Willem escaped death
The autumn dragged on and there was little communication between Willem and me. Sometimes we called each other, but that was not enough for me. One day in November I called him and asked him to come over for some days and so he did.
The day he was expected to be in Vienna I got a call late at night. He told: "Piet Burger and I have had a very bad accident. After driving on smaller streets in the snow around Passau, we speeded up on the highway from Linz to Vienna because the road seemed clean. At some point the car started to slide and Piet couldn´t control the car anymore. Hitting something the car turned over on its roof and came to a stop at the side of the road. The car was total loss and had to be towed away. We are now in a police station in Linz because tomorrow we have also to go to a law suit."
Without money they arrived later the next day in Vienna. In the trial the judge fined Piet because as it was said "he had endangered Willems´s life". They had to pay a lot but fortunately they were alive and even not wounded. It could have been much worse.
When Willem and I embraced each other we felt very close again and left the shock of the accident behind us.
The day he was expected to be in Vienna I got a call late at night. He told: "Piet Burger and I have had a very bad accident. After driving on smaller streets in the snow around Passau, we speeded up on the highway from Linz to Vienna because the road seemed clean. At some point the car started to slide and Piet couldn´t control the car anymore. Hitting something the car turned over on its roof and came to a stop at the side of the road. The car was total loss and had to be towed away. We are now in a police station in Linz because tomorrow we have also to go to a law suit."
Without money they arrived later the next day in Vienna. In the trial the judge fined Piet because as it was said "he had endangered Willems´s life". They had to pay a lot but fortunately they were alive and even not wounded. It could have been much worse.
When Willem and I embraced each other we felt very close again and left the shock of the accident behind us.
My grandma recommended me to mary Piet
Fortunately, my grandmother allowed one boy to stay in our apartment. She seemed to be very attracted by Willem´s friend, Piet, and asked me in the kitchen: ”Why don´t you take this one? He is so handsome with his dark eyes and hair!” “Granny, my friend is Willem”, I insisted. Mohammed, a Syrian student who had stayed once in the house of Willem´s parents was so kind to take care of Piet. I also had borrowed in the last minute money from friends to pay for their stay. We enjoyed again the Viennese wine cellars and we looked forward to my stay in Brussels which began in January. We decided that Willem would find a hotel in Brussels and await me at the railway station. For their travel back to the Netherlands I only had left 10 Euros for each of them. As they hitchhiked, it turned out to be enough to arrive safely at home.
Fortunately, my grandmother allowed one boy to stay in our apartment. She seemed to be very attracted by Willem´s friend, Piet, and asked me in the kitchen: ”Why don´t you take this one? He is so handsome with his dark eyes and hair!” “Granny, my friend is Willem”, I insisted. Mohammed, a Syrian student who had stayed once in the house of Willem´s parents was so kind to take care of Piet. I also had borrowed in the last minute money from friends to pay for their stay. We enjoyed again the Viennese wine cellars and we looked forward to my stay in Brussels which began in January. We decided that Willem would find a hotel in Brussels and await me at the railway station. For their travel back to the Netherlands I only had left 10 Euros for each of them. As they hitchhiked, it turned out to be enough to arrive safely at home.
First days in Brussels
Our reunion at the railroad station was exuberant. Finally, we had the occasion to see each other more frequently the next six months. Brussels and Utrecht were not too far away. While we were looking for a room for me, we stayed in a student hotel. At first it came as a shock for us that 80% or more of students were black coming from the Belgium colonies, especialy the Congo. This was the first time we were in a majority black community. Staying in the hotel we started to discover the city. The Grand Market with a pub in Burgundian style was our favourite.
After a few days in the hotel I found a room in the area of St. Giles with a French landlady. Although I presented Willem as my fiancé, she did not allow him to stay with me there. “I have nothing against you both”, she stated. “But at the second floor I rent the room to a hairdresser.” Her face became full of disgust. “He is gay!...If I would allow you to stay here overnight…”she pointed to Willem,” I would get all the hairdresser´s friends in my house!”
Our reunion at the railroad station was exuberant. Finally, we had the occasion to see each other more frequently the next six months. Brussels and Utrecht were not too far away. While we were looking for a room for me, we stayed in a student hotel. At first it came as a shock for us that 80% or more of students were black coming from the Belgium colonies, especialy the Congo. This was the first time we were in a majority black community. Staying in the hotel we started to discover the city. The Grand Market with a pub in Burgundian style was our favourite.
After a few days in the hotel I found a room in the area of St. Giles with a French landlady. Although I presented Willem as my fiancé, she did not allow him to stay with me there. “I have nothing against you both”, she stated. “But at the second floor I rent the room to a hairdresser.” Her face became full of disgust. “He is gay!...If I would allow you to stay here overnight…”she pointed to Willem,” I would get all the hairdresser´s friends in my house!”
Studying at the National Archive
The topic of my thesis was a European peace treaty between the French king and the emperor Charles V., who fought cruel wars in order to dominate Europe. When they both were almost bankrupt in 1529, Margret of Austria, the aunt of the emperor and Louise of Savoy, the mother of the French king, succeeded to make a peace treaty. In the archive in Brussels there were piles of documents related to this treaty. In the beginning I had great trouble to decipher the 16th century middle French handwriting. But carrying on, I got accustomed to it and took notes of hundreds of documents. It was a lonely life being only surrounded by documents.
The topic of my thesis was a European peace treaty between the French king and the emperor Charles V., who fought cruel wars in order to dominate Europe. When they both were almost bankrupt in 1529, Margret of Austria, the aunt of the emperor and Louise of Savoy, the mother of the French king, succeeded to make a peace treaty. In the archive in Brussels there were piles of documents related to this treaty. In the beginning I had great trouble to decipher the 16th century middle French handwriting. But carrying on, I got accustomed to it and took notes of hundreds of documents. It was a lonely life being only surrounded by documents.
Relationship with Willem
We decided that if Willem visited me, he would sleep in my room. To avoid discussions with the landlady we went every night out after 10 p.m. and came back late (when she slept) and we went in silence. Once we also broke a vase going up. Fortunately Willem was already in the room when the landlady came and I apologized for the mistake.
In Brussels I often felt very alone. Therefore I also stayed sometimes with Willem in Utrecht. When we were together life was very nice. We got the idea that we complemented each other well. But we needed one year more to finish our studies. So we decided that I would apply for a new grant for Brussels under the pretext that I needed to study more documents. As we did not want to be separated anymore for a long time, I would stay with Willem in Utrecht and write there my dissertation, going only once a month to Brussel to collect the grant. Because we lived already together we wanted to marry soon. This required the support of our parents and so we decided to have a meeting at my parents´ home in Austria. For support we also asked the parents of Willem to come with us.
We decided that if Willem visited me, he would sleep in my room. To avoid discussions with the landlady we went every night out after 10 p.m. and came back late (when she slept) and we went in silence. Once we also broke a vase going up. Fortunately Willem was already in the room when the landlady came and I apologized for the mistake.
In Brussels I often felt very alone. Therefore I also stayed sometimes with Willem in Utrecht. When we were together life was very nice. We got the idea that we complemented each other well. But we needed one year more to finish our studies. So we decided that I would apply for a new grant for Brussels under the pretext that I needed to study more documents. As we did not want to be separated anymore for a long time, I would stay with Willem in Utrecht and write there my dissertation, going only once a month to Brussel to collect the grant. Because we lived already together we wanted to marry soon. This required the support of our parents and so we decided to have a meeting at my parents´ home in Austria. For support we also asked the parents of Willem to come with us.
The meeting in Austria
It was middle of July with a lot of sunshine when Willem, I and his parents arrived in Styria. After some polite talks we went to the dinner table to speak about our marriage and to discuss the further steps. In private my mother had told me: “What a handsome young man did you choose!” I thought that she might be happy to get rid of me finally. Then I told them, that my dissertation would be finished before next summer so that I could start with the required exams. But not all the exams could be done before the summer vacation, although we wanted to marry next summer. At this moment Ottie lost completely her composure and shouted:” Without the doctor´s degree no marriage will take place!” For a moment there was a big silence. Now Willem intervened: ”You really don´t know your daughter!” Ottie looked at him astonished. Now Willem raised his voice: ”Irmtraud worked very hard to obtain all kinds of grants. She has a scientific interest and therefore she certainly will finish her work!”
I tried to get a reaction of my father, but as always, he avoided conflicts and said that I should do what my mother said. Willem´s parents did not say a word. When I made the bed for my future parents in law, Willem´s father looked at me with great empathy and said: “My dear, Thea and I had the same problem. Also we had to accept it.”
So we went back to Utrecht finishing our studies before marrying and accepting our defeat.
It was middle of July with a lot of sunshine when Willem, I and his parents arrived in Styria. After some polite talks we went to the dinner table to speak about our marriage and to discuss the further steps. In private my mother had told me: “What a handsome young man did you choose!” I thought that she might be happy to get rid of me finally. Then I told them, that my dissertation would be finished before next summer so that I could start with the required exams. But not all the exams could be done before the summer vacation, although we wanted to marry next summer. At this moment Ottie lost completely her composure and shouted:” Without the doctor´s degree no marriage will take place!” For a moment there was a big silence. Now Willem intervened: ”You really don´t know your daughter!” Ottie looked at him astonished. Now Willem raised his voice: ”Irmtraud worked very hard to obtain all kinds of grants. She has a scientific interest and therefore she certainly will finish her work!”
I tried to get a reaction of my father, but as always, he avoided conflicts and said that I should do what my mother said. Willem´s parents did not say a word. When I made the bed for my future parents in law, Willem´s father looked at me with great empathy and said: “My dear, Thea and I had the same problem. Also we had to accept it.”
So we went back to Utrecht finishing our studies before marrying and accepting our defeat.