Up at 6:15 a.m. Mama Irma slept well and says ‘basta bon’ when I ask how she is. ‘Today is the last time for Nemex,’ the medicine to protect the stomach, says Mem… Thank goodness, because Mama thinks it’s disgusting when Mem squirts it into her mouth with a tube.
I go for a swim at Karakter. On weekends, Daaibooi is already busy in the morning, with large families coming to barbecue with tents and such, smoke and fire early in the morning…
I also took a look at Carmen’s house, where there is a small leak in the boiler and the door no longer opens properly. I’ll go back with Mem later to repair it.
At home, I have a cup of coffee with an ‘arepa di pampuna’. Then I do the laundry, it is Saturday after all! Easy, dry quickly!
Then back to Villa Kadushi with Mem, taking a screwdriver and a saw with us. We sawed under the door to trim the bottom beam, which had absorbed rain and swelled up. It would be better to remove the door and shave off a millimetre or two, but this will do for now.
On the way back, we stopped by Stella’s, who has a lot of visitors from the Netherlands, so we left quickly. I promise to come back next week when the family has returned to the Netherlands.
Then I stopped by at Norma’s, who was celebrating her birthday.
Norma talks non-stop about her Lucio, who died of cancer a few years ago. She starts talking about it because I mention that Mama Irma hardly eats or drinks anymore. That was also the case with Lucio. I remember Lucio well, he was a nice man. Bram and I once wanted to buy his American car, but it had just been sold. Recently, I saw it in a garage, Stella’s garage. Mem told me that her son had bought it. Anyway, when I arrived in Curaçao, I heard the next day that Lucio was in hospital. I went straight there and was able to talk to him for a while. He died the next day. Norma talks on and on as if she has never been able to get it off her chest before. I ask if she wants to come with me to Irma’s, but she says no.
Thelma comes at 1 p.m. to bring lunch: cow tongue, lenga di baca, mmmmmm…. She is such a good cook. I feel very spoiled here. It’s like a restaurant! On weekends, Thelma is here from early morning until late afternoon, because then there is no nurse.
After lunch, we lift Mama Irma back into bed. Today she ate a little something again. But she’s talking strangely, says Mem, confused, telling a story about goats. She never ate goat meat again after she saw a goat being slaughtered with a baby goat inside. Something like that…
After a very short siesta, I go to Tera Cora because one of the tyres is getting flatter. Yesterday I had all four checked for air, but the rear right one is always a little flatter. And yes, sure enough… the valve is broken. New valve in, 16 guilders to pay and we’re on the road again…
At 5 p.m., after talking to Mama Irma about where she used to live, which she can tell very well: Porto Marie, Daniel, Willibrordus where Stone Fence is now, Willibrordus where she lives now, we go swimming.
Back from swimming. A quick bite to eat. At 8 p.m., good old Jeanette arrives. She looks tired, busy day at Hato. She checks the nappy. No mester cambia, and she goes home, bathes and goes to bed, because tomorrow morning at 6.30 a.m. she’ll come back to check on us.