"We are going to have a special week, Margreet," Huib said. "Do you know which guests are all coming?"

"No, tell!"

"Johan and Marieke, they were the first to sign up, shortly followed by Alexander and Ellen. I assume those two couples were in touch about it. The day after, we got a reservation from Marianne, that secretary of Johan's, who was also the hostess at the court desk. I had already understood from Lisa that she rarely works behind the desk anymore, because she is busy with Johan's correspondence about the way he works now, from his inside. In the beginning, he got mostly questions and criticism, but eventually more and more requests for help and hope, expectation, beautiful testimonies. And they came from all around the world! Well, those are the five people who are all related to those lawsuits. Anton and Joke even come for two weeks, and finally we have Fiona there. Do you remember her?"

"Yep, she was here with her husband at the time. Lisa and I met them in the thrift shop, that's where Lisa got bright words for them. Eventually they decided to break up, Fiona would continue to live in the house where they lived together at the time. Fiona joined the gallery recently, didn't she?"

"Oh yes, we talked about it then too. Yes, she manages to touch people with clay in a simple way. That 'Centipede?', she made a whole series of those, and they are selling really well! I haven't seen her make anything totally different yet. She had indicated to Ilse, that she had not yet received any impressions for something else. Maybe she still has to go through something. We know that all too well, don't we?"

"Oh yes, without a doubt!" laughed Margreet. "Say Huib, shall we organise some kind of reunion? Fiona is the only one I don't think the others know, but I assume she'll be included in the circle with ease."

"I think so, too. I wonder how she has fared after that divorce. All I know is that she's busy with clay now. Shall we go and have a chat with Annerieke and Simon about it, about the idea of a reunion?"

"Yes... but I think rather still to Lisa and Sjaak, a large part of that group fought for Lisa."

"You're right, dear," Huib replied. "Gloria is still asleep, do you have the baby monitor on your mobile?"

"Yes, we can hear her at least a kilometre away. Come on, we'll peek out for a while!"

"Hahaha, it just sounds conspiratorial the way you put it!" chuckled Huib, as he went after her. They locked the doors, not that much ever happened around their house, but more for the idea, and walked to Sjaak and Lisa's house. They knocked on the door and to their cheers they walked in.

"Hey visitors from across the street, cosy! Where did you leave your glorious daughter?" asked Sjaak.

"She's snoring nicely, I have the baby monitor on," said Margreet, tapping the pouch on her belt.

"How handy that is," Lisa thought, "such a special pouch on a thin belt. I think I'll go after one of those belts too and sew or crochet something on it. Yes, crochet, I actually like that even better, with a bit of a neutral colour... Yes, will do! Tell me, do you guys feel like coffee or tea?"

"Feel like it anytime, but we're only coming for a short time to discuss something, and then we'll probably go out again," Huib replied. As they sat down with Sjaak and Lisa, Huib told them who they were expecting in the coming week. Even before he shared the idea for a reunion, Lisa exclaimed: "How cool! Let's organise an evening together, a kind of reunion!"

Huib and Margreet looked at each other: "OK, that's settled then!" laughed Margreet. "So that's what we wanted to propose. Fiona is the only one who doesn't know the rest of the club so far, but knowing everyone, they will be only too happy to include her in their group."

"I think so too," Lisa thought.

Sjaak was also enthusiastic: "Where do you want to hold it? Shall we do it here at home? We have about as much space as you guys..."

"I think that's a great plan, after all, almost all of them have been involved in Lisa's court cases. So it's primarily your reunion. Well, that's just the idea, we have a connection with them too, but I like the idea of doing the whole mess here once. Shall we arrange the shopping together?" asked Huib to Sjaak.

Sjaak laughed: "I was just about to suggest it to you!"

"Say Sjaak," came Margreet with something else, "I heard from Rosalie that you were at their centre recently to guide their new discoverer through the garden. How was that?"

"Great! I can't say otherwise. I understood from Patrick that that little guy had had a horrible experience with school, that he only wanted to go outside when he wasn't allowed to, and here he found it exciting for a while, but thanks to the fact that Patrick responded to his desire to become a farmer and make a big vegetable garden later when he grew up, he was immediately all smiles. I went to the garden centre with them, and especially later in their garden was able to see how a child who is given the opportunity, learns from within, learns very super easily. An amazing experience! I don't know if it can be done, nor do I know if the others would like it, but I would love to take the whole club there sometime next week."

"This is a robbery!" exclaimed Huib elatedly. "Just kidding, I understand you. If the guests want to and it's possible there, just let it go. But I think we'd better go another time. Otherwise it really will be a robbery..."

"You know, I will just send a message to Patrick, just generally suggesting the idea, and ask him to discuss in his group what is desirable for them. And by his group I mean the adults and the children together, because deliberating and making decisions they do together, cool huh? Those children are full participants there, really special. Anyway, I'll write to Patrick right away..."

He already started typing an e-mail on his mobile.

"Hang on, Sjaak, we're going again, just to see Simon and Annerieke, ask them if they're coming too. Then you can type that mail on your PC, seems easier," Huib said.

"Feel free to go out again, no problem, but I almost always type on my mobile phone, so I'm doing fine. Shopping tomorrow morning?" asked Sjaak.

"We do, right after breakfast?" responded Huib.

"OK, we'll find each other. Ladies, will you arrange a shopping list then?"

"Joh, surely we can think of that ourselves together," Huib protested.

"Of course we can, but we can't pass by our sweethearts, can we?"

As Margreet nearly choked with laughter, Lisa made a quasi-furious attack at Sjaak: "Who do you think you are, that you can fool me like that!"

Sjaak quickly put his mobile on the table, stood up, grabbed her wrists before she could grab him and pulled her tightly against him. "Who am I? That's a good question! I am the dearest husband to you, and the best father to William, plus I am a great gardener. What more could my Liesel want?"

Slack with laughter, she let herself hang in his embrace: "Nothing more, I wouldn't know what else I would want! Yes, another baby, such a sweetheart like William, we could have ten of those, such a wonderful child..."

"Same with us too, children like Gloria, you can collect whole hordes of them!" responded Margreet.

"A herd, Margreet, a herd of children! Shall we have a contest?"

Huib slapped his thighs with laughter: "Sjaak! We have work to do, man! Margreet, come, let's go, before we all start talking more nonsense!"

"Nonsense?!" rose Lisa indignantly. "There's not a syllable of nonsense about that, Mr Jansen! And now go quickly to Simon and Annerieke, so we can start!" She stuck her tongue out at Huib and put her head back on Sjaak's shoulder. "Shall we just chase those two outside? Door locked and all that?"

"We're already gone! Good luck, make something nice out of it!" shouted Margreet, pulling Huib along.

Laughing, they left the house, where Huib embraced Margreet and pulled her against him for a moment to look deep into her eyes. "Did you mean it? Would you like a big family?"

She laughed: "In itself, yes, but let's do it one by one, maybe after the second one we'll think it's enough!"

Grinning, they walked on: "Do you think so?"

"No, not really..."

.

Annerieke and Simon already knew which guests were coming. They were both looking forward to it, and really liked the idea of a reunion.

"Great, without any notice tomorrow night at Sjaak and Lisa's place. We're going back home, work to do!"

"Work? Right now?" asked Simon in surprise.

"Yes Simon, Margreet wants to collect a horde of children... we'll have to do something about that then!"

Annerieke laughed: "Lovely crazy kid you are, still!"

"I think that's getting worse," Simon thought.

"That can't be, he's already on top of his game! Wonderfully crackly! Go ahead and enjoy it!"

Huib and Margreet walked out the door waving and laughing, just hearing Simon say, "They do give me an idea..."

To chapter 64. Arrival and reconnaissance

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