Postcard
- Daan gets off the phone with his mom with the news that Geertrui was difficult to deal with all day; she kept asking where Jacob was, and wants to see him.
- Jacob still feels out of place. Maybe he should just go home, he says, but Daan won't allow it because Jacob's going to see Geertrui tomorrow—he can't leave now.
- Okay, okay, but Jacob's still not sure why he's got to be there anyway if no one wants him there.
- At 6:00PM, Daan goes and opens a bottle of white wine, just like Geertrui always did at this time; he explains to Jacob why everyone is so on edge (well, at least part of the reason why).
- Geertrui has stomach cancer, and it's terminal. She only has a few weeks more at most, and she's in a lot of pain—the doctors say it's worse than torture, and it's only going to get worse.
- So she's decided she doesn't want to stick around until the end. Why should she live out her final hours in pain, hopped up on painkillers, in a hospital?
- This decision didn't come easily for her family. They disagree about whether it's best, but Geertrui's already done all the paperwork for it—she will die in nine days with the help of the doctor. It's legal in Holland as long as all the paperwork is in order.
- Jacob is shocked; he and his grandma didn't even know Geertrui was sick, let alone dying in a little over a week.
- He'd heard about euthanasia before, and even debated it in school, but it is different talking to someone who was actually a part of experiencing it.
- All of a sudden, Jacob starts crying. Daan tells him Geertrui wouldn't want him to cry, and tries to comfort him.
- But that's not what Jacob's crying for—he's crying because he's alive.