Two weeks after I came home, I went to the airport to collect Robert. I was a bit apprehensive wondering if he'd really come.
But yes, there he was. We fell in each others arms and kissed- only shortly as we didn't like kissing in public.

We drove straight to my apartment. Then had a few drinks and a long chat.
We told each other about previous relationships. It was like a contest as to who had had most of them. I can't remember who had the most. But mine were all before we met. Robert had married very young and the marriage had not been a happy one. He had some flings during their marriage and many after they split up.
He and Kate tried their best to make their marriage work. They had two more sons and several moves to try. But as you will understand, that did not work.

The marriage had been so unhappy partly as he strongly suspected that Kate had been unfaithful during their engagement period. But he was so young and scared of his parents ( after a battered childhood ), that he did not dare and break it off. Robert was just 22 years old. I thought this was strange, but my upbringing was so different- not that great, but better and loads more freedom.

After his divorce he told one me about one really funny experience. He dated with a female. As he dated several at the same time, another one arrived at the door. So he ended up with two in one lounge. After a short time number two left and number one stayed. How embarrassing this must have been for all involved parties.

I said to him: 'this I never did. I always chucked one, before another one came'. 'I liked not too complicated situations.' 'Mind you, I swapped boyfriends as often as I read books'. 'I lost count in the end:)'


He told me:' his sons lived with his first wife.
'I looked forwards to this instant family, that we never managed to get.'

We went to bed rather late and did what all new engaged couples do ( Hmmm).
The next day we went to my parents together.
'I feared they might try and talk me out of the engagement. So I made one of my few bright moves.'

We went to the shop to buy engagement rings the Dutch way: This is a plain ring that you wore on your left hand and changed to your right hand at the wedding ceremony, assuming you were a Protestant.

That evening we went to my parents' place. We showed our rings, after introducing Robert of course. They made no comments, neither positive nor negative.
This told me enough, but it did not. We found out much later.

The weekend passed far too quickly and we said goodbye again at the airport.

He asked: 'Will you come to my place? But he had not informed his parents yet.'
Even more scared than I had been. I could not wait to see Scotland for the first time. We phoned each other every day. We occasionally argued over the phone. Coming from a big family of five I needed this. I knew then not if he did too?

He collected me from Aberdeen airport. Then we drove to his flat. It was nice, only the furnishing seemed so old-fashioned in my opinion. Later I learned this was one of the cultural differences between Holland and Scotland.

As my flight had been delayed it was bed-time after one or two drinks. In the middle of our foreplay, the phone rang. Robert answered the phone. His mother asked: 'Where did I stay?'
Robert said without any hesitation: 'At my place of course. We are thinking of coming for lunch tomorrow'. 'And the pair of you will be introduced.'
End of conversation.

Shortly after we heard she phoned to his sister expressing her concern about us being in the same house and not even being married. We laughed out loud about this. Robert is 9 years my senior, that made his parents half a generation older than mine. Now we are older we understood somewhat better.

The next day, we went over to his parents for lunch. I thought his parents were alright. But at that time I knew little about Robert's background. His father resembled my father in a way: somewhat dominant. But I could handle this no problem. The dinner was not that great, but the rest went alright.

After this we had 3 months of traveling up and down every two weeks, which made a big hole in our finances, but strengthened our love even more.

Then we had to decide where we stayed, and how and where we would get married.

You will have to wait till the next chapter.