Chapter 10

“Do you know what I feel like doing today?” Liza turns over in bed and looks at Leonora. She bursts out laughing when she sees her sleepy face peeking over the duvet.

“What are you talking about?” Leonora mumbles sheepishly, letting out a long yawn.

“I feel like going skating behind the city hall in the market square today,” Liza reveals her plan.

“Skating? How did you even come up with that?” Leonora asks, sounding annoyed. “I don’t even have skates with me.”

“That’s no problem at all,” Liza reassures her. “You can rent some.”

Leonora grumbles and turns over again. Liza is fully awake now, especially when she sees the first light of day creeping in through a gap in the curtains. She glances at the clock—almost half past eight. Perfect. A long, wonderful day ahead. She gets out of bed and gets dressed. By the light of the lamp above the mirror, she brushes her long blonde hair. Her light brown eyes look back, fresh and bright. In the mirror, she can see Leonora lying on the sofa bed. She doesn’t make any move to get out of bed yet. That’s fine, Liza thinks; someone is surely downstairs to have breakfast with.

Indeed, when she walks into the living room, she sees Aunt Liesbeth at the table with a magazine. She holds a cup of tea, and in front of her is a cracker with cumin cheese on a small plate.

“Good morning,” she greets Liza, glancing up from her magazine.

“Good morning,” Liza replies, sitting opposite her. Outside, a few boys pass the window, and a firecracker suddenly explodes.

“Not this again,” Aunt Liesbeth mutters. “I really don’t need all these fireworks; it makes such a mess in the streets.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Liza agrees, “but boys just love doing it.”

“Are you setting off fireworks for New Year’s?” Aunt asks.

“Pierre always goes to the market to watch the Chinese fireworks. I don’t really care, but maybe this year I’ll go with Leonora.”

Aunt Liesbeth frowns. “I don’t like it at all,” she says.

Liza quickly changes the subject. “Are you coming skating at the market rink today?”

“Skating? Me?” Aunt asks, surprised. “It’s been ages. We always ski; I think I’ve forgotten how to skate.”

“It’s been a year for me, too; I’ll probably need to get used to it again. Can Leonora and Tim skate?”

Aunt shrugs thoughtfully. “Leonora’s tried it once or twice, but Tim? I don’t think he ever has.”

When Tim stomps downstairs in his pajamas and hears about the plan, he’s immediately excited.

“I’m going to learn it,” he says firmly to his mother, who reminds him he’s never skated before.

She shrugs. “Fine by me.”

“You can have a chair to hold on to,” Liza offers.

“I’m no wimp,” he says.

Liza smiles teasingly. Leonora also wants to go skating, and after lunch, the five of them head to the market, armed with hats and gloves. Uncle Sander will take photos, and Aunt Liesbeth will cheer them on. Mom and Dad are working at the church and can’t come.

In the tent behind the town hall, where everyone puts on their skates, there is a cheerful bustle. The floor glistens with wet tracks from shoes and skates, full of ice grit and melting water. The air smells of damp coats and the sweet scent of hot chocolate.

At the counter, Uncle Sander buys tickets and rents bright orange skates for Tim and Leonora.

“What a color!” Leonora exclaims. “Is that to prevent theft? Who would come to a natural ice rink wearing these?”

Liza laughs. She hadn’t thought about why the skates were so flashy—maybe Leonora is right. Liza has brought her own skates.

“There’s a spot free,” Uncle Sander says, pointing to a bench that clears just as a young family wobbles on their skates toward the rink.

Tim is the first to lace up and stride toward the ice.

“I’ll go ahead, slowpokes!” he calls to the girls. Leonora can’t resist sticking out her tongue.

“Just wait, little man,” she shoots back. “I’ll beat you in no time.”

Soon, Liza and Leonora join him. The rink is busy, and they have to be careful not to fall immediately. Liza skated last year and quickly finds her rhythm, while Leonora takes a bit longer.

“I think the last time you skated on a school trip at the artificial rink was five years ago, wasn’t it?” Aunt asks Leonora. Even so, Leonora soon catches on.

The air fills with cheerful chatter and the scraping sound of skates on ice. Children zoom by, some unsure, others surprisingly fast. One child slips and lands with a thump on their backside, but bravely gets up and keeps going.

Along the edge, Uncle Sander tirelessly circles the rink, trying to capture the speedy kids on camera.

“How many photos have you taken now?” Aunt asks as he returns.

“I don’t know, dear. Doesn’t matter. If it’s no good, I delete it,” he says, clicking away to capture Tim and Liza.

“Go for it, Tim!” he cheers. “Go for it, girls!”

“Are you not cold?” Liza asks after skating several laps.

“Not exactly warm,” Aunt shivers.

“You could warm up in the koek-en-zopie⁽¹⁾ tent,” Liza suggests, pointing to a large tent at the rink’s end. Smoke curls from the roof, and inside, tables and chairs await.

“Good idea, kid,” Uncle says, taking Aunt by the arm. “We’ll see you soon,” he calls to the girls.

“He probably thinks we’re cold too,” Leonora says.

“Well, I’m sweating buckets,” Liza replies.

“Great,” Tim says, bumping into Leonora.

“It’s not great that you bumped me!” she grumbles.

“But sweating buckets is great!” Tim fires back.

“Buckets to your head!” Leonora calls after him.

Liza watches their playful fight and decides to skate on. Then she notices an orange hat moving along the rink’s outer edge. She feels shy. Would he see her? He suddenly turns and looks straight at her. She slows and glides toward him. He climbs the snowbank around the rink and rests his arms on the edge.

“You okay?” he asks kindly. Liza smiles and nods shyly.

“Show me some of your skating,” he says.

“No way,” she replies, startled. The thought of him watching her skate makes her nervous.

“Are you coming to skate too?” he asks. She doubts he will. Antonio’s deep blue eyes meet hers, making her even more bashful. Silly to ask; he has no money, and she doesn’t have enough to pay for him.

Slowly, a smile appears on his face. “I’ll skate with you sometime. But not during the day with all the little ones around. No, we’ll go at night. That’s romantic.” He winks and turns, leaving Liza flustered.

She watches him walk up with a bent figure in a shabby coat and floppy hat. She knows the homeless man. He used to shout and curse, but she hasn’t seen him do that lately. Maybe he’s just glad someone talks to him. Liza sees Antonio take something from his pocket and give it to the homeless man, who immediately bites into it. Why would Antonio share his food? He looks pale and thin himself. Liza doesn’t understand, but deep down she feels proud of him.

Her guilt surges again; here she is having fun while so many in the city are cold and hungry. She skates on slowly. At the rink entrance, she sees Leonora.

“My heels are full of blisters,” Leonora complains. “I’m quitting.” Liza doesn’t mind. The fun has faded. Why does she always encounter homeless people? Why does she care so much but feel powerless to help? She wishes she had money, but she depends on others. Then a small voice whispers: Instead of money, you can give your time. Time? How?

In the changing tent, they take off their skates. Leonora struggles to put her shoes back on her painful feet.

“You’ll need to put bandages on your heels at home,” Liza suggests. They hand in their skates and head off to find Tim on the rink.

“Tim!” Leonora calls when they spot him skating past. “We’re going for hot chocolate with Mom and Dad in the tent on the other side of the rink.”

“I’m staying!” he shouts back. “I don’t want to stop yet.”

“Don’t you have blisters?” Leonora asks again.

“Oh, I probably do, but I just don’t notice,” he laughs.

“You’re just like a real Dutch boy,” Liza comments. “They never give up, right?”

Tim looks proud and skates off again. Slowly, the girls make their way to the refreshment tent.

“It’s a good thing Gerard didn’t see you like this,” Liza remarks, nodding at Leonora’s feet.

“Maybe it would have been good,” Leonora says, her eyes twinkling. “Then I could’ve leaned on his arm.”

Liza marvels at how love, or maybe a crush, can transform a person, even Leonora, who was so grumpy before meeting Gerard.

They look around, searching as they enter the rather dim tent. Leonora’s parents sit at a table in the middle. Uncle Sander chats with two men seated there, their backs to the girls, so Liza can’t see their faces. Aunt Liesbeth fiddles with her coffee cup, but she starts waving excitedly when she sees the two girls.

Only when they are right beside the table does Liza see who else is there. It’s Antonio and his homeless friend. Antonio looks up as the girls stand next to the table.

“Hey!” he says, smiling broadly. He stands and pulls two chairs from another table into the circle.

“Do you know each other?” Uncle Sander asks Antonio.

“We know each other by sight,” Liza hurries to explain.

Uncle Sander studies her thoughtfully. “Looks like skating has given you a bit of a flush,” he finally says.

Liza uses the opportunity to glance at Leonora, who reports on her blisters to her mother.

“Shall I get some hot chocolate for you?” Uncle asks the girls. “Anyone want coffee?”

Aunt shakes her head. “I’ve had enough.”

He turns to the two homeless men. “You guys? I’ll pay,” he adds.

Antonio declines politely, but his homeless friend would still like some hot chocolate. “That’ll keep me going for a while,” he says.

Soon, Uncle Sander returns with a full tray. He sets hot chocolate in front of the girls and gives the men generously filled buns; Antonio’s friend also gets cocoa.

“Mind if I save this for a bit?” Antonio asks Uncle Sander.

“Sure,” he says. “You know when you’ll need it most.”

Antonio carefully slips a sandwich into a plastic bag from his pocket. His friend munches happily. Liza notices Aunt Liesbeth grimace, while Uncle Sander watches with a smile.

Suddenly, Liza understands where Tim’s caring nature comes from; she recalls the moment when he gave Antonio a piece of the almond letter.

“On Christmas Day, we can eat well too,” Antonio says to his friend.

“Oh yeah? Where?” he asks, crumbs clinging to his messy beard, his eyes attentive.

“Four o’clock at the drop-in centre on the Gouwe. Don’t forget,” Antonio warns.

His friend nods enthusiastically. Then Antonio looks at Liza in a way that makes her immediately understand what he means: the invitation he gave his friend is meant for her too. She is surprised to find an answer to her question about how she could spend her free time helping others. She’s sure a few extra volunteers will be more than welcome.

Uncle Sander talks a bit more with Antonio’s friend. Liza notices Aunt Liesbeth forcing a conversation with Leonora.

Liza looks at Antonio and whispers almost inaudibly: “Okay.”

“Don’t forget, alright?” he murmurs. She smiles gently and stirs her hot chocolate.

The two homeless men stand, thanking them again for all the food.

“I’ll manage for a while now,” Antonio’s friend says once more, rubbing his belly. His long grey coat hangs loosely around his body, and his hair is unkempt, falling to his shoulders. Antonio puts his orange hat back on, bows slightly, and greets everyone before they slowly leave the tent.

“Ugh,” Aunt Liesbeth says, “they looked awful.”

“Luckily, we could give them some food,” Uncle Sander replies.

“Lucky, you call that? My afternoon didn’t go the way I wanted it to.” She glares ahead, pouting.

Leonora remains silent, glancing around at the other tables, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. Perhaps she hopes Gerard is somewhere here, too.

“But,” Uncle Sander continues, “it’s much better to give these people food than money. Money can only be spent on the wrong things: drugs or alcohol.”

“Just what I needed, giving your hard-earned money to those people,” Aunt Liesbeth grumbles. Liza watches her in growing astonishment.

“Look, I can understand that old, sick people living on the streets can’t function normally in society anymore. But these young, healthy men wandering around? I don’t get it. There’s plenty of work! They should get to it.”

Liza lowers her head, stirring the last of her cocoa.

“They’re probably addicted,” Aunt continues her tirade. “They looked so pale. You’d better watch that you don’t get too chummy with them,” she warns Uncle Sander. “Before you know it, you’ve lost your wallet. These people know exactly where you keep your money.”

Uncle Sander says nothing. A silence falls. In that moment, Liza catches his eye. He gives her a discreet wink. She feels tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

Soon, the girls finish their cocoa, and they all rise to walk home.

“I’m embarrassed by my mom,” Leonora murmurs. “I didn’t know she could be so hateful.”

“Don’t take it to heart. Maybe she had unpleasant experiences with homeless people before,” Liza reassures her. They walk on slowly.

“Shopping isn’t much fun with blisters,” Leonora sighs. “Next week, then.”

“I’m surprised Tim is still skating,” Uncle Sander says. They pause by the rink to watch Tim glide effortlessly across the ice.

“He learned that fast,” Aunt Liesbeth says proudly, apparently forgetting that her afternoon went wrong.

Dusk falls, and the store lights glow softly into the market square. The stained-glass lamp shades on the lanterns cast a warm yellow light. Tim’s skating time is up, and a few moments later, he’s sitting on the wooden benches in the tent, taking off his skates.

“No blisters?” Leonora asks.

“Blisters? That’s for wimps,” he says.

“Here’s a poke from a wimp,” his sister adds immediately, nudging his arm.

“Hey!” he says in surprise, then starts laughing mischievously. “You got blisters? Lucky you.” But as he struggles to put on his shoes, he realizes he has some discomfort too.

“I can handle it,” he says bravely, but walks carefully over the cobblestones toward home.

At home, Uncle Sander throws a log on the fireplace, which soon burns brightly. When Mom and Dad arrive, Tim excitedly recounts their skating adventures.

“Dinner will be easy tonight; we need to be at the concert in the church,” Mom says. “I’ll make fries in the shed. Who’ll help?”

Tim eagerly volunteers, and Liza sets the table. Aunt Liesbeth tends to Leonora’s blisters.

“Tim, shall I put some bandages on your heels?” Aunt calls from the back door toward the shed. Tim pokes his head out and shakes it vigorously.

“We got free tickets for everyone for tonight,” Dad says. “Three men’s choirs will perform, with 450 singers in total. What do you think?”

Uncle Sander and Aunt Liesbeth are enthusiastic, and Liza and Leonora are eager too. Tim seizes every opportunity to stay up late, and by around half past seven, they cross the street and enter the church.

On Dad’s advice, they dress warmly; the areas of the nave with no draft are already taken by family and friends of the choir members. In the other parts of the church, you can feel the wind brushing against your ears.

Liza immerses herself in the evening. When all the men’s voices join in together, the sound rolls through the church like a warm wave. Goosebumps run down her back. The song “For unto us a Child is born” touches her deeply;

“Unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace.”

It sounds magnificent, but during the songs ‘O, how shall I receive Thee, and how shall I meet Thee?’ and later, ‘Once again He shall appear as Judge of the universe,’ Liza’s thoughts start to wander again.

She reflects on her life. Is this how she should live? What does she mean to others? How would she be judged if it were her turn, if the King of the Universe returned? She can’t figure it out, and her heart sighs: Lord, show me how to live.

After the concert, she shuffles with the crowd toward the exit, greeting a few familiar faces. The door barely stays open against the gusty wind, and stray snowflakes drift in.

At home, the adults have a glass of wine, and the youngsters a glass of fruit juice. Mom prepares some toasts topped with brie and smoked salmon. She also sets a few chocolate Christmas bells on the table, which Tim immediately digs into. He immediately gets a scolding from Aunt Liesbeth and is sent off to bed shortly after, under the pretext that he won’t get enough sleep. Liza notices him sneaking a cracker with salmon in the kitchen. As he passes the living room on his way to the stairs, Liza raises her eyebrows and gives him a mock reproachful look. Quickly, he puts a finger to his lips, and she can’t help but laugh. Cheeky little rascal, she thinks.

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(1) Here is a fun article about a koek-en-zopie recipe:

https://dutchreview.com/culture/food/discovering-festive-dutch-food-koek-zopie/