Old Heart

by Peter Ferry

“Okay.” Afterward she said, “That’s very nice.”

  “Read some more,” he said.

  So she did.

  Epilogue

  You know the rest of Tom’s story. One day he died.

  Another day I got a completely unexpected check in the mail from his estate administrator, and I knew instantly what to do with it. I used it to tell Tom’s story. I talked to everyone who knew him or remembered him at all, including all of us but also his colleagues, friends, and neighbors. I even talked to waitresses and cab drivers. Then I flew to Holland and did the same thing there. I went to the places Tom went and met most of the people Tom knew. I have broken bread with them and drunk wine with them. I like them.

  And I’m still here. I’m thinking I might stay. Maybe part of me is Dutch—the practical, sensible, down-to-earth, no-bullshit part. I like bikes, I like tall, bony men—one especially—I like good bread, cheese, and beer, and I’m told I can even do a passable job of pronouncing “Scheveningen.”

  Nora Panco

  Veldhoven

  December 2014

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks to Donald Burgett for his history The Road to Arnhem, Walter P. Maas for The Netherlands at War, Warner Warmbrunn for The Dutch Under German Occupation, 1940-1945, Cornelius Ryan for A Bridge Too Far, Harry Mulisch for his novel The Assault, to Ann and David Jonitis for teaching me about Down syndrome and to Wendy Strothman for her belief in this project and guidance with it. And thank you to the many people who have read and reviewed the manuscript in its many stages of development: Carolyn O’Connor Ferry, Dave Eggers, Connie McTaggert, David McTaggert, Asa Ferry, Griffin Ferry, Lizzie Ferry, Laura Heffington, Corinne Mostert, Klaas Degeling, Frank van Sambeek, Bill Kent, Debbie Hammack, Gopal Vyas, Patrick Snyder, Carolee Snyder, Brenda Perkins, Charles Perkins, Gene Brooke, Mark Osing, Mike Piersol, Jane McGoldrick, Katherine Shonk, Sally Wasowski, Andy Wasowski, Dick Thuma, Pam Haferman, Richard Haferman and Janice Knight.