The Dutch House

In 1993, Maeve has a heart attack. Her near-death experience and long hospital stay pull Elna back into the family circle. Elna talks her way into the coronary unit by explaining that she is Maeve’s mother. Maeve spends her visits with Elna, while Sandy, Fluffy, and Jocelyn pop in and sit with Danny.

While Maeve seems completely happy to be reunited with her mother, Danny is both wary and angry that Elna has turned up after being gone for years. He is also concerned that this excitement will aggravate Maeve’s heart condition. Danny’s unhappiness is obvious to everyone, including Elna. Danny does have the chance to ask her why she left and where she went (to India to work with Mother Theresa, but she got lost and ended up in Bombay). He cannot accept her sudden return.

On top of Danny’s anger at Elna is his confrontation with Maeve’s increasing fragility. He remembers Maeve’s prediction on one of their 1970 visits to VanHoebeek Street: Maeve predicted that she would likely die of a stroke or some other form of coronary disease because she had diabetes. Her prediction angered Danny. Danny is angry now and was angry then at the thought of being left without Maeve.