“Be careful!” I shouted after her. What a nice woman to be to meet.
Jeroen and I chatted for a while and left for home. He put me at home.
“That Linda, is that a lesbian?” he asked.
“Jeroen, you and I are gay, she is a lesbian, that's totally okay! I said.”,
“Yes, yes, that's true,” he said. Indeed!
We gave each other a kiss and he continued on to his home.
After a few hours of sleep, I had only just crawled out of bed and already received a phone call. It was Sunday morning –who calls so early? It was Erik.
“Hey Luc, can you come to the café?”
“Oops, what happened?” I asked.
“I'll tell you when you get here, on the phone that's a bit difficult."
Panic. Fear. I hurried to Erik. Jeroen was already there, together with other friends. Erik's mom and sister were also there. What the hell was going on? The café is never open on Sundays during the day, always only from 5 p.m., why was everyone here, so early?
Jeroen came to me and grabbed me. A big hug. I didn't understand what was going on. Everyone looked so dejected and serious. What had happened? Who is dead?
Jeroen started to speak. “Linda died in an accident this morning.” My ears started buzzing. I had difficulty swallowing.
“Where?” I croaked.
“On the way from here to Genk,” said Erik.
“Her love called this one morning".
I sat down. Someone had put a chair behind me.
Erik said:
“Luc, you're the last person she ever talked to has".
I didn't know where to look. Tears welled up in my eyes. I felt terrible. I walked out of the place. Linda, dead – Roel, dead – I kept walking. My feet moved around, my thoughts stayed in circles. Linda, dead – I just met them – I felt so bad – why – what do you mean – such deep sadness about someone you just met, that's not possible – but I do feel it– what should I do, how could this happen – what must feel her friend – Linda, dead – Roel, dead –
Eventually I got back to Erik. Everyone was still there, and more. We started talking. Chatting, mourning, hugging, crying. We were sad to each other. Erik came to me at some point.
“Say Luc, can I give your number to Linda's partner? I have tell her how Linda and you chatted and laughed so much, how well you two got along… Can she have your number? Maybe she wants to chat with you about Linda”.
Of course she could have my number. Naturally.
Linda's funeral would take place in Oudenburg, near her parental home.
Ultimately, we boarded a bus with the café and left for Ostend with fifty people, to pay Linda a last respect, a last token of love. We arrived much too late due to delays on the highway - there had been a serious accident, again so much sadness - There had been no one at the church for a long time. There they told us that the family and all the rest had long left for the cemetery - okay, we rushed there. We arrived and saw a group of people – yes, that must be the family. They just walked right past us. Not even a nod. Huh, what? We searched and found her grave. Linda's partner and some friends were still there.
“Are you Luc?” asked Linda's love. I nodded.
We hugged, she thanked me and the whole group for to come. She also told us that Linda, and she as a partner, was not accepted by Linda's family. The family shouldn't have known anything more about Linda – but they had to bury her, that was their duty, so they had done so. Reluctantly. Linda, rejected, exiled, buried with a measly wreath on the sandhill under which she lay - because she loved women, and not men. Linda herself had also talked about the difficulties with her family - but this really didn't make me feel good. Saying goodbye to your own daughter with such disrespect – because she is a lesbian – I thought it was terrible. I grabbed Linda's friend. With the whole group and Linda's partner we started to say goodbye to her together, as she deserved. With love and with sadness, even though we had only
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