Sunday morning Annerieke and her boarding family noticed that the atmosphere among the guests was particularly good.

Samuel and Rebecca had gotten in touch with Cees and Sita. Rebecca told what had happened to them and found a real listening ear with the other couple.

.

After breakfast the guests could not leave the dining room and Huib, who wanted to go through it with the vacuum cleaner, kindly asked them if they wanted to move to the living room. Without protest they walked there quietly, and talked on in groups.

Theo and Renate, and Alan and Frida, had soon discovered that they were in a similar situation. Rosanne and Angelique had joined them, at first listening, but when Alan told them that his family had exiled them, they also dared to tell their story. Both other couples listened with interest.

Renate was the first to respond: "In the faith in which we have always lived, a relationship with someone of the same gender is taboo. It is often talked about as if it is dirty, and that it would be bad for any children."

Theo chimed in: "Yes, I recognize that too, but I've always wondered about that great commandment of love. The god of the bible is said to be a god of love, and wants us to love him and each other as well. But what about two people of the same gender? If they really, really love each other, how can that be wrong? I've never understood that, and at times I've struggled with it, not for myself, because I didn't feel like I would fall for someone of the same gender, but simply because couples like you do live around us. Why should I see them as bad? And now, when I look at you, I feel that your love is real, I feel absolutely nothing strange. Your love seems to me as beautiful as the love between Renate and me."

"Definitely, I don't see any difference either," Renate agreed. "And that your sexuality will look slightly different...so what? I mean, it's all about letting your love for the other person be felt, right? That can be done in any way that suits you, I guess..."

Alan and Frida sat quietly listening, nodding frequently to show that they recognized or agreed with what was being said. "In Islam it is also impossible, women like you could be persecuted, and in almost all cases will be exiled from their families. And I think that's terrible. Also in Islam, love would be important, but in practice... don't get me started!" Alan supplemented, pulling a silly face. They all shot up in laughter.

Rosanne and Angelique were so grateful that they found only acceptance and recognition with both of these couples. Rosanne responded to Theo's words, "You told us that you didn't feel like you would fall for someone of the same sex. I know, that for many people who call themselves homosexual that is the case. But I wonder if that could be because of a deep wounding. I know people who were sexually abused as children by someone of the opposite gender, and who have developed an aversion to sexuality with someone of that gender as a result. I think that's usually how it comes about unconsciously, but they can often tell afterwards that that's the reason. I think those people are so broken, that because of that they can't or won't even enter into a relationship with someone of the opposite gender anymore, and because of that they focus on people of their own gender and so they might not end up with the person with whom they would have that deep click."

"A soul connection..."

"Yes, nice word, a soul connection, that's exactly what it is, they then miss that. And then coming back to your comment Theo, I can tell you that I always assumed that one day I would meet my husband. Until I met Angelique. And you," she turned to her wife, "you had always thought that too. So basically, we were both focused on the male world for a permanent relationship, until we met. The click between our souls was almost audible! At least palpable... and both of us were slightly shocked. This was not what we were looking for, in fact we didn't want this at all, so we decided to just be friends. And that in itself was a good start, but in a few days a fire grew between us, a deep longing for each other. The type of longing I had expected to ever have for a man... but my soulmate was a woman! Pretty soon we decided to move forward together. In the process, we also immediately agreed to always keep our feelings and thoughts about our relationship and what was related to it open for discussion. Everything was new to us, having a relationship in itself was new, and the shock that the one who was our soulmate was of the same gender. And also our experiences with our environment. Both our parents are neither Christians nor Muslims, but apparently had the same beliefs about couples as we are, and initially let us know that they deeply disliked it. This was not meant toward the person, but toward our relationship. So my parents thought Angelique was a nice woman, but not as my partner, not as my soulmate. Just what you said, that was dirty, and not complete. I felt how they were ashamed of us. So bizarre, how those people could only think about sexuality, and therefore could not see how we are riveted to each other, how good we have it together and love each other. I assure you Renate, that Angelique is quite capable of making her love for me feel physically to me as well. She doesn't need male organs for that."

"And vice versa too, Rosanne does that to me exactly the same, also in that area we have a very good time together, but just what Rosanne said, love between two people is so much more than just the sexual... unbelievable that that is just thrown in the trash."

Rosanne and Angelique shared about the surprise they had received here at the guest house. That they were married on Friday, with only two girlfriends present. That the team at the guest house knew nothing about it, but that Lisa had received impressions in the form of pictures of a bridal suite yesterday morning. "Come and have a look upstairs, it's so wonderful, such a warm welcome!"

They all jumped up curiously and went upstairs. Angelique threw open their door and both the other couples crowded in front of the doorway to watch. The exclamations were sometimes barely intelligible; the enthusiasm was very high.

Frida turned to Angelique and Renate, "What a special welcome you have received!" The others nodded enthusiastically, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"We have nothing to complain about either," Frida continued, "but this is very special... this was exactly what you needed!"

Alan put his hand on her shoulder: "Yes, that's it! We got a special welcome too, but different, absolutely fitting for what we are doing."

Theo nodded, "So did we, it was very special, I definitely didn't expect it. I think we are all going to have a great time! How long are you staying?"

"We one week," Rosanne told them.

"We two," Alan came.

"We two weeks too," Renate said.

Theo concluded, "Then at least we have one week together. And if I understand correctly, we all have the desire to discover ourselves, to become free of all the shit around us and inside us. Do you guys think it's a good idea to hang out together on a regular basis?"

Renate nodded and added: "Actually we wanted to find our own way, just us together, but as a group we have the same desire. So yes, I also think it would be good to do things together every now and then."

Encouraged by her nodding husband, she continued, "Recently we saw a movie, 'The Matrix,' that was relatable to us in terms of our faith, and I think it would be for Alan as well. But in general... I'm actually convinced that our whole country, and maybe the whole world, is stuck in a matrix, a system of beliefs, fears, convictions and persecutions. Would you guys like to see that movie too?"

Without exception, they nodded. "I want to see it, I want to feel it, I want to recognize myself in that movie and get out, out of that matrix," Alan shared his desire. "But where could we see that movie?"

"We can ask Annerieke, I'm sure we can go to her with everything. And if she knows of an opportunity to watch that movie together, I'm sure she'll be able to arrange it!"

Theo and Renate decided to go after it immediately and went looking for Annerieke. They heard her singing in the kitchen and decided to take the liberty of knocking on that door. "Come on in!" Annerieke called out. They stepped inside together, saw her, to their surprise, busy making a pie.

"Hey, nice of you to stop by," Annerieke greeted them. She nodded at her hands in the dough, "This is my job, every morning. In the evening, we always treat cake to coffee and tea. But tell me, did you want to ask something?"

"We're lucky Renate, cake every day!" Theo said, enjoying it in advance.

Renate nodded eagerly, then explained what they had come for.

"Good idea, and how wonderful that you have already found each other. But I don't watch movies that often, I don't know how to arrange that for you myself. But I'm pretty sure Huib does, and he likes to organize something unexpected, so... ask him!" Annerieke pointed out how they could get to his work shed, or else to their house.

Theo and Renate went on their way. They found Huib in his shed. He was just ready finishing the dresser and was thinking about how he wanted to decorate it. The arrival of the young couple surprised him. "How nice of you to drop by here! I'm Huib, the man of the vacuum cleaner, the administration, and here of the woodwork," he said smiling.

"And I think also the son of Annerieke, right?" Theo asked.

Huib confirmed: "Definitely, my whole wonderful life already! She's a great mother, I can assure you!" he said with a beaming face.

"And your father, does he work here too?" Theo asked.

Huib looked at him kindly: "Before yes, he did, he built the place up here. And for me he was a great father, he helped me become who I am, and I am extremely grateful for that. But he was killed in a car accident a few months ago."

"Ouch, heavy!" Renate said.

"Yes, it was, and I still miss him, but Annerieke helped me to deal with the loss in a good way, simply by her own example. At first I didn't know anything about it, but after a few weeks she told me that in her free hours she consciously took the time to feel what Erik's absence did to her. She regularly took his things in her hands and felt what it was like when he was there and what it is like now without him. By the way, we don't experience him as totally absent. It feels like his soul is still with us. Don't ask me how that is possible, but that is what we experience. Anyway, in this way we both got through it well and quite quickly."

"Special... that feeling... that also has to do with living from within yourself, right?"

Huib nodded, and Renate decided to tell him something of their search from a belief system to living from within. She also told about their contact this morning with the other two couples, and their shared desire to watch the movie ‘The Matrix’.

"Great plan, that's an amazing movie!" Huib responded before she could even ask him for help. "At the guest house we don't have the option of watching a movie, but at Margreet's and my house we do, just through the computer. We have enough space, a reasonably large screen, so we can make it quite a cinema. If you like you can also invite the other guests. Then I'll ask Annerieke, and our gardener Sjaak and his girlfriend Lisa too. Would that suit you?"

Theo and Renate burst out laughing, "Great, we actually came to ask for your help, but you're already offering it yourself."

"That too is living from your soul, the impression I got about a movie night already came with a great certainty, when you told about your search and contact with the others. And Erik, my father, taught me from an early age, to respond to that immediately. That's why! Will you ask the other guests? Let's say..." He thought for a moment... "for Tuesday night right after coffee? Or... wait a minute, I think there's another movie like that. 'The Matrix' is quite exciting, maybe it would be good to watch a film with a similar message first, which does make the seriousness felt, but is also very comical. Then we'll just arrange two movie nights, Tuesday night 'The Truman Show', Thursday night 'The Matrix'. Does that sound like a good idea to you?"

"Oh yes, we will! What a lot of fun, I'm looking forward to it!" Renate cheered. "So much fun, so unexpectedly different as it all goes now..."

Theo enjoyed it with her: "Indeed, we hadn't planned this! But apparently that's how it works when you start living more from within. Ha, I want more of that!"

Cheerfully they went back to the guesthouse to invite the other guests to both movie nights.

To chapter 116. Going through together

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