Maria went to bed so late the previous night that she totally overslept. She woke up the next morning from the laughter that came from the kitchen. It seemed like she was the only one left upstairs and quickly put on some clothes and combed her hair into a ponytail. She looked like a teenager when she walked down the stairs.
"Morning mommy, Terrence made us breakfast."
"Come on madam, come sit down, breakfast is served." Terrence said jokingly and she couldn't help laughing. She was not used to being served, but it felt good.
"Hmm I can get used to this." Maria said and winked at Jonah.
The kids went outside to play with the dogs, and Terrence sat down at the table.
"Are you going to move into the new house?"
"I have not yet made up my mind, but it might be easier to live there. There are twelve bedrooms and the guesthouse. I want the women to feel as much love as possible. I know exactly what they are going through, so if I can get a social worker on board, and perhaps a psychologist then we are set to go. I want it to be retreat where the women can recharge in safety before going back into the world. I was thinking of getting Mr. Settler on board. He might have contacts for jobs for these women that can't support themselves, and he could handle all the legal stuff. But with the amount of money that we have available, we might be able to support these women with a small amount of money so that they don't have to struggle. Many women believe that they have to stay in relationships because they can't stand on their own feet. I was lucky. I had you and Mr Settler, but they don't."
"Seems like you have it all planned out already. " Terrence said and smiled. He wondered where he and Gabriella would fit into her plans, but he planned to get involved too.
"I'll be working at the shop, but I would love to get involved."
Maria smiled at him. "Of course you will be involved silly. I won't be able to do this without you Terrence."
Maria really liked Terrence. He was one of the most straightforward and most stable people that she had ever met.
"I want you and Gabriella to move in with us Terrence. I really like Gabriella and she needs a stable home. It might be good for her to move into the house and have some stability around. As far as I could make out, her mother is somewhat of an unstable person, and Gabriella needs all the love and support that she could get."
Terrence agreed, but he could not imagine living in such a big house. It was going to be an adventure.
Maria's phone rang shortly after. It was Sarah and she invited them to come to the house for lunch again. Carlos was nagging to see Jonah and Jenny said that she would cook lunch again. Even though everyone who worked at the house had a lovely time, they were still very unsure of how things would work. They all received their salaries but they didn't know if Maria was going to keep them all. Maria seemed like a very nice person, but they all wanted to know where they stood. If they had to find new jobs, they would have to do it shortly. It was nearly the end of the year, and the job market was not new to them. It was difficult to find new jobs and if they had to they had to find a new place to live too.
Maria willingly agreed, and told Sarah that she had some news to share with them.
Maria asked Terrence to call the kids to get them ready and asked them all to pack some clothes. They were going to stay at the new house tonight, as it would be easier to plan from there. Maria called Mr. Settler to join them for lunch, and this time he accepted.
Just after eleven o clock, George stopped in front of the house, and drove them straight to the house. The two boys were delighted to see each other and went out exploring immediately. The girls went back into the library and Maria and Terrence joined everyone in the kitchen. It was all cosy and warm, and Jenny made them some hot chocolate. Everyone sat around the kitchen table and chatted like old friends. Sarah and George had been working for the Walkers for nearly twelve years, and today was the first day that this house came alive. The Walker's were always out and on a trip somewhere, so they had gotten used to the silence, but it was lovely to hear the laughter of children.
Sarah and George never had children, but they had each other. They had been married for nearly twenty years, and were delighted when they were appointed at the same workplace. Mrs Walker used to say that the main reason why she appointed them was because they had no children. Both Sarah and George disliked the previous Walker's but they both surely liked the new Mrs Walker.
Jenny had been appointed eight year's earlier and it was only after Mr. and Mrs. Walker passed on that she brought Carlos here. He lived with her mother and she hardly got to see him. Life has been good to her since she had her boy with her, and she wanted it to stay that way.
The doorbell rang, and Sarah went to open the door for Mr Settler. He was totally amazed about the size of the house, and whistled through his teeth when he walked into the kitchen.
Terrence introduced him to the others, and Jenny made him some hot chocolate which he gladly accepted. It was exceptionally cold, and the kitchen seemed so inviting. He sat down and as soon as he did, Maria stood up.
"I have an announcement to make." Maria said and everyone quieted down.
"I want to change this house into a shelter for abused women, and I want you all to stay on, and help me achieve my dream. Mr. Settler I will be very glad if you could join me in this adventure, and I'm sorry to say, but I will not be able to take on the job you offered me. I will need to spend every minute planning here, but I want you to handle all the legal work for us please."
Everyone clapped hands and seemed very excited. Jenny had tears in her eyes, and quickly stood up and gave Maria a big hug.
"My husband abused me...until I left him. It started shortly after Carlos was born." Jenny said and took her place beside Sarah.
"This is the best thing that you can do with all this money. I will be very glad to help and assist where I can. If I had a place to go to, I would've left him sooner, and I would not have to struggle with all the emotional scars."
Everyone around the table seemed very confident with her idea. Everyone agreed to come on board, and Maria felt very happy when they all walked into the dining room. They chatted and shared some great ideas and after lunch they all went to the living room to share some more ideas. By six o clock most of the ideas were written down and organized. Mr Settler agreed to finish all the paperwork as soon as possible, and when he left, he phoned Susan the social worker to share the news with her.
They all agreed to get together in two days to share some more ideas, but Terrence said that he would be happy with anything but he was starting his new job soon.
Everything seemed to be working in Maria's favor and that night everyone could hardly sleep because of all the excitement. The kids each chose their own room and Terrence agreed to share a room with Jonah again. That would leave a full nine rooms available. They would be able to help at least nine women at a time, and everyone was looking forward to this great new adventure.
-To be continued
Chapter 1 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-1
Chapter 2 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-2
Chapter 3 - https://steemit.com/story/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-3
Chapter 4 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-4
Chapter 5 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-5
Chapter 6 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-6
Chapter 7 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-7
Chapter 8 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/https-steemit-com-fiction-giantbear-the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-8
Chapter 9 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-9
Chapter 10 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-10
Chapter 11 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-11
Chapter 12 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-12
Chapter 13 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-13
Chapter 14 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-14
Chapter 15 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/dtbcx-the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-14
Chapter 16 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-16
Chapter 17- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-17
Chapter 18 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-18
Chapter 19 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-19
Chapter 20 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-20
Chapter 21 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-21
Chapter 22 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-22
Chapter 23 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/4cxmf4-the-christmas-gift-a-christmas-story-chapter-22