I was our Gypsy Leader 1 - My reincarnated Soul Mate - 1. Chapter 1. My new life; and meeting a former friend.

"But Dad always warns us not to talk to unknown strangers!"

"Jeez, I only want to know who lives in Harry's house now..."

"Is this our newest neighbor? He looks more like an old man."

"With such a beard, he looks more like some ancient grandpa!"

For a second, I couldn't believe my own ears, while a few childish voices woke me up from my afternoon slumber. Could those cheeky kids be talking about ME? Feeling irritated, I opened my eyes and glared at a bunch of bantering children who were staring at my newly bought house while discussing the bearded newcomer they had never seen here before. Who were those kids, and what did they want from this 'old man'? Although I normally loved working with children and always enjoyed their boundless enthusiasm and spontaneous honesty; this time, their unexpected forwardness about me looking like some 'ancient grandpa' caught me off guard. Ultimately, although my body was already sixty-five years old, my inside felt still much younger! Besides, everybody else always told me I was still looking relatively young, despite my grayish hair and neatly trimmed beard.

Glaring at what I thought could be a couple of neighborhood kids; I counted five young children, three boys and two girls. When they saw that I opened my eyes and looked at them, they abruptly stopped their bantering. Slowly and hesitatingly, they approached the braided fence that surrounded my newly bought property, and leaned against its closed gate. What did they want from me, and why had the oldest boy called my new abode 'Harry's house'? Although 'Harry' was my own first name, nobody in this small village could know that.

Perhaps, the deceased former owner of my newly bought house had been named 'Harry' as well, sort of an unexpected coincidence? Well, the former owner had left his house around two months ago, although he did it involuntarily by passing away. Thus, from now on, those kids would have to get used to me being the new inhabitant. What were they waiting for, still leaning against the closed gate whilst staring at the 'old man'? I had bought this nice house in this small village to live here in peace and quiet for the remainder of my retirement, and not to be gawked at by its curious neighborhood youth. My newly bought property was not some zoo displaying 'old men' or 'ancient grandpas'! Did they pay at the entrance?

Because my upset ego didn't stop muttering and feeling insulted, I decided to do something drastic about my emotions first. Ultimately, as a 'professional', I didn't need to feel this annoyed by what was only a bunch of cheeky neighborhood kids, for crying out loud! Quickly, I analyzed my feelings, to be able to discard my disturbing emotions and to be in control again. Of course, as a trained psychotherapist, I should always be at peace with myself and in control of my feelings, anywhere and under all circumstances! Why did those childish words, 'old man' and 'ancient grandpa', have such a profound impact on my habitual inner calmness and professional easiness of mind? For a few seconds, I went on concentrating on my inner self. Then, I started to smile, because my inside found out that my perturbed ego reacted this upset with being branded as 'old' because it assumed its owner was still looking relatively young! Plus, at least in the eyes of those little children, any sleeping grownup with 'such a beard' who clearly took an afternoon nap, could be only very old...

At seeing my unexpected smile, the smallest girl piped up while ending her question with a soft giggle:

"Are YOU going to live in Harry's house now?"

Before I could respond, a slightly older boy admonished her:

"Of course, silly, can't you see that's obvious?"

At hearing the word 'silly', the girl turned around, first forcefully punched the boy's arm, and then sent him a murderous look, making the other kids chuckle and nudge each other. Clearly, she didn't like being called names like 'silly', although she really acted a bit giggly. Soon, all five children resumed leaning against the closed gate and restarted staring at the 'ancient grandpa'. Fortunately, I could now see my new neighbors in a somewhat different light. Surprisingly, my gut feeling also told me they really wanted to talk to me! But, after seeing me glaring at them, they just didn't know what to do next. Were they now waiting for ME to break the ice? That would be understandable from their point of view, because my upset ego hadn't behaved too nicely by glaring at them and looking insulted.

What should I do now? Should I help them break the ice, perhaps by answering the smallest girl's 'silly' question? At the same time, my psychotherapist inside felt curious about what those kids were going to do next. Besides, their Dad had already warned them not to talk to 'unknown strangers'. Therefore, after some more inward deliberation, I decided to do nothing but just wait and play it by ear...

Up to now, the first day of my retirement in this small village had been a peaceful day. Sitting on my new porch for the first time, I already started to feel at home in my newly bought property and its welcoming surroundings. A few months ago, my wife and I finally decided to go our separate ways. Our two daughters were living their own lives in another town, and we didn't have any grandchildren to spoil. During the last few years, my wife and I had been living in the same house but we didn't even share the bed anymore. One evening, we had an emotional talk, and then we easily made our decisions. We divorced, sold our house, and went our own ways. My wife moved towards our grownup daughters; and I rented a small temporary home whilst looking for something more appropriate.

After some searching and looking around in vain, I found this nice two-story abode in this small village, and instantly fell in love with it. The moment I saw this house, everything in and around it seemed to offer me a strong sensation of 'coming home'! According to its realtor, the house had belonged to a single man who had lived here all alone for more than twenty years, until he suddenly passed away two months ago. His family sold the house to me for a reasonable price; and I bought it without much haggling, hoping to enjoy my retirement and preferably the rest of my life here, hopefully in peace and quiet. Fortunately, my newly bought property was in reasonable condition, so that I only had to make a few minor adjustments to enjoy the happy feeling that, from now on, this would be MY house.

Today, I lounged on the porch of my newly bought residence for the first time, slowly dreaming away whilst contemplating my life. This morning, the movers had unloaded my cardboard boxes into my new garage and also put my most bulky possessions in place. Now, my new sitting room held a desk, a couch, and two easy chairs; my kitchen was usable, and my bedroom held a double waterbed. After emptying a couple of cardboard boxes and gathering the most urgent necessities, my new home was livable and ready for the night.

Tomorrow, I would first empty the remaining cardboard boxes and put their contents in place. Then, I wanted to clean up my new yard, which looked rather overgrown and clearly needed some work. I also wanted to take a closer look at a strange spot I had found in a corner of my backyard, after I accidentally stumbled over a couple of painted cobblestones. Because the spot looked like a neatly maintained bunch of abundantly flowering weeds, some unknown person seemed to be using it as his or her little garden! Only, who could be maintaining such a little garden in my newly bought backyard, and why?

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, my sixty-five years old and a bit rusty muscles started to feel tired from the unaccustomed work, so that I decided to call it a day and to take some well-deserved rest. After brewing my umpteenth cup of coffee, I brought a folding chair to my new porch, sat down, sipped my coffee, and then slowly closed my eyes. Granting my tiring muscles the luxury of being lazy, while enjoying the peacefulness of my new surroundings, I dreamed away whilst contemplating my life and my possible future. All my life, up to my retirement, I had been working as a freelance psychotherapist, helping troubled children and their desperate parents, until I finally reached the so-called 'age of wisdom'. At least, I hoped so, as I was a fairly bright and also rather energetic sixty-fiver who still felt much younger. A few weeks ago, I stopped working and retired, planning to enjoy my newly found freedom and to relish the rest of my life in this 'nice two-story house with a garden', hopefully in peace and quiet.

That is, until five young kids harshly pulled me out of my reveries, by calling me an 'old man' and an 'ancient grandpa'! Again, I silenced my still muttering ego, this time by unselfishly forgiving my little neighbors for calling me 'old'. Now feeling a lot better, I also decided to help them break the ice. Being neighbors, we probably were to be around each other for quite some time; and I also didn't want them to think I could be a grumpy grandpa or an annoyed old whiner, because I was not! Besides, it always pays off to befriend your neighbors and their offspring. Whilst forcing my face to relax even more, I smiled broadly at my still silently waiting new neighbors...

Surprisingly, all five children reacted immediately, this time by softening their staring faces and looking relieved. Clearly, my inner gut feeling was right and they really wanted to talk to me, although they still didn't know how to initiate our first conversation... Well, now that I already felt this generous, I would also try to help them speak their minds. Therefore, I raised my right hand to show them the universal greeting gesture, while I told them:

"Hello..."

The oldest boy was the first one who smiled back at me, while he also raised his own hand to greet me in return. The boy had a warm and open face and seemed to be a nice kid. For a split second, a hint of recognition crossed my mind, as if my inside remembered this particular young boy with his wise deep brown eyes! Could he have been one of my many little clients, perhaps at a younger age? Because I couldn't remember where I had seen him before, I tried to let it go.

Unlike the oldest boy, all the other kids still seemed to hesitate, probably because their parents or wardens had warned them never to talk to 'unknown strangers' like me... Involuntarily, I started to feel a little bit cautious. Ultimately, we were living in a rather mistrustful world where every single man too easily could be seen as a potential child molester. What would happen if their worried parents showed up, to rescue their kids from being assaulted by this 'ancient grandpa'? Being an 'unknown stranger' and sitting all alone on my porch, I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks...

After a few seconds of uneasy silence, the smallest girl suddenly started to giggle while she pushed against the closed gate as if trying to open it. When the gate didn't give in, she started to pull at it, but still to no avail. Clearly not feeling fazed, she also started to fumble with its rusty lock, until the gate opened with a squeaking sound and all five kids tumbled over each other and into my driveway! For a split second, they stared at each other with shocked faces. Then, all of them started to shriek with laughter whilst trying to disentangle from each other in their thoroughly disordered pile.

Although I had wanted to behave as a 'responsible grownup', I just couldn't help bellowing with laughter at seeing five shocked looking children piling up in my new driveway. This hilarious incident could easily be the catching introduction to a funny slapstick!

My spontaneous laughter seemed to convince the children that I wasn't angry anymore. After first disentangling from each other, they entered my front garden, still chuckling, but at the same time pushing each other as sort of a collective encouragement. Then, they stopped again and looked at each other, as if not knowing what to do next. Only the oldest boy took a few more steps into my driveway. From there, he craned his neck as if trying to look around in my backyard. Sounding disappointed, or perhaps even sad, he returned to his still silently waiting companions and asked them:

"Where is Harry; and does he know that someone else has started living in his house?"

This was really strange! Why would the oldest boy be looking for some 'Harry' in my backyard? Then, I had been wrong in my earlier assumptions! According to my realtor, the former owner of my house had died two months ago, thus the 'Harry' this boy mentioned had to be someone else! Why was the oldest boy calling my newly bought property 'his house', as if it still belonged to some unknown 'Harry'; and could that 'Harry' be still living in or around here?

Perhaps, the deceased former owner had left his little neighbors a cat, or a dog? Yes, of course, that had to be what they were looking for! Well, I had always liked domestic animals, so that it would be fun to have a cat or a dog around as company. Wanting to help my little neighbors find their lost animal, I asked them:

"What kind of an animal is this 'Harry'?"

As if I could have slapped them, all five children suddenly turned against me and stared at me, wide-eyed and with suspicious faces, as if they couldn't understand how I dared to ask them such a question! They also started to glance at each other, furtively, as if they didn't know anymore what to think of this bearded 'old man' with such an extremely inappropriate attitude...

Only, what could be their problem? Didn't they want me to help them find their lost animal? Could they be afraid I would harm it, or perhaps chase it away? Or, could their cat or dog be dangerous to strangers, and were they now trying to protect it from harming ME?

Well, up to now, every dog or cat had always been surprisingly friendly to me, even whilst its owners thought it could be dangerous; probably because the animal sensed my Inner Love and Compassion and reacted to the feeling. Therefore, I wasn't afraid to help my young neighbors find their lost cat or dog. On the contrary, I felt even more curious about the unknown 'Harry' they were looking for!

While beckoning them over to my porch, I explained:

"Of course, before I can help you find your lost animal, you first have to tell me what it looks like..."

This time, all five kids plainly GLARED at me, with angry faces and fire-shooting eyes, as if they felt even more shocked! Only, I still didn't understand why they reacted so hostile to my generous offer to help them find their lost animal. What could I have done wrong, at least in their eyes? Perhaps, they didn't even WANT me to help them find their lost dog or cat, or they were trying to keep it a secret from this bearded newcomer they had never seen here before?

What should I do now, now that they obviously didn't want to trust me anymore? Should I go inside and try to resume my afternoon nap? But, then, my curious inside would probably never know what they had been looking for... Feeling frustrated, I first lifted both hands into the air, as if wanting to surrender. Then, whilst trying to put in a silly joke to make them laugh, I told them:

"You don't have to be afraid; because I really don't want to bite any young children, at least not yet. However, now that I'm thinking about it some more, I might try to take a small nibble; but only a tiny one, to spare my false teeth..."

For a few seconds, all five kids only stared at me with confused eyes, as if they had to translate my silly words first; until they relaxed their frowning faces and angry looks and even started to chuckle and nudge each other whilst looking more relaxed and at ease. Obviously, they decided in unison that, although this 'ancient grandpa' might act a little bit weird, he wasn't dangerous enough to be afraid of.

Suddenly, a boy with long yellowish hair stepped forward, and that seemed to be their signal for take off. Daringly, the boy climbed the few steps to my porch and approached me, while all the others just followed him. Again giggling and furtively pushing each other, five young neighborhood kids started huddling together on my porch, although they still kept a safe distance from my folding chair.

Looking at them, I estimated them to be from the age of the about eight-year-old youngest girl to the around twelve-year-old oldest boy. They seemed to be nice kids, so that I already regretted my clearly too defensive behavior. At the same time, I also wondered why they were paying me this much attention. Was it something to do with their mysterious 'Harry' they had been looking for? Feeling more and more curious, I tried to rephrase my question by asking them:

"Could one of you please tell me what you expect from me?"

This time, all five kids glanced at each other with doubtful faces, as if they weren't sure whether they could trust this bearded 'ancient grandpa', or not... In the meantime, I still tried to understand why my little neighbors had been behaving so distantly. Could they be sharing a secret, and didn't they want me to find out what it was? Then, they hadn't behaved very cleverly, by talking about their secret while I could hear their bantering! How could I ever make it clear they could trust me and that I only wanted to help them find their lost animal, without having any ulterior motives?

Fortunately, next to being a trained psychotherapist, I was also good in using 'alternative' remedies like 'healing auras', reading 'body language', and sending 'Universal Love'. Therefore, I just opened my heart towards my young neighbors and started to send them lots of Universal Love. That always helped my little clients feel more at ease, so that they soon calmed down and opened up to me.

Sending them my Universal Love seemed to help again, because, within a few second, the oldest boy took another step towards me and stared directly into my eyes, while he explained:

"Harry is not an animal, he is our FRIEND! This is Jack's former house, and Harry used to live here all the time; until, two months ago, Jack suddenly died. From then on, Harry still cries every day because he misses his former Big Friend terribly. Could you please try to be nice to him and not chase him away? He is like my adopted little brother, and we all love him very much."

The oldest boy had an open face with two inquisitive deep brown orbs that now pierced straight into mine. Did I really see a few tears welling up in his sad looking eyes? This boy seemed to care quite a lot for his 'adopted little brother' who seemed to miss his 'Big Friend' terribly and still cried every day. Perhaps, as a psychotherapist who was used to helping troubled children, I could help Harry overcome his still lingering grief and sadness? However, then I had to meet him first! Only, where could Harry be now, and why didn't he join his 'adopted older brother' and all his other friends on my porch?

At the same time, my inside was now sure that I remembered this particular twelve-year-old boy with his wise deep brown eyes! Could this young boy resemble someone else I once knew but forgot about, sort of an odd coincidence? Surprisingly, this twelve-year-old boy felt like a dear friend, or perhaps like some long-lost blood brother! Even more surprisingly, his deep brown eyes also made me think of my own little brother, Joshie, who died around fifty years ago. Supposed my little brother had survived death and grew up, this twelve-year-old boy could easily be Joshie's son and therefore my 'nephew'!

Feeling more and more uneasy, I tried to push my strange thoughts out of the way. After living through my own extremely difficult youth, I had carefully suppressed all those horrible memories from my early childhood, and I also wanted to keep it that way! Only, my feelings of recognition didn't want to go away. More and more 'remembrances' showed up in my mind, of this grownup boy and I sitting together around a campfire. We were trappers in a dangerous forest, of around the same age, and I had a little son who was very fond of our mutual friend; until a hungry bear killed all of us and we went to Heaven, where we met again. From their own Timeless Eternal Realm, all our Beloved Ancestors, Cosmic Friends, and Spirit Guides asked us to return to our so terribly deranged Planet Earth, to help transforming our confused playground into a somewhat better place to live on...

Now feeling shocked into my deepest core, I didn't know anymore what to think of those unexpected 'remembrances' from my so-called 'past lives'. Up to now, I had always assumed that dead is dead, and death is the definitive end of everything. Everybody else knows this! Therefore, I refused to accept my strange recollections but forcefully pushed them out of the way. Then, I forced my still confused mind to go back to the boy's answer that had clarified the 'mystery'. Of course, and not surprisingly, the mysterious 'Harry' turned out to be another boy. I should have guessed that myself! Only, why would that other boy be hiding in or around my backyard, instead of joining his friends on my porch? Could 'Harry' be afraid of meeting the new owner of 'his' house, while he used to be here all the time with his deceased 'Big Friend', Jack? Could I have looked THAT grumpy?

All the time, my 'former friend' stared deeply into my eyes, as if he tried to read my inner thoughts by probing directly into my soul... My heart was now sure that he recognized me too, and he felt just as confused as I was! Could this young boy experience the same strange recollections from our 'past lives', including being trappers of around the same age and babysitting my little son, until a hungry grizzly bear killed us and we went to 'heaven', or perhaps to 'the beyond'?

Bashfully, the boy wiped his tears away with a sleeve of his shirt, while I too felt a couple of tears dripping down my face. What the heck could be happening to me? Was I suddenly becoming senile, at my relatively young age? This was not my normal and professional behavior as a trained psychotherapist! Desperately, I tried to suppress my unwanted emotions. What would those kids think of me now, at seeing such an openly blubbering 'old man' or 'ancient grandpa'?

Feeling irritated and also angry with myself, I first worked my handkerchief out of my pocket and wiped my own tears away. Then, with a sudden feeling of compassion, I offered my handkerchief to the silently sniffling boy. The boy offered me a thankful smile, while he wiped his teary eyes and blew his nose in my handkerchief. Looking apologetically, he handed the wet thing back to me. Without thinking, I stuffed it back into my pocket, whilst heaving a few deep sighs of frustration. In the meantime, I desperately tried to understand what could be happening to me, and why I was feeling all those unexpected and rather disturbing sensations. Why did my inside suddenly feel this emotional, obviously without any valid reason at all? Being a trained psychotherapist who was used to helping troubled children and their worried parents, I should always be in control of myself and of any involuntarily welling emotions, for crying out loud!

In the meantime, my inside was now sure that this boy and I still loved each other deeply and dearly, because we had been very close friends during at least five thousand years, including his 'adopted little brother', Harry! Feeling more and more uneasy, I looked back at my 'former friend' who still stared into my eyes as if trying to probe my deepest intentions. My gut feeling told me that he wanted to tell me a lot more about his adopted little brother, but still hesitated...

Out of professional habit, I switched into my 'therapist mode', so that I could 'read' the boy's surrounding energy field. Reading people's auras, and interpreting them, always helped me seeing things clearer by sensing their deepest feelings and cleverly suppressed emotions. At the same time, I also probed the boy's deep brown eyes, to contact his soul and from there find out what could be his problem.

Feeling even more shocked, I sensed an intense feeling of sadness and loneliness, as if nobody around my 'former friend' really cared for him. After living through Jack's sudden death, he felt even more alone. He too missed Jack badly; just like his adopted little brother, Harry, still missed his former 'Big Friend' terribly. Perhaps, this boy had seen the late Jack as a 'replacement father', so that he now felt abandoned? Could the late Jack and my 'former friend' have been Big Friends too, although this young boy absolutely didn't want to get in the way of his 'adopted little brother' who clearly had first rights?

Out of the blue, another overwhelming sensation welled up in my inside, this time of 'coming home'! Totally unexpectedly, my inside knew that our meeting was predestined and that we were reaching our 'final destiny'. Clearly, my 'former friend' and I were brought together so that we could start working together as a powerful 'Cosmic Team', including 'Harry'! At the same time, my heart was overflowing with lots of Pure Love for both young children, because we had once loved each other deeply and still loved each other very much...

More and more remembrances from our past lives started to show up in my confused mind, picturing the grownup boy as my closest friend, while 'Harry' had been my own little son. Plus, during another past life, I had been some 'Beloved Gypsy Monarch Harold the Great', while the grownup 'Harry' had been both my trusted Vice Leader and my closest Gypsy friend... This time, I really thought I was becoming senile! Strangely, at the same time, my inside was sure that all my memories from our shared past lives were genuine, and that both my now twelve-year-old former friend and his 'little brother' Harry really belonged to me and to each other, for now and for all eternity!

Never before had I felt such a strong feeling of 'belonging' to each other, not even with my own spouse and daughters... Again, I stared into the probing eyes of my twelve-year-old 'former friend', where I tried to contact his deepest soul to find the truth. This time, I felt like drowning in two deep brown orbs, while my heart started to jump around in my chest with pure joy, because it really recognized my very best friend from many shared past lives! My gut feeling told me that my young 'former friend' experienced those same overwhelming feelings of Pure Love for each other, making him feel at least as confused as I was. Could this young boy and I really recognize each other from our 'former incarnations' or 'past lives'?

A couple of years ago, an old Indian Shaman had tried to convince me about his foreign belief that our 'immortal souls' were living only temporarily in our mortal bodies. After we died, our immortal souls returned to our 'Timeless Eternal Realm', from where they would be reborn into another human body, to gain even more Cosmic Powers and develop even more Eternal Love and other abilities. According to the old Shaman, my soul already possessed several powerful abilities, but I would be able to use my powers only after I first met a few 'Cosmic Friends' from our 'past incarnations', so that we could start working together as a very powerful Cosmic Team, helped by all our 'Beloved Ancestors' and 'Spirit Friends' from 'The Beyond'!

At that time, I didn't believe the old Shaman, although he also told me many private things that I was absolutely sure he couldn't know. However, now that I seemed to meet one of my 'former friends' from our shared 'past lives', and we also seemed to recognize each other, my analytical brain started to doubt again. My heart seemed to be sure that this boy and I had been very close friends during several shared incarnations, including the boy's 'adopted little brother', Harry, who once had been my own little son, until a hungry bear killed us...

Feeling more and more confused, I nearly couldn't think straight anymore. Had I really once been our 'Beloved Gypsy Monarch Harold the Great' who was the Supreme Leader of all forty million Gypsies on earth, while the grownup 'Harry' had been both my very best friend and our Beloved Gypsy Vice Leader? Now, during our present lives, all of us would meet again and soon start working closely together. Could really my old Indian Shaman have been right, although I never thought that my 'former friends' would be such young kids?

As if he had picked up my confused thoughts and reacted to them, my twelve-year-old 'former friend' suddenly went on:

"During the past two years, my adopted little brother lived in what was then Jack's house and is now your house. As Harry's Big Friend, Jack always helped Harry with everything that he needed; although we kept it a secret from everybody else in our village, because Child Protective Services could take Harry away from Jack and put him in an orphanage, and that would break his heart. Officially, Harry is in our custody; but, in reality, he lived with Jack and had his own room in Jack's house, upstairs, second door to the left. Please, sir, don't betray us, because CPS can still take my little brother away from me and my family, and that would break both his and my heart..."

Well, to an experienced psychotherapist who had helped several neglected children get a better life, this clarifying answer explained quite a lot! Apparently, 'Harry' had been such a neglected child, and he had sought shelter with 'Jack', the deceased former owner of my newly bought house. I only wondered how Jack had gotten around the rather bureaucratic CPS. However, I decided to ask my own questions later on. For the present moment, I only wanted to let my five little neighbors know they could trust me and had found a new friend.

Again lifting both hands in surrender, I started to promise:

"Of course, I will never betray any of you! On the contrary, I promise I will always be there for you if needed, and I will try to help you when and wherever I can. From this moment on, you can always count on me and also ask me for anything that you need, because I want to be a friend. Cross my heart and hope to die!"