Patrick and Bea were expecting Huib any minute. He had called yesterday to ask if he could drop by with estate agent Karel Mulder. They had no idea what to expect, why he wanted to come with a real estate agent. They honestly thought it was a bit strange and also felt slightly tense about it. The fact that they could trust Huib didn't actually help them that much.

Huib arrived first: "Good morning!"

"Hey Huib," Bea said as she let him in.

"I'm expecting Karel to arrive any minute. What's up Bea, you look tense... are you not feeling well?"

"What have you come to do with a real estate agent? I don't know what it is, but we both feel tense and insecure under it."

"Oh girl, that's really not necessary! But I know I can't take away your uncertainty with that. Just a little longer, he'll be here soon, and then you'll know more."

At the same time, the doorbell rang. Bea opened the front door again and saw a young man with an open, beaming face. And she felt deep inside immediately that she could trust this man. He did not come with wrong intentions, had no evil intentions.

"Come in, I'm Bea," she invited him kindly.

"And I'm Karel!" Smiling, he shook hands with her. "Thank you for taking time out for me in all the hustle and bustle!"

"Mum!.... Oh, sorry, I didn't know we had visitors. Oh Huib! Are you here too!" Rosalie danced over to him and hugged her big friend.

"And who are you then?" she asked the new visitor with a crooked head.

"I'm Karel, and I've come to talk to your parents. What is your name?"

"Rosalie, and I'm the best friend of Gloria, Huib's baby, really! She is soooo sweet!"

Karel laughed, putting his hand on her shoulder, "And I think you are the very sweetest friend to her!"

Rosalie nodded enthusiastically and walked to the living room.

"Come along," she called over her shoulder.

Smiling, Bea, Karel and Huib followed her into the living room, where they were greeted by Patrick.

Rosalie, curious about this new gentleman, stayed in the living room, sat down in her own corner behind her laptop and started typing. She decided to write a little story about the man she found so funny because of his cute black curls and his beautiful brown eyes.

Karel and Rosalie had noticed from each other that they were watching each other, observing each other. They regularly smiled at each other and gave each other winks.

"Pretty girl," Karel said to Patrick, "funny and smooth, eager to learn too, I understood from Huib."

"That's right, she certainly is," Patrick told him. "She knows her way around well!"

"I recognise it from myself. Huib mentioned something about your family yesterday, and I recognised a lot of you in the family I come from myself. The freedom to be allowed to be who you are, to explore and learn. I only went to school for a few weeks because it was compulsory. Then my mother took me out of it, because she felt I needed something different and I was definitely not doing well at school. She fought for me to keep me free, fought for homeschooling. Since then, I have never seen the inside of a school. And look at me, I am now a real estate agent, for a few years now. I do the work I love, and I earn more than I could ever imagine! I'm happy with it, really happy."

Bea, meanwhile, had passed around mugs of coffee and had joined them. She had heard his introduction and felt kinship. "So your mother was a warrior like us? Good to hear, we're not the only ones!"

"No, you really aren't! There are more parents who want different, only most parents settle for the fact that school is compulsory, don't know or dare to look further. Many parents are also too busy with their work, with themselves... I guess. But that aside. I understood from Huib... no, let me start at the beginning!"

Rosalie forgot to type, listened to the nice gentleman, to what he said about the little shop Huib had bought from him, and that Lisa had borrowed money for it.

Karel, who was very aware that Rosalie was listening, told his story a little simply so that she understood it too. He talked about his desire to also do something good with all that money he had in his savings account, that he wanted to do the same as Lisa, lend money or give money.

"And then Huib came up with your story about a discovery centre. He said Lisa had lent you money for that. I think that's great, really! But you can't start making a profit to pay her back, you have to focus on the children, not money. And when Huib told me about it, I knew I wanted to help you. I don't want to lend you money, I want to give you money so you don't have to worry about it. My piggy bank is replenished every month, and has been for years and will continue to do so as long as I can sell houses. That's why I want to ask you what you need now, and I want to ask you to keep me informed if you need more."

Bea looked at Patrick, nodded at him. Patrick told Karel the amount they had been given to borrow from Lisa. "That's enough for construction and furnishing. After that, we need monthly money for salaries, for ourselves and for an employee we have hired. And we'll probably have to look for a cleaner over time, we're not sure yet whether we want to find a group of volunteers for that or hire someone. And if we notice that a child needs something that we don't have yet, we have to chase that. We know we had to set up this project, but that financial issue is still quite a tricky one. That does spin through our heads sometimes."

"I totally understand that, but once you guys really start working at the centre, that shouldn't be necessary. And I know I have the ability to take away at least a large part of that concern. I have the ability to give you that amount that you have been given on loan so that you can pay back that loan. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to play the rich man here, I just feel the need and the specialness of your project, and I am happy to help you. How much I can contribute monthly depends on how the house sales go, but I think we will go a long way with that. Besides, parents who bring their children to you will of course also start contributing. At least, I assume so..."

Patrick nodded: "We do have ideas about that, but we still have to work it out. Also how we are going to announce it, that we hope to start in May. Apart from furnishing the building, that is our first task at the moment. We have stopped our own work, can move forward financially for a few months, so we can start devoting ourselves completely since a few days to what still needs to be done. Anyway, so a financial contribution from parents should definitely come."

Karel nodded: "I'm sure that will be fine. Besides my own contribution, I would like to suggest that I take it upon myself to set up some kind of fundraising for you, an opportunity for people to do their bit."

He saw Bea's brow begin to furrow. "Tell me Bea, what are you thinking about?"

She sighed deeply: "I like what you want to do, these donations, and fundraising, but... how should I put it... money lines usually create dependency. I mean, we have been given a vision and we want to follow it. I don't want us to be put on the line by people giving donations. I don't mean it personally though, just generally."

Karel nodded: "So much has gone wrong that way, unfortunately. Personally, I fully support your plans, and because I also know that money radiates power, I have put something on paper for you. My statement on this. I would like to stay informed about the centre, but only to sympathise with it, simply because it has my heart, having been brought up that way myself. I don't want any further interference in it."

He took the paper out of his pocket and showed it to them. "If you agree to this, we will put our signature on it. I have it double, one for you and one for me, then if I do make a mistake, you can always reprimand me with it."

Bea and Patrick both got a copy and read the story of Karel's own background, his desire for the education system to change completely and for children to be allowed to freely discover who they are, what suits them and what they want to learn. On the financial side, he wrote that he only wanted to give money and start fundraising, but otherwise he did not want to be named anywhere as the one who brought in the money, not on the website, not in newsletters, nowhere. His name had to be kept secret about that!

Patrick and Bea looked at each other, faces full of emotion. Bea put her hand on Karel's hand: "This thing you want to do is real, is from inside you, your soul, your heart, call it... Thank you!"

Karel smiled and held out his pen to her. "If you want, you can sign both letters."

Rosalie had broadly understood what Karel had come to do. She understood quite well that a lot of money was needed, and he was going to take care of that so that her parents did not have to worry about it. She let herself slide off her chair and crawled into Karel's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Karel is a cricket in stories, and crickets eat everything, but you are a Karel who gives, I love that, so beautiful! Thank you..."

She sat still, feeling Karel wrap his arms loosely around her and hearing him whisper back, "I do it with great pleasure, I'm happy to do something good. Like crickets, they also do something good, they make pretty sounds, they sing songs. Maybe I'm more like that cricket."

Rosalie chuckled: "You're just Karel."

She suddenly rose up: "When the discovery centre is ready, will you come and see?"

"If I can do so without disturbing the children, I'd love to!"

"Disturb children? Children live with adults. I sometimes stop reading or typing for a moment, have a chat with mum or dad, a quick look at Huib and Margreet, and then continue later."

Karel nodded: " Delightfully free, free and happy!"

Rosalie smiled: "Yes, free and happy..."

To chapter 50. Why security?

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