112 - House VS Home

*Schatje, just remember how you wanted to be treated. And listen to them. Everyone wants to be heard. But even more, they want to know that they are heard. You’ve got this, baby. – Sid*

When Camille called her mom after Jasper asked about them taking the kids, she had been supportive and encouraging. On each call home, Sid assured her little treasure, her *schatje, that she could do it. There was never any doubt in her mind that her nineteen-year-old daughter could raise three teenagers with her husband.

Camille embraced her mother’s support and surrounded herself with the knowledge that even half a country away, her family was there. After all, her brother gathered his friends and flew down to Hot Springs to help her. Even if they were not dropping everything, they still had her back.

Thanks to her mother and overnight delivery, Camille had inflatable furniture and bedding waiting on the kids when they arrived home. Or their new home. She desperately wanted them to feel welcome and for this to be their home.

Not the house. Never the house. A house is a building, made of sticks and stone, brick and mortar. But a home is made up of the people you love. A house stays. Home goes wherever your heart goes.

Oma Uittenbroek taught this lesson well. But it had been a hard lesson to learn. One where she lost her house and then her home.

When Camille had moved out of her parents’ house and into the Shack, her mother had made sure that it was understood that she was only moving out of the house. But home would always go with her. This was a lesson that she needed to teach to her kids.

Her kids.

Maybe they were not hers yet. They were not hers in the traditional sense. They looked nothing like each other. But they were her kids. And she will defend and protect them much like her own mother had done for her children.

Unsure of what else to do, Camille called the experts in her life. The first call was to her parents.

Sid, being the unstoppable force that was Sid, insisted on talking to each of the kids. Just as expected, they were automatically accepted into the family as if they were born into it. There was never any doubt about it.

There were multiple calls between Sid and her newest grandchildren. She asked lots of questions and listened when they answered. After raising nine kids of her own, she knew that she needed to listen to everything that was said. And everything that was not said between the words.

With her mother proving her knowledge of football, thank you Athos and Porthos, she knew that Vin was already anticipating meeting the unstoppable Sid. Nicki connected with Trigg over their shared love of Tim Burton movies. And for the first time, it seemed that Mitch was accepted as he was without any conditions or exceptions.

She had then called Molly, because if there was ever a person that could accept anyone, it was Molly. In all, he had a total of eight wives. Although he had lost two, he still loved them as if they were still there.

Molly and his pretties had not been answering their phones, and neither were any of the other Lowery’s. Camille had a pretty good idea of what happened, who was missing and what the ultimate outcome was, the reason behind it was still not known.

It was not until they were only an hour outside of Baton Rouge that Molly finally called Camille. With Nicki asleep in the front seat, her sound blocking headphones on her head, Camille answered the call through her radio.

The first thing that she did was to tell Molly that Nicki was asleep in the front seat. There were things that could be discussed among patches that you would not discuss among family. And certainly not among kids that had just joined the family.

Very carefully, she avoided the topic of Priss and the missing brother. When she started to ask about her friend, she caught herself and stopped. But Molly, being the all-knowing and very protective father that he was, simply chuckled at her.

“Priss is going to have to get a new phone, give her some time,” he advised. “Be patient, little pretty.”

She hated going so long without talking to her best friend. It was like going with half of your soul missing. But if what she suspected happened, her friend needed some time.

So, after parking her Jeep, and before Darkness told her to park his, she sent a message to Priss. Thay watched as Zydeco unlocked the door for the kids and they headed inside. Darkness held her close and kissed the top of her head.

“Nicki said that she talked to Molly.”

Camille laughed, “Yeah. He called while she was asleep, and we were talking. She woke up and he was like next time you’re up, we’ll have a pool party and baptize those new kids of yours.”

“I don’t see Mitch doing a polar plunge.”

“No,” she agreed, “but definitely Vin. Did you know that he wants to go to MIT?”

“He seems smart enough for it,” Darkness agreed. “I think it’s time for you to see the new house.”

“So…. Who put our bed together?”

Darkness tipped his head back and laughed. Looking down at her, he grinned, “I’m not sure, we’ll have to see who can’t look at you without blushing.”

“Or who can’t look at me,” she suggested as she pushed up and kissed him.

They headed into the house, and she looked around the large house in awe. Reclaimed hardwood ran throughout the bottom floor. The walls were a warm neutral cream with trim being just a little darker and the ceilings a little lighter.

Walking through, Camille approached the large house with grey cabinets and six pane glass doors on the uppers. Soapstone countertops covered the cabinets and island with a waterfall edge at one end. Her table sat against the far wall with a few boxes sitting on the bench.

Large windows at the back of the house looked out into a large lush green backyard. Tink’s doghouse could be seen through the window ahead of her and he currently chased Swamp Thang across the back yard.

Chuckling, she turned around and saw their living room furniture in the smaller living room that was in an all-season room just off the kitchen. With that there, and the front living room empty, there was only one thing that she could think of. Looking out the large window at the wood shop in the back yard, she was certain that Darkness was going to spend a lot more time there.

“Wow,” she turned and looked at Darkness, “you’re going to have to make a lot more furniture.”

“Did you, ummm,” Peanut asked nervously as he scratched his head and blushed, keeping his eyes away from Camille. “Did you make the furniture?”

“He did,” Camille confirmed. “Was there something that you liked?”

His blush got deeper, and Camille worked hard not to laugh at him.

“It’s the bed,” Santa explained. “He’s not used to having my power.”

“Your power?” Peanut asked.

Camille grinned at the man as Santa laughed. “Knowing where all the bad girls live,” she explained.

Santa pointed at Camille, “You, young lady, are on the naughty list.”

“It’s a very fun list to be on,” she confirmed over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs.

“You’ve got your hands full with that one!” Santa told Darkness as she topped the stairs.

Heading down the hall, she barely caught Darkness’ laughter along with his amused response, “Won’t hear me complain about that.”