The moment they drove up the driveway... yes really, it felt like a driveway... and saw the house in front of them was the moment Maureen and Katja had wanted to jump out of the moving car. They already unclipped their belts, and got out as soon as the car stopped.

Maureen started screaming with enthusiasm. She grabbed Katja by her arm: "Look at this, what a great house!"

Karel preceded them laughing, opened the front door and invited them inside. He grinned at Huib: "It's a really special house, it just needs quite a bit of work."

Maureen and Katja stared their eyes out, discovering that five of the seven rooms were downstairs.

"You could consider sleeping upstairs and living and working downstairs during the day, or you could work upstairs and sleep downstairs. Plenty of possibilities!"

"A fireplace..." whispered Katja, "as a child I always wanted a fireplace so much."

"Katja, come and have a look here, the kitchen, it all looks so old-fashioned, but the appliances are very modern."

"Modern in an old-fashioned look, that was the motto of the previous residents," Karel told them. "They loved the atmosphere of the old-fashioned, and all that woodwork, but also enjoyed the conveniences of the modern. That's why they left the fireplace, while downstairs there is underfloor heating in all the rooms. Upstairs there are radiators."

"Oh, then I know, sleep upstairs, work downstairs," Maureen thought. "Shall we have a look upstairs?"

Upstairs, they discovered that in the middle there was a spacious landing with a bathroom opposite the stairs, with a room on either side. From the landing, there was another fixed staircase to the attic.

"That attic is mainly suitable for storing things you don't use," Karel told them, "There are no windows there, just two ventilation grills, which have always been open."

Katja and Maureen went there together to have a look. "Conveniently, no walls, just a roof over a large room." Katja nodded: "I don't have anything to put up here yet, but that might come later. In any case, the space is there."

"Come, I am curious about the bedrooms," Maureen took the lead again. Katja was increasingly enjoying it. She wasn't bothered by Maureen taking the lead, it didn't feel annoying, in fact it even felt quite good the way it was.

Both bedrooms were large, very large, had no less than three large windows and two radiators. The radiators were actually the only things that looked more modern.

Both rooms had an antique sink on legs with a beautiful brass tap that came straight out of the wall. Next to it was a low cabinet. Karel noticed Katja stroking the top.

"Actually, such a cabinet belongs with the contents, it is not usual to sell it with it, but the residents felt it belonged here, with this sink. That's why they left it. Of course, if you want to replace it, you are free to do so."

"Oh no," said Katja, "it's just so nice together, just like that built-in wardrobe, the same antique-looking style. Beautiful!"

She stroked the door of the wardrobe and opened it. A hanging section behind two doors, and shelves behind as many as four doors.

"Katja, we're going to collect clothes! What should we do with so much closet space? Fill it up!" cheered Maureen.

Katja shot into laughter: "You already see it all over the place, don't you?"

"You don't then?"

"The house yes, a bunch of clothes no, I won't wear them anyway. But that doesn't matter, we have lovely space to store both our personal stuff we don't need downstairs. For example, I was thinking about a laptop, putting a little desk here in front of the window, or a seat in that corner, and then just rummaging around on a laptop there. I can take a laptop downstairs, but I can also use it upstairs. Ah what am I babbling about, I'm just overwhelmed by this beautiful house! And I don't care if a few wardrobes are empty!"

Maureen chuckled: "Me neither, I don't care. I love that everything is so spacious."

They went back downstairs, where they went through the rooms one by one. Standing in the living room, Katja suddenly saw through how the house was put together.

"Here in the middle of the house are the hall and the toilet, the living room and the kitchen. Up here are the landing and the bathroom.

There on the left are two rooms, let's say two workrooms, and up there is a bedroom. And there on the right the same. It's actually built symmetrically in a way, funny!"

Karel nodded: "That is indeed how they built it. I just have to warn that all the walls are retaining walls, including upstairs. So please don't remove any walls."

Katja responded, "Oh no, that's not necessary either. All the rooms are already so spacious! And that little corridor between the work rooms, where does that go? To that one garage?"

"Right, and on the other side is another garage, from there is also such a corridor."

They walked together into one of the rooms they could use as a study or 'gallery'.

"Really all the rooms are spacious and despite the dark beams on the ceiling, but thanks to the large windows, wonderfully light."

Maureen put an arm around Katja's shoulders and asked, "Can you see yourself working here? And collecting all your artwork in the room next door?"

"Yes, I can definitely see that, only I think the rooms are too big for it. For example, if I were to work in this room, all I need is a work table by the window and I would want open cupboards or shelves against the walls to put my work down when it's finished. For my feeling, this house is too big, the rooms are too big for what we want. So how do you experience that?"

Maureen nodded: "Actually yes, we could use two rooms for something else. But you know I don't find that a problem at all! I'm like 'we'll see about that'."

Katja shot into laughter: "Ah yes, that's right..."

Karel and Huib stood in the doorway.

"I had put in the advertisement," Karel began, "that it did need some fixing up. And that mainly concerned the glazing and the woodwork outside. Inside, everything had already been done, but the previous residents didn't get around to doing the glazing because one of them fell ill and they eventually wanted to move to a smaller house. So I can recommend that before you move, you have new frames and windows put in everywhere. You might consider doing plastic window frames so that..."

He got no further, as Maureen indignantly interjected, "Plastic in a house like this? No, you can't! What do you think Katja, do you fancy painting some window frames together every year?"

"Funny, a few every year..."

"Yes, why do it all at once every, say, five years? If we do a piece every year, it stays nice and is manageable. You can do that, can't you Huib?" asked Maureen.

"I've never heard of it, but I wouldn't know why you wouldn't do it that way. If you hire a painting company, of course they prefer to take everything in one go, but if you dare to do it yourself, why not divide it up?"

"Exactly, I thought so too! Shall we do that, Katja, just new wooden window frames with double glazing?" And as Katja nodded, "What about the heating boiler?"

"That was renewed last year, and if all goes well someone comes by every year to check it. Name and address of that company is on a sticker on the unit. That unit is in the attic. I would like to show you the scullery and the garage."

They all walked after Karel to the kitchen, through a door into the scullery, where they saw a connection for the washing machine and the door to the garden. Like at the guesthouse, there was a roof behind the pantry with clotheslines underneath. Katja nudged Maureen and pointed to it: "Outside, the washing is dry in no time, lovely! And there's also two wooden garden tables there."

"When it got warm enough to sit outside, they lugged the tables back into the garden, one table on each side of the drying area. There are chairs and a parasol in each garage. Each corner of the garden has a different view, the owner said, so he liked being able to sit on two sides at least. There on that side in the garden are bushes for summer fruit and on the other side an apple tree and a pear tree. Madam liked to make apple pie, and pear compote. They are nice people, if you are going to live here and feel like it, you should visit them sometime. Let's get to the garage. Shall we go indoors?"

They followed him closely again. The garage was spacious enough for a car with a workbench and storage next to it, a bicycle.

"The garages are both of one-and-a-half size, the owner called it. Before them, two couples lived in this house, and they had the garages built. Previously, there was only an old barn here. The other garage is just as young and looks the same. Do you still want to see it?"

They shook their heads. "No way, it's all completely clear to me, overwhelming especially," Maureen said.

"Really," Katja sighed, "very overwhelming. I actually didn't see it as much at first, but as we walked around here, the desire to live and work here began to grow!"

"Karel, can you hold the house for us for a few days?" asked Maureen.

"A few days is a bit much, but just a few seconds I am willing to do for you," he said with a mischievous grin, grabbing the outer wall of the garage with both hands."

As Maureen looked at him dumbfounded, not quite understanding, Katja burst out laughing and exclaimed: "Great, this really helps!"

It dawned on Maureen, what Karel had meant, and she laughed along with Katja.

"Damn man, how else am I supposed to ask?"

"I wouldn't know, your cheerfulness only made me feel like going crazy for a while! I will keep the house available for you for a week, you could also call it that. Then you will have time to think it over and decide whether to do it or not."

"Katja, can you still imagine if we wouldn't do it?"

"Difficult, very difficult..."

"I thought so too. We are going to sort things out, the expenses of the purchase, mortgage, notary and those windows and frames. Oh wait, can you have the expenses of those windows and frames included in the mortgage too?" asked Maureen.

"It is possible in any case, the question is what you prefer to do yourself and how much you have to spend. In any case, make sure you have a sizeable savings penny behind you for maintaining the house and garden. Right now it's not really more than those windows and window frames, but you never know what might suddenly break down."

Maureen nodded: "I know, my parents also have a house of their own, never made any savings, and sometimes that was very unpleasant!"

They got in the car, went with Karel to his office to sign a conditional purchase contract and then walked home with Huib.

.

A few days later, Maureen called Karel to say the sale was on. She had together with Katja consulted with Simon about the windows and window frames, and he had promised them to hire someone for that and provided a quote. With that quotation and the purchase price, they had gone to a bank for information.

Maureen then proposed a rental amount for Katja, which seemed extremely low to her and which she therefore protested against.

Maureen had been implacable. "I got that amount in mind, dithered about it and asked myself why, but I didn't get an answer as to why, just felt increasingly confident about the amount itself, so I want to leave it at that!"

And so it happened, that Maureen concluded the purchase agreement, paid a hefty amount immediately, arranged the rest through a mortgage and had everything confirmed at the notary. As Katja insisted, she typed on her computer a rental agreement that looked like nothing, but which Katja signed anyway, because Maureen really didn't want it any other way.

Less than two weeks later, the window frames and windows on both floors had been replaced and they could start working inside. With what, actually? Everything looked fine! So moving then, buying new stuff. They had been told by Huib that they could take the wooden frame of their bed with them, they only had to buy another mattress and bedding. He would make new beds for the next occupants, and started working on that right away between business.

Huib and Sjaak had assured them they would be happy to help them transport their belongings. They had eagerly accepted that offer. So it happened that they drove to the thrift shop with both bed-frames in the pick-up, picked up two mattresses and two chairs that had been set aside for them by an employee, and drove to their new home. Sjaak looked his eyes out, he had heard it was nice and big, but like this....

The other belongings were also transferred, after which the men wondered if they had found a dining and sitting area yet.

"No, not yet. May we call on you, or borrow the pick-up when we have found something suitable? We actually want to look around for such things at our leisure."

"Totally fine, just give us a call! At the thrift shop, they may also be willing to deliver to your home, within a radius that includes your village. You'll just have to have bought stuff for a minimum price, but when it comes to sofas and such, you'll soon reach that. Just have a look around, and if you need our help, we'll hear about it!"

Maureen and Katja thanked them and waved them off, turning around and making a joyful leap!

"Our house! Our wonderful house!" exclaimed Maureen. "Look at it, how wonderfully free. We can see both neighbours' houses, but probably don't notice anything else about those people! Peace and quiet, Katja, we can live and work here in peace and quiet!"

Katja's smile trailed all over her face: "You don't half know how happy this makes me!"

To chapter 49. Overwhelming surprise!

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