Five Brothers and a War

The Bike-jacking

The current view of the first corner, with the transition from the Troubadourstraat to the Verdistraat , and then to the Traviatastraat a little further down. One significant difference between the scene then and now was the total absence of cars—driving and parked. The bullets could travel unhindered. Bertus was grateful when he navigated at top speed around the corner onto the Verdistraat . (Remember, this is the Composer District on Den Haag.) Knowing that the Germans would only have to run 50 meters before they could shoot at him again, Bertus kept peddling as fast as he could, then rounded another corner to lose the Germans. He turned onto the Traviatastraat until it reached the Mozartlaan , which he took until he got back to the Lobelialaan . As he got back to the Laan van Meerdervoort , his mind raced again, because he was less than 400 meters from the initial location of the incident—and it was a straight shot. He looked down the street quickly and then shot across the road. As he passed the Speenkruidstraat , he only had one more short block until he got back to the Margrietstraat . He came in the front door huffing and puffing. And sweating. As quickly as he made it back, he still had to take the “scenic route”, and as fate would have it, a neighbor on his way back home during his nightly walk had witnessed the event from a short distance and hurried back to the van Pelt home to let them know what had transpired. Along with the innumerable questions thrown at Bertus, came the realization that the use

van Pelt

of the bicycle had officially been terminated. He did not get to see Mary that night either.

Five Brothers and a War

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