An ordinary Saturday
About love and survival

It is an ordinary Saturday in April of the year 1949 when Vera de Jager has a horrific accident. She is thirty-four years old, married to Johan and mother of Bas (7) and Eline (5). In the prologue of the book this day is described from the perspective of the five-year-old Eline. After that we go back to the year 1915 when Vera is born and follow her in the context of her family and circumstances of that time. Notwithstanding several setbacks Vera grows up to be an independent and enterprising young woman, who wants to escape the narrow mindedness of her youth and she climbs the social ladder with courage and perseverance. After the accident her life is totally disrupted and she has to give meaning and content to it again from an total different perspective.

Lia Vogel, finally saw fulfilled her long-cherished wish to write a book about her admirable mother. The story is written in the style of a novel, with that she could afford some liberties in the context. All the names in the book are fictitious. She describes in a powerful way life in the last century, in the so called “Hogeland” of Groningen, the very northern part of the Netherlands. She pays attention at the class distinction between the rich farm owners and their workers, the doctrines of the church in that time and its influence that had on people. Lia worked as an arts and crafts teacher for several years and started later in life her study Pedagogy at the University of Leiden. After finalizing her Doctoral studies, she did scientific research about the pedagogical values in education and worked in youth-policy and youth-care. The concept of Parentification, in with children assume the welfare of their parents, was often recognizable. Lia has successfully completed the “Writers Academy” in 2021.

From a loud sound of the clock in the living room Vera startles awake. ‘What time is it? Oh no, already eight thirty?’ With some difficulty she gets upright and feels with her hand the water in the bowl next to her bed. It is still lukewarm. The house is silent, the kids are apparently already off to school. Strange that they didn’t say goodbye. She falls back on to the pillow, closes her eyes and goes back to her awful dream she just awoke from. Deeper and deeper she felt into an ominous emptiness, there was nothing to hold on to, blind panic, deafening noise and all-consuming pain. She takes a deep breath. She has to calm down a little the day has to begin yet. She dips the washcloth in the lukewarm water and washes her face and upper body. At nine thirty Maartje will be here, then she has to be in the living room. The leg prothesis are standing ready next to the bed. Her clothes also. Luckily Johan didn’t forget it this morning before he went to work. She puts on her dress over her head and fetches the arm protheses, quickly she fastens it. The terrible dream is still with her, her head feels heavy with an upcoming headache. With a lot of effort she gets into her leg prostheses. Now standing up, that’s the most difficult part. She takes a deep breath and with all her strength she stands up, catches the edge of the washstand for more support and to get over de dead center. Every day it is a tour de force. In the mirror above the washstand, she sees the drips of sweat appear on her forehead. She reaches for her elbow cane and put the arm prostheses in it, now the other cane for her good arm. She stretches her back to get ready for the first step. One foot forward, rest, and then the other. In the kitchen everything from the breakfast is still on the table, chairs hastily pushed aside. Through the half open curtains a diffuse light falls in. It’s chilly the stove is not burning at this time of the year. The radio plays soft music, on the counter lays an enormous amount of dried soup vegetables waiting for her.