Epilogue

The memorial approached faster than they were prepared for.  It was almost as if they had the premiere one moment and the memorial the next.

They all met with Maya, Justin, and James the day before at Millennium Park so that they could do a walkthrough of everything that was going to happen so that they understood the timing.  Those who would be speaking in memory of their fathers were given 30 minutes apiece in the two and a half hour special that was being recorded that fall to be aired on the anniversary of Disturbed retiring.  17 years after they called it done, they were all gone.  All of the kids- Dan’s, David’s, John’s and Mike’s- had dinner together that night.  They rented out a ball room and had the gathering catered.  They all sat and reminisced about growing up with the men of Disturbed as parents.

That night as they all got ready for bed that night, Jake gathered his family children in his room so that they could all spend a little time with just the small group of them.  There were eight in the room total.  The newest addition was Ira’s new girlfriend Holly.  She was a music major whose passion was playing the violin.  She was classically trained and had been playing since she was a child.  Sitting with even a small portion of the Draiman family was hardly comprehensible.  Jake and Delilah thought that she was adorable.  “You remind me of me when I met my husband’s parents”, Delilah said, rubbing her hand over Jacob’s thigh.

Jake smiled.  “You were adorable that day”, he said as he looked at his lovely wife.

Holly smiled.  “You’re both very kind.  I’m just happy that Ira wants me to be there for him tomorrow during this memorial.  From what I understand he had to go through the funeral last year alone, save the family?”

Jake nodded.  “He wasn’t seeing anyone then.  He knew most of the girls in town because he went to school with them.  And the girls in the public school were only interested in him for the family money.  It was no secret that David Draiman and his family lived outside of town.  A gold digger is a gold digger, no matter where she comes from.”

“Well, I’m not interested in the family money.  I really do care for Ira.”  She looked over her shoulder to see him on the other side of the room with his younger brother and brother in law talking about Lord only knew what.

Delilah smiled.  “That’s good.  It’s not every day that we see him smile like he has been since he brought you here.”

Holly beamed.  “Thank you, Mrs. Draiman.  That means the world to me.”

Delilah took the girls hand in one of hers and patted the top gently.  “You’re very welcome.  Should the day comes that you two decided to make it official, make sure he asks your father for you hand.  We’re all kinda old fashioned like that.”

Holly nodded.  “I will.  I don’t think my Dad would have it any other way, anyway.”

---------------

The memorial went smoothly.  It was beautifully put together, from the setup on the stage to the ceremony itself.  Next to each family sat an enlarged photo of their rock star father and their beloved mothers to give the fans an idea of the source of the strength the men exuded when they were onstage.  Justin had volunteered to be the Master of Ceremonies.  Jake told him that he was a braver soul that he was. 

Because Dan was the oldest, Maya was the first to speak.  She stood and outlined life in the Donegan home and what it was like growing up in the house where the musical concepts for Disturbed songs were born.  She went on and on about the kind of man that Daniel Donegan was and the relationship she saw between her parents.

Next was Teagan Wengren.  He got up and talked about what it was like growing up with Mike as his father.  He spoke of the kind of man his father was and how much he enjoyed his grandchildren when they started arriving, also giving hints about the relationship his parents had.

After Teagan sat back down, Reckless Disregard performed a medley of Darkness and an acoustic version of Remember.  It was a very moving arrangement that had Jordan in tears by the time they were finished, but they pulled through.  After they were done, Logan went straight from his stool where he sat and played the guitar for their medley to the podium where his speech about his father was very similar to what his cousins before him had said.

Finally, Jacob stood after straightening his tie.  After setting his iPad on the stand he cleared his throat.  He looked out over the crowd.  “I’m not really going to say anything that my cousins up here haven’t already said”, he told those in attendance and continued on.  He talked about how his father was when he was at home- covering both his dealings with business and with his ten children, even telling the story about how his parents dropped everything on the day his oldest was born so that they could be there for him.  He was sure to mention that the child in questions was now in her 20’s, happily married, and about to make him a grandfather for the first time.

At the close of his speech,  Reckless Disregard got up again and preformed.  When they had been approached about performing for the memorial, they had considered writing a new song just for the occasion.  As they got together and really weighed it out, they decided that there was one song that they had covered before that really expressed the grief they were all feeling- even Caleb.  So Far Away was the only song they all knew of that would let them express what they were feeling.

The presentation that Marc had put together had been timed out to fit the song, giving each picture and video clip a few moments of screen time, as the song was only five and a half minutes long.  As the band started to play so did the video.  It was heartfelt and moving.

When the stage for the families had been put together monitors had been put in the floor so that they would be able to see what Marc had compiled so that they wouldn’t be craning their necks and possibly hurting themselves trying to watch the video on the larger screen.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the park.  Even the men of the different families had tears in their eyes as they watched a lot of their more cherished memories play before them and were shared with the world.  They knew that there were only a select number of people in attendance, but the memorial would be broadcast to the rest of the world.  The world would see the things that they held precious.  For some of them, it felt like an invasion of privacy.  Others, thought they felt exposed, felt that the video would help to dispel all misconceptions about what their fathers were like at home.

As the memorial ended, there was a ceremonial moment of silence and prayer.  Everyone lit a candle as they thought about what Disturbed had meant to them.  The music and the men- individually and as a whole- had touched many lives.  After the moment of silence was over, the candles were blown out and everyone started to leave.  Many of those who were there as fans of the band came up to them and thanked them for sharing their memories and their fathers with the world, as well as expressing their condolences for the loss of such dynamic parents.

Finally everyone was gone, they all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.  They promised that they would all keep in close contact and plans were made for them all to get together during the holidays.

Those that lived out of town in the Draiman family all gathered at the hotel and reminisced.  Those that could drink did.  Those that couldn’t drank soda.  The memories in the video slideshow that Marc had put together had dredged up a lot of other memories.  It was going to be a long night but it would be good.

---------------

Things started to settle down as the holidays rolled around.  All of the children of the band got together, rented out the same hotel ball room in Chicago and having it catered by the same company.  As they ate  they talked about the things that were going on in all of their lives. 

Miri was getting big and flying home for Hanukkah was coming close to being out of the question.  But, Jax was more than willing to drive her out to Colorado so that they could be with the family for Hanukkah.

Hunter was loving being a new Dad as much as James was loving being a new granddad.  James spent more time playing with little Caleb than he did talking to many people.  But they all played with little Caleb as well as Gracie, as Miranda and Callan had been able to get the time off so that they could be with part of the family for Thanksgiving.  Getting the time off for Hanukkah was going to be tricky, but Callan was sure that he could manage it.  It was peace time and his command in Japan was good about making sure that the Marines stationed there were able to get home as often as possible.

But Hunter and Miranda weren’t the only ones in the Draiman Clan to bring new little ones to Thanksgiving.  Eli and B had a little boy and little girl that they were adopting with them.  They weren’t related, but they got along well together and B was smitten with the little girl named Lily.  She was barely a year old, making her a little older than her cousin Grace, but no one cared.  She was adorable and that’s what mattered.  Her soon to be brother Jason was still a baby around little Caleb’s age so on the off chance that either baby was on the floor and not being held and spoiled, they were put on the same blanket and allowed to play.

Jake and Delilah, though they socialized, stayed pretty much to themselves.  Jake was spending a good portion of the gathering sitting back and smiling as he watched everything that was going on.  He played with his great- nieces and great- nephews, talked with his cousins, and told what few jokes he knew that were funny.  Even though his parents were no longer with them, he could feel their presence.  He could feel his aunts and uncles close as well.  This was something he was sure had all of them smiling on the other side, and he couldn’t help but smile himself.

---------------

Award season rolled around and Marc was on pins and needles the day that the Academy Awards nominations were being announced.  The whole family was watching.  Makayla had come over and was watching with him.  She had a vested interest in the nominations as well.  There was a possibility that her little brother was going to be nominated for Best Director.  When it was announced that not only was he nominated but that the movie was nominated for a great deal of the categories, they both screamed in delight, jumping up and down in celebration.

After the announcement, Marc was on the phone with Jake.  “Dude, you’ll never believe it.  Not only am I nominated for Best Director and Audio/ Visual presentation, but we’ve been nominated for Best Picture, and my cast has been nominated; Best Actor for Dan, and Best Supporting Actress for Gabby for her role as Mom.”

“Very nice.  If you guys can take it all home you’ll all be set.  Good luck to you when you go, Marc.  I hope you take it all.  Clean sweep.”

Marc laughed.  “Thanks, Jake.  Are you guys gonna watch?”

“Yeah.  We should be back from Chicago by then”, Jake laughed.

“Oh yeah.  Miri’s gonna be having a baby soon.  That’s right.  Do we know when?”

“Anytime now.  Delilah is actually packing so that we can fly out there.  We’ve pulled Seth and Sammi from school.  Jeremiah’s going to be running the house while I’m gone and I’m going to be pretty much incommunicado while I’m there.  I’m gonna want to spend as much time with my granddaughter as possible.”

“It’s for sure a girl?”

“Yeah.  I saw the ultrasound pictures.  I think they decided to name her Victoria Michelle.  I don’t remember.  I’ll know when I get there.”

“Yeah.  Who’s gonna catch?”

“Jax.  He’s her gynecologist.”

“Nice.  Well, I’ve got to go.  I’ve got to go buy a tux for the awards and take Mercedes to get a dress.  Kylely’s sister is going to watch all of the kids while Makayla and I are at the awards.  She was nominated for best choreography in some dance movie.  I don’t remember the title.”

“I’m sure Makayla will let me know when she stops floating.  I’ve got to go too.  We should be getting ready to fly out of here.” And they said their goodbyes.

As awards day crept closer, Marc’s stomach was in knots.  He couldn’t eat because he was so sick over the Best Picture statuette.  Mercedes knew it was par for the course with her husband, but she still worried over him.

They made their way down the red carpet that night, braving the gauntlet of reporters.  Marc stopped and spoke, telling everyone he was nervous about the whole thing.  It wasn’t every day that your first time directing was nominated for Best Picture.

Marc sat and listened to the show and enjoyed the music, chuckling to himself when soundtrack for Believing in the Sickness was represented with Prayer.  He wasn’t surprised when they won and went up to the stage with the musicians to accept  the award.

When the Best Actor category rolled around, his nerves shot through the roof.  It would mean everything to him to win this award on his first time out.  It would mean that he had paid attention to everything that JJ was trying to teach him.  When he was, relief and shock washed over him as he kissed his wife and made his trip up to the stage.  He accepted the statue graciously, thanking God and all of the Disturbed fans out there that thought it imperative to watch this movie to learn about his father’s life, both as the front man of Disturbed and as a family man.  He told them to keep the sickness alive and teach younger generations about his father’s work before stepping away to go backstage.

The rest of the categories meant next to nothing to him until the very end of the show when they announced Best Picture.  He gripped Mercedes’s hand tightly as the drums rolled and he waited to hear if they won.  “And the Oscar goes to…”  The suspense was painful.  Marc couldn’t breathe the anticipation was so thick.  “Believing in the Sickness!” the announcer said. 

Marc’s heart stopped; he was in shock.  Mercedes smiled.  “You won, baby.  Go accept the award.”  She leaned in and kissed him as he stood and walked up the aisle.

Daniel and Gabriella said their pieces.  JJ even got a couple words in.  But, they were leaving the big thanks to Marc.  He took the statue and leaned into the microphone.  “What in the world!” he said.  “I don’t even know what to say.  I definitely want to thank the Academy for this, as well my wonderful wife Mercedes for letting me obsess over this.  Thank you to JJ for teaching what you knew and helping me make this great.  I want to thank my fantastic cast for putting up with my constant editing the script and making them reshoot everything so many times I’m sure they wanted to kill me.  This win is dedicated to my late mother and father and I want to thank them for being so supportive in life of this project.  I wish they could have been here with me tonight in person as this whole thing went down, but I know they’re here in spirit.  Mom, Dad; this one is for you.  I love and miss you both.  I know you’re both smiling up there.  I hope that I made you proud.  Thank you, everyone.  Have a great night.”

Pride swelled in Marc Draiman’s chest as he left the stage and returned to his wife before posing with the two statues as well as the winners amongst his cast, and answered questions about how he felt and what he thought his parents would say.  “I feel amazing right now.  Were they still living, I’m sure that they would both be not only proud, but beaming right now.  My mother would be crying her pride in my all over my father’s jacket.  Dad would say something along the lines of, ‘Well done, Christopher.  We’re proud of you.  You did a great job with my life story.  Showed it exactly like I remember it happening’.”  He laughed.  He couldn’t help it.  He was on top of the world and there would be no bringing him down for quite a time.  He did what he set out to do and was recognized in kind.  It was a very proud moment and he couldn’t have asked for more.

The End of the Series.  For real this time!

Chapter 76

Managing to get the memorial put together wasn’t a big chore.  Everyone that was going to speak was working on their speeches and those who were going to put other talents to use were busy at work doing so.  Things were coming together beautifully.  The only issue was the date for the actual memorial.  Maya and Jake were in pretty much constant communication discussing when would be good for everyone to come out to Chicago to honor the memories and lives of the men that had changed the face and state of the nation, using their music to shape the state of the Union as it was at that time.

Meanwhile, the movie was finished and all of David and Brie’s children had flown out to Hollywood for the premiere.  They were all dressed their best and were looking forward to seeing the magic that Marc and JJ had put together.  Even their children that were available to make it out had flown out.  Miri- who was five months pregnant- glowed and looked amazing as she posed for pictures with her family.  As they made their trip down the red carpet, they stopped and answered questions.  “How anticipated has this movie been for the family as a whole?” one reporter asked Jordan.

“We’ve been waiting for this on pins and needles for this for two years.  Little brother has been talking about this project nonstop since he and JJ first started looking at scripts.”

“Do you know if there are any scripts that weren’t originally there and have been added?”

“I believe there may be one or two.  I can’t tell you for sure.  I know that there is one that no one really knew about but Malachai that according to Marc needed to be added once Dad told us about it.”

“Can we get a spoiler?”

She laughed.  “Sorry.  No spoiler bombs here.  The only one that knows what we’re going to be getting is Marc.  The rest of us are just as oblivious.”

“What did it take to get everyone out here?”

“Jake says, ‘Jump’, we ask, ‘How high?’ on the way up”, Malachai interrupted with a laugh.  “He said to clear schedules to be here in Mom and Dad’s memory and here we are.”

“Really quick here, Jordan.  Who are you wearing?”

“Pierre Laurent.  We’re all actually wearing Laurent tonight.  He heard we were all coming to this and begged to dress us.”

“All 40+ of you?”

“Oh yeah.  He’s been working nonstop for a few months now to get all of us fitted and ready for this.  And we have a pregnant niece that’s here as well as a couple of nephews that are bringing girlfriends and fiancées to this little get together with a couple hundred of our closest friends.  It’s been a lot of fun to coordinate this, but it’s totally worth it to see Marc’s vision come to life.  Knowing how awesome my little brother is and his eye for not only talent but just life in general and being able to capture a moment where you feel everything that is being conveyed, we will not be disappointed.  I have very little idea as to what to expect, but I already know it’s Oscar worthy.  You hear me Academy.  This is going to be a masterpiece.  My brother’s Opus.  Give him the recognition he deserves.”

---------------

They all sat in the center of the theater and waited for the movie to start.  Marc was on the stage about to give an introduction to the movie everyone was about to see.  He looked over his notes as the nerves rose high.  He peeked out of the curtain and saw that he had a packed house.  There were really only two seats left in the entire audience and they were for JJ and for himself.  He looked over at his father in law.  “JJ, I don’t know if I can do this”, he said, his voice shaking mildly.

“Nervous?” JJ asked.

“Only a lot”, he chuckled.  “I’ve never had to do this before.”

“Just take a few deep breaths, Marc.  You’ll get through this.  Just speak from the heart.  That’s all you really can do.”

Marc nodded.  “Can do.”  And he and JJ stepped out of the curtain.  “WOW”, he laughed.  “I never expected a turnout of this caliber.  This project has been every bit of my existence for the last two and a half years.  I wanna thank my wife and children for being so patient with me while I did this and I wanna thank my father in law for be patient while I had my fits of OCD.”  He chuckled and the audience joined him.  “On behalf of myself and my siblings, I would like to thank all of you that helped make this possible.  I just wish it were possible for our parents to be here to see it.  Here’s hoping that they’re on the other side watching this and that they approve.  Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, here it is; Believing in the Sickness.”

As the lights went down Marc and JJ took their seats and settled in for the movie.  It was going to be epic.  They couldn’t wait to see the actors bring the lives they’d lived and watched their parents live with them.  The scene opened with the start of the concert they’d all be present for- the concert where Disturbed retired from 40+ years entertaining.  Time had slowed down and they saw that back of a bald man’s head as he got himself psyched to go onstage.  A familiar passage to anyone who had read their father’s book started playing over the noise of the roaring crowd while the band before them finished up their set.

With a quick kiss to the woman he loved he was poised to start the show and the screen went black.  “But aren’t there times when you wonder how it all began? And not just Disturbed.  All of it.  What created the monster that’s going onstage tonight?  Well, I’ve been thinking about that, and it’s time to finally show you.”

The scene opened to what looked like a typical home in the 1970’s and a little boy sitting in the floor playing with toys.  Jake laughed to himself.  “I can’t imagine Dad as a little boy and yet here it is on the screen in front of me”, he whispered.  “I can’t wait to see what else he managed to pull off.”

“I don’t think any of us can.  What I’m looking most forward to is seeing his interpretation of Dad’s story about meeting Mom’s parents.”

“It will certainly be a sight to see.  I just hope that the actor that plays Dad as a man can get it right.  I would hate to imagine what would happen when Dad as an adult comes on and sounds nothing like him.  That will be a very bad thing.”

---------------

Jake and Delilah’s fears were unfounded.  The man that played David in the movie had a very similar tone and timber to his voice and could actually sing rather well, sounding similar to the family patriarch.  As the movie played everyone laughed and cried along with all of the insanity that was the life of David Michael Draiman.

The final scene was the iconic last performance of ‘Down with the Sickness’.  The lights and sounds were just like Marc had made them then.  Though the movement of the scene was totally improvised, all of them were taken back to the show that night.  They watch the movie play their memory, ending with the final bow Disturbed took.  The frame froze and faded to black and white as script appeared on the screen detailing the things that had gone on with each of the other three members after retirement briefly, then going into detail over the events of David Draiman’s life after retirement up until his death the year before.

As the credits played, everyone was on their feet and they roared with applause.  Marc turned in every direction and took a bow, then asked everyone in the principle cast to come join him on the stage below the screen.  The thanked everyone and laughed.  “And now, it’s off to the film festivals!”  The crowd laughed.

As they filed out, Maya gave Jake a call.  “I’ve got a date”, she said after he said hello.”

“Good for you, Maya.  I’m glad you found someone other than your husband who will take you out”, he laughed.

She laughed sarcastically.  “Not what I meant and you know it.  I have a date for the memorial.”

“Great.  Email me the information and I’ll start making calls to the rest of the cousins to clear their schedules.”

“What about your brothers and sisters?”

“All I have to do is call them to my room for a meeting and tell them the date.”

“You’re all in one spot?  How is that possible?”

“Premiere showing of Believing in the Sickness, the movies based on my Dad’s autobiography.”

“Oh yeah.  I forgot that you told me you were all flying out to Hollywood.”

“Yeah, we’re all here.  It was good.  Daniel Goodson did a great job of playing my Dad.  It was pretty 

magical.”

“I can’t wait until it hits theaters.  I want to see how it turns out.”

“It’s Oscar worthy.  I have a feeling that they’re going to clean house at the Academy Awards.”

“Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting, Best Director; all that good shit.”

“It all depends on what they’re nominated for”, Jake laughed.  “I’ve got to go, Maya.  We’re all going to dinner here in LA.  It’s something we never do.”

“Well, all 40+ of you should go and enjoy dinner together.  Tell Marc I can’t wait to see the magi =c he created.  I know it’s going to be great.”

“I’ll let him know.  Bye Maya.”

“Bye Jake.”

They hung up and he wrapped his arm around Delilah’s waist a little tighter than he had been.  It was time to 

brave the media gauntlet and talk about the movie.  He was going to need all of the courage he could get and his wife was his biggest source.  With her, he could conquer everything.

---------------

Dinner was fantastic.  They all passed around babies, talked about weddings and expectant babies, and- more importantly- discussed the job they thought that Marc had done on the movie.  Marc was flattered by the hail of compliments he received from his siblings.  “I just wonder what Mom and Dad thought of it”, he said as James’s new grandson was passed around the table.  “I really hope I did Dad proud.”

“Don’t worry, Marc”, Jeremiah chuckled.  “If you didn’t, I’m sure that one of us will hear about it”, he said, pointing from himself to Jacob, Maddie, and Jessi.

“Oh, that’s for sure”, Maddie said.  “If Dad’s unpleased, I’m sure that he’ll make his presence known to one of us.”

Marc laughed.  “And I’m sure I’ll hear about it.”  He took his turn holding his newest great- nephew and looked at the baby’s father.  “You did a great job here, nephew.  Remind me of his name?”

“Caleb Zane.”

“Caleb Zane Draiman”, Mercedes said with a laugh. “It has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“That little boy is the light of our world”, James said with his arm around his wife.  “Marc, wait until you have grandkids.  You have no idea the joy that a grandchild brings.  I see now why Mom and Dad insisted on being at as many of the births as they could manage.”

“And if they weren’t there when they were born, they were there within hours of the birth and saying those infamous four words”, Maddie said. 

“GIVE ME THAT BABY”, they all laughed in unison.

“Now I know why they were like that”, James said.  “Grandkids are a child’s gift to their parents for putting up with all of their shit for as long as they did.  Mom and Dad did it with 10 for 30+ years straight.  How they did it I will never understand, but I know why they were so excited when we all started having kids.”

Jake grinned.  “I’m hoping to learn that soon myself”, he said, looking at Miri and Jax.  “How many more months until Mom and I are grandparents?”

“Five more months, Daddy”, she laughed.  “You have 24 more weeks, approximately, to wait until your granddaughter is born.”

“Granddaughter?” Delilah said.

“We’re guessing based on track records of both grandfathers”, Jax laughed.  “You had a girl first and my Dad had pretty much nothing but girls accept me.  Common sense and genetics dictate that the likelihood of us having a girl first are nearly astronomical.”

Jake laughed.  “Astronomical?”  He shook his head.  “Look you two, I’m sure Jax’s father agrees, but I don’t care what it is, so long as it’s healthy.  If I have an adorable little granddaughter to spoil the hell out of, then so be it.”

“Girls have cuter clothes anyway”, Delilah said with a laugh.  “Dad and I can buy her an entire wardrobe and not buy the same thing twice.”

Chapter 75

It didn’t take a lot of time for Jake to set up the interview with Ginny Hanover.  She was more than happy to hear that the Draiman children were finally coming out about what their feelings on the deaths of their parents were and that she was the one to get the exclusive interview.

Jake called each of his brothers and sisters personally and told them that they needed to be at homestead for the interview after getting off of the phone to set it up.  No one argued.  They all just said that they would be there.  Only the siblings would be there.  Their children were staying at home, no matter where their parent was coming from.  It was easier that way to keep track of everyone and was less of a distraction during the interview.

The day of, everyone met and had breakfast together as they waited for the camera crew to arrive.  No cameras had ever been inside the homestead before unless they were a family camcorder or on someone’s cell phone.  This was a first, but it was what Jake felt needed to be done.

As their husbands and in laws ate breakfast, Jona and Delilah puttered around the house and tried to make sure that everything was in its proper place.  Delilah was as OCD about the appearance of her has as her late mother in law had been when she owned it.

After eating the guys set up the chairs the way Jake wanted them.  The four eldest would sit in the back with the quads and the final twins sitting in the front.  They weren’t trying to appeal to the camera or anything like that.  There were only four stools for the bar and there are a great many more chairs for people to sit in.

When the crew arrived they were greeted by Delilah.  “Wow”, the camera man said.  “This is amazing.  Are we seriously the first crew to set foot inside this house?”

“The very first”, Jake said as he walked into the living room.  “Our father was very strict about camera crews coming into his sanctuary.  He was a very private man and didn’t like his personal life to be on the front page of the supermarket rags.”

The statuesque woman with the camera man spoke.  “You must be Dr. Draiman.”

He nodded.  “One of three, actually.  I’m the only MD though.”

“The other two are PhD’s?”

“Yes.  You’ll meet them shortly.  I’m Jacob.  I’m the one you spoke to over the phone.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jacob.”

“Likewise.”  He looked at the crew.  “Come on.  I’ll show you to the dining room where everything is set up.  You can set up the cameras and stuff in there.”

The camera crew followed Jake into the other room.  While they were setting up Jake introduced Ginny to his brothers and sisters.  Thought his sisters had already done their makeup for the day, there was a makeup crew there to give them a touch up and get them camera ready.  The men were dusted quickly and made ready and everyone was given a microphone system to attach to their shirts with the packs clipped to the backs of everyone’s pants or skirts.

“We’re almost ready to start filming”, Ginny said to the family.  “Are there any questions?”

“We’ve all done our share of TV interviews”, Maddie said with a grin.  “This is old hat to all ten of us.”

“That’s good news”, Ginny said.  “I’m going to try to make this as painless as possible.  I know it hasn’t been that long ago since your parents passed and it’s still pretty raw.  Don’t hold back.  If the thought of a certain memory makes you cry then cry.  If there’s something that makes you laugh, then do it.  I want this to be as fun as possible, but I want it to be real.”

“You’ll have no trouble getting real here”, James said.  “There’s not a one of us that’s well- schooled in the art of bullshit.  Even the men in this family aren’t afraid to cry.”

“That’s good.  That will show the audience an element of realness to you guys.  You’re not just rock star kids.  You’re all people.”

Marc chuckled.  “We’ve been trying to convince people of that for several years now.  I know personally I’ve been trying to convince people I’m a normal guy for nearly 40 years.”

“No kidding”, Jeremiah and Meagan said.  “Our last name is both a blessing and a curse”, Meagan continued.

“For sure”, Jordan said.

Ginny smiled.  “It will certainly be interesting to hear about the blessings and curses that your last name has brought all of you.  Shall we all get situated and ready to start shooting?”

Everyone dispersed and sat down, sitting in both levels from oldest to youngest.  They all took deep breaths to steady themselves just before the segment director started counting them in.  Ginny Hanover was about to make broadcasting history, recording for the first time within the heart of the Draiman house.  This was the house that David and Brie Draiman raised the men and women sitting before her in and where most of them started their families.

Just make us proud, Jake heard in the back of his mind.  Don’t hold back and tell nothing but the truth.  He nodded slightly as he looked to Maddie, Jeremiah, and Jessi.  From the looks on their faces they’d all heard the same thing and their response was the same.  We will, Mom and Dad.  We’ll do just what you taught us to do.

---------------

“I really just want to thank you all for talking with me”, Ginny said as the cameras rolled.  They had already gone down the line and introduced themselves.  “I know this can’t be easy for any of you.”  They all just shrugged and said that it was their pleasure.  “Now, I know that everyone asks this, but I think I have to ask the first obvious question.  What was it like growing in the house with a rock star parent?”

They all chuckled.  “Believe it or not”, Jordan said, “our Dad was pretty awesome.  He wasn’t about all of the pomp and circumstance when he was at home.  He was just our Dad.”

“We could talk to Dad about anything”, Malachai said.  “I remember one night after I graduated from high school I came home early from a party.  He and I had a trip that we were taking the next day.  But, I came home because the party sucked, but I did happen to get lucky.  The girl… well let’s just say that though the sex was ok there was an element of unpleasantness to it.  I came in and as I was trying to make my way up the stairs I bumped into Dad.  He was having another one of his insomnia fits.  We talked about and, I kid you not, he gave me sex advice.”  Malachai laughed.  “The next day we flew out to Texas where I met my real father.  I’ve never made any bones about the fact that I’m not biologically a Draiman.  He’s the only father I know.  We met with the man that fathered me.  He didn’t have to go with me.  He did it because I was his son.  He raised me and loved me like I was his own.”

“Wow”, Ginny said.  “That’s pretty cool.  So, there are ten of you and you all have either an ‘M’ name or a ‘J’ name.  Do any of you know how that happened?”

They all laughed.  “Mom and Dad were asked that by everyone”, Meagan said.  “From what I understand it was sheer coincidence until we were born”, she said as she pointed from herself down to Jeremiah.  “Then they realized that they had a bit of a naming convention that they had to stick with.”

“They were actually thinking of breaking away from that with Marc and Jessi”, Jake said.

“But obviously they decided to go with them again to keep things even”, Marc laughed.

“What about your mother?  What was she like?”

“A pillar of strength”, Jeremiah said.  “When Dad was away she was the one that held us together.”

“Hell, when Dad was here she was the glue that held us all together”, James said.

“Examples?”

“When we had to go somewhere she put her massage practice on hold to make sure we got there.”

“Schedules were seriously color coated”, Makayla with a laugh.  “As we all graduated colors started disappearing from the calendars.”

“And there were several”, Maddie laughed.  “They were everywhere!”

“Sounds like childhood was well organized”, she laughed.  “What about as you were all getting married and having families of your own?”

“Mom and Dad were so awesome about that”, Jake and Malachai both said.  “I know that if it hadn’t been for our parents the day my oldest was born, I would have either done something really stupid or fallen apart”, Jake continued, clearing his throat after he was done speaking.

“What happened?”

He coughed and cleared his throat.  “My oldest child was a month premature because of a habitual reckless driver.  He T-Boned my wife’s car as she was coming home from getting my mother a birthday gift”, he said, choking on the emotion he was feeling.  This was one of his more painful memories of his parents.  “I got a phone call from a stranger on my wife’s phone telling me that she was on her way to the hospital.  At the time I was working an hour away in Denver at the VA.  I rushed home to be with my wife and hoped that there might be a way for them to stop the labor.  When I got to the hospital the doctor told me everything that was going on and my knees gave and Dad caught my arm to keep me from falling to the floor.  On the way up to the OR waiting area I fell apart.  I was afraid that I would lose my wife and daughter all in one stroke and we had only been married for eight months.”  He wiped his eyes, and tried not to let the tears biting at the back of his eyes fall.  “Mom just held me and let me fall apart, trying to comfort me.  I think I can speak for us all when I say that our mother was the strongest, most patient woman we knew.”

“I would give anything to have that kind of strength”, Jessi said.  “Mom… she watched her brother die before her own eyes and let little show to any of us.  None of us know what Dad saw but when Uncle Matt died, she didn’t crack.  She and Dad both held all of us while we cried and fell apart, but not one tear fell from her eyes.  Not that I remember seeing anyway.”

“You’re not alone Jess”, Malachai said.

“No one saw Mom crack”, Jake said.  “Not until the funeral.  That was the only time anyone saw either of them crack.”

Ginny smiled.  “Her brother just passed and no one saw her cry?  Wow.  She certainly was strong.  How did she handle not being able to travel with your father when he was on the road?”

“Oh God, like a pro.  If we missed Dad, she called him for us.  If we had something we needed to show him she’d video conference with him so that we could show whatever it was”, James said.

“What about discipline while he was away?”

“She handled it.  If she couldn’t, she called Dad and he would talk to us.  If he needed to come home he did so and took care of whatever needed to be taken care of”, Malachai said.  “There was actually a point where my wife and I were staring divorce in the face because of several different things.”  He cleared his throat.  More touchy topics- it was apparently Malachai’s turn to talk about his.  “I come over and talk to Dad about it and I get reamed.  At the time I kinda had my head up my ass and I was letting the success go before anything else- including my family.  Dad told me that I needed to get my act together, in essence.  He told me to be the man he KNOWS he taught me to be.  I look back on that and I realize he was right.  I was being stupid.”

They continued sharing their fond memories, both joyful and painful.  It was good to finally talk about it and hear what each other cherished most about their parents.  A few things they all agreed on: One, their mother was a saint and no one would ever change their opinion; two, their father was the coolest Dad ever- rock star or not; and three, there were no words to describe how much their parents loved each other.

---------------

“So we’ve been talking about your personal relationships with your parents, and their relationship with each other.” Ginny Hanover said with a compassionate smile.  “Now I’d like to ask what I know is going to be a delicate question.  It’s been a year.  How is everyone coping with Mom and Dad being gone?”

It hadn’t been a very difficult interview until she had asked that question.  They all started clearing their throats and wiping at their eyes.  “It’s been tumultuous”, Jeremiah said upon clearing his throat.  “Personally, I’ve been trying to keep in mind the immortal words of Benjamin Franklin.”

“And what are those?”

“‘It is the will of God and Nature that these mortal bodies be laid aside, when the soul is to enter into real life; 'tis rather an embryo state, a preparation for living; a man is not completely born until he be dead:  Why then should we grieve that a new child is born among the immortals?’  They’ve been the only words I could think of that could give me any comfort.  Their mortal probation was over and they went together to live amongst the immortals.”

“Wow.  Profound and heart wrenching.  Have there been ups and downs?”

They all nodded.  “We’ve all had our ups and downs, individually and as a family.  It’s been difficult to enjoy the happier moments that have been happening since their funeral.”

“There have been big events since the funeral?”

“Yeah.  Life keeps going whether they’re here or not”, James said.  “My oldest just became a father and will be marrying the mother of his child soon.”

“My oldest just got married this past spring”, Jake said.  “She’s expecting her first with her husband sometime in the winter.  She also just started working as a veterinarian after graduating in the spring before she got married.  My oldest son just started working on his Masters’ degree in Psychology having gotten his Bachelors’ in the spring.  And there are many other things that have been happening.  The world didn’t stop because we were grieving.  We just had to push through.  It hasn’t been easy.  The holidays were special torture.”

“But, I have to say that we’ve been lucky to have my in laws around, especially those who live here”, Jeremiah added quickly.  “My mother and father in law have been amazing since Mom and Dad passed.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’ve stepped in and kinda been like surrogate grandparents to the children of those of us who haven’t married into the family”, Jake chuckled.

“Why would they do that?”

“When they first came up from Arizona to meet everyone, my in laws told our parents that they’d wanted a large family, but didn’t have one because my father in law fell ill.  They only raised my wife and her younger brother.  Mom offered to share and let them spoil all of our children right alongside them.  Since then our mom and my mother in law were like sisters and our dad and my father in law were like brothers.  I mean, Dad let my father in law hold my son and he was born on Dad’s birthday.  My father in law later reciprocated when my daughter was born on his birthday.  My two dads”, Jeremiah said and laughed, “were always causing trouble.  Before they passed away, Dad and my father in law decided to break out the paintball guns and have target practice.”  He covered his mouth with a hand and cleared his throat to be able to speak.  “We made a day of it.  I don’t think any of us have ever seen Dad so relaxed”, he said as his voice cracked.  He coughed and cleared his throat.  “Excuse me.”

“Don’t apologize.  You have no need for an excuse.  So you all broke out the paintball guns and had target practice.  Your parents were relaxed.”

“Nothing seemed like it could go wrong in that moment”, Marc said.

“And then my daughter’s water broke”, Malachai said with a chuckle.  “Everything went so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.  That night, Mom and Dad were great- grandparents.”

“They had to be so happy that day”, Ginny said.

“Oh yeah.  They’d been waiting a long time for great- grandchildren.

“What was it like after they left the country?”

“We never saw them”, Jordan said with a laugh.  “They’d tweet occasionally, and Mom did her little travel blog every time they went somewhere.  I think they went to Austraila five to ten times the whole time they were traveling.  Mom was sure to put up video blogs about all of their different activities.”

“Have any of you been going back and watching old family videos and things like that in the last year?”

“We actually did that over the holidays.  We broke out the old family movies, some during the Occupation, and laughed at all of the memories”, Maddie said.

“You had videos from during the Occupation?  How many had the other members of Disturbed in them?”

“Most of them”, Jessi said.

“It was nice to see our Uncles again”, Makayla said.

“Those funerals were no fun either.”

“Are there plans in place for a memorial for the band as a whole?”

Jake nodded.  “Yeah.  I’ve been in contact with Maya Donegan in the last little bit and plans are being made for next on the anniversary of their retirement.  We’re trying to set things up so that it will be at Millennium Park in Chicago.”

“Can you give us any details or ideas of what will happen?”

“Sorry.  It’s meant to be a surprise.  Maya and I really think that it’s important to give Disturbed fans the opportunity to say their final goodbyes.  They had their own memorials but this will be the big official one.”

“Well darn”, Ginny laughed.

“It’s better that way for the fans”, Jordan said.  “And to be honest, it’s one last goodbye to all four of them from all of us kids.”

“Any guesses as to what your parents are doing on the other side?”

“My guess”, James laughed, “is that Dad, our uncles, and Grampa are driving Mom and Grandmamma insane.  Uncle Matt was a trouble maker.”

“And we’ve heard stories about how much Grandmamma loved to flirt with Dad.  It was actually rather funny”, Marc said with a laugh.  “I’m actually putting a lot of that in the movie.”

“So you’re confirming that there is a movie being shot about your father?”

“I might as well let the cat out of the bag.  We’ve been working on it for about two years now.  We’re almost done with all of the shooting and ready to go into post.”

“Now, remind me.  You’re father in law is JJ Juarez, right Marc?”

“Yeah.”

“Is he directing?”

“No actually, I am.  He’s the executive producer and he’s been teaching me all of the tricks of the trade, but I’ve been the one calling all of the shots.”

“That’s pretty cool.  How did you get all of the stories?”

“We’re all pretty nosy when it comes to Mom and Dad”, Malachai said.  “We asked them what happened when they met each other’s parents.  Mom never met Grandma and Grandpa Draiman, but Dad met Mom’s folks.  And I was there then that happened.  I saw the whole thing.”

“What happened?”

“You’ll just have to wait for the movie to hit theaters to find out”, Marc said.  “Although we’re nosy when it came to Mom and Dad we were taught never to kiss and tell.”

---------------

Once the interview was over and Ginny Hanover was gone, they all ordered take out and had a little dinner.  “That was quite the trip down memory lane”, Marc said with a laugh.

“No kidding”, Jake said, shaking his head.  “Some pleasant memories, some not so pleasant; all cherished.”

They all nodded in agreement as they ate from their individual take out cartons.  “At least she didn’t try to be too intrusive”, Jordan said after swallowing.  “She kept the questions pretty general and respectful.”

“I don’t know if I could have dealt with someone getting that nosy about us”, Meagan said, shivering slightly in discomfort from the thought.  “I’m not used to doing interviews like that.”

“None of us are”, Maddie laughed.

“You know what I mean, Maddie.”

“Ladies, let’s just chill out”, Jake said.  “She was joking with you, Mae.”  He sighed.  “I’m glad we did it.  I really am.  Now that it’s done, it’s time for us to be more public.  No more hiding.”

“So you’re cool with us going back into the studio and releasing a new record?” Malachai asked.

“You guys could have been writing this entire time.”

“Too painful”, Jordan said, shaking her head.  “I just wanted to be with my family and cry it out.”

“That’s fine.  But now, if you want to let loose the fury of the pinned up hell cat we all know you are then go back into the studio and scream it out.”

She chuckled.  “Nice.  So, we’ll go back into the studio and let me scream.”

Jake looked at Marc.  “So the movie based on Dad’s autobiography is going into post now?”

“We’re a couple days of shooting from post, but we’re almost there.  From there it’s a couple months of editing and then the premiere.  I expect everyone to clear their schedules to be there.  It’s for Mom and Dad.”

“I agree with you, Marc.  Give us an idea of when so that we can all be there.  Anyway, it’s kind of expected of us to make an appearance.  It’s is about our father.”  He looked at Marc.  “Bro, can we talk real fast in private?”

Marc nodded and stood from his seat, following Jake to his office.  Once they were on the other side, Jake spoke.  “I’ve been talking to Maya and we were wondering if you could put together a video memorial for Disturbed.”

“No problem.  Give me an idea if what to put in it and the music you want it played to and I’m all over it in my spare time.  I won’t be doing too much in the editing process for Dad’s movie so I’ll have a lot of time to do it.”

“Great.  I’ll let Maya know.”

“And let her know that if they want personal pictures or video in the presentation, I need them as soon as earthly possible.”

“I’ll be sure to let her know.  As for the music, use your better judgment but see that it’s related to the topic at hand.”

Marc rolled his eyes.  “I know that Jacob.  Either about passing or Disturbed.  I was actually thinking about an Avenged Sevenfold song.”

He nodded, knowing the song his brother was talking about.  “Good one.  You could add ‘Darkness to the play list.  You have over 60 years of footage to sort through.”

“And you’re looking at putting this on when?”

“Around the anniversary of Disturbed retiring.”

“I’ll see what I can do.  I need the footage from everyone no later than Halloween.”

“No later than my anniversary.  Got it”, Jake laughed.

“Oh yeah.  That’s right.  No later than your 25 wedding anniversary.”

“My daughter is 24 this year.  I can’t wrap my head around it.”

“Jake, she’s married and about to make you a grandfather.  That should be what you’re having trouble wrapping your head around.”

Jake’s chest shook in laughter.  “True that, my brother.  True that.”

Chapter 74

The viewing and service went over beautifully.  The beautician that came in and did their mother’s hair and makeup did a marvelous job.  Whoever it was had impressed all of the Draiman children with her skill, as well as the grandchildren that had grown up knowing how their grandmother did her hair and makeup.

Miranda and Callan made it to the funeral and were able to get their closure.  Miranda even made it just in time to go to the viewing.  After the viewing they all ate dinner together and passed around the baby.  When asked how Callan managed to get the time off, he replied, “First thing I did was say that my wife’s grandparents had passed on and that I needed the time off to go to the funeral.  When they started being difficult I decided to name drop, telling them that her maiden name was Draiman.  That’s when they said, ‘Draiman?  As in David Draiman?  We heard he passed this morning.’  I told him that was her grandfather and I got no further argument.  Got home and told her that we needed plane tickets.”  He got light chuckles but no one laughed out right.  No one has the strength.

After they all got home they continued to mourn.  Jake didn’t have to impose a mandatory mourning period.  They all needed the time to get over the loss of their parents.

A year passed.  There wasn’t a single one of the children that spent time in the limelight unless they had to and that was as brief as they could make it.  Malachai and Jordan didn’t even bother writing.  It hurt too badly to write. 

Jake retired from medicine like he’d planned after their parents had been gone for four months.  He finally had the time he needed to plan Miri’s wedding.  Even as they mourned they welcomed a new member to the family and knew that their parents would want them to have joyous times as well as times when they cried.  It was healthy to try for joy as much as they could.  Miri was married that summer right before the anniversary and announced that she was pregnant not too long afterward. 

Maddie and her partners in practice stayed out of the clinic as much as they could manage.  They all needed to work, but they all also needed to have the time to really grieve. 

Jeremiah and Meagan both took an open ended leave of absence from work, both having rarely taken time off for any reason.  Jeremiah had at least two years of sick leave saved up.  For Meagan it was vacation time.

Makayla took fewer jobs, only working with artists she knew very well and that were understanding of the fact that she and her family were grief-stricken. 

James worked as little as he could for the label.  He loved his job, but he wanted to be able to be around for his kids if there was a problem while they were trying to deal with the issues that arose after his parents’ deaths. 

Jessi was allowed to take as much time as she needed to mourn.  She was giving the traditional time for a Shiva and then some.  She gladly took the time off, going back to work when she thought she was ready.

Marc worked and found a new dedication to finish the movie that would be the gemstone of his career.  He didn’t have his parents around to answer questions but there were things that he remembered and if they needed to be changed he did so.  He also remembered that he had access to a lot of the materials from the Occupation- which was before his time.  If he had a question about something that happened, he knew that he could go back and check the material.  He kept his head down and every time he remotely thought he saw a camera or a microphone, he went the other way.  There were days when he took an hour to get home because he was trying to shake a tail.

All in all, they took their time to find their step again.  They were finally moving on and were almost sure that they would be just fine without their parents.

Right around Miri’s wedding, the world started asking when they were going to break their silence and speak out about everything that had been going on.  There were many people that wanted to know if there was ever going to be a memorial where the fans could officially say goodbye to the band as a whole.  This started to torment Jake.  He knew how his father felt about the fans.  He knew that Disturbed as a band owed everything they had to the fans.  All four of the men did.  He had started getting phone calls from his cousins asking when and if he thought it would be a good time.  He told them he’d have think about it and he’d get back to them.

The longer he took to think the more he felt the pressure to give them an answer.  Not from his cousins, but from the general public.  Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.  On the corner of his desk sat a picture of his parents.  He looked at it and spoke aloud.  “God, I wish you two were here.  What should I do?  We want to take the appropriate amount of time to mourn and grieve of your passing, but how long is too long?  I’ve been approached by all kinds of people about sitting down with the ten of us and talking about what it’s been like the last year and growing up with the two of you as our parents.  I’m willing to do it.  I think it would be healthy, but when is the right time?”

“Jacob, look at me”, he heard his mother’s voice.  He stared at her in the picture.  “No.  Look up, Micah.”  He looked up to see the form of his mother standing before him.  “I’m not here to lollygag or answer unnecessary questions.  Make it fast.  You want to know when is the right time to stop mourning and move on with life?”

“More like I want to know when the right time it to end our private grieving and open up to the public.”

“It’s been a year according to your calendar, right?”  He nodded.  “Then I think it’s time.  Talk to your brothers and sisters about the interview and set up the memorial for the band with your cousins.  Its time, Jake.”

He nodded.  “Can I ask you one more thing, Mom, before you go?”

“What is it?” she asked gently.

“What’s it like watching us from afar?  Is it surreal?”

“It is.  Haven’t quite gotten used to it yet, your Dad and I haven’t.  But, your Dad is having a blast over here with your uncles.  There is never a dull moment.  They’re always looking for something to do.  Thank God we’re on the cliff in Ireland rather than someplace else.”

“I know the question is rather obvious, but do you and Dad…?”

She laughed.  “We’re dead, Jacob, but we’re still very much in love.  What do you think?”

He laughed.  “Figures.  Not even death will stop you two.”

She shook her head.  “Nope.  Now I’ve got to be going Jake.  I hear my mother calling and from the sound of it she’s trying to flirt with your father… AGAIN.”

“Ok Mama.  Thanks for the chat.  How come I’ve never seen anyone like this before?  You know, while I’m awake?”

She shrugged.  “Maybe because you’re not really awake.  I’m leaving now, son.  I love you.”

“I love you too Mom.”  And like that she was gone.

His head snapped up from where it had fallen when he dozed off.  He looked at the picture on his desk, then around the room.  There was no one there but him. The twins were in school and Delilah was at work.  He laughed to himself.  Thanks Mom.  I needed that.

Of course you did, Jacob, he heard in the back of his mind.  Of course you did.

---------------

He had just called cut on the scene they were shooting when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.  He sighed and checked it.  Seeing that it was his older brother calling, he answered.  He always answered when Jake called.  Lord only knew what the news would be, but good or bad Jake always had something interesting to say.  “Hello?” he said.

“Hey Marc”, Jake said.  “I’m sure you know who this is.  I need to talk to you about something.  Jeremiah and I have already talked about and I bounced it off of Malachai, but I need another opinion.”

He nodded.  “Give me a sec”, he said then called out to the people on set.  “Everyone take 5.  I have to take a phone call.”  Once he’d stepped away from the set he spoke again, leaning against a tree.  “So, what do you need, bro?”

“I think it’s time to come out of our self- imposed hiatus we’re been under.”

“Ok.  What do you need my opinion on?  Not this, I’m sure.”

“No, not that.  I’ve been approached by Ginny Hanover about the ten of us doing an interview.”

“Ginny Hanover?  Didn’t Dad call her the modern day Barbara Walters?”

“Yeah.  One in the same.”

“And you want to know what I think about it?”

“Yeah.  So far I’ve got a ‘Let’s do it’ from Jeremiah and an ‘I’m not so sure about that’ from Malachai.”

“I’m voting in the ‘Let’s do this’ camp.  I think it’s a really good idea.  It will give us a chance to really tell in depth what it was like to grow up a house where The Voice of the Resistance was the head of the house.”

“Cool.  I’m staying neutral until I get everyone’s vote.  If we’re somehow in a deadlock, I’ll break the tie.  I don’t see how we’ll be in a dead lock.  There are ten of us.”  He chuckled.

Marc laughed.  “Yeah.  No kidding.”  He sighed.  “May I ask what brought this about?”

“I apparently took a bit of a nap in my office while looking at my email.  I remember looking at the picture I have of Mom and Dad sitting on the corner of my desk and asking for guidance.  Then I heard Mom say, ‘Jacob, look at me.’  So, I stared harder at the picture.  ‘No.  Look up, Micah.’  From there I asked her what I should do and she said it was time to come out of hiding.”

“Ah.  I see.  I’ve never understood that whole guidance from beyond thing, but I’ve come to trust and respect it from those of you that get it.”

Jake laughed.  “Sometimes it’s not so pleasant to be on the receiving end.  Trust me.  There are times when I wish that I weren’t one of the poor souls to be stuck with this, but I am.  I have to learn to deal with it.”

“You’re a better man than I am, Jake.”

Jake laughed.  “That remains to be seen, Marc.  I’ve got to be the leader of the family now.  I’ve been playing at it the last 16.  As of this time last year, I’ve had to step up and take the reins.  It’s not going to be easy filling Dad’s shoes.”

“Filling Dad’s shoes isn’t meant to be easy.  Instead, I think you should do things the way you think is best.  If you spend your days worrying about how Dad would do things you’ll make yourself grey before your time.  Do what Jake thinks should be done.”

“Good advice.  Is that how things are run in your house?”

“For the most part.  It’s more of what Mercedes and I think is best for our portion of the fiasco that is the Draiman family.  It’s usually a joint decision.  As far as the family as a whole, when Dad was unsure, he would defer to Mom.  Mom would give her advice and he would decide from there.  Maybe if you need advice, talk to Delilah.  She’s supposed to be taking over as the Matriarch, right?”

“Yeah.  You’re right.  I know all of this.  So, are you saying less looking to the cosmos and more looking to the angel that shares a bed with me?”

“Exactly.”

---------------

He’d gotten everyone’s vote on the idea of doing the interview with Ginny Hanover.   He wanted to talk to Delilah before making a final decision.  When she came in from the clinic he was at the table with the two left at home helping them with various assignments.  Samantha was in an advanced science class that was right up her father’s alley- Advanced A&P.  It was a college level class that would transfer to any school she chose to go to.

When she came into the room she dropped her bag on the counter and gave her husband a kiss.  “Hey babe.  How was yet another day of retirement?” she laughed.

He chuckled.  “Boring as hell until these two got home”, he chuckled.  “But, I do need to talk to you.  It’s kinda important.”

“You want to take it to the office?”

He looked at their children.  “Sam, Seth, you need me for anything right now?”

They both thought for a sec and shook their heads.  “Nope.”

“Then take your stuff up to your rooms and finish your homework.  If you need anything you know where to find us.”

Once they were gone Delilah took a seat.  “Ok.  What did you want to talk about?”

“You know there’s been a lot of question on when we’re going to resurface and talk more about Mom and Dad, and how we’ve been coping.  I’ve been calling around to everyone and for the most part everyone’s in favor of doing one specific interview.  It’s with Ginny Hanover.  I’ve been contacted about that one countless times.  I’ve lost count to be truthful with you.”

“Do you want to know what I think about it?”

“That was kinda the point of this conversation”, he laughed.

She laughed.  “I think that it’s time to come out of the mourning period and move on.  We’ve all had a chance to go through the grieving process.  It’s time to come out and actually talk about what’s been going on and how we’ve all been doing since Mom and Dad passed on.  Have you had a chat with either of them?”

He laughed.  “It’s actually kind of ironic that you ask that because my calling around to ask everyone if they wanted to do the interview was actually prompted from accidentally taking a nap when I was checking my email and stuff like that.  I talked to Mom.”

“Really?  What happened there?”

He recounted to story to her the same way he had with each of his siblings that day.  “And that’s when I started making phone calls.”

“I see.  Who all is against the idea?”

“No one is really against it.  More like they’re really unsure that it’s a good idea.  Only Malachai, Maddie, and Jessi.  Everyone else says ‘go for it’.”

“And what do you say?”

“I want to do it and in the end it’s my decision as to whether we do it or not.  Jessi said that even though she’s not a fan of the idea, she’ll still fly out of that’s what I decide.”

“What about the two siblings here that aren’t so sure?”

“They said they’ll be here if we do it but they don’t like the idea.”

“You want to do it here?”

“Yeah.  Either outside on the back patio or clear out the dining room and do it in there.  We’ll need a couple of the bar stools and some of the chairs for everyone to sit in.”

“Moving that table is going to have to be a task on you boys.  That thing is heavy.”

“No kidding.  I helped put it in there.  It took Dad, Uncle Matt, Morbus, Malachai, me, and the rest of Disturbed to put that in there.”

“Wow.  What’s it made of?”

“Mahogany I believe.  Could be oak.  I don’t remember.  All I know is that it’s a family heirloom that was passed from Mom and Dad to us, and from them we’ll pass it to Miri and Jax or whomever.”

“I think Ira wants the house after we’re gone.”

“I’m not even thinking about that right now.  We can start thinking about that after the twins graduate in a couple years.”

She laughed.  “I don’t blame you, but it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead in case something does happen.”

“True.  We’ll worry about it later though baby.  I just want to get through this interview first.”

“So you’re going to do it?”

“Yeah, we’re going to do it.  I think it will not only do us some good to talk about it but it will do those who were fans of Dad’s to hear us talk about it.”

“What about a memorial for the band?”

“I’m actually going to call Maya about that tonight after dinner.  She sent me an email and told me that was the best time to get ahold of her, after her kids were in bed and all that good shit.  Again, it will give the fans of Disturbed a final chance to say good-bye.”

---------------

"I'm glad you decided to do this, Jake", Maya Donegan said to Jake over the phone.

"Well Maya, it's like you said in your email; it gives the fans a chance to mourn the band as a whole. I know Logan has been ready to do this for a bit, as have the Wengren kids. It's time that the Draiman clan gets on board."

"Fantastic. Well, I'll put it together. Do you think that Reckless Disregard will perform?"

"I'm sure they will, but you'll have to talk to them. I know I would like to speak."

He heard scratching on her end. "Ok. We can do that. I'm speaking for my Dad. You can speak for Uncle David. I just need to see who is speaking for Uncle John and Uncle Mike. Oh, something that I'd really like to do is have a video presentation that highlights their career. Would Marc do that?"

"I'm sure he will. I'll give him a call."

"Don't you have other things to do; like run a medical practice?"

"Nope. I'm retired. Retired at the beginning of the year. I have all the free time in the world."

"Would you be willing to help me put this together?"

"Sure. Like I said, I'll give Marc a call. He's got a lot of the Disturbed footage from when he did the Kennedy Center thing for Dad. If there are pictures that he needs you'll have to email them to him. And since RD is local, I'll call them all over and talk to them about performing."

"What I think would be really cool is to have at least one of the kids from each family do a piece."

"What are you thinking? Like a girls' chorus or something?"

"I don't fully have the idea planned out in my head. I do however have a date in mind and that's the anniversary of the day they all retired. I'd really like to do it at Millennium Park."

"Why don't you out Justin and James on that?"

"You know what? I think I'll do just that. They need something to do."

He chuckled. "If there's anything else you need me to do let me know."

"Do you have another pressing engagement that you need to get to?"

"Kinda. It's family movie night. My family and Jeremiah's family get together and we let the kids pick a movie for everyone to watch. Mom and Dad did it with us until they moved to Israel. Jeremiah and I just continued it with our kids."

"Cool. Well, I'll let you go then Jake. Have fun."

"Will do Maya. Have a good night."

"You too."

They hung up and Jake made his way down the stairs from his office. Everyone had already gathered. "So, what are we watching tonight?"

"I picked a romantic comedy but Seth and Matt started bitching", Sammi said.

"So we picked something action", Seth said.

"Well, if we have all of the necessary things for movie, let's spin the disc and do this."  He took his seat next to his wife and comfortable as she handed him his drink.  The popcorn made its way around the room; there were sandwiches and candy on the table.  Jake took the remotes in his hand and started the movie once Seth was lying back in his spot in the floor.

He smiled to himself as he thought back over his day.  Things were finally becoming normal again.  The only thing that wasn’t normal was that his parents weren’t there anymore.  A fact that became less and less painful every day.  He loved his parents and missed them dearly, but the thought of them no longer being around was less likely to cause tears that it had been a year before.

Shoving the thought aside he braced himself for the action thriller that his son and nephew had picked out.  As the previews played, Jake spoke.  “Next week Sammi and Rina get to pick.  If there is any complaining I promise you that my child that bitches will be grounded.  Got it?”

“Yes sir”, Samantha and Seth both said.

“And if it’s one of mine, they do lines until I’m sick of watching them”, Jeremiah said.

“Yes sir”, Matt and Rina said.

“Alright.  Now that that’s over with, let’s enjoy the movie.”