wednesday April 10, 1940 Marie and Jan married before the altar in a simple ceremony. The bride wore a dark blue two-piece suit, dark and light blue being Mum’s favourite colour. The reception was held at home