Stef and Anette
Copyright© 2026 by chess
Chapter 2: A New Beginning
Helene had been best friends with Heidi since they were in school. She now lived with her husband, Mikkel, and their children in Korndamst, an hour’s drive from Rindum. Helene and Heidi had talked on the phone every week and visited each other every few months. Most of the time, the children came along, too, so the two families knew each other well.
After Heidi became ill, Helene visited her in the hospital several times. They had also talked about death. Heidi had told Helene how she wanted to be buried, and Helene had promised to arrange a funeral according to her wishes if she died. However, Heidi was, naturally, most concerned about what would happen to Stef and Anette if she died of cancer. Helene promised Heidi that she would always look out for the children and help them in any way she could.
As time went on, it became clear that Heidi’s illness was worsening. Everyone hoped things would improve, but they realized that the risk of a tragic outcome was high. In Korndamst, Helene talked with her family about offering a place in their home for Stef and Anette if the worst were to happen.
Their house had four bedrooms. Rasmus, 12, and Jannik, 10, each had their own room, while the five-year-old twins, Ingegerd and Danielle, shared the third. The fourth bedroom belonged to Helene and Mikkel. To make room for Stef and Anette, Rasmus and Jannik would have to give up their own rooms and share one instead. They got along well, but giving up their own space where they could be alone was still a big sacrifice.
When Heidi died, the hospital informed Helene, who began making arrangements for the funeral. She spoke with a local funeral director, consulted the parish priest about the time of the church service, and arranged for the burial at the adjacent cemetery. She visited a stonemason to select a headstone, placed an obituary in the Rindum Times, and reserved a restaurant for the reception afterward. The estate would later reimburse her for the expenses.
Meanwhile, the municipality set out to find a permanent solution for Stef and Anette. First and foremost, they had to notify the father, since custody would normally pass to the other parent if the parent with whom the children were living after a divorce were to die.
It took some time to locate the children’s father because he was sailing on a container ship on the other side of the world when Heidi died.
William, the father, was granted emergency leave and flown home for the funeral. However, since he lived alone in a one-room apartment and worked on ocean-going cargo ships for up to three months at a time, it was impossible for Stef and Anette to live with him unless he found a job on land and a larger place to live. He showed no signs of wanting to change his life to have his children live with him.
Heidi’s parents—Stef and Anette’s grandparents—lived in an apartment in Rindum, but didn’t feel healthy enough to take on the responsibility of caring for two children. They were in their 60s and had various health issues.