Mariska meets Robin during her internship at Stichting Vluchtelingenwerk. It is an immediate hit between the two and she soon moves in with her great love. Not much later, the couple had a child: Floris. Both parents were still in college, so the young family was not wealthy. “My now ex-in-laws helped us financially. They cooked for us and bought the clothes for Floris.” When Mariska and Robin later both had jobs, they were able to buy a house in Julianadorp.
In the end, Mariska and Robin broke up, despite attempts to save their relationship. “Because I have ADD and Robin autism”, it went wrong. “The more perfect I wanted it, the more it repelled Robin. I look back on that with a sense of failure. I think it’s a shame. I have the feeling that we were never really a family. We weren’t busy with life,” but with survival. ” Mariska went to live elsewhere. Their house was supposed to go up for sale, but it has been declared unsaleable. Since Robin could not afford the mortgage on their house, Mariska was faced with double financial burdens. At the beginning of 2019, Mariska suffers a burnout, which means that she can no longer support Robin financially. Her ex-mother-in-law is now helping, but has deteriorated health. Fortunately, Martijn Krabbé and his team are ready to help Mariska.
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The biggest problem is the mortgage, which is at 162,000 euros, while the house is valued at 120,000 euros. Moreover, Robin does not have a home yet, should the house be sold. Ultimately, it turns out that he can probably go to his mother’s house, who in turn goes to a nursing home. Mariska is not in a good position, due to the constant carrying of the double burdens. In the meantime she has also accumulated debts with the tax authorities.
In between, Mariska, who loves painting and is a fan of Vincent van Gogh, is treated to a private tour of the Van Gogh Museum and she is also given an easel with brushes and paint as a gift. “I can’t take any more presents. It’s really too much,” she says gratefully. “I can’t accept all of this. I don’t know what to say anymore.”
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When Mariska sees what Martijn’s team has done with the house, she falls from one surprise to the next. “It’s like stepping into a new house,” she says. And her ex Robin is also happy that the house has been renovated in this way.
Ultimately, of course, it’s all about whether the house can be sold for a good price. And fortunately there is good news. The value of the house after the renovation is more than 220,000 euros. “Stop it”, Mariska says immediately. “That’s a lot of money.” She is therefore very happy with this news. “It’s indescribable what this means to me. I have freedom now, both financially and mentally.
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