#Leonie is a woman over 40, she could be your neighbor. After her divorce, she builds her new life. With neighbor Mandy she has dinner appointments of the good kind: Mandy cooks! Love also comes around the corner, with all the consequences that this entails.

“I'm so stupid, I've been kicked in again. Against my better knowledge, of course, because I didn't trust it right away. Stupid cow that I am”, Ilse grumbled on himself. Leonie didn't say anything. “it can't be more cliché. The new colleague, a single girl, much younger. And sir went to work late more and more often. Overtime! Well, everything happened, but no work was done!” Ilse spit out the words. Mandy got up. “Ladies, I'll leave you alone. I'm going home.” Leonie wanted to call Mandy back, at the same time she wanted to be there for Ilse. But my gosh, Ilse couldn't have chosen a far worse moment! Ilse also began to object. “No, no, please stay. I'll come back another time.” “No, that doesn't seem convenient,” said Mandy, who added the act to the word, picked up her bag in passing and walked out the front door, in Leonie's bathrobe.

“I have ruined your evening too,” Ilse apologized after Mandy closed the door. “No,” said Leonie, “there will be other evenings”. Between her tears Ilse had to laugh a little. “Geez, I caught you guys like that. Was it exciting?” Leonie smiled. “Yes, very exciting, but you're not here for that.” Immediately moved Ilse's face again. “No, that bastard, the big, rude, arrogant...” “Go ahead,” Leonie encouraged her, “if it's good, go ahead!”

It got late, very late. Until deep into the night they talked about Vincent and how Ilse had finally caught him looking into his phone, after Vincent had suddenly had to work late for the umpteenth day in a row and had come home far too happy and way too late. One minute she cried her eyes out of her head, then she was angry and even laughed. A few times Leonie saw the sheer pain her girlfriend had from her husband's deception. In the end, every word was said, every tear cried and every hug was given. Ilse was empty. Leonie took a look at the clock. It was half past three. “You can stay here if you want, or are you going home? Where are the children?” Leonie asked. “Vincent is home, the kids are there too. He knows I'm here. Can I please stay here?” she asked. Leonie nodded. She thought about what was the most convenient place for Ilse to sleep. Just when she opened her mouth to suggest that Ilse is Ismay' s bed would go to bed, Ilse asked another question. “Can I sleep with you, please? I don't know if I can make it alone in a bed, so lonely and so cold”. Leonie's heart broke. “Yes, sure, that's okay. I've got plenty of sleepshirts. We do just like we used to, when we stayed together.” Ilse looked relieved. She even had room for a joke again. “But I'm not Mandy, am I? So hands at home!” Leonie burst into laughter.


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