Hotels or hospitals where room number 13 is missing, airplanes where row 13 is not present and buildings where floor 13 does not exist. The number is seen as unlucky and today is Friday the thirteenth, according to superstition a day with an extra risk of bad luck or danger. But Ria Schreurs from Schoonoord is very contrary and for her it is one of her favorite days.
“I think 13 is a very nice number,” says Ria enthusiastically. “If others think no, then I actually like it.” When going out to eat or visiting a theater, she often looks for table 13 or row 13, but often in vain.
The love for the 13 was a shared love with her husband. “We deliberately got married on a Friday the thirteenth, my husband thought that was great too,” Ria Schreurs explains. According to her, she at least had plenty of choice at what time of day she wanted to get married, because it was far from busy. There were few couples who wanted to tie the knot on that day.
In addition to the wedding day, the 13 also plays a role in Ria’s life in other ways: “We wanted to build a semi-detached house together with friends at the time. And there we got the numbers 13 and 15. My husband and I wanted both live at number 13. While number 15 was on the corner, so actually nicer, but we still went for 13 and I still live there. My husband is no longer alive.”
When buying lottery numbers, Ria also has to guess which digits a ticket should end with and in sports she also claimed number 13 for years. While she now has to let go of that number. “I recently became a goalkeeper due to an injury, but before that I was number 13 as a footballer.” She also immortalized the number on her body with a tattoo.
And what about 13 as a name? The resident of Schoonoord even named her dog Dertien. But unfortunately he passed away and just turned – you guessed it – 13. “Another dog has arrived. No, his name is not Fourteen, but Miepie,” Ria says in conclusion, laughing.