Je hebt een vriend

Because you might have accidentally missed a magazine: this is one of our favorite articles that you want to dive into. Fire on, warm cocoa in a mug or a bubbly in the glass (that’s fine too) and just enjoy reading.

They met each other at work, at a party, or once shared the same man. Female friendship can be almost as joyful as falling in love. Jetteke: “I hope we keep it outside, but I already know that Lucy will be a very defining person in my life during times of sorrow.”

Jetteke

“When it became known that Willem-Alexander found love in Máxima, I thought: hey, that's nice! But really nice! I had a similar feeling when I heard that Dinand had found new happiness with Lucy. That was the only thing that made sense. She was the only one who fit into his life after Guusje. Uninhibited, insensitive to his status, and with an unprecedented talent for giving. Lucy is the queen of gifts. Small books with great wisdom. A folded page, a circled paragraph, a handwritten caption explaining why she chose this book, this page, this sentence for you.”

Lucy

“I was pregnant with Jimi and went to a party in the Netherlands for the first time without Dinand. I was used to parties, really. In London, through my work (Lucy worked as a PR manager for The Rolling Stones in London, MM), I also went to many places where ‘it’ happened. In the Netherlands, there was an extra aspect: I was being watched. People had opinions about me. Wanted something from me. And I am a background kind of person. At that particular party I went to alone, there was Jetteke. All uninhibited warmth. No hidden agenda. Genuinely interested. I thought only one thing: I will stay with you all evening.”

Jetteke

“When you find new friendship at a later age, it feels like falling in love. The beauty is that you keep discovering each other. We experience more and more together. New situations. I am a giver, I don’t like to ask. At most for someone else. So when The Stones came to the Netherlands, I dared. For my father. He kissed my mother for the first time on Angie. Raised us on their music. Lucy not only arranged tickets in the friends and family section, but also a vinyl record. Signed by Keith Richards. In his underwear.

Fortunately, we haven't experienced it yet, but we will also face sorrow. I already know that Lucy will be a very defining factor in my sorrow then. In a very strange way, because I prefer to keep the misery outside for as long as possible, I look forward to that.”

Lucy

“Jetteke can empathize extremely well with others. When I wasn't feeling well some time ago – I was tired, not energetic – she immediately knew where I needed to go: Kamalaya in Thailand. Alone. There was a spiritual therapist with whom I booked a session. What did I want, the woman asked. That it didn’t matter much to me. That I was open to everything and surrendered to the session. “There is someone who wants to talk to you,” the woman said, “from above.” It was Guusje. Guusje who thanked me. Guusje who told me that I was doing very well. Maybe even better than she could have done. Her words. That it was good. And that there would be another gift. A gift from above. A daughter. Four months later I was pregnant. With a girl. I immediately knew she had to be named Guusje. The name Leia also came to me. When I googled, it turned out Leah means ‘child from above’. With Leia Guusje, the circle is complete.”

Jetteke takes her napkin. Damp from tears, with streaks of her mascara. “This, this is our friendship. Intense and to the essence, that is us.”