My Story 22

Truus in the meantime had been in a very uncomfortable position. She was almost 20 years old and ready to leave the nest. The nest was dominated by the step-mother bird who showed little sympahty for the children of her new spouse. The situation was more like a pressure cooker then a nest. Truus needed some one to talk to, and she did discuss her situation with her sister Co.

That talk with my dad prepared me for a new direction, would God help Truus also? As far as we can tell about the same time Dad talked to me, Truus was talking to her sister Co, about "praying for a husband". Here are some of Truus' diary entries:

Truus writes:

* For me to talk with someone about boyfriends and husbands, felt good. Co is so much older than me, 15 years as a matter of fact.When it was time for me to go back Co said: “Truus we have been talking about boys, you don’t need an other boyfriend, you need a husband and that is what we, you and I, are going to pray for".

Dec 30, 1959, 1:45 PM

* YES !!, Would you believe I met somebody I never talked about in my diary? He is actually a youth friend of Bertha and Kees. His name is Theo de Cock. He left Holland about three years ago to live in Canada. He came to Holland for the Christmas Season for about 14 days.

This was actually quite strange. I heard the doorbell go twice and by that I knew somebody came to visit the people upstairs.(I lived upstairs, but worked for a business downstairs) . But for some reason I thought:"Who might that be?" and I felt compelled to go and have a look. Our eyes met. The first thing he said was: “What ben jij mooi geworden!” “Have you ever become beautiful!” I could not help but thinking this guy has stolen my heart, he is IT! Why I thought that I don’t know, my heart just flipped on the inside. He told me that he would be in church next Sunday to meet everybody else.

Sunday January 3, 1960

* After church we, Bertha, Bouwe (my sister and her husband) and Theo and I, were talking. He was continually staring at me and said several times,"She sure has become beautiful!" I am just so nervous. He is such a nice guy I am so sorry that he is going away again. In church, while everybody was standing around him Bertha asked: “Theo would you like to come to our place an evening this week, may be Friday?” He answered: “I am rather busy!” Then Bertha said: “Truus might be coming as well if she is not busy.” Then he checked his little notebook, in which I guess he kept all his appointments and said: “Yes I guess I could swing that.” So that means I’ll be seeing him for sure. Good for Bertha that she asked him! I had told her how much I liked him and she had suggested to me that she would try to invite him over.

....to be continued.