Episode #33: Overcoming Trauma #33: Plans

Feb,10 2026

<-#32: Overcoming Trauma #32: Friday

Martina joins us while the kids are still playing.

"Hey, how are you?", I ask her as she sits next to me, so I am between Kelly and her.

"Worried"

"Worried? What's wrong, Martina?"

"John had to call Luis to come help with the negotiations for the houses. Apparently, it came this close to collapsing."

"Wait, really? When we came in, it seemed to be going well"

"Yeah, well, from what Luis told me on the way in, Phil is asking for too much. Luis wouldn't get paid for months"

"Months? I thought this was a short thing. Like a few weekends or something", I say.

"Me too, but like, I don't have all the details, but Phil is pushing for even more units but doesn't seem to want to pay for labor at all. That's the problem", Martina says.

"Right, getting free houses was something, but now the cost feels too high", I say.

There is a silence.

"Or maybe it's not", I add.

"What do you mean?" says Martina.

"Well, ok, imagine you buy a house. We did. We had to put a cash down payment, which was months of salary. That was very scary, because then, we had to pay the mortgage, new furniture, new appliances, the city and country taxes, the moving costs, and so on. It felt like we were getting into two debts. The mortgage, which we agreed to, but also everything else, which felt overwhelming."

"I bet"

Kelly volunteers. "Same for us. We needed to get our house built, and the cost went into overrun, and it felt like we wouldn't ever recover"

"But you did?" asked Martina

"We did. We still need to pay for our mortgage-like loan", says Kelly.

"What do you mean, mortgage-like loan?" I say.

"No bank wanted to give us an actual mortgage because we don't own the land and didn't have the 25% cash down payment, you know? "

"Wait, that's a thing?" says Martina, scared.

"Yeah. We needed an alternative lender for a while, which meant a higher interest rate, but later we refinanced when finally we had more equity."

"I didn't know that. I thought it was like 3 to 5%"

"We needed 4%", I said. "But we own the land"

"So does that mean that this deal is even better than we realized?" Martina says.

"Well, you can keep your current cash down and then live rent- and mortgage-free. I'd say that this is a pretty good deal", I tell her.

"I need to go talk to Luis. Can you assist me, Elena?"

I look at Kelly. "I'll watch over your kids", she says.

I thank her, and we find both of our husbands in a heated conversation with Phil.

Martina asks if she can speak with her husband for a minute.

"Of course", says Phil.

We go outside, but the four of us, in the parking lot.

"Kelly and Elena taught me something that might have an effect on your talk"

"Good, because it's about to implode on itself", says Luis.

I look at John, and he just nods.

Martina takes a deep breath. "Well, it's about the cash down payment. It's... Can you explain it, Elena?", she says.

"Sure, my pleasure. We put a 4% cash down payment on our house"

"Almost 4%", says John.

"Right, 3.98% or something. But to get a proper mortgage, Kelly needed to put 25% because we own the land and she doesn't. She got an alternative lender with a much higher interest rate for years."

"Ok, so?", says Luis, not getting it.

"So, let's say your house is $100,000; do you have the $25,000 cash down?"

"We have $15,000; we could wait until we do"

"Ok, but then, you lose that $25,000. With this deal, you keep your $15,000 and don't have to pay for a mortgage ever. And I think you get free rent on the land too?"

"Wait, so I should work for free because long term, I pay nothing? Is that what you are saying? That my work is worth nothing?"

Shit. That's the problem?

"Oh. I see. Ok, Luis, I will pay your salary to build those houses if you want", I say.

"You will?" says John.

"Yeah. But then, you will pay me the mortgage, and the cash down payment you would have paid for 25 years, with interest"

"But that's even more money than my salary to build the houses"

"Exactly, they are paying you with a free house"

"Which I build"

John steps up. "But they pay for the land and for the building supplies. It's a lot of work, but it's well paid. A free house? And land? It's what we've been trying to tell you, Phil and me"

"But you do too!" says Luis.

"Yes, but I will supervise the construction, and I designed it to be cost-affordable. My house is my payment. Your house is your payment."

"But I'll work for months!"

"Yeah, but think about it. No rent, no mortgage. You'll be able to keep almost all of your current money"

Martina speaks up. "I'll be able to quit my job like we spoke, because we'll be spending almost nothing"

I speak up. "See the work not as free, but as paying in a service exchange. You get something worth more than a salary. A house and a happy wife"

He looks up to me. "Fine, but my house is first."

"We'll build the 10 houses step by step, Luis. All the floors, then all the columns. It's faster"

"No, mine first. We need a prototype and to know how long each step takes. I trust you, John, but this is very experimental. We finish mine first", he says.

"Ours", says Martina

"Of course it's ours", he says, smiling at her.

"Ok, that's fine by me, yours first. You could move in and commute less"

"No, I want a cabin while I work. If I finish late, I am not commuting home"

"What about me?" says Martina

"You'll be in the cabin too and commute from there"

She smiles. "I would like that"

The four of us get back inside, and Luis speaks up.

"You are right, Phil, I wasn't seeing the big picture"

"Good. Because I want all of us to feel like winners. The resort is taking the biggest risk, almost $400,000 in material, but you are too. I get that"

Holy crap, that's a lot of money, I think.

"Well, I have just two stipulations to add", says Luis.

"I'm listening"

"To work fast, I will be moving in here faster. I need my house to be ready first and to have access to housing until I do"

"Sure. I will lend you one of our two premium cabins. I was already on board for that. They have a full fridge and a kitchen, and well, this project is to go full-on glamping and glamor resort and stuff. ", says Phil.

"Ok, I think we have a deal. When should I start?"

"Oh, I should have almost everything you need to start tomorrow"

"Wait, that early?", says John.

"I sort of thought we had a deal already, so I made an order due later tonight"

"Like what?", says Luis.

"Well, I got 80 of the concrete deck blocks delivered this morning. I waiting on a lift of 2x4s, two lifts of plywood, about 50 beams, and the roof shingles."

"And the nails?" says Luis.

"Oh, I thought you could just buy from the hardware store what you needed, give me the invoice, and we will repay you with a check or a wire or something. I am not sure the kind of nail gun you use or whatever"

"OK, that's fair. I also need a loader..."

"We have a mini bulldozer and a micro excavator. We use them to level ground, dig, and carry stuff. I'll send Cathy to show them to you. It's nothing fancy, but if it's to carry the wood, we have a trailer to hook on the dozer"

"Yeah, that could do. Ok. I think we have a deal. But don't put too much pressure"

"Hey, I need four rentable cabins by winter. If you want your own to use by then, make me five."

"Understood."

Phil makes a call but gets no answer. He calls Cathy to the main desk on the intercom, but Martina and I don't stick around. We say goodbye to our husbands and get back to Kelly, who is back in the water, playing with the kids.

The kids were happy to see me and relieved I got back because they were a little tired of being in the water.

This is nearing the end of September, and while the pool is heated, the air is starting to cool as the sun prepares to set.

We all dry ourselves, and soon enough, the plan is made to go in Kelly's house.

I soon spot John and Luis walking with an older woman, so I hurry to them, but without running. I don't see many naturists running at the resort, and I know why when I accelerate the pace. Without a bra, it's not as fun to run!

But John spots me and gets closer.

"We'll be at Kelly's house"

"Ok, we'll join you soon", he says, raising the volume as we are a little far from each other.

I chuckled. I have much better hearing than he does. When we have to yell at each other from a distance, we each judge our volume based on our own hearing.

As a result, I can always hear him loud and clear, as he usually asks me to speak louder.

I make it in time to Kelly's house. It was far enough that just having a faster pace than the kids allowed me to catch up.

Candace wanted to hang out with Sarah in her bedroom, while Jimmy wanted to play Lego with Kyle, which suited him fine!

The three wives sat at the table.

"How do you feel about moving here?", asks Kelly.

"Terrified", says Martina.

"But it's what you want, right?" I ask.

She sighs. "My mother used to say something. The only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting exactly what you want"

"I don't understand", I say.

"Yeah. I didn't either, to be honest, until now", says Martina.

"And you now, you do" says Kelly.

"Like, ok, I want a life like yours, and like Kara"

"It's a happy life", says Kelly.

"Yeah. But I enjoy working at the hospital too. Talking with people, cleaning up, helping"

"You don't have to quit your job just because you move here", I say.

"Right, you don't get it. All I ever wanted was to be a stay-at-home mom. I know, it's anti-feminist, and so on, but it's what I want. Deep inside. And I want to vote, and I want other women to have a career, and I love that you are a nurse, and such a great mom, but it's not for me, even if it's for you"

"I can respect that"

"But we needed money to move here. A lot of money. Because you can't just rent a cabin for life, and there are no houses for rent."

"Not yet"

"No, not ever. These houses will be luxury housing. Think hotel room costs, not long-term rental agreement costs", Martina says.

"Yeah, I don't think they even want tenants. Just house owners and short-term residents", says Kelly. "Something with tenant discrimination laws that don't apply to buying a house or something? To make sure everyone is a naturist"

"Maybe", I say, not knowing anything about that.

"So I took a job, any job, just to make enough money to move here. And now, my salary will not help to achieve that goal. Instead, I'll be able to cook for Luis, perhaps help him carry his tools, and develop my spirituality, which is my priority over my career"

"It's a noble goal", says Kelly. Of course she does. It's the same choice she took.

But who am I to tell my friend how to live her life.

"So, you'll quit soon?"

"I don't know when. But yeah, soon. And I don't know Luis' plans, but when we get in that premium cabin, I am vacating our apartment. All in"

I look at her. She is a lot more courageous than I am. Or stupid? No, she doesn't feel stupid. She has clear objectives, and she isn't compromising on them for a career.

I have it easier! I want to help save people, so for me, being a trauma nurse is my priority.

In truth, I almost envy them! My priority often gives me nightmares; it is physically and emotionally difficult to fulfill. It requires constant vigilance and a healthy division between my private life and my professional life.

Theirs is just to be 100% themselves all the time. That's some peaceful life...

But I couldn't do it, and yet, I won't judge Kelly, Kara, or Martina for getting it.

Victor soon joins us at the table. He has a home office in the bedroom, and just finished an important report on how Ozempic will affect long-term healthcare costs for his employer.

"How do you even begin to study that?" I say.

He begins to explain it, but I see Kelly rolling her eyes, so I stop him. "Sorry, I guess my question was rhetorical"

"Right, I should always assume it is"

We brief him on the house situation, and he is thrilled about the prospect of new housing options.

"We might get some pilgrimage here", he says.

"Yeah, but wouldn't they want a more rustic housing option?", says Martina

But Kelly speaks up. "The new followers are a different breed. They like comfort, like almost everyone"

I stay out of it, but soon enough, Luis and John are back.

"So?" says Martina.

"I begin tomorrow! We can move some stuff Sunday; they just need to prep our cabin"

Kelly proposes. "A few of us can store some of your things"

"Wait, are you actually moving in?", says Luis, confused.

"I was thinking so"

But he seems happy. "Just, keep your job a few more days, in case... It's easier to find an apartment than a job if things go south"

"Of course"

I get some details about the project, which Victor seems to understand, but I don't.

The big question seemed to be the number of concrete blocks to put per house, 16 or 13, with John saying that the four corners, the 4 middle points on each wall, 4 middle supports, and a center support are enough. But Luis doesn't like the central support and proposed 4 of them just off the center, for a total of 16.

But what struck me, is how respectful each of them was with the other's position.

We spoke for a while, but soon enough, my family left to go home, and Martina and Luis went to the hardware store to prepare for the next day.

We didn't have the new storybook yet, so I had a talk with Sarah, about Candace.

"She might be less boring than I thought"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she doesn't distract herself with video games or TV, so she is a little more mature. She also grew up listening to that Christopher book, which apparently made her respect others more. Like, we can have deep conversations and feel like she is really listening to me and opening up too"

"That's good. Adult friendships are more like that than just play partner"

"Huh"

"What?"

"I guess that when I want to be more like a child, Cassie is my best friend, but when I want a more mature relationship. Candace is"

I am torn, because with Candace also comes a more complicated lifestyle than even ours.

If we would like to go out for ice cream, we get dressed and leave, but in Kelly's family, nudity isn't just a hobby. It's a long-term obligation. It's a religious calling.

And I don't want that complication for my daughter.

<-#32: Overcoming Trauma #32: Friday