Now Marlies, Sabien and Maarten are all playing field hockey. All my kids except Lennart (the lazy computer whiz-kid still). Who would have ever thought that they would get involved so much in this typical Dutch sport? This morning I went to watch Marlies, like all good fathers in order to support the daughters. Of course, not too loudly as you can easily embarrass them. Even by doing nothing and just standing there. Well there they were running around, all those future young ladies. Such long and skinny legs they have, spindly creatures that seem so fragile. I think that most of them are seventy-five percent legs and the rest torso. Future wives who will hen-peck their boyfriends and/or husbands. Bosses of the world. When I look at Marlies and how distraught almost-to-tears she was at losing yet another game, this is hard to imagine. But it is true.