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"I miss you," Allyson says

It’s just what Dee needs to hear "I miss you, too, baby"

Ma herself back into the screen She blows Allyson kisses "He does My boy is pining"

"I ht in front of the caht Allyson a laesture had ee party his h she’d neverme a hooray-you-finally-done-made-a-friend party," Dee had said His mama had raised one formidable eyebrow and retorted, "And why can’t I do both?" (Dee lost the arguhtful)

"Mama, she ain’t in Paris anymore She’s in Amster--" Dee starts to say

But Allyson cuts him off "The iven her the idea to check the Paris hospitals, which had led her to Wren and to Dr Robinet and to the house on Bloemstraat and now here "So you see, I wouldn’t have found my way here without it"

• • •

Broodje is shattered He was upWillem’s debut as Orlando He woke up after three hours of sleep with a Queen’s-Day-level hangover, only to remember he and Henk had promised W they’d help hi boxes up four flights of steep stairs (W would have to beinto the top-floor flat Broodje had rearden level W spent fifteen long ic of such a statement)

Now Broodje is back at his flat Not his, exactly His for the next teeks until he o to Willy’s show again tonight, but he will because it’s Willy At least he has a few hours free to rest All he wants to do is take off his dusty, sweaty clothes and cli off his shirt when he walks in the door

And then he screa the shirt back on "I didn’t know Willy had corave; vu this, walking in on one of Willy’s girls It used to be like this all the ti while

"Sorry," the girl says "I didn’t know anyone was coer ht In the park" He’d invited her and her friend to come to the party He’d talked h he still irlfriend, but she lived in As out When did Willy hook up with the friend?

"You’re Broodje," the girl says

"Yeah, that’s right," Broodje says He is tired and hungover and his irls "Who are you?"

"I’m Allyson," she says Then she seeht know me as Lulu"

Broodje looks at her for a

• • •

When Willeirl his best friend tried to help hi Broodje has ee, herring, beer He is feeding Allyson, which is what Broodje does with people he loves Willem sees Allyson has received a fast pass to his best friend’s heart

"Willy!" Broodje calls "We were just talking about you"

"You were?" Willem says He steps forward and his instinct is to kiss Allyson He does not want to enter or leave a roo new But he doesn’t because this is all so new, even though the way Broodje and Allyson are sitting there, s this for decades

"I was telling Lulu, sorry, Allyson, what a sad sack you’ve been all year"

"Not all year," Willeh, really, it was almost all year)

"Okay Maybe not in India I wasn’t with you in India He went to India for three months to see his ma," Broodje explains to Allyson "He was in a movie over there"