"That tasted delicious again, Annerieke!" Margreet sighed. "And I just want to say that I always enjoy helping you in the afternoon. You are so patient to teach me everything."

"I'm not aware of me teaching you anything, you actually do that yourself," Annerieke responded smiling. "We just work together. But you're like a sponge that wants to know everything, learn everything. So by doing what you do and observing me, you educate yourself."

Margreet smiled and nodded in sign that she understood, recognized. It amazed her that Annerieke never seemed to regard her as excess ballast, as a nuisance because she had to take care of her. She rather seemed to enjoy it when she was there. Wonderful! Deep inside Margreet felt herself becoming happy, she felt how warmth flowed through her belly. Was this love? Love from Annerieke for her? She felt that her heart also started to flow for Annerieke.

She had already gotten up to start cleaning up in the dining room, but halfway on her way to the kitchen door she turned around, and wrapped her arms around Annerieke.

"Thank you Annerieke, you make me so happy!" As tears began to roll down her cheeks, she continued, stuttering, "I... I don't know... I don't know how to say this... but you... you are so much better than my mother, so different... it touched me... every time... and now, now it just overwhelms me!"

Annerieke pulled Margreet close to her for a moment. She said nothing, but looked over Margreets head for a moment at Huib. She saw that he, like herself, had tears in his eyes. They both made no effort to hide that from each other. She gave him a wink, causing a tear to roll down her cheek, and he nodded at her with a big smile. It was good like that, it was good!

"Thank you, girl, that's the biggest compliment I've gotten today! I'd like to hold you for another hour, but unfortunately we have to move on..."

Margreet laughed, dried her tears and looked at her: "Yes, we have to, let's go clean up."

.

Everything was back in its place in the kitchen, all clean. Annerieke and Margreet went to work in the kitchen preparing tasty appetizers. Annerieke had made some sort of truffles as an extra.

"Actually, chocolate belongs to a dance night, it enhances the atmosphere, don't you think?" asked Annerieke.

Margreet grinned: "I think chocolate goes with everything. I love it! They turned out beautifully, they could have come from a patisserie."

Annerieke looked at them with a tilted head: "Yes, they are the darlings of the day!"

They both burst into laughter, which triggered something in Margreet that made her unable to stop laughing. She laughed her head off and ignited Annerieke with her cheerfulness. They both dropped down on a chair and laughed until tears streamed down their cheeks.

The kitchen door opened a little. Huib stuck his head around the corner, with big questioning eyes. "Are you girls all right?"

Their laughing fit, which had just begun to calm down a bit, started again from the beginning. Huib shook his head, laughing, and went back to the dining room, which had already turned quite a bit into a dance hall. The guests had all retreated to the living room or their bedrooms. Only Anton was still there. Huib told him about his plan for tonight, his plan regarding that one song.

"No problem," Anton thought, "nice plan dude, I'm going to help you! I'll keep an eye on you a bit. When you think the song has been repeated often enough, you just give me a hint."

Margreet and Annerieke came in with the snacks and started catering, as they jokingly called it.

"Hey Margreet, are you putting on that beautiful flaming dress again tonight?" Anton asked her.

"Don't you think it's too flashy?"

"No, not at all! Do you know that you lit up the ladies on fire last week? Usually they don't bother to look special, but Emma had decided this time to make some work of it this week, too! Emma even ignited Greet with her enthusiasm. Greet, who was not there last week. They went to the village together so they could get dressed in new clothes! Greet was a bit unsure about it at first, wondered if it wasn't a bit excessive, after all they were only on holiday... but her husband Mark had encouraged her, he had said something like that a beautiful woman should be allowed to wear a beautiful dress at the dance evening and that she should just go along with Emma to pick out something beautiful. So... you have caused something wonderful with your fiery dress, young lady!"

Margreet grew happier and happier as Anton told her this. "Do you really think so?"

"Definitely Margreet," Huib responded, "please put it back on, make yourself the most beautiful!"

Margreet was beaming, so happy that she had caused something so special with her dress, which had been so detested by her mother.

"All right, gentlemen, it will be done at your word!" she jested and disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving both men roaring with laughter.

.

This time the dance evening began with a lot of praise to the ladies. Margreet feasted her eyes, Emma and Greet had bought really nice dresses. Like her own dress, their new dresses also had flared skirts. Emma had chosen a floral pattern, flowers in cheerful colors. Greet had been grateful to find a dress with vertical squiggly stripes. "Thanks to those vertical stripes I don't look as fat as with other patterns," she had confided to Emma in the store. That comment had surprised Emma, but she had wisely kept quiet about Greets size. Greet was voluptuous in a beautiful way. Emma didn't see the problem, but understood that it was an issue for Greet. "You look beautiful, without question!" she had encouraged Greet, as Greet had stood swirling in front of the mirror.

And now they were entering the dance hall together.

Joke came in as well. She had put on her most beautiful dress. She had not found it necessary to buy a new dress herself, for she had brought some nice ones from home.

While Henk was loudly complimenting Emma and Greet on their new dresses, Lisa stood there a bit lost. Margreet went over to her.

"Hey, Lisa! What a nice skirt you have on, that color, exactly that same beautiful bright blue as the blue of your eyes! Are you looking forward to tonight?"

Lisa sighed deeply before answering, "I’m looking forward to it, yes, but I find it hard too. I feel a little awkward with dancing, but Henk thinks I shouldn't do so silly. I don't feel as free as those women over there. By the way, you didn't participate in dancing last week. Don't you like it?"

Margreet felt a deep pain, Lisa's pain, but for the moment she didn't know how to respond to it.

"I had never danced before, I was never allowed to by my parents, and because of that I found it scary. When you all went upstairs afterwards, Huib did dance with me, and that was special, at that moment I didn't find it scary anymore."

And suddenly she could relate to what Lisa had shared from her own feelings. "I've always felt awkward too, Lisa. I was stiff according to the teacher at school, and I was shy and insecure. What you said, that you shouldn't do so silly, I heard that so many times too. Don't whine, don't postpone, don't cry and a lot of other things like that I got at my head. Not from a partner, but especially from my mother. So I do feel how you feel about it. By the way, I saw you participate last week and it didn't look awkward. Somehow you had managed to follow, I think. Oh look, Huib is getting ready to start. Lisa, I hope you enjoy tonight!" The young women hugged each other for a moment, and Lisa whispered in her ear, "Thank you, I feel a lot better already!" They smiled at each other and released each other again.

To chapter 35. The dance night begins with lots of fun

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