Marieke had arranged everything for security, but had forgotten one thing. She hadn't informed Lisa that her employees would be starting on Monday. She didn't discover that until Monday morning, just before she was to go out with the first four security guards. She decided to take the gamble, assuming, that everyone at Bloemenhof would be present.

She drove ahead of her staff and parked in the open spaces near Sjaak and Lisa's house. Two of her employees immediately began a scavenger hunt across the estate, trying to discover where there might be weak spots.

Marieke and the other two security guards walked to the front door of the house. It was almost 7:30, but no one answered their knock.

One of the builders who just arrived at the house told them that the residents were probably at the guest house for breakfast. Therefore, they walked in that direction.

Sjaak met them halfway and greeted them warmly. He immediately offered Marieke to fetch Lisa. He found her upstairs, where she was almost done with work. "Go ahead, Lisa, I'll finish that little bit on my own," Margreet promised.

Sjaak and Lisa walked at a trot to where Marieke was waiting. A little further on they saw the two security guards who were apparently exploring the immediate area around their house.

"Good morning," Marieke greeted, "I’m sorry for coming so unexpectedly. I should have called on Friday or Saturday, but just before we left here, I discovered that I had forgotten. Shall we go over to your house for a moment?"

Both security guards came up to them and introduced themselves. "Hey! I'm Joke, and this is my colleague Bennie. We will keep you company during the days."

Bennie shook hands with them as well. Together they went into the house, where Sjaak offered to make coffee.

"That's just one of the few things that really matter in our job," Bennie told them. "Most security guards pretty much live on coffee."

Joke laughed, "Yes, coffee and pizza! Those are the ingredients of a happy security life!"

Marieke also shot into laughter, "It's crazy, but somehow that is indeed often the case. Probably because it's easy to just order a few pizzas. But I suspect that you will get different food here, because Lisa and Sjaak always eat in the guesthouse, where the owner cooks. I already consulted her last week and understood that it is no problem for her to have your portions brought here by our outside guard. Yes, sorry, you will really have to live in isolation for a while. At first I doubted whether it would not be possible to give you freedom on the grounds, but on reflection that is not wise, it is too confusing. Those who want to do harm have too many opportunities to hide. By the way, the outside guard also consists of two security guards. One of them will bring you food and mail every day. In addition, they will do some odd jobs on the grounds in cooperation with Annerieke, so that it looks more like they are part of the staff. Meanwhile they will keep an eye on the surroundings. Sjaak, maybe they can do some work in the garden. They are not going to work hard, it's more for show."

"Are we allowed to receive people?" asked Lisa.

Joke took the floor: "I understand that you would like that, but they would run more risk, because it would become visible that they are connected with you.

Annerieke will take care, through the outside team, that we have enough food and drink for breakfast and lunch for the next few days. She has a spare key to your mailbox, so she can give you your mail every day at dinner. If we need more food and drink, we just call Annerieke and she will take care of it."

Marieke nodded to Lisa and Sjaak, "I considered telling you these things earlier, but I allowed you a few more days of relative peace and freedom. But as of today, we have to be really careful and stay in here, because Ellen is taking the report to court this morning and you may be in more danger from that point on. We hope she manages to arrange for immediate arrest. That would already make a big difference!"

"Where do the outside security guards eat?" asked Sjaak.

Marieke told: "Annerieke thought it would be fine to let them eat in the guesthouse kitchen, but because of the construction workers, who also eat there, we decided to give them a place in the dining room of the boarders. The couple staying there now is also involved in your situation, so that is just nice for both parties. By the way, those security guards outside are also relieved. They work eight hours and then hand over their shift to the next duo. They also regularly walk around the grounds, especially at night, to check that no unwanted riffraff is entering the grounds from another angle."

"There's something else you should know," Bennie thought. "Joke and I are both armed. That might be something like kicking in the open door, but I still feel a little obligated to mention it." Bennie gave Lisa and Sjaak a wink. "Always handy, right, when nasty guests drop by, don’t you think so?"

Marieke chuckled, grabbed her bag and pulled out a paper. "These are the passport photos of the security guards, both of those who come into your house, and here on the back of the paper those who stay near the guest house. With the ones who keep an eye on things outside, you will basically not have much to do. If one of them comes to the door, or someone from outside, you should never open the door yourself. Not even if you have seen through the window that it is someone you know. Suppose a dangerous sot has walked in with that person or comes from the other side and stands next to him or her, then you are powerless, whereas our security guards will always have their hand near their weapon, so they can react immediately."

"Pfff, it does come in for a while all at once, it feels heavy," Lisa said. "Like we are suddenly prisoners ourselves, locked up like criminals in our own house. I think that's pretty heavy!"

"It is, especially since you have a small house. You have little room for privacy, little opportunity to hide from us. Even your bedroom has no door. Is that for a reason?" asked Bennie.

Sjaak shot into laughter, "Yes, this house was initially built for me alone. And as a bachelor I really didn't need a big house. I wanted a roof over my head, a place of my own, nothing else. Simon, who arranged the construction of this house, did lay a foundation for an area behind it, where they are going to build a laundry room and a drying room and a shed in the near future. But first they are building bedrooms and a bathroom up here, as well as an attic. When Lisa wasn't here, I didn't think I needed that, and then I just put my bed back here. When the upper floors are finished, the bed can go upstairs. And then that room will just be music room. I think..."

Lisa chuckled, "It seems like the most logical arrangement."

"Yes, it does, but for a moment I felt like I was arranging things without consulting you." Sjaak looked at her fondly. "It should also remain your home, your place where you like to come back."

"I understand you, but we really do agree on this!" She put her head on his shoulder and her hand on his leg and turned to the guests, "We haven't been together that long, so being together, how you handle things, that all takes a little getting used to. But I think we're doing just fine!" Smiling, she looked up at Sjaak, who gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"You're a great couple," thought Joke, "You're sitting here with three visitors you don't really know at all, and you're just delightfully yourself."

"That's right!" nodded Marieke to Joke and Bennie, "I think, you are going to have a great time here! But I'm going to leave you dear people, unless you have any more questions. And if you have any questions later, and your roommates don't have answers to them, you can always call me!"

"We'll be fine," said Sjaak. "Thanks for all your trouble!"

"You're welcome, it was no trouble. I have the best job in the world!" Marieke replied.

"That's impossible, because I already have," Sjaak replied to her.

She looked at him in surprise, but then burst into laughter. "You're probably right, if working in the garden is totally your thing, you have the best job. You can have a great time here, all the space! See you later!"

Marieke walked into the hallway, put on her coat and left.

.

Sjaak and Lisa looked at each other. "Well, that will take some getting used to. Not being able to go outside, not seeing our family and friends. Everything will be arranged for us, we don't have to do anything ourselves. It's like a vacation, but different."

"You just called it like a prison, and I think it is," Bennie thought. "The only advantage is, you're free to talk to each other and to us. Just do whatever you feel like doing. Do you guys like games?" asked Bennie. "Not that we can fill the days with them, but maybe now and then."

Sjaak and Lisa looked at each other, whereupon Sjaak spoke up, "We haven't done any games in the short time we've been together. I have a few, though, so we could try it out."

"And that piano, and I saw a cello and a violin. Make as much music as you want to. If it gets too much for us, we'll put our earphones in," Joke grinned.

"Well, we've just discovered, we can play wonderfully together," Lisa told them. "If we are relaxed enough, we could do that more often."

Sjaak looked at her happily and nodded, "Yes, that was a great discovery huh, that we could just pick up on each other's music."

"How do you mean?" asked Bennie. "Do you mean what I think you mean? One of you starts playing and the other starts playing along?"

"Yes, exactly! That was so cool!" Lisa began enthusiastically telling how it happened and how they had enjoyed it.

"Extraordinary," thought Joke, "so then you feel each other musically very well too!"

"Yes, apparently!" laughed Sjaak.

Bennie's mobile began to sing softly. A brief conversation ensued, during which he stood up and with a gesture to Joke walked to the front door. A moment later he entered the room with two bigshopper. "That was a colleague from the outside, he brought two bags full of goodies. Annerieke had already collected things from her own stock and asks us to pass on a list if we need more. Then she will arrange it for us."

Lisa nodded and took the bag from him. "I'll put it in the kitchen closets, so we'll get a good overview of what's there and what we still need."

She set both bags on the kitchen floor and began to set everything out on the kitchen counter. Joke joined her. She shoved together all the things that needed to go into the refrigerator.

They looked at each other. "What do you think, Lisa, are we missing anything?"

Lisa shook her head thoughtfully. "No, not so much for meals, but I think I could use some more coffee, and tea, do you or those people who will be here tonight drink tea too?"

"Bennie only drinks coffee and a little wine in the evening, but the latter never while working. So you don't need to buy alcoholic beverages for us. But if you like to drink it yourself, just do it. We are used to it in our work, that clients drink wine or beer, while we ourselves are not allowed to do so. I myself sometimes drink herbal tea, star mix for example, but if it's not there, it's no problem for me to drink water."

"Sjaak already had star mix, because Annerieke had recommended it to him for visits. She has a good supply of star mix tea in the guesthouse, she loves it herself, and quite a few guests love it too. And so do I!"

As she spoke, Lisa looked in the kitchen cupboard. "We still have a full pack, but I can add one to the next order, and we'll have a nice tea together in between!"

Lisa grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, and wrote down 'star mix' and ‘coffee’. "I'll leave this bill here, if anything comes to mind, just write it down. Then we'll keep an eye on it together."

Joke nodded at her kindly, leaning against a kitchen cabinet, "Nice, we'll manage together, the next couple of weeks."

"I think so too," Lisa smiled. "Especially now that we have to live so much on each other's lips, it's nice that it clicks well."

"We need it very much in our work that we ourselves are flexible and adapt to our clients so that they can get on with their lives as much as possible. But if it already spontaneously clicks between us and our clients, that saves a lot."

Joke thought for a moment and then continued, "You know, there is always tension with the people we work with, because they are in danger to a certain degree, and we have to be able to handle that tension as well, stay calm in it. There was a time when I was able to do that very well, but after a few periods of working it turned out to be learned behavior, imposed by our training. I knew how to do it. I knew it from my knowledge, in my head. After a few work periods I got stuck in that. Then I had to call in sick for a while. During that time of illness a lot of frustration and fear came to the surface because of the tension that had been pushed away. It also revealed old pain from the past. It was an intense time, but because I wanted to go back to work so badly, I went straight through it, allowed myself, sometimes even forced myself, to feel what I felt. I learned to scream it out, to whine, to get furious. And exactly that, Lisa, that miserably difficult period, has made me healthier. As a result, I can now handle other people's stresses just fine. I don't have to act anymore, I can now deal with it in a natural way, from the inside, because I no longer have any fear and tension myself. I can now be real... Joh, what's happening?"

Joke put her hand on Lisa's shoulder and looked at her with concern. There were thick tears in Lisa's eyes, a few of which dipped over the edge as she blinked for a moment.

"Nothing serious, Joke, nothing grim, but it touched me, what you told. I've never known this, dealing with your pain and fears like this. I've never experienced this deep way of talking before either, except recently here at Bloemenhof. These people here, they are so special... By the way, do you know which people are involved in this area? No hey, I'll draw it out for you."

She grabbed a new piece of paper and drew a similar sketch as she had seen Sjaak do the other day. At each house she wrote the names of the people who lived there.

"The atmosphere here is so good. Only Annerieke and Huib have a family relationship, in the sense of a blood tie, as mother and son, but the rest have come to them. Sjaak had been working here for some time as a gardener. At the beginning of November Margreet came for housework and help in the kitchen. I came almost at the same time as her with my ex as a vacation guest in the guesthouse. A week later Margreet already moved in with Huib, their connection was so strong, they were so sure they belonged together, that they dared to do so. At the end of her second week of work my ex attacked her, after which I could handle breaking up with him. And a few days later I turned out to have such a similar connection with Sjaak, as Margreet has with Huib. Within a week after my ex left, I started living here. And I have not regretted it for a second. I have found love, in the deepest sense of the word. And life... I am not lived anymore, I can live by myself, really live. I can't do that fully yet, but I have the space to discover myself and to go through pain. Just last night, we wanted to make love, but for the first time I blocked almost immediately. Sjaak has only one desire in such things, namely that I heal emotionally. He expresses his love at such a moment by being there for me, by giving me what I need. Safety above all, peace and security, that is what I get from him at such a moment.

How it feels between us, that's better than any blood bond I know. There is a real connection, a real relationship between us, between all of us here on this property. Even with Simon, that's already starting to come through. He's only just been living here since this past weekend and before then I've only seen him a few times. But still... Last Wednesday he and his colleagues started the renovation here. One of those construction workers didn't feel right to me, but I had no idea why. When the construction workers were drinking coffee with us in the kitchen of the guesthouse, this one came up to me, started flirting, and not just a little bit, really in the sense that he wanted to have sex with me as soon as possible. Before Sjaak or I could say anything, Simon jumped right in. And then he said something, which hit me, "Don't you dare touch our women." And then I knew, that he had not only ‘adopted’ us, the younger couples, as his children with words, but that he had really become our father. And that's how it feels, he is a father to us, and a friend. Maybe that's how it's meant to be, that fathers and mothers are friends to their children. Just people who live with their children, without that kind of class differences from parent to child."

Lisa chuckled to herself, "That's happening to me more and more, that as I'm talking I'm pondering things, looking for how it might have been intended."

"Oh yes, I do recognize that, Lisa. And I loved what you said. You let me look into your thoughts, into your heart, into the most personal things of your life, and that is worth a lot, to me at least. Bennie is even more advanced than me in that area, so he will also be able to appreciate it when you think out loud in this way. Bennie helped me a lot in my difficult period. We don't have a relationship like you, but we do as colleagues and as friends. Our colleagues who are coming tonight are not there yet, but they are working on it, going through painful things as well and, since my intense period, also doing their best to sense what is in them, what they really feel and want. And that's a great start, I think."

"That's how it started for me too. Sjaak supports me in this, he is still going through things himself, but he has more experience with this process.

Joh Joke, I love that we can just go into depth in our conversation. I have no problem talking about trivial things, small talk and all that, but this is so much nicer, so much more real."

"I think that's how life is meant to be. We've actually always had a fake life. Bennie always calls it his plastic life, then he wasn't real, now he is, with some plastic bits in between, which he still wants to get rid of."

Lisa chuckled, "Comical, a plastic life! Great expression by the way, plastic does feel like not real. By the way, shall we have another round of coffee?"

Joke nodded, "Nice, I'm sure Bennie won't have a problem with that either."

To chapter 192. Ellen takes the declaration to court

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