40

The other day my Big Sister (BS) Pauline and her husband Arie celebrated their 40th anniversary. I feel partly responsible for this, as Arie was my highschool friend since we were 13, and I was the one who dragged my sister to his birthday party (1975?), where the spark was ignited. See, he lived 8km away and that was a long bike ride, so I needed company. Or was it fate?

So I was best man at their wedding, and present at the birth of one of their kids.

In any case, their 5 children produced a movie about (the origins of) their relationship, masterminded by my creative stepdaughter Lizette. It featured Super-8 footage from way back when, and interviews with some 25 people. It was shown as a gala-premiere in a private setting in Dordrecht – hence the outfits – followed by drinks. What a wonderful surprise for them (we managed to keep it a secret).

I think saying “here’s to the next 40 years” would be a bit much, but “onwards to 50” would certainly do.