Geertrui
- It's been two months since Jacob's death, and Geertrui is pregnant. She hasn't told anyone yet, because she's not sure what she would say, or how they would react.
- She's heard of women being forced to give up their baby and never being allowed to even look at it, and she knows she won't let Jacob's baby go through that—this baby is the only part of Jacob she's got left, and she won't be separated from it.
- Alone in her new sanctuary—the hiding place where she spent so much time with Jacob—Geertrui thinks about what she should do. Then she hears someone climbing the ladder to where she is, and knows it's not Mr. or Mrs. Wesseling since they never go there.
- It's Dirk. Phew. He's back and glad to see her. When she asks him where Henk is, he says he thought Henk would be here already—the pair was helping the Resistance when they had to make a run for it. They decided they'd have better luck if they split up, so they ran off in different directions, promising to meet back at the farm.
- Later, they learned Henk was caught and shot, but at the time, they still held out hope together that he is hiding somewhere safely.
- Dirk asks what happened to his mom, who was so cold and sarcastic when he returned that he barely recognized her. Geertrui knows he was always a mamma's boy so this must be hard on him.
- Then he asks about Jacob, and she unravels. She hasn't had anyone to talk to about it, so telling Dirk all the details now comes as a relief and one, big emotional outpouring.
- She tells him everything—we mean everything—and he quietly listens as she unloads on him. To Dirk's credit, he's a good listener, and this can't be easy for him, especially since he loves Geertrui.
- When she's all done with her story, he looks her straight in the eye and asks her to marry him.
- At first she thinks he's kidding, but why would someone joke about something like that? She's not sure why he would want to marry her after everything she's just told him.
- He loves her and he wants to marry her on two conditions: (1) they tell everyone the baby is his, and (2) they begin their lives together now. Tonight.
- Geertrui looks him straight in the eye and thinks about this offer from a guy she's know since she was a child; someone who loves her deeply, and someone she cares for too, in her own way.
- Before they agree to this, she's got a few conditions of her own: (1) he can't run away again to help the Resistance; (2) she will not live on a farm after the liberation—she just won't; and (3) she won't go to bed with him until after the baby is born. They can sleep in the same bed, but nothing more until after the baby—otherwise, she'll feel like she is tarnishing what she and Jacob had.
- She's pretty gutsy asking him for all this, but Dirk agrees. They get married by a local mayor two weeks later in secret, so Dirk won't get taken away by the Germans.
- Later that year, Jacob's body was exhumed and buried in Oosterbeek, and Geertrui gave birth to a girl and named her Tessel. She's never told anyone that Jacob was the father—just like she promised Dirk. Dirk died in 1993, though, and she feels like she should confess to Tessel before she too dies.
- Geertrui confesses she wanted to tell all of this to Sarah—to apologize for being with Jacob when he was married to her—but since Sarah sent Jacob instead, Geertrui will have to tell him.
- She wrote her story down in English so Jacob can understand it and she would know what to say; she would give him this to read so he can learn the full story.
- Geertrui also wants to give him three things: the paratroopers' insignia from Jacob's uniforms, the book of poetry from Sam that they read to one another, and a keepsake.
- When they first decided to get together, Jacob suggested they exchange rings, but Geertrui didn't feel that was right, so instead they made talismans that were very similar. They were cut with a pocketknife from a tiny piece of tin found in the hay, symbols for each other to wear to declare their love—even if no one else saw them.
- Geertrui gave the charm Jacob gave her to Daan, and the one she gave to Jacob, she now wants Jacob to have.