August 29, 2020. It is the day that turned the life of Manon Vermolen (49) from Stampersgat upside down. Her son Jesse went into acute cardiac arrest that night and died a few days later at the age of 21. Now one of his big wishes is coming true: his own business. It is opened by his loved ones.
A year and a half ago it suddenly went completely wrong. “Jesse dropped off his girl at home with the scooter after a party,” says Manon with a broken voice. “But he felt guilty that his mates had to walk home. So he decided to go back and pick them up one by one.” But Jesse never saw his friends again. “On the way back his heart stopped. His friends finally found him on that dark dike.”
The moment Manon arrived a little later, she knew immediately: it was too late. A few days later, Jesse died in hospital. On his deathbed, his mother promised him one thing: his big dream would come true. “He had his own clothing brand: Enfance. We will continue that. And he wanted to start a sports café next to our house with his brother Flinn. He would then live above it himself.” In the end it should never have been like this.
Still, Manon and Stan, Jesse’s stepfather, decided last October to buy the neighbor’s property. The ruins have been renovated in recent months and the grand opening of Coffee Boutique Via Ponte took place last weekend.
“He would have turned 23 that day,” says Manon. “And then it is a war in your head. You want to be happy that his wish is fulfilled, but at the same time you are intensely sad. People kept coming and going, flowers kept being delivered… Quite honestly: out of frustration and despair kicked such a bunch of flowers through the garden. It didn’t interest me anymore. I wanted to blow that whole opening.”
It didn’t get that far in the end. “I have a terribly sweet husband who convinced me.” It was a beautiful but emotional evening. “Stan had a wonderful speech and we put up a name sign together with: Jesse’s Bar. The screw was a bit crooked, by the way. Not bad, because Jesse also had two left hands.”
Manon doesn’t care whether the case is a success. “That is certainly not a must. It sounds so easy: we do it for the idea, not for turnover. But that’s how it really feels.” If it does go well, the successors will already be in line. “Our sons are already asking if they can get their catering papers later. Then they can really turn it into a sports cafe.”
A plan that Manon fully supports. “Maybe we’ll leave for Italy then. We’ve always said. Even if one of the boys has to take over our old house. I can’t say goodbye to that. Jesse’s backpack is still there, the last glass he drank from, his pants are still hanging up…”
It indicates how much pain there is still every day. As the funeral card also said: ‘Jesse’s heart has suddenly stopped, and ours has been broken for good.’ “The crying is a little less now. From ten times, to now often only one shower a day. But you always think of him. You will think I am crazy, but in the car I have a kind of game. Then I put turn on the radio and tell myself that the first song has been chosen for me by Jesse. Sometimes the tears come, but more and more often the laughter.”