Reminding Shared Selfconfidence

This afternoon the sky cleared up. Time for a healthy walk. I took the long way down over the foresttrack around the corner. Fresh greens everywhere! While descending alongside the  Peacevalleybrook, a picture crossed my thoughts. It was that old picture of mine, I found it in the cupboard with all our wellorganized fotoalbums. Laying on top of a small restpile of diversities, notes, fotos not sorted out.
Willemien had taken it on a boattrip to Mazorbo and Burano – isles in the Venetian Languna-Why this very picture? Did she put it there on purpose?  Telling me that I could relax now after She had done all the hard work bringing order in everything, not only our fotocollection? Or had it just fallen out of the album of 1976?  Well, after all I dont need to know why. Because this picture has a message in itself.
We had met again in Venice in the beginning of April 1976. Me travelling home after a month of postgraduate studies at the Interuniversity Institute in Dubrovnik. She travelling south bying books in German, Swiss and Italian Antiquebookshops. She had been underway for two weeks. I had had a severe crisis after weeks of hard studies. So we were both exhausted and so happy to finally find each other back in our beloved Venice.
Unfortunately our first night was disturbed by heavy pains due to a colic of my kidney. Next morning we tried to find a docter. No GP open on Saturday . According to plan we would only have Saturday afternoon to sightsee. Presence at the Academic Departement  MondayMeeting being an absolute obligation as always. We decided to stay over the weekend and search again for a docter on Monday. And to send a cable to notice absence through illness and timely taking up my classes on Wednessdaymorning.
Staying the weekend brought us together again and healed my pains. On Monday after sending the cable, we enjoyed our Vaporettotrip over the  Laguna.  Unconscious of the severe consequences this absence would have. The Department punished the unlawfull absentee not only by written reprimand. But also by being summitted to do all the classes and readings without any assistance of colllegues, teachers or secretary. For the full time  of the ongoing and the next year. A year later I resigned thanks to My Great&Loving Comrade during all Our tough times.
My appeal on absence through illness was officially rejected  arguing that this deceitfull lie was evidently untrue because I had summoned my wife to come over for a weekend holliday abroad. This whole story of woman’s businesstravel, illness, all made up to cover up a severe deliction of duty. But you can  see it on my face.  We are still so happy that we found the selfconfidence and faithfull trust to take this defining decision to see Our Island of Love Mazorbo. There five years later Our Mischa would try to stand up and make her First Steps.