Modern families

Modern families

The attic is finally finished and ready to be sold, so that Kasper and Josien may buy a place of their own. Josien wastes no time and searches the internet for a suitable place. And she’s asked Arjen for financial advice. Kasper’s freelance work has not generated much income lately. Fortunately, Josien’s income is enough to allow them to buy a house. Of course, the increased value of the attic helps. But it makes him feel less of a man.

Rob helps Sacha to train for the selection. He takes this very seriously and is quite strict with her. Which makes Sasha question his feelings for her. She’s wrong. He does have feelings for her. They start going steady.

Didier Broekhaas appears to have stolen Kasper’s idea. He is selling his lamps online. Plagiarism, that’s what that is. Kasper wants to confront him, but can’t reach him.

And Soof? Soof realizes that now that she’s with Mick, she has no idea who are really part of her family anymore. Mick has organized a ‘blended families’ weekend. Camping in the middle of nowhere, bonding by playing games, etc. Sasha stays home, she needs to study. The twins are in a huff. But Mick and Soof are determined to make this a success. The four kids are already bickering on the way out. The blending exercise will be a challenge, Mick confiscates everyone’s telephones and other electronic devices on arrival and puts them away in a safe. That kind of distraction will only hinder their bonding, Lots of protest from the kids, of course,

While Soof and Mick are working hard to meld their families together, Kasper runs into a problem. Their house has been designated a listed building. There must have been some crossed wires when they applied for permits. This means they will not be permitted to split the building and cannot sell off the attic, a major financial setback for Kasper and Josien. Kasper calls Soof, but her phone is locked away in a safety box. Kasper wants to spare Josien the disappointment and the stress, and starts going over the paperwork without a word to her. When Josien happily shares that she’s put in an offer for a beautiful house, he goes into a cold sweat. He calls Soof again. And again. And again,

Gerrit has recovered from the flu, but he’s a far cry from his cheerful old self. He misses Hansje. and Hansje misses Gerrit. But they’re both too stubborn to make a first move. Joy sees this. And however inexplicable the fact that Gerrit loves Hansje is to her, together they were happier than they are now. She decides to help and makes up with Hansje,

Blending the families proves to be strenuous. On top of four kids constantly arguing, there are too many differences. When Soof serves up her trusted pasta Bolognese, Mick’s kids do not react as she expected, They don’t like the looks of it, and won’t eve taste it. Soof and Mick have an argument about how to raise their kids, and spend the night in separate beds.

The next day, Kasper decides to take all the paperwork and drive up to where Soof is. Josien finds a letter from the Council that he has left behind and finds out what’s happened. Dies and Bing manage to break the code on the safety box to get at their phones. They see that their dad has called Soof a million times and is now on his way over.

Soof makes up an excuse to get into Kasper’s car in the camping’s parking lot to talk things over. She could have been honest with Mick. But just like Kasper, her first impulse is to say nothing and discuss things with her ex first. Mick sees them when he goes to collect something from his car, it makes him angry. While Kasper and Soof talk, Josien calls. She’s understandably mad. Kasper and Soof keep failing to break away from old habits.

Joy plays the role of mediator, successfully. Hansje shows herself vulnerable. Gerrit and Hansje are reconciled. Both Soof and Kasper realize they’ll have to involve their new partners more. As soon as Soof and Mick return, the four of them get together over a glass of wine, to discuss their housing situation. Josien and Kasper won’t be able to buy their own place, they’ll have to rent for the time being. Why not use the attic? Surprisingly, both Mick and Josien are enthusiastic, while Kasper and Soof have their doubts. This way, they’ll never break free from each other,

The publisher is very enthusiastic about the cookbook. This is another challenge for Soof. Her very own cookbook. Which will certainly feature her pasta Bolognese, with reference to a story about her own kids. She’ll have to find another dish to accompany a story about Mick and his kids. New circumstances demand new ingredients. Kasper also tries something new. He goes to see Arjen. An job in accountancy would provide him with the financial security he doesn’t have as a freelancer. Meanwhile, Kasper and Josien will live in the attic. Why not? Soof and Kasper divorced, under one roof, both with a new partner and all those kids. Surely they can make it work?