The weekend flew by, and so did the Monday morning. They had lunch a little earlier than usual, so they could leave at half past twelve. Karel drove ahead, silently. Bianca too was silent. Only Julian was talking a bit in a clearly frustrated tone. He was quite aware that they were going back to their own 'home', and he did not seem to like the idea.

Karel was also struggling with it, very much so. He was well aware that Bianca herself would have to make the choice to cross over to his home, not just for a few days, but forever. He knew that was the best thing, for her. But for himself... he hated it, missed her already, while sitting next to him.

Bianca's thoughts flew up and down, all directions. She would prefer to make the choice to move, but... Even thoughts of her parents, what they would think of it, came to mind. And the people at Bloemenhof, they seemed to have no problem with such things, if you were sure you were soulmate to the other person... but how would they feel if she, Bianca, did such a thing? Somehow she felt how warped her reasoning was, but she couldn't stop her thoughts. She tried to focus on the beautiful things around Bloemenhof, her spacious attic room, her work, the lovely people who considered her to be family all the way.

Karel parked the car next to the guesthouse and looked at Bianca. A deep sigh escaped them both. "I miss you already," Karel sighed.

"It's chaos in my head, I don't know what to do with it!"

"When you're ready to move in with me, this week, this month or whenever, let me know, I'll drop everything out of my hands to help you move!" Karel begged.

Bianca smiled, "If there is a customer just then, just help that one along, I will wait patiently."

"Funny girl!" Karel pulled her towards him and kissed her. Her desperation prompted Bianca to kiss him back passionately. Karel felt the fire flare up in his body, the desire to be with Bianca, to share his life, himself with her....

Jacqueline knocked on the window. "Sorry to interrupt, but what time can we get into our guest room, Bianca?"

"Officially not until three, but I suspect the rooms are already ready and it won't be a problem to put your things there beforehand."

"Well, actually I was thinking, we can also leave our stuff in the car. That thrift shop isn't far away, is it? We do feel like going there for a while."

"Good idea," said Bianca, "and in that same street, when you come out of the thrift shop on the right, there is also an Action. That's also a nice shop to browse around. They have lots of drawing stuff and painting stuff... silent hint! And when you come back, give me a call and I'll let you in. I'll check with Annerieke in a minute, but I'm actually pretty sure it won't be a problem. Oh yes, your candle wax artwork, give it to me and I'll put it inside. I'm afraid it might get too hot in the car..."

"Good idea, I'll get it right away!"

Jacqueline walked back to their car, briefly shared with Maurice what Bianca had said about the Action, then they decided to go there by car, so Maurice could bring painting canvases if necessary. She handed the box to Bianca, who by now had fished Julian out of his seat.

"Youngsters, how glum you all three look... remember that you are almost neighbours, you'll be back together in no time!"

"Absolutely true, mum, but still..." sighed Karel.

"I understand you guys though, I shouldn't think of Maurice and I living hundreds of metres apart either! Bye dear Julian, Maurice and I will go to the village by car, and then we'll come and stay here in the guesthouse, and we'll see each other again, okay?"

"Yeah... Kade uis..." said Julian embarrassed.

"Yes, you will go back to Karel's house another time. You like it there don't you?"

Julian nodded, and hugged Jacqueline. She pulled him tightly against her for a moment.

"I love you, Julian..." she whispered.

"Laffou, Akkelie," Julian responded immediately.

"I'll be right back, see you later," Jacqueline promised.

She hugged Bianca briefly. "See you later girl!"

Bianca nodded. "See you later, and have fun in those shops."

Karel hugged his mother, almost squeezing her for a moment.

"Go on, squeeze me," she joked. "I'll see you... at least this week, I suppose."

"Oh yes, I'll come and bother you as much as I can!" Karel promised.

He hugged Maurice. "See you later, Dad, have a good time here!"

"Good luck boy, I almost wanted to say 'hang in there', but don't. Cry when you need to cry, curse when you need to curse, but don't do another person any harm by it."

"Yeah, your motto pretty much..."

He let go of Maurice, and walked back to Bianca. "I'll help you get things upstairs."

He grabbed the weekend bags from the two people he loved so much, and brought them in through the back door, upstairs. He heard how Julian stumbled after him and Bianca followed behind Julian.

"Thank you, Karel," she said upstairs, where he had already put the bags down.

He took her in his arms. And sobs escaped from her throat. "Go on, otherwise I'll be standing here roaring, and I really need to help Julian to bed."

"And then?"

"I think I'll just walk over to Margreet's, yes, I do, I'll take my bag of sewing stuff with me and if it suits her, I'll sew at her place."

"You should have one of those old-fashioned sewing baskets, one of those wicker or rattan things."

"Yes, that's nice, but wouldn't it be dangerous for Julian?"

"You'll have to put it away a bit higher, on your desk or something. But other than that, it's just handy and fun. I have to go, it's already one o'clock, and otherwise the boss will slap me upside the head!"

"Yes, that wouldn't be good, if you're going to slap yourself on your head! We'll call each other, all right?"

"Yes, or I'll come over and eat you up. See you then!"

With a quick kiss for both Bianca and Julian, he left, pulling the stair gate shut behind him again. Julian dribbled towards it and shouted, "Kade! Da Kade!"

"Bye Julian, see you later!"

On the way home, he sent his mother a message: "If you come across one of those nice wicker or rattan baskets in that thrift shop, would you take it for Bianca, for her sewing?"

He got a message back: "I was already planning to..."

.

Silently, Bianca started changing Julian and put him to bed.

"Bianca is going to unpack some more bags, you go to sleep."

But Julian stood up again in his sleeping bag: "Banka? Kade uis?"

"Yes, we'll go back to Karel's house another time."

Bianca quickly cleaned up her things, closed the curtains, gave Julian a hug and put him down again. She switched on the baby monitor, both in the room and on the App on her mobile.

"So, sleep well Julian!"

Downstairs, in the drying room, she picked up her bag of sewing stuff, and walked to Annerieke's house.

"Ha Bianca, did you have nice days?" called Annerieke from the veranda, visibly happy to see her again.

Bianca plopped down on the edge of the veranda.

"Yes, absolutely, Karel's parents were there too and it clicked particularly well. I feel like their own daughter with them. Yes, it was a very special weekend..."

"And... does that mean you will be leaving us soon?"

Bianca sighed deeply, smiling at Annerieke. "That's such a huge struggle Annerieke, I want nothing more, and Julian wants nothing more. But..."

"... then you will have to get over the threshold you are experiencing, dear girl. Take this week to get used to the idea, and go! You belong with Karel!"

"Yes but..."

"It's not easy, I know. You have to cross at least one big threshold, but it's really more than worth the effort to crawl over that bitch. After that, all the thoughts of doubt and uncertainty will probably continue, but then Karel will be there to help you with it."

Annerieke nodded vigorously to reinforce her words.

"I've seen it with Margreet. I've seen it with Lisa. And I've seen it with Simon. And I would love to see it with you! No, I don't want to get rid of you, but I would like you to be optimally happy! And we can give you a lot here, but we can't give you that! I heard you recognised Karel at your first meeting... how did that feel?"

"Very double, on the one hand creepy, on the other I felt a relief, like there was something like 'finally!' "

"Like you had been looking for each other for years?"

"Yes, something like that..."

"Good reason not to wait too long, Bianca."

"I guess you're right... But I actually came for something else. Karel's parents are in the village right now, doing some shopping. I put a piece of their art, by Maureen, that wedding dress made of candle wax, in the kitchen of the guesthouse for so long, because it might get too hot in the car, if the car is parked somewhere in the sun. When they come back later..."

"... if it's not yet three o'clock, just let them in and tell them what they need to know. Do you fancy that, a guided tour?"

"Should work out, right? Phone numbers are on that card in their room, and downstairs in the hall, meal times and just walk around downstairs and point out their room?"

"Exactly!"

"Good, I'll arrange it! Thank you! I'll just walk by Margreet," Bianca said.

"She did a fantastic job taking over your work. It was nice to work with her again. Sort of a reunion. By the way, once you move in with Karel, does that mean you're going to quit here too?"

Bianca thought for a moment. "In principle, yes, but I think I can do quite well up and down as long as you don't have a replacement yet. I won't just abandon you, Annerieke."

"Sweet of you! I've been thinking of asking the women of The Shelter, if any of them would like to join us. If one of them wants to, could she walk with you as early as this week? Then you won't have to come back for it later."

Bianca smiled. "That does feel odd, like I've already decided to go..."

"Oh yes, you will go, the date is just not known yet!" laughed Annerieke.

"Yes, I think you are right about that at least, that there will be a day when I will go. Sigh moan groan! It's okay, if you can find someone, I want to train her. But will you make it clear to her that my departure date is not yet known?"

"Of course, will be fine! I'll walk right over, I'm curious to see if I can get one of those ladies excited!"

"Okay, then I'll go to Margreet!"

.

As Annerieke walked across the estate to The Shelter, Bianca walked to Margreet. She looked through the living room window towards the hobby room. There she saw that the table was empty, from which she deduced that Margreet had moved her things to the veranda behind the house. Quite right, it was still warm enough to sit outside.

She walked around the house and was greeted enthusiastically by Margreet.

"Nice of you to drop by! Have you had nice days?"

Bianca sat down next to her, looking at her tapestry.

"Yes, I had fantastic days, with Karel, with his parents, they were there from Friday evening," she said.

"And they are staying here this week, I understood. Did it click well between them and you?"

"Absolutely, and that's putting it mildly. With them it was like with Karel, as if I had always belonged to them. And so did Julian. But on a different note, how beautiful your tapestry is becoming. That 3D effect is really special! How do you experience working on this, more fun than the previous tapestries or doesn't that matter?"

"I don't experience the work itself as more fun, just as wonderful as the other ones. But I do really enjoy the effect. I was just thinking about that just before you turned the corner. I was wondering what I would like to do when this one and the one with those flowers are done. Would I want to continue with just 3D from then on? And I suddenly saw all kinds of things coming along, and it was mostly a mix of flat plane and 3D. So I think, I'll just let go of the questions about whether or not 3D should be done, but just let it come as it comes, one by one."

"You're right, too! And another thing, I just wanted to thank you for taking over my work. Annerieke is now looking for someone to take over permanently from me in the future, from the moment I dare to move in with Karel. I find it hard, I want to, but I don't even trust myself, let alone really dare to trust people so close. Do you understand how I feel about that?"

"Oh yes, without a doubt! I had that exact same thing. I knew Huib and I belonged together, I began to love him at a rapid pace, and even his house felt like my home, right from the first time. And yet I didn't dare. I remember Emma, who was staying at the guesthouse at the time, coming up to me and telling me her experience. And now it's my own experience too. As soon as I went to live with Huib, my emotional healing went faster than before. I was deeply afraid to give myself to him, but once I lived with him, he helped me over thresholds. Together things went better, not pain-free, not without fear, but still, he was there for me. And I think Karel is no different in that. He doesn't strike me as someone who will waltz over your limits."

"No, absolutely not, he did it once, for a few seconds, but then immediately apologised. And just in that, I experienced, how he takes me seriously. He longs for me to heal, to blossom open, to become the radiant woman he sees in me."

Bianca told of the beautiful statue he had secretly bought from Katja. She told, as her hands rested in complete peace in her lap, about how he dealt with Julian, protected him, took precautions, included him in his life. Margreet's hands were also still, she was thoroughly enjoying the stories about Bianca's days with Karel.

"Do you know how you look overly in love, telling all those things?"

Bianca looked at her. "Really? Is it that visible?"

"Anyone who doesn't see that has doll shit in their eyes!" laughed Margreet. "You stared, dreamily, looking at the forest in love, as if you saw him coming there."

There the tears came again. "That makes it so double, the longing, the intense desire for him, and the fear and uncertainty in the face of that. But what you just told me, yes, somewhere I can imagine it will be like that, that I will go through that process more quickly and easily. And actually I long for that immensely too!"

Bianca said nothing yet, but made up her mind. However things would go with a possible replacement, she would move, no later than next weekend!

Just then, Annerieke arrived.

"Ha, cozy ladies! I've come to tell you a bit of news and then I'll run on, hey!"

"Why run? Come and sit with us!"

"Okay, a moment then. Bianca, I have good news, Janneke Smit, from cottage two of The Shelter, would like to take over your job. She is coming to help me in the kitchen from today, to get settled in. She will stay for dinner, so the three of us can clear up and clean up. And from tomorrow morning, she will come to help you with the guest floor. She doesn't mind that you don't know yet when you will actually move in and she can completely take over your work."

"Perfect! Then now I also want to tell you what I was afraid to say just now. I will move out no later than next weekend. If I were to go earlier, I'll just come back every day to continue working Janneke in until she dares to work independently."

Margreet put her hand on Bianca's arm: "Brave girl! I'm pretty sure you won't regret it!"

"And I couldn't agree more! I'm going home for a bit. So you are free this afternoon Bianca, enjoy it! I'll see you at dinner."

"Wow, indulgence, thank you!"

Bianca sighed deeply a few times, while Margreet looked at her with a beaming smile. "Topper! Did you bring your sewing?"

"Yes, let me get started on that. Did Huib tell you yet that he is going to make a desk and cabinets for our hobby room?"

Smiling at the 'ours', Margreet responded, "Yes, he said so. He is already working on it. The desk was ready yesterday, and he expects the toy cabinet to be ready today. And then tomorrow your cupboard. Then he'll probably arrange with Karel when he can bring things over. I doubt that everything will fit in the pick-up at once, but the men will have to work that out together! Otherwise he'll just have to drive twice, no problem either, it's so close!"

"Super, really nice that he already had time for that. He also made a great garden table with bench for our terrace. Have you seen that one yet?"

"No, is it also on the gallery's site?"

"Don't know, take a look."

Bianca grabbed her mobile and quickly found the photo collages Huib had made of it. "This one, in the last photo it's already in place. Karel bought loose cushions with it, a nice temporary solution, but I think I'll make a big cushion with it myself one day."

"Well, you're handy with needle and thread. You just need one of those cushion fillings and a sturdy fabric. I think the back is just a long rectangle, the seat is a bit trickier. Idea... make a zip in it, so you can take the cover off to wash once."

"Good plan, and I'll also wash the fabric before sewing, so I'm sure it won't shrink again. A bit of thick linen, that seems pretty suitable for it..."

She immediately started searching the internet. Margreet called her the site where she herself had once bought a hefty roll of linen for her wall hangings.

"I already had a huge piece from the thrift shop, but with a couple of wall hangings I was through that in no time. That site has quite a lot of linen."

"I see yes, and the price doesn't disappoint me in itself either. I'll have a look at it with Karel. I have already found a nice one here, in shades of purple, you see, all stains, as if someone just spilled purple paint and then swept the different shades together."

"That one is really beautiful! Send it on to Karel girl, ask him what he thinks of it. Shall I just ask Huib for the measurements of that garden bench? He always keeps such things in folders."

She immediately sent Huib a message and soon got a reply back. He wrote, that the seat was a bit difficult to measure, but at least it fell within a rectangle of five by three metres. He also passed on the measurements of the complete backrest, adding, "Is Bianca going to make garden cushions?"

And when he got this confirmed by Margreet: "Tip: make it from one piece, with a zip on the outer edge of the seat cushion, so she can take out the 'mattress' if she wants to wash the cover. Choose sturdy 'mattress', something that doesn't fall apart on sliding in and out a few times. Same story for backrest, full-length closure, maybe something with ribbons or something? Can also be done with the seat cushion by the way, even better than a zip!"

Margreet sent back a thumbs-up and, chuckling, told Bianca what Huib had written. "Good idea actually, with bows! Looks nice too, bows on the top edge of the back cushion, hahaha Julian has something to do too!"

Bianca shot out laughing. "So that doesn't seem like an option to me! I'll hide those bows at the back. Joh, bows are not necessary at all, not with the back cushion anyway. I can make the cover just like a pillowcase. At the top edge, put one of those flaps over it, fasten in the seam at both ends, and done!"

"Would that stay in place over time? I don't always like the way it works with pillowcases!" said Margreet.

"You're right about that, but I could make that flap quite wide, up to halfway or so. And if it still doesn't work then, I can still put a clasp in it, with bows or something else."

"You're absolutely right - just do it! Would that be possible with the seat too?"

"Yes, in the curvature I'd just have to adjust it then, but I'd have to do that anyway, even if I were to use a zip. In the outer curve, I have to cut out triangles... No problem, I can see it, the only thing that seems tricky to me is the size of such a cushion. That seems quite difficult to work with. Will be fine, I'll just fiddle with it during Julian's sleeping hours. Oh wait, Karel emails back: 'Buy that fabric!' And a link for the stuffing... let's see... wow, it's not cheap, but it looks super sturdy. Nice and thick! Karel writes that he will take the measurements tonight."

Bianca wrote back, saying that was not necessary, that she had already got the measurements from Huib, and asked if he would agree if she ordered the stuffing and fabric in advance.

'Go ahead, send it to our house, the delivery people know they can put parcels on the terrace if no one is home.'

Bianca sent back a thumbs up and a heart, and proceeded to calculate what she needed. Fifteen minutes later, she heaved a deep sigh.

"Both ordered, it was on the same site, from the same seller so."

"And yarn you still have in abundance, like me?"

"Oh yes, I love that every time I go to the thrift store again! I picked up this big spool of dark purple the other day, which they normally use for an overlock machine. I also find it works fine when I sew by hand!"

"Oh well, what the heck! And you can almost certainly use this for those garden cushions too."

"I think so, yes. By the way, I also bought one of those bobbins a good shade lighter, is a bit in between purple and lilac. I'm going to crochet a wrap from that for this doll. Boy, I don't feel like it at the moment. Feeling a lump of restlessness! The decision to move is still a secret from Karel, mind you. And that order, Julian will wake up any minute and Karel's parents will be back soon. Goodness, I feel like a failed centipede!"

"Quite logical, you only have two legs and two hands, so as a centipede you are an absolute failure! Have a nice rest kid, do nothing for a while, and your secret is safe with me, you know."

.

Maurice and Jacqueline were the first to report. They were on their way to the guesthouse.

"OK, I'm with Margreet, I'll walk to the guesthouse in a minute. We'll wait for each other at the parking lot!"

Bianca stood up. "The total rest was short-lived, but it's fine. I'll walk to meet those sweethearts!"

"You're lucky girl, with his parents, really nice that you have such a click with them!"

"Yeah, better than with my own parents... recognisable for you huh?"

Margreet nodded. "True, but off you go, otherwise they're just standing there waiting."

"Will do, see you later!"

.

They arrived at the parking lot almost simultaneously.

"Wow, have you bought the village empty?!" exclaimed Bianca, seeing how full the back seat was.

Jacqueline came out from behind the car, holding a rattan basket. She held it out to Bianca: "Please, dear daughter, for your sewing. Or for whatever you want to put in it, it's up to you!"

"Ooh how nice! Thank you! Did Karel ask you to do that?"

"Yes, but the idea had occurred to me too, so I thought it was a nice confirmation that he asked about it," Jacqueline laughed. "What do you think, Maurice, shall we leave the painting stuff and the drawing stuff in the car? Or do you want to take them upstairs?"

"Well, I was thinking, to take a few pictures on this estate in a minute, and then sit nearby the veranda to paint. How does that sound to you?"

"Sounds like a super plan! Then I'll come and draw with you, okay?" And to Bianca: "We both have a tablet with us, we like to take nature photos with that, and then paint or draw them. Very precise before, from now on hopefully a bit more freely."

"They had a nice range of paints, brushes and canvases there at Action. I would just like something like a low box, to put all those tubes of paint and a pot of brushes in. By the way, I already found a pot in the thrift shop, two of them, one for water and one for the brushes. Unfortunately, they didn't have a suitable box, so I'll have to figure out how to do that later."

"How big should the box be?"

"Something like that," Maurice measured out with his hands. "What do you think, do they have something like that here that I could borrow?"

"I was honestly thinking more of Huib, whether he could just put something like that together from scraps of wood. Give the size again?"

Bianca estimated the distances between his hands and wrote them down. "And the raised edge? About ten centimetres?"

"Yes, that seems fine..."

Bianca called Huib, told him what Maurice needed and asked him if he would be able to put something like that together.

"Oh yes, no problem, I'll do it in between, small effort, great pleasure! I'll bring it to the guesthouse later. If I don't see you, I'll put it in the drying room."

Bianca relayed the message to Maurice. "Super nice, that will save a lot of hassle later!"

They took their overnight bags out of the car and followed Bianca inside. "I don't have a key to the front door myself. By your room there is a spool with a key to your room door and the one to the front door. Well, so this is our drying room and in here is our laundry room. Just put the bags here in the hall, and I'll show you the living room and dining room first."

Bianca told them what was on her mind, gave the times for dinner and preceded them to the guest floor. She pointed out the bathrooms, and took them to their own room.

Jacqueline looked around, closed her eyes and sighed very deeply. Maurice winked at Bianca, and whispered, "She feels the atmosphere."

"Yes, and it feels really good here, super light!" responded Jacqueline. "What a lovely shop that Action is, by the way. Of course we had only brought underwear for the weekend and we were able to buy enough for the whole week! And for Maurice we bought a kitchen apron, a special thick one, not one of those cotton things I have at home and never use. Really a super fabric to protect his clothes from stray paint splatters!"

"How nice, that you found something like that there. Do you need anything else?"

"No, I wouldn't know. I think we have everything, right Maurice?"

"I think so, and if not we'll get it, or ask you for help."

"Fine, just do it!"

"What time are you going to cook with Annerieke?"

"I don't have to help cook anymore, a woman from The Shelter is going to do that. And from tomorrow morning I will guide her to do my work. She's going to take over my job."

Maurice grabbed her by her shoulders. "She's going to take over your job? Are you going to quit? And does that also mean..."

"... That I'm moving out," Bianca nodded with a beaming face. "But shut up to Karel you know, he doesn't know yet. I think I'm going to surprise him at the end of the week."

"I'm sure he won't mind! I'm incredibly happy about it. I saw your worry, how you were pulled back and forth between desire and all sorts of thoughts, and I saw how a struggle Karel was having with it. We don't blame you, though, and I'm sure Karel doesn't either. But it was hard to see!"

Bianca smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you,..." she grabbed Jacqueline with her one arm. "Thank you guys, it's great to have parents like you!"

"And it's not hard for us to think of you and Julian as our children. You are a very welcome addition!" said Maurice.

Julian ended the group hug over the baby monitor. "Will you walk upstairs with me?"

Through the mobile they heard Julian ask, "Banka? Banka Juja out of bed? Banka?"

Bianca pointed to Maurice that he should go inside first. He opened the door and looked around the corner.

"Mauwies!" cried Julian, extending his arms to him.

"Akkelie!" he shouted as Maurice opened his sleeping bag and lifted him out.

"Banka! Isse Kade?"

"Karel is still working," Jacqueline replied. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes!" beamed Julian, "awake now."

"You're wide awake! Shall I give you a clean nappy and help you into your clothes?" asked Bianca.

"No, Akkelie do!"

Bianca looked at her questioningly. "If you want, go ahead!"

"I want nothing more!"

While Bianca laid a large underpad on her bed, Jacqueline took Julian from Maurice. For a moment, she acted as if she was going to send him flying across the room, tossing him onto the bed like that, but as Julian roared with laughter, she finally laid him gently on the underpad. She changed him and dressed him with a dexterity as if she had not been used to anything else in recent months. Meanwhile, they were having a conversation together that nobody could understand.

"So young man, you are fresh and fruity again. Did you want to go downstairs too, Bianca?"

"Yes, I am going to have a drink with him in the kitchen of the guesthouse. Would you also like a cup of coffee?"

"No thanks, we've already had a drink in the village, hanging out with the tourists!" laughed Maurice. "I think we are going to take some photos, don't you think Jacqueline?"

"Good idea! I am immensely looking forward to trying that freer way of drawing!"

.

They returned about a quarter of an hour later, thickly satisfied with the few photos they had taken. On the way, they met a young man, who greeted them warmly.

"Could it be that you are Karel Mulder's parents?"

"That's right, then maybe you are Huib?"

"That's right too," Huib laughed, "I just put the box in the drying room behind the guesthouse. I hope it's to your liking, and if you want to change anything about it, just come over to that big barn over there, I'll be working on there for a while!"

He wanted to walk on already, but Maurice stopped him. "How much do you get from us?"

"Difficult question," Huib said. "I used leftover wood, you know, those pieces you can no longer use for furniture. So I would almost say... waste wood. And as for work time... you know, it was done in no time, these are the nice unexpected things, I don't want money for that. Just put in your paint tubes and such and start painting! I'll come by to see your work some time! But I'm really moving on now, work to do for your son!"

"Okay, run along then! And thanks!" Maurice called after him.

"Cool guy!" said Jacqueline, "a sensitive man, listening to his inner self, hardly hindered by wounding. Extraordinary, there aren't many of those!"

"Then we can indulge our hearts here. By the way, I am curious what he is making for Karel!"

Jacqueline laughed: "We'll find out one day!"

They walked on to the guesthouse, found the box, which was much nicer than they had thought after Huib's comment about waste wood. Maurice took out the tubes, pots and brushes and a suitable canvas. Jacqueline pulled out the apron and took out her sketchbook and a wooden tray in which she had put new pencils and a pencil sharpener.

"Well, Maurice, fortunately the temperature is still fine, let's settle in!"

"You go find a nice spot, and I'll grab some water in the washroom, oh, there's a tap outside here too, handy!"

Jacqueline had already put down two chairs, and thought they still needed the easel for Maurice. They had come across that one in the thrift shop, such a lovely sturdy easel! She lifted it out from between the front seats and the bench and locked the car again. She walked around to where the chairs were already ready.

"So, then you can start using these right away too," she said to her husband, who was staring ahead a little dazed.

"I see it in front of me Jackie, I see it, how I want to do it. Whether I can do it, I don't know, but I see it. That seems like a good start!"

"Then I wish you fun and success in advance! I don't see anything in front of me yet, I just know which photo I want to use."

They looked closely at their chosen photo, took out their tablets again and laid them closed on the grass under their chairs.

"We've never done it like this before," Jacqueline whispered, "the photo always had to be visible. And now, I can still see it in front of me, but the details... I don't know if I'll remember it all later."

"No matter, just start. In an emergency, you can always pick it up again."

They were so absorbed in their work that they didn't notice a few people coming up behind them to watch. They were guests who had come last Saturday. They kept each other quiet so as not to disturb the artists. They had not seen the pictures, but recognised Huib's woodshed in the middle of a beautiful garden in the painting. And Jacqueline's drawing, that had to be Annerieke's house, with part of the vegetable garden and the big chicken coop. They smiled at the chickens she drew in it, raised their thumbs to each other.

They had been working for over an hour, when Jacqueline looked at her work and decided it was fine. She sighed deeply, with pure pleasure. To be able to draw like this, it made an overwhelmingly good feeling! She felt wonderfully free, and wondered if she could become even freer. She suspected so, she had experienced while drawing that some old thoughts had come up that wanted to tell her how things should definitely not or absolutely should.

She looked at Maurice, who put his brush in the water and sighed just as deeply. "What an amazing experience that was! It was like playing with paint! This is all I want more of! How did you experience it Jackie?"

"Exactly like that, drawing has never been so much fun! Looking back, I wonder how I ever managed it the other way! This is also much more relaxing, really great!"

"Yeah..."

An applause behind them slowly swelled. They looked back in surprise.

"What a beautiful work, so artful! And it was so nice to see you guys busy!"

"So have you all been watching for some time?"

"At least half an hour! And it was truly a feast!"

The guests introduced themselves as Bob and Anneke Vergunst.

Maurice put the easel with the painting on the veranda, so it could dry quietly there. He washed off his brushes in the sink outside next to the drying room, and rinsed the pot well, while Jacqueline and Anneke put the chairs back on the veranda.

"Have you been doing this for a long time for sure, this painting?" asked Bob.

Maurice laughed briefly. "Yes and no! I've been painting for years, and Jacqueline has been drawing all these years. But we were finicky precise about that. Last weekend we were with our son, and so much happened there, which further loosened and healed us emotionally, that we felt a tremendous need to be able to let go in freedom. We had nothing with us for our hobbies, but found what we needed here in the village. Then we took a few pictures with our tablets and went to work. Man, Bob, we have the best job in the world. The company I work for can't compete with that! Doing what suits you... a dream come true, though I don't know how yet. All I know is that I want to spend a lot more time on this!"

To chapter 86. Power of the soul

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