A Love Affair At Etten

During his stay at Etten Vincent often feels misunderstood by his parents.

Kee and her son « enlarge »

He feels this misunderstanding very strong, when he falls in love with his niece Kee Vos- Stricker. In 1878 she became a widow and in the summer she stays at Etten with her 8 years old son Johannes. Vincent does not want to look back at the difficult periods that lay behind him. She, on the contrary, is filled too long with grief according to Vincent.. When he declares his love to her, she rejects him with the words:"no, no, never!" Vincent does not put up with that refusal and he keeps on writing her letters after her departure from Etten. He longs to talk about his feelings, but his father refuses and settles the question saying that Vincents proposal is "premature and indelicate ". His mother tries to cheer him up with words of comfort. At the end of november Vincent travels to Amsterdam, where Kee is living, and he hopes to be able to change her opinion. During 3 days he keeps on visiting the house of Kee and her parents but they refuse to give him admission to their daughter. Vincent is very disappointed and sad, and travels from Amsterdam to The Hague where he stays for a few weeks with Mauve and his wife Jet.