Chapter 88.

Moving

Bianca and Janneke worked together on the guest floor while the guests were having breakfast. Despite the fact that it was only Wednesday, the second day Janneke worked with Bianca, Bianca felt she already knew exactly what to do and where to find the things she needed. Afterwards, she spoke to Janneke about it, as she felt within herself that her desire to move was growing incredibly.

"How does this job seem to you, Janneke?"

"Ah, to be honest... it is not the first thing I would choose myself, but for the moment it is ideal. I get along well with Annerieke, feel safe and even at home with her, so the work in the kitchen is good for me, even cosy. And the work above, yes, I get along well with you too, but I won't have much use for that in the future, when you move," she said chuckling. "The work itself is not difficult, I can handle it well, oversee what needs to be done. Only when the guests leave, then there is more work, I suppose, changing beds, and what else?"

Joanna grabbed her mobile and opened a note and started making a list by herself of what she thought should be done:

changing beds

clean drinking glasses

dusting

mirror and washbasin with a lather

bins empty and clean

extra vacuuming

new flowers

She showed it to Bianca: "This is what comes to mind. Besides the usual work in the bathrooms, of course. What else am I forgetting?"

"Nothing... you probably just walked around the room in your mind and got a clear idea of what is needed. The guests leave no later than ten o'clock, and the new ones arrive from three, so you have five hours."

"Hahaha, if that doesn't work, nothing will!" laughed Janneke.

"Exactly, so time is not the problem. Do you think the amount of energy will also make it work?"

"I think so. What seems convenient to me is that during their breakfast I fix the bathrooms, turn on the washing machines with the daily laundry, then take a break. After the ten o'clock coffee, pick up a few beds and put the washing machines back to work. Then pick up all the other beds. Bring the used glasses downstairs, and take new ones upstairs. Then make the bed per room and finish the rest of the list. And when all the rooms are ready, vacuum the landing and stairs, a cloth over the banisters, oh those little things, doorknobs and such. And get new flowers! Bianca, if you want to move earlier, feel free to do so. I can manage just fine here, and if I have a question, I know where to find Annerieke, Margreet or Lisa. It's your turn now Bianca, to start doing what suits you, living with your soulmate, taking care of Julian and sewing many more of those beautiful doll dresses. If you dare to take the step, go!"

Bianca looked at her with tears in her eyes. "You really mean it huh? You have my happiness in mind... but what about you? How do you ultimately want to move forward?"

"Step by step," Janneke said smiling. "I wouldn't be able to handle living with someone for a long time yet, I need some kind of basic healing or something first. I can't actually tolerate any men around me yet, at least not men who get close, not a boyfriend or partner. I still need time to work here and live at The Shelter. I suspect my next step will be to move here, to the attic room. But maybe not, I don't know, I'll see! And I assume, I'll eventually discover what I really like to do. Until then, this is a wonderful filling up of my days, in a safe environment, an environment where there is more soul power than elsewhere. For the moment, perfect!"

Bianca nodded: "I understand, yes, I sense that what you say is right, that this is best for you at the moment. Shall we have a chat with Annerieke about it?"

Annerieke was quick to understand, thought it was great for Bianca that she was taking that step. "It will do you good. And no, I'm not going to say I'm going to miss you, because for work Janneke is a fine successor and the contacts will be there from time to time anyway! But I am very happy for the time you have been here, happy that I was able to hang out with you and grateful for the changes I saw in you during that time. And much more is going to change, you bet, with a man like Karel beside you and such parents as Maurice and Jacqueline. How strong those people are in their souls, hey Janneke?"

"Yes, unbelievable, it changed me so much! Jacqueline had some words for me and held my hands and an intense power and warmth flowed from her hands through my hands, right into my body. I finally came alive!"

"Oh, how wonderful for you Janneke! And shall I tell you something, what I understood, that what you are healed in, you radiate that back to the people around you. It goes on and on!"

"Wow how beautiful! But how do we move on from here, practically?"

"You want to quit now, Bianca, then I'll just let Huib terminate your contract after today. And from yesterday you'll work here, Janneke, we'll also arrange that with Huib. Doesn't amount to much, but it has to be made official. And about the move, Bianca, also today?"

Bianca nodded: "Yes, I do want to try that. I want to ask Maurice to look after Julian, and Jacqueline to help me pack. And there I have an immediate question. Do you have any boxes for me to borrow?"

"Oh yes, right around the corner in the guesthouse's barn, there's a pile of moving boxes there. Just take what you need. I'd appreciate it if you bring them back. There's absolutely no hurry, but it would be nice. Oh yes, would you take off your bed and put the linen in the machine? Then we'll hang it up and put it back upstairs in the wardrobe."

"Will be fine! I'll also dust and vacuum, so Janneke or someone else can move in like this!"

Annerieke smiled. "Fine, thank you! Will you stop by when you leave?"

"Sure, I'll come and say goodbye to you all! Janneke, in case I don't see you again... I know you're going to have a great time here, so I don't need to wish you any more, it's just nice here!"

The young women hugged each other. "Goodbye, I'm sure I'll come here to visit again, it's too enjoyable here! And if you guys feel like neighbouring with us sometime, please come!"

"That could just happen, it's almost around the corner!" replied Annerieke, laughing.

.

Bianca looked for Maurice and Jacqueline in the dining room. They had just finished eating.

"Do you have any plans for today?" asked Bianca.

"Not yet, but I suspect you have plans for us," laughed Maurice.

Bianca shot into laughter. "Nothing to impose, but to ask. I want to move out today..."

Suddenly she couldn't speak any further, the tension of the last few days just bursting out in a small crying fit.

"Oh sorry..." she sniffed.

"No problem," Jacqueline said, stroking her back. "The stuff of the past week is coming out. And now that you're making the move... does that mean relief for you?"

"Yes and no, both still. The desire has grown, and as a result, I am busy struggling through that hill," Bianca smiled, wiping away her tears and blowing her nose.

"Can we help you, with that move?" asked Maurice.

"Gladly! Would you keep Julian with you for a while? And Jacqueline, would you help me lug a few boxes upstairs and pack my things?"

"Fine," Maurice responded before his wife could say anything. "Just tell me where those boxes are, and I'll lug them upstairs for you. And then I'll pick up Julian afterwards. Is he in the kitchen?"

"Yes, he's chatting Annerieke's ears off, I suspect."

"She probably won't mind, but I can at least sit with him or take him outside if she's more comfortable with that. Will be fine. Where are those boxes?"

"Around the corner here, in the shed. I'll walk with you."

.

Moments later, the two women were packing up all her belongings.

Jacqueline packed Julian's stuff, while Bianca packed her own.

"Does Julian have any toys downstairs?"

"Yes, two or three things that are in the playpen with him that he probably doesn't do anything with. He is not a child of toys, he dribbles and he chatters, like a real comedian!"

They laughed together.

"Does it bother you that he is developing that way?" asked Jacqueline.

"No, not at all, at most maybe when there are other people around who can't understand, but I haven't had that happen yet. But for myself, no, just not, it's part of him, it suits him. And I'm sure he will discover other things, just with it, but that chatter is the most important thing for him."

"You're absolutely right! See, you are a good mother!"

"Oh well, maybe... Karel says that my inner self is like that of a radiant woman, just like that picture, but that I've always been approached in such a restrictive way, that I act like I'm a programmed robot. And it was so crazy, when he said that, it did feel strange for a moment, but I also felt that it was true. He emphasised that it would naturally start to change through that healing. And somewhere I believe that, but it can't happen fast enough for me! I'd like to know what that's like, living fully from within, how that feels, how that works, how different that is!"

"Yes, I know that, I'm doing so much better than a few years ago, and I'm not yet at what you call living fully. Though I do feel I'm close to it. So, Julian's things are packed. Ah, I see you have also finished with your things."

While Bianca took off her bed and hung her duvet over the foot of the bed and chair so it could air out a bit, Jacqueline put the boxes next to the stairs. Bianca went through all the cupboards again and then decided to put the boxes in her car in advance. The women stumbled down the stairs one after the other, each carrying a box and taking them to the car. Bianca already wanted to unbuckle the hat shelf, but Jacqueline stopped her.

"We'll put them on the back seat, it's much easier. We'll drive after you later, then we can also return in our own car when you've installed yourself sufficiently. Then you'll have some time to acclimatise until Karel comes home," she said with a wink.

They slid the boxes into the back seat and went back to the attic, Bianca with a bucket of soapy water and a cloth.

"Shall I just keep that cloth at work while you vacuum? Can we do that at the same time?"

"Probably," Bianca said.

At the same time, they looked at Julian's cot.

"I don't need that anymore, Karel has already bought a cot for Julian. I'll just take off his sheets, then they can go in the washing machine with the other one later. I'll tell Annerieke she can keep the cot, you never know who that might come in handy for!"

They set to work with the soapy cloth and the vacuum cleaner and were actually through the room in no time. Bianca swung the vacuum cleaner across the landing for a while, as she called it, so that everything looked tidy there too.

"So, that went fast!" Bianca put the vacuum cleaner in the corner on the attic landing, put the window of the attic room ajar, left the door open and grabbed the laundry. While Jacqueline rinsed the bucket in the bathroom and wrung out the cloth and placed it on the edge of the laundry basket on the landing, Bianca walked to the laundry room. All the laundry she had taken off both beds could easily be put together in the washing machine. In the fabric softener compartment, she put cleaning vinegar, to make the linen a little softer. Jacqueline, having come downstairs in the meantime, saw that she did just that.

"What a good idea, some people can't stand fabric softener, but this works fine for everyone!" she said. "You know what I think hey, that people react allergically to everything... I think it has to do with all that emo shit they carry around. I wonder, in a year or so, if we'll hear much about allergy by then!"

Reflecting on those words, Bianca looked at her: "I wouldn't be surprised if you're right..."

They walked to the kitchen, where they found Maurice with Julian, and where Annerieke was busy baking a cake.

"Hmm it smells nice in here again!" said Bianca. "Annerieke, I don't need the cot anymore, as far as I'm concerned it can stay here for whoever needs it. Is that OK with you?"

"More than okay! Thank you!"

"The cot bedding is also in the washing machine, and I left one spare set in the cupboard. I do need the rest myself."

"Really nice, Bianca, then if anyone ever comes again with a baby or toddler, the most important thing is there! Would you like a cup of coffee before you leave?"

"Yes, nice, a farewell cup!" laughed Bianca. She looked at Maurice and Jacqueline. They were also fine with it.

They were just sitting down to their coffee when Huib came in.

"Ha, I'm just in time, I see. Please Bianca, when you took over Margreet's job I already made a kind of standard resignation letter for it. If you agree with the contents, you can put your signature to it, then it's all right as far as we're concerned. By the way, I'll come and bring the furniture together with Karel this afternoon, those two cupboards and your desk. I think around half past three."

"Good thing you mentioned it! Are you keeping it a secret from Karel that I've moved? I'd like to surprise him."

Huib grinned: "Best idea ever! I'm happy to work on that! See you this afternoon girl!"

"Not in the mood for coffee Huib? There's still in the pot, just fresh!" said Annerieke.

"I'd be a fool to turn down such an offer, wouldn't I?" laughed Huib.

He sat down next to Maurice and Julian. From that place he could oversee everything, and so he also saw that Jacqueline was looking at him sternly.

"Huib, you started making furniture, and you make them beautifully. But there is more in your soul, a deep desire to make things out of wood that don't seem useful. Images, shapes, all sorts of things... But you cling to that furniture, make it beautiful, no doubt, but your soul's desire is the desire of an artist. To make something that is purely creative, something that may look like nothing, but where you just follow your gut. You cling to the useful, the practical, by clinging to something else, to someone else, someone who was very dear to you, someone who guided you to live, really live, someone who taught you to listen to your soul, to feel and help others heal. You hold on to your father, understandably, but that has also tied you down. Those ties formed out of grief and despair are leaving, they are scorching..."

As she spoke and continued to look at him, Huib felt a burning pain around his heart. A raw scream escaped from his mouth, a scream without words. It lasted only a few seconds, then he calmed down.

Jacqueline too, with a hand from Maurice on her back for physical and soul support, was back in the civilised world in no time.

"So, that was intense!" said Huib, bewildered. "How did you do that?"

"Soul work boy, deep soul work," Maurice replied for his wife. "You're her fourth victim," he chuckled. "We went through something over the weekend with Karel and Bianca and actually all the time before that, and since then the power radiating from Jacqueline in particular has become much stronger."

"With you too, Maurice, I feel the difference very well," Jacqueline responded.

"Nice, happy to hear. I think it's great that I can support you with this!"

"Do you recognise your deepest longing, Huib?" asked Jacqueline.

"Yes, absolutely, but I did indeed push it away. Erik, Dad, always called me an artist, a wood artist. And when he crashed I pushed that away out of pure envy and despair, those words of his in the purest form, I mean. I did go through the pain and grief together with Annerieke, but refused to see myself as 'just' an artist anymore. But that is about to change, because I feel the desire to do things differently, to work differently. I will just have to look for thicker hunks of wood instead of boards and planks. But that will work out. I'll ask the forester, maybe he has some stumps for me."

"Don't do that Huib, that's often sick wood. You need good wood, and that might cost something, but it may cost something! And good tools, I don't know if you have the right tools for it?" asked Maurice.

"Most of them do, I think. I wouldn't know at the moment what else I would need. Erik did take care of that, getting tools for my artist's work... Mom, thanks for the coffee, I'm going to go to my work shed for a while, let things settle down."

"Is good boy, and you know what I was just thinking about? About that cute little squirrel and bunny you made for those teenage girls last year. That felt like a little trip in the right direction to me even then, but you let it go after that. I'm very curious to see how you get on now!"

She hugged her son and got a kiss on her forehead in thanks. Huib put his hands on Maurice's and Jacqueline's shoulders for a moment more and thanked them. In response, Jacqueline patted his hand and gave him a sweet smile.

"And you, Bianca and Julian, I will probably see you this afternoon. And if not, I wish you good luck now. Silly wish, happiness is already radiating off you!"

With a swing of his arm, he disappeared out of the kitchen.

"Shall we go too, then?" suggested Bianca. She already stood up and grabbed the few toys Julian had in the playpen. "I'll just pick up our coats in the laundry room. And the buggy... oh no, that's not necessary, it can also stay here for a possible successor. Karel had already arranged a buggy for Julian."

She put the toys with Julian on the table and walked to the washroom. Wearing her coat loosely and Julian's coat over her arm, she returned to them.

"I think we have everything, but if I'm still missing something, I'll come back for it," he said.

"And if I come across anything else of yours, I'll give you a call! Bianca, I believe I'm going to miss you anyway, you and your cheerful chatter-boy! I look forward to seeing how things will go on with you!"

Annerieke and Bianca hugged each other. "Thank you for everything you taught me, and especially for who you always were to me. Will you say goodbye to Simon for me? And if you feel like coming over together sometime... just do it!"

She turned to Maurice and Jacqueline. "I'll take a quick walk with Julian past the youngsters back there, I'll be right back!"

"The youngsters," chuckled Annerieke, "Huib and Margreet, Lisa and Sjaak..."

"And the kids," Bianca said, taking Julian from Maurice. "I'll be right back!"

"Just take it easy!" Maurice called after her.

.

Half an hour later, they were on their way. Julian with Bianca in the car, Maurice and Jacqueline in their own car following.

"Kade uis," Julian said glowering, when Bianca stopped at the house. "Juja Kade uis!"

"Yes, we are going to live with Karel, Julian!" smiled Bianca at her son.

Bianca opened the front door of the house with the key Karel had already given her last weekend and stepped inside with Julian on her arm and Maurice and Jacqueline right behind her.

"Home, all the way home..." Bianca whispered into the living room and heaved a deep sigh of happiness. She realised very well that not everything would be trouble-free now, but she was now in the place where she belonged, where she was at home.

Maurice and Jacqueline smiled and winked at each other. Maurice suggested putting Julian in the playpen for a while, then he would help lug things inside. "And after that, you can tell us how you want things to proceed, whether we can help you with anything else or something."

"Once the boxes are upstairs, I'd love it if you keep Julian company for a while, while I unpack the boxes. It's not much, just two boxes. After that, we'll see!"

She put Julian in the playpen and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "We're just going to unpack stuff from the car," she said.

"Fomme car."

They brought everything inside. Bianca put her sewing basket on a corner of the dining table so Julian wouldn't be able to reach it. Together with Maurice, she brought the boxes upstairs. Jacqueline decided to put Bianca and Julian's coats on the garden bench. She also put the sewing basket there.

Maurice came back downstairs. "So Julian, Bianca is still busy upstairs. Shall we go into the garden for a while?"

There he saw the stuff lying on the garden bench.

"Why did you put all that down here?" asked Jacqueline.

"Because those things betray their presence. When Karel and Huib come this afternoon, I think it would be nice if he didn't discover her until they have finished bringing in that furniture. I don't want to be there, it's better for Karel and Bianca, but I would secretly like to see it so much!"

"Then she should put her car somewhere else too..." Maurice thought. "And even though we would love to witness it, we are indeed not going to do that my lady, we are going back well before then, work to be done at Bloemenhof, even if it is only painting and drawing. I have a feeling we may spend some time on that every day. Something is coming, but I don't know what yet."

"That gallery website, it comes to my mind regularly," Jacqueline suggested.

"We are not good enough for that, not yet, maybe later."

His wife smiled, but said nothing.

.

Bianca came hobbling down the stairs. With a beaming face, she asked if they felt like having lunch together. Maurice saw from her face that she would like that, that she was not asking out of compulsory hospitality, and agreed.

"We will, and then we will go back, so you can pick up your life here and we can get creative for a while. How lucky we are with the temperature and that it's not raining! We can work wonderfully outside!"

Together with Bianca, he brought the stuff for lunch to the garden table, while explaining to her why Jacqueline had put her things out there.

"Clever! But then I have to put the car away too. Shall I do that first?"

"Go ahead, we'll keep an eye on our little guy!"

"Our little guy..." Bianca smiled. "Sounds good!"

She grabbed her bunch of keys and walked outside. Even there, she sighed for a moment, as if to suck in her happiness. She got into the car, drove it back and down the street a bit more, around the corner. Karel would not pass there, and thus not discover her car!

Merrily she walked back, grabbed the bath towel Karel had washed and put on the dining table and took it outside.

"Another thing, to think about... when we have left later, you should lock the front door for a while." Maurice was visibly enjoying preparing the surprise.

"Yes," Bianca complemented, "and around three o'clock close the garden door, so that everything looks like it was when he went to work this morning. By the way, does he always take his lunch to work?"

"I have no idea..." said Jacqueline, "that would be a joke, he'll suddenly be in front of us in a moment, you put your car away for nothing!"

"Well, at least we've had the fun in advance!" thought Bianca.

She lifted Julian, who had discovered the set table and approached it, and took him on her lap. She wrapped the bath sheet around him and asked, "So, cheese sandwich? Or would you like something else on your bread?"

"Tees! Settesees!"

"Good, let's do it, I'll have a cheese sandwich too," Bianca told him, as she started spreading two sandwiches. "Oh, I forgot the coffee. Shall we arrange it later or do you prefer coffee with your food?"

"Do it later, so convenient!"

.

After lunch, Maurice and Jacqueline left, with the empty moving boxes in their car, waved after by Bianca and Julian. Bianca fished out the front door key from her keychain and locked the front door. She chuckled internally, curious to see how the surprise would turn out!

She took Julian upstairs to bed.

"Kade now?" asked Julian for the umpteenth time. "Kade wuk?"

"Yeah boy, Karel has to work for a few more hours, then he will come home. Shall we stay with Karel?"

Julian cheered and started talking so fast that it was again totally unintelligible. He was all mirth! Bianca cuddled him until he calmed down again, put on his sleeping bag and left the room with a "Sleep well!".

She was surprised that he remained calm...

Bianca walked to the kitchen, looked in the fridge to see what Karel had in stock, with which she could prepare a hot meal for the evening. She saw several vegetables they could wok, and a box of minced meat. She took the minced meat out of the fridge, put leeks, onion, a few carrots and a paprika ready on the counter. She looked for a bowl and put the minced meat in it. Among all the jars of herbs and spices, she couldn't find a ready-made mixture for minced meat, so she decided to gather some herself. She was surprised at how easy it was, although she did wonder whether it would taste as good as she had in mind. She cut an onion into very small shreds and kneaded it into the minced meat with the herbs, spices and sea salt. 'Annerieke should see me busy,' she thought, 'she would love this!'

She turned soup balls from the spiced mince, put them in the bowl and put it, covered with a little plate, in the fridge.

Then it was the other vegetables' turn. She cut and washed the leeks, grated the carrots with the coarse grater, cut the onion that was left and the paprika into small pieces and put everything together in a slightly larger bowl. In a separate bowl, she made a kind of marinade for the vegetables from a little olive oil, a small dash of soy sauce, Provençal herbs and some sea salt. She looked for and found a can of tomato puree. She stirred that in and made it slightly more liquid with a few drops of water. She stirred it well through the vegetables so that the flavour could already soak in.

"So plate on it, and into the fridge," she murmured with satisfaction. She decided to wash up for a while, so that nothing on the countertop would indicate her presence either.

.

It was three o'clock earlier than she had thought. Time had flown by. She closed the garden door and went gently upstairs. Upstairs in the bedroom, she discovered a rocking chair, the same one she had bought for the boarding house's attic. So, she had forgotten that one there. She didn't mind, she doubted she wanted a rocking chair downstairs with it. Maybe later, if they had more children, a rocking chair in the hobby room or something, there was plenty of room there, and then Julian could just continue playing in the room with her. She smiled as she thought about the idea. She decided it might be a good idea to pick up the rocking chair after all.

She sat down, grabbed her mobile. She scrolled through the pictures of the digital gallery, noticing that it touched her again, so many artworks that exuded a special power. She even felt it was stronger than before. Strange, how could that be?

Bianca stared ahead. Had something changed in herself, making her more sensitive to it? She actually didn't think so. Suddenly she remembered that they had all been sitting together in the living room looking at the pictures, and realised, that Jacqueline and Maurice's soul in particular had radiated to it. She had actually felt it then, but had not consciously thought about it. They had radiated, the power of their souls to the artworks and their artists, and now she could feel the result of it. Bianca smiled, grateful for the power of the people she considered her new parents. That immediately brought her thoughts to her blood parents. Blood parents, yes that, there was a blood tie, but she suddenly realised, that it was also nothing more than a blood tie, and that that blood tie with everything attached to it had trapped and wounded her. She felt how something inside her began to stir, how something inside her rose up, and how it felt like something was tearing loose inside her, inside her belly. It felt like her navel was being pulled. She thought of the umbilical cord, with which she had been connected to her mother. It had been a physical connection, but she now felt how it had also been a spiritual one, an emotional one. It was tearing loose now, that's how it felt. When the pain that had been there for a moment subsided, she leaned back and felt a bit of release. With a smile on her face, she rocked back and forth in her chair a little, wondering to herself what that was like for her connection with Julian, and in the future with her other children. She did not want any of her children to remain tied to her in such a way. They should go their own way, in freedom.

She was startled by the sound of the key in the lock of the front door. Karel! Karel and Huib with the furniture. She hoped Julian stayed asleep. She noticed to her relief that the men were talking softly, mumbling a little. She probably had Huib to thank for that. She heard them trudging back and forth a few times, bringing stuff into the hobby room. She had already understood that the cupboard he had made for her consisted of three parts. In addition, another toy cupboard for Julian, and a desk. So they would have to go back and forth at least five times. Would they have taken everything at once?

She suddenly heard Sjaak's voice join them. Ah, they had probably come with two pick-ups. Handy! Smiling, she listened to the men's mutterings. She still heard Huib say, that Karel did have to secure the cupboards against the wall so Julian couldn't pull it over him. Then she heard Huib and Sjaak go to the front door, outside. She heard how the pick-ups were started and both men drove off. She also heard how Karel walked across the room to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. She snuck downstairs, and was startled when Karel approached her from the kitchen with a beer from the fridge in his hands.

Radiantly, he pulled her into his arms. "You here! I saw those dishes in the fridge, in a flash, and it shot through me, that you were here. What a wonderful surprise! Are you staying over? A super-long weekend?" he asked longingly.

She shook her head, said nothing yet, but gave him a kiss.

"No, I can't stay over..." she said, in a voice as if she regretted having to disappoint him. And it did, he felt disappointed.

"Too bad," he said, "but I'm glad you're here now. And Julian? Is he asleep or have you left him with someone?"

"No, he's sleeping delightfully in his own little bed up here."

"Fine, I'm glad I'm home a bit early, then we'll have a nice long evening. Shall we sit outside for a bit?"

"Hold on, I have to ask you something, Karel. I've been a bit cheeky. I..." she noticed how she enjoyed playing stage. "I turned on your parents this morning, and they helped me pack my things and move here. That bit I had, is already upstairs in the wardrobes, and our coats and my sewing basket are outside on the garden bench, and my car is parked a bit further down the street, around the corner, so you wouldn't see it."

As she narrated, she looked more and more mischievous and saw that Karel was beginning to beam more and more. At the end of her story, he pulled her against him and whispered in her hair, "So you are coming to live here? Is that really what you are trying to tell me?"

He pushed her away from him slightly and looked at her. She nodded at him, with a smile that made her whole face shine.

"Do you have any idea how happy you make me with that?"

Karel laid his head on her shoulder and started sobbing. Between the sobs, he told how he had prepared himself for the fact that it could take weeks or maybe months, and how difficult he had found that.

"Darling, I have been longing for you so much, and now you are here," he said with tears on his face.

" Yeah..." whispered Bianca, "I'm home, home with you..."