After dancing a few more songs together, Huib started the song that Lisa had played a few times on her violin: Life of a stranger, sung by Nadia. He had not consulted her, wanted to surprise her.

Lisa had only danced with Sjaak so far, and now was still standing in his embrace, whispering with him, waiting for the next song.

The music began, at first she only recognized it as something familiar, but was not consciously aware of it, did not wonder what song it was. Until she heard the words... then it shocked her.

Abruptly she looked at Sjaak and whispered, "That's that song I played on my violin."

Sjaak listened deliberately for a moment, recognized it too and nodded. Moved, they danced on.

.

“Life of a stranger”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ok4PKdqTT8

.

You saved my heart          
You don't even know me             
You saved my dream                    
You heard me scream       

.          

Whoa

.

My lost soul was saved by a stranger
Who saved my life
You saved my life

.

Why did you do it
What made you stop and turn around
Do you even know the reason
Why you had to help me out

.

Just when I knew it
It was my time to sink or swim
You came along and pulled me out
Of all the trouble I was in

.

Why did you do it
Why did you risk your life for mine
Would I have done the same for you
Would I have saved you just in time

.

Until then, while tears flowed silently down her cheeks, Lisa had danced quietly along with Sjaak, but now something seemed to awaken in her and in a clear voice she started to sing along, looking at Sjaak.

.

You saved my heart
You don't even know me
You saved my dream
You heard me scream

.

Ooh

.

You saved my soul
Love that you have shown me
You saved my life
You saved my life

.

Where did you come from
How did you know I was alone
That I never stood a chance
To find a way out on my own

.

You sent a message
That I was hanging by a thread
By this very time tomorrow
They will leave me here for dead

.

Why did you do it
Why did you risk your life for mine
Would I have done the same for you
Would I have saved you just in time

.

Lisa knew the song well, which became apparent when the singer continued a tone higher and Lisa effortlessly joined her in doing so.

.

You saved my heart
You don't even know me
You saved my dream
You heard me scream

.

Whoa

.

My lost soul was saved by a stranger
Who saved my life
You saved my life

.

Saved my life
(Saved my life)
Saved my heart
(Saved my heart, and you don't even know me)

.

Ooh

.

Saved my soul
(Saved my soul)
Saved my dream
(Saved my dream)
Saved my life

.

Ooh

.

Her singing had moved Sjaak from the first words, but when she sang the last words, "Saved my life", so passionately along, he could no longer hold back his tears. They streamed down his face as well, while Lisa sang on.

.

You saved my heart
(Saved my heart)
You don't even know me
(You don't know)
You saved my dream
(Saved my dream)
You heard me scream

.

Whoa

.

My lost soul
(My lost soul)
Was saved by a stranger
(Saved by love)
Who saved my life
(Saved my life)
You saved my life

.
You saved my heart
(Saved my heart)
You don't even know me
(You don't know)
You saved my dream
(Saved my dream)
You heard me scream

.
Whoa

.
My lost soul
(My lost soul)
Was saved by a stranger
(Saved my life)
Who saved my life
(Saved my life)
You saved my life

.

The dancers around them were all, every one of them, touched by the words, and especially by the way Lisa sang them, so straight from her heart to Sjaak. For a moment this was no longer a normal dance night for everyone, this was just Sjaak and Lisa's.

When the song ended and the musicians finished their postlude, Lisa discovered that everyone around them had stopped dancing and was looking at them. Whoever she was looking at, she saw tears, heard sniffing and snorting, saw people searching for their handkerchiefs, saw Annerieke with a box of tissues silently pass by the people who did not have a handkerchief with them. There was noisily blowing noses, and Sjaak desperately joined in. He did not manage to stop his dripping nose, however, because his tears were still flowing.

"Lisa, my sweetheart," he sniffed in her ear, "you have touched me so, so incredibly deeply. Your pain, your wonder, your questions in that song... I love you so much, that's the only reason. I belong to you, you belong to me, and to no one else, that's why I couldn't do anything else, wouldn't do anything else, but save you from his clutches. I didn't experience it that way myself, saving you, but I understand that this song does sing what's in you. I am so happy for you... and look around you, how your singing has touched everyone. You sang your heart out, and it touched all of us Lisa. Do you know how special you are? How strong you are? That fire in you, it came out Liesel, when you sang, unbelievable! Shall we sit down for a moment or would you rather continue dancing?"

"I would like to stay in your embrace, to stand quietly against you, with you, my safe love..."

Sjaak pulled her back into his arms and with a nod he gave Huib a sign that he could safely move on to the next song. Huib quickly flipped two songs, saving the busier one for later. It was obvious that everyone needed some rest to let all the emotions be and eventually settle down again.

.

After the last song, the guests went to see Lisa. Some thanked her, she had touched them so much. Others encouraged her, saying that they saw that she had found the right man. A few let be known that they had felt what had pretty much happened to Lisa, that she had not been safe and that Sjaak had offered her safety and love.

Margreet, as the last one, asked her: "Lisa, do you know that desire in yourself that other people also become free and get healed, that they become who they already are deep in their soul? Do you have a desire to help people go through their process?"

Lisa thought for a moment, the question was new to her. "I haven't really thought about it that way before, but I have felt a desire for women to be safe, to not have to go through the same misery I've been in. And now that you ask... yes, I've been in that prostitution misery, got stuck there and got even more wounded than I already was. Other women, and men too, are stuck in other things, get wounded by that. Yes, I feel that somewhere there is my desire, to help broken people to heal. I just wouldn't know how I could do that."

"Well, in your singing, in the way you did it, you touched us all tremendously deeply today. You did it from your heart, from the depths of your soul, from your own experience, your pain and especially your joy for Sjaak's love for you. And because you sang in that way, not just superficially like ‘oh, a familiar song’, you touched us. You were a healer tonight in your singing. And Huib has told me more about being a healer, but we can talk about that some other time."

"You mean about burning, about radiating power and light and stuff?" asked Sjaak.

"Yes, that! Just by being, Lisa, you do that too, I'm sure, maybe only to a slight degree now, but in the future, as you continue to heal, it will become stronger and stronger. I feel it regularly in my legs, a kind of strange tingling. And sometimes a stab in my head or in my side. Tonight, when you sang, my legs were almost literally on fire." Margreet chuckled, "I think you and I have been working together unconsciously, you singing, me radiating. Yeah! I have radiant legs!" Margreet laughed jolly and danced around.

"That's what I always thought, that you had radiant legs," Huib interjected. "You are a radiant woman with radiant legs!" He hugged her, lifted her up and laughing spun her around.

To chapter 139. Simon tells Annerieke about his past

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