Annerieke had asked Elly to come and have coffee with the whole club in the kitchen of the guest house. Then, when she had finished cleaning up, they would go to her house together.

Elly was happy to see everyone again.

"How are the pregnancy troubles, Margreet?"

"There aren't any anymore, that was just two days or so, and in those days it wasn't serious either. If I didn't know better, I'd start to doubt whether it hadn't been a virus or something. By the way, this afternoon we were at a restaurant..." She happily told about the confirmations she had received about her relationship with Huib and about the baby.

Elly looked at her in surprise: "How could that toddler know? That pizza guy I can still understand a bit, he has people skills, but such a little girl..."

Huib responded, "It actually has nothing to do with people skills, with experience or with age, it is something they know from inside. So it's not something from the head, the mind, but from their soul."

Elly nodded thoughtfully. She knew it from Annerieke and Erik, but was not very familiar with it herself, at least not yet in her daily life. The only thing she really recognized it in were the pictures she sometimes got, when it came to something creative, like in Huib’s and Margreet's nursery. "I would like something like that too, to learn more about how you feel and know those things."

Annerieke put her hand on Elly's hand: "The more your emotional wounds heal, the more you start to know and feel from your soul. Then it will come naturally, really!"

Together they enjoyed the mocha pie that Annerieke had made and that Margreet, by now with the ease of an experienced waitress, had handed out. Both in the living room, where Annerieke, because of Margreet's parents, took care of the handing out during this midweek, and in the kitchen, the reactions were wildly enthusiastic.

Margaret's mother kept remarkably quiet. It was as if she was starting to realize that she wasn't accomplishing anything with her cursing in this guest house, as if the people here were immune to it.

.

Annerieke and Elly walked home arm in arm, as they often did in the past. "I am so happy to be here again. The quiet here, the peace... and the garden as always beautiful!"

Annerieke smiled happily, "Yes, it is indeed like that here, and I'm glad you are back, really!" She pressed Elly's arm tightly against her for a moment.

In the house, with a large glass of tea, Elly shared with Annerieke the discoveries Martin and she had made the night before about the curses the bible and the church had brought on the relationships of man and woman.

Annerieke listened, with her heart, and realized how difficult it always had been for Elly. "I've never looked at it like that before, never realized that religion had affected society so much. It won't be much different with most other religions, I suppose. But how happy I am for you that a turnaround has come to you. You are really on a good path. If Martin wants, feel free to come together as well. Or perhaps with the young couples. Would you like that yourself?"

Elly hesitated: "Maybe, maybe later, I don't know. It's all so early, very beautiful, but so new, still in its infancy."

"Does it have to be completely perfect first, before you go out together?"

Elly looked at her, shocked: "Ouch, that is a painful prick Annerieke, you hit a very sensitive nerve there. Do you know that to Erik and you I have always been ashamed of my relationship with Martin? You had it much better together than we had... as if it would have been to my credit if things had been as good with us! Anyway, shame for something that is not yet in order, that is a hot topic. I'll check with Martin if he wants to come and see you together with me. And Lisa and Margreet... he liked them, maybe he'd like to hang out with them and their friends too."

Annerieke urged her on a little further: "Even though they are younger, they are quite wise, already live quite a lot from within. That's where that wisdom comes from. Being with such people also helps you and Martin in your healing. Just by being together itself, even if they don't give you helpful information."

"I can imagine that," Elly said, "like you get a boost from their presence. They boost you up just by who they are, sort of."

Annerieke nodded, "Something like that yes."

She shared, in turn, that the place would soon be bustling with construction workers again. She told of the two young couples' plans.

"Is Simon coming to crank things up again, just like when Huib’s and Sjaak's houses were built?"

"Oh do you remember that?" Annerieke looked at Elly happily surprised. "Yes, Huib called Simon today, he's coming to discuss with the youngsters tomorrow, to look at their sketches and wishes. I like it, he's good at it, and he's a friendly guy, so nice and easy going."

"Not a womanizer huh, like a lot of construction workers and road workers pretend to be. If I remember correctly, he didn't do such feeble things."

"True," said Annerieke, "to me he was always very obliging. Never anything I would have found disparaging or tempting. That's why I'm looking forward to it. He was just a fine man, a good friend of Erik. He had told Huib that he was not busy for the next month, he would drum up some men to get started here."

.

After this old-fashioned girlfriends evening Elly happily got into the car. No, Annerieke hadn't really had any tips for Martin and her, but she did feel... yes... boosted up! She smiled, and she hoped that Martin would like to go to Annerieke's or the young people's place together sometime.

To chapter 106. Parting

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