[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Best Selling Book Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_direction=”90deg” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(148,166,191,0.34) 40%|rgba(7,59,122,0.4) 40%” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(148,166,191,0.34)” background_color_gradient_start_position=”40%” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(7,59,122,0.4)” background_color_gradient_end_position=”0%” background_enable_image=”off” background_blend=”multiply” min_height=”1001.3px” custom_padding=”100px|0|18px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/omslag-de-verdwenene-kaart.png” title_text=”omslag de verdwenene kaart” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.16″ animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” animation_intensity_slide=”5%” animation_starting_opacity=”100%” border_radii=”on|6px|6px|6px|6px” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ box_shadow_vertical=”35px” box_shadow_blur=”70px” box_shadow_spread=”-35px” box_shadow_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.6)” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”70px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Nunito|600|||||||” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Abhaya Libre|700|||||||” header_font_size=”70px” header_line_height=”1.2em” header_4_font=”Nunito|700||on|||||” header_4_text_color=”#bda392″ header_4_letter_spacing=”2px” header_4_line_height=”1.8em” min_height=”100px” custom_margin=”-71px||-25px|||” custom_padding=”||0px|||” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” animation_intensity_slide=”5%” animation_starting_opacity=”100%” header_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_font_size_phone=”” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Nunito||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_font=”||||||||” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” animation_intensity_slide=”5%” animation_starting_opacity=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Awkwardly, they had shaken hands in the airport, Simon and his nephew. An insecure adolescent with overly long arms and an incipient beard. His distraught mother had suddenly called and urged her brother, who had emigrated to Canada, to take him in “for a while. Simon’s muttered “Let him come” soon proved a mistake. <\/span> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/libris.nl\/boek\/?authortitle=lot-vekemans\/de-verdwenene–9789059369412″ url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Order this book (in Dutch) – \u20ac 22,99″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”14px” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_bg_color=”#94a6bf” button_border_width=”8px” button_border_color=”#94a6bf” button_letter_spacing=”2px” button_font=”Nunito|700||on|||||” button_use_icon=”off” custom_margin=”30px|||” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” animation_intensity_slide=”5%” animation_starting_opacity=”100%” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”0px” box_shadow_vertical=”25px” box_shadow_blur=”45px” box_shadow_color=”rgba(148,166,191,0.25)” global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”listen to an excerpt (in Dutch)” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”A||divi||400″ icon_color=”#7a7a7a” icon_alignment=”right” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_align=”right” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_audio audio=”https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Simon-neemt-afscheid-van-zijn-vader.wav” title=”The Disappeared” artist_name=”Lot Vekemans” album_name=”audio clip (Dutch)” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#7a7a7a” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”105.8px” custom_margin=”51px|||||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Open Sans|700||||on|||” text_text_color=”#474747″ text_font_size=”30px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Respons<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#ffffff” min_height=”462px” custom_margin=”-48px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Atti ” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#f4f4f4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n What a book! I have read it yesterday in one go! Impressive, those short sentences in between with such a huge impact, explaining and setting so much in motion, with enough room for your own interpretation and experience. Chapeau!!! Striking characters, exciting and empathetic. Congratulations on such a wonderful creation!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_testimonial author=”Bookstore \u2018t Spui – Vlissingen” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Well, one book that we are definitely going to buy liberally is the one I just read, “The Disappeared” by Lot Vekemans. A book I read in one go because of the fine suspense arc and the smooth pen Vekemans uses. Because of the way she gives an insight into the dark rooms of the human soul.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_testimonial author=”Fons Plukker – Bookstore Maximus – Hilligersberg” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n A very strong story!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_testimonial author=”Katja de Bruijn in the VPRO tv-guide” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n IRONCLAD FAMILY DRAMA<\/strong><\/p>\n In The Disappeared <\/em>Lot Vekemans stirs up relations in a few strokes. This can’t go well, and it doesn’t. Simon gets it tough with a festering wound, an intrusive stranger and that annoying nephew. Playwright Vekemans excels in dialogues and knows what to leave out. What remains is a rock-solid family drama that is both thrilling and moving. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_testimonial author=”Judth Eiselin in newspaper NRC ****” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n NO READER, I AM NOT OFFERING YOU CATHARSIS!<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks to the compelling perspective in this novel, which offers powerful dialogues from characters who barely get to know each other, you start to think things are normal that aren’t.(…) Vekemans is, even in her prose, a clever and skillful author. Especially the seemingly vacuous dialogues are loaded with tension. (…) In The disappeared<\/em>, the question of to whom the title refers becomes more and more pressing. The novel is full of clever reflections. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Sabine ” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n It is rare that I read a book that I want to read as slowly as possible, to enjoy it for as long as possible. The book takes you on a journey through beautiful landscapes in overwhelming nature, but its strength lies in mining the inner landscapes of the main characters. In sometimes very short dialogues, which seem seemingly simple and read away easily, there is also an invitation to connect with the truth within yourself. The cleverness of her writing is that you feel the meaning of what is left out, of what is not named or said. Therein, for me, lies her mastery. Unfortunately, I finished “The Disappeared” far too soon. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_testimonial author=”Mayana ” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I started reading it when, like the main character Simon, I was injured in my leg. The apt words, the evocative language hit me right in those aspects of myself that appeared to have “disappeared” and wanted to be acknowledged. The book moved me by its language and I was completely immersed in the story. I don’t know what it is, nor do I care. At certain sentences, tears sprang to my eyes. Even when I read them for the third time. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_testimonial author=”Ine” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n What a book! I was carried away, moved, touched. Not a sentence too many, positively unflinching and all-important. Almost unimaginable and therefore on a meta-level disarmingly powerful and recognizable. I did want to read slower because it would take longer but yes failed. Chapeau. Superb! <\/span> <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_testimonial author=”Monique Stoel – Bilthovense Bookstore” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n A great book!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_testimonial author=”Sonja de Jong in newspaper het Noord Hollands Dagblad ****” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n ‘Hope for nothing, then nothing can go wrong’. That has been for many years the life motto of Simon, the protagonist of Lot Vekemans’s The Disappeared<\/em>. With beautiful circumlocutions and flawless precision, Vekemans sketches the introverted lonely near-fifty-year-old. (…) Vekemans lets you crawl deep into the head of the stolid Simon with beautiful sentences like ‘the revulsion against his own sour words had made him a silent man.’ <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/paper.jpg” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Nunito|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#474747″ text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”||||||||” header_font_size=”80px” header_2_font=”Abhaya Libre|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”60px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” header_4_font=”Nunito|700||on|||||” header_4_text_color=”#bda392″ header_4_letter_spacing=”2px” header_4_line_height=”1.8em” header_6_font=”Nunito|600|||||||” header_6_text_color=”#666666″ header_6_font_size=”18px” header_6_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”||40px|” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”right” animation_intensity_slide=”5%” animation_starting_opacity=”100%” header_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_font_size_phone=”” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n novel<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” width=”100%” module_alignment=”left” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/strong> \n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Georgia||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” width=”100%” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”1053.2px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n De jongen zat in de aankomsthal op de grond op hem te wachten en leunde nonchalant achterover tegen zijn rugzak. Hij droeg een afritsbare wandelbroek en een felgroene sweater met capuchon, die ver over zijn hoofd was getrokken. Met een baardje van twee weken oogde hij beslist ouder dan zestien jaar. \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/www.lotvekemans\/Boeken” button_text=”Other books” button_alignment=”left” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”14px” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_bg_color=”#94a6bf” button_border_width=”8px” button_border_color=”#94a6bf” button_letter_spacing=”2px” button_font=”Nunito|700||on|||||” button_use_icon=”off” custom_margin=”|||” custom_margin_tablet=”|||” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” animation_style=”fade” animation_direction=”left” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”0px” box_shadow_vertical=”25px” box_shadow_blur=”45px” box_shadow_color=”rgba(148,166,191,0.25)” global_colors_info=”{}” 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admin_label=”My Books Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ min_height=”55px” custom_margin=”||-4px|||” custom_padding=”100px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Footer Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(148,166,191,0.34)” custom_padding=”100px||100px|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#474747″ custom_margin=”-10%|||” custom_padding=”70px|3%|70px|3%” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”0px” box_shadow_vertical=”35px” box_shadow_blur=”65px” box_shadow_color=”rgba(188,163,146,0.1)” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb title=”Invite the author” url=”mailto:contact@lotvekemans.nl” 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[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb title=”Contact Publisher” url=”mailto:info@cossee.com” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”||divi||400″ icon_color=”#ffffff” image_icon_background_color=”rgba(189,173,160,0)” image_icon_width=”32px” admin_label=”Contact Author” _builder_version=”4.16″ header_font=”Abhaya Libre|700|||||||” header_text_color=”#ffffff” header_font_size=”24px” header_line_height=”1.2em” body_font=”Nunito||||||||” body_text_color=”#ffffff” body_font_size=”18px” image_icon_custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|false|false” text_orientation=”center” border_radii_image=”on|100%|100%|100%|100%” border_width_all_image=”3px” border_color_all_image=”#ffffff” icon_font_size=”32px” use_circle=”on” use_circle_border=”on” circle_border_color=”#ffffff” circle_color=”rgba(189,173,160,0)” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” image_icon_background_color__sticky_enabled=”#2ea3f2″ image_icon_background_color__sticky=”#2ea3f2″]<\/p>\n info@cossee.com<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”40px|0px|40px|0px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_social_media_follow _builder_version=”4.16″ text_orientation=”center” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”top” animation_intensity_slide=”10%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”facebook” url=”https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lot.vekemans” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(7,59,122,0.4)” background_enable_color=”on” custom_margin=”4px|4px|4px|4px” custom_padding=”8px|8px|8px|8px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]facebook[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”instagram” url=”https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lotvekemans\/” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”rgba(7,59,122,0.4)” background_enable_color=”on” transform_scale=”150%|150%” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]instagram[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”twitter” url=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/LotVekemans” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(7,59,122,0.4)” background_enable_color=”on” custom_margin=”4px|4px|4px|4px” custom_padding=”8px|8px|8px|8px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]twitter[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][\/et_pb_social_media_follow][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Disappeared NovelAwkwardly, they had shaken hands in the airport, Simon and his nephew. An insecure adolescent with overly long arms and an incipient beard. His distraught mother had suddenly called and urged her brother, who had emigrated to Canada, to take him in “for a while. Simon’s muttered “Let him come” soon proved a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-225727","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225727"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225727"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225732,"href":"https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/225727\/revisions\/225732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lotvekemans.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Simon has lost his cherished independence and is bothered by the boy, who prefers to watch TV, order pizza and whine that he wants to go to the Rocky Mountains. In a fit of indulgence, Simon gives in: a day out, then. <\/span>
In a grill restaurant, they meet two enthusiastic mountain hikers: father and son. They take the boy for a day hike, while Simon stays behind in the picturesque mountain town. The three return from the hike with great stories. Not only that: they have a taste for it and want to go further into the mountains. Dinner ends in a high-spirited argument and humiliation for Simon. The next morning, the Rocky trio is without a trace, having checked out without leaving a message. <\/span><\/p>\nAvailable in Dutch and German<\/h4>\n
The Disappeared<\/span><\/h2>\n
Excerpt (in Dutch)<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
Proloog<\/span><\/h3>\n
Achteraf bleek zijn voorgevoel over de jongen te kloppen. Vanaf het moment dat Simon hem zag in de aankomsthal van het vliegveld van Calgary, wist hij dat het geen goed idee was geweest. De jongen hier, bij hem. Natuurlijk kon hij toen niet vermoeden wat zijn komst teweeg zou brengen. Had hij het geweten, dan had hij hem met de eerste vlucht terug naar huis gestuurd. Terug naar Nederland, het land dat hij bijna vijfentwintig jaar geleden had verlaten met het voornemen er nooit meer naar terug te keren.
Zijn zus had gedacht dat het een goed idee was als haar oudste zoon een paar weken, een paar maanden, god weet hoe lang, bij hem zou zijn. Omdat hij \u2018de weg kwijt was\u2019. Ze had het met een radeloze snik in haar stem gezegd. Zo\u2019n snik waar hij gevoelig voor was. In werkelijkheid bedoelde ze natuurlijk dat ze geen benul had wat ze met haar oudste zoon aan moest en was het meer haar eigen falen dat ze niet meer kon verdragen dan het falen van de jongen.
Simon was niet enthousiast geweest. Hij had niet gezegd: \u2018Laat hem maar komen. We zien wel wat ervan komt.\u2019 Dat laatste misschien, dat laatste had hij misschien gemompeld. \u2018We zien wel wat ervan komt\u2019 en toen \u2018Laat hem maar komen.\u2019 Een fout die zijn leven op zijn kop zette. <\/p>\nDeel 1<\/h3>\n
Toen hij dichterbij kwam, zag hij dat de jongen bergschoenen droeg. Hij zuchtte. Hij had zijn zus heel duidelijk gemaakt dat ze niet in de bergen zaten. Dit was Calgary. Een stad met meer dan een miljoen inwoners, waar mannen in pak en vrouwen op hakken de dienst uitmaakten. Een stad gebouwd op olie- en gasinkomsten, met een centrum dat was volgebouwd met torenhoge kantoren die elk streepje zonlicht weerhielden de straat te bereiken. Hier liep geen mens op bergschoenen, behalve zij die op de heen- of terugweg waren van de Rockies. Hij behoorde niet tot die groep en had zijn zus duidelijk laten weten dat hij niet van plan was met de jongen die kant op te gaan. Hij had het niet eens gekund trouwens, met dat zieke been van hem, maar de ernst ervan had hij voor zijn zus verzwegen. Al maanden had hij een wond op zijn scheenbeen die maar moeizaam heelde en hij kon nauwelijks meer dan tien minuten achter elkaar lopen.
De jongen stak een hand op toen hij hem zag en kwam overeind. Hij gooide zijn rugzak over zijn schouders en pakte een kleinere rugtas en een gele see-buy-fly-tas van de grond.
\u2018Hallo,\u2019 zei hij, toen hij voor Simon stond. Ze gaven elkaar geen hand.
\u2018Heb je een goede vlucht gehad?\u2019 vroeg Simon. De jongen knikte. Ze stonden onwennig tegenover elkaar.
\u2018Nou, dan gaan we maar,\u2019 zei Simon. Hij liep voor de jongen uit richting de parkeerplaats en deed zijn best om het hupje waarmee hij zijn linkerbeen ontlastte, zo goed mogelijk te verbergen. Zijn auto, een oude Honda, stond ingeklemd tussen een Jeep en een Landrover. Simon opende de achterklep en met een zwiep gooide de jongen zijn tassen in de kofferbak. Alleen de gele see-buy-fly-tas hield hij bij zich.
\u2018Is die voor mij?\u2019 vroeg Simon.
\u2018Als je aardig voor me bent,\u2019 zei de jongen.
\u2018Dat kan dan nog een probleem worden.\u2019
De jongen grinnikte alsof hij een grap had gemaakt.
Zwijgend reden ze over de buitenring naar de zuidzijde van de stad, waar hij een appartement had in een klein flatgebouw. Het lag op de kruising van twee uitvalswegen. Als je het raam in de woonkamer opendeed, hoorde je de hele dag het geraas van verkeer dat zich de stad in of uit bewoog. Het maakte hem niet uit. Het was zijn eerste eigen flat, waar niemand hem kon verdrijven. Na meer dan tien verhuizingen in twintig jaar tijd was dat de grootste buit in zijn leven. <\/p>\n