"Do you want to go back to Chicago right now?" B asked as he and Eli ate breakfast at their hotel.
"Not really. I want to try to spend as much time with my grandparents as I can when I'm not painting and sketching."
"Ok. Do you want to keep staying in the hotel or get different accommodations?"
"What will your parents continue to pay for?"
"Whatever I ask them too. My parents love me like that. It's all up to you, love."
"So if I wanted to be the eccentric artist and hide in a hotel in my hometown as I work on my new gallery collection, they don't care?"
"Nope. And if they did, you'd hear me fighting with my folks on the daily to make sure that you had what you needed because I love you and know that you have certain needs as an artist."
Eli smiled. "You'd go to war with your parents over me?"
"In a heartbeat. Anyway, if my parents had something to say I'll just go to Nana and Pappy about it and they'll overrule Mom and Dad."
"Your grandparents adore me for some reason."
"They do. I think it has to do with your last name. They donate to a lot of the same causes that your Grampa was a staunch supporter of back in the day, like the Wounded Warrior Project and things like that. I even think they donated monies to the final concert that your Grampa and Disturbed did in Millennium Park 15 years ago."
"Uhuh." Eli nodded. "That's a bit shocking, to be honest. Your Grandparents don't seem like they would be metal heads."
"Oh, but they are. That's why they asked if you were David Draiman's relative in any way."
An "ah-ha" look came over Eli's face. "Oh. That makes sense, I guess." He took a bite of the steak that had come with his meal. "So, if your parents objected to us staying here so I can work and spend time with my elderly grandparents, you'd just go to your grandparents who would tell your parents to stuff it."
"Yup."
"Remind me to paint something special for them before we take the collection to New York."
B laughed. "Make is a painting of the horse your cousin Miri is going to be working with and they'll love you forever."
"Done. I was wanting to get a portrait of that anyway. I'll just do two."
"Are we going over to your Aunt and Uncle's house today?"
"I'd like to so I can at least tell the boys to have a safe trip."
"Where are they going?"
"Vegas and LA."
"Ooh. Nice. I hope they behave themselves though. Vegas PD doesn't play around with unruly behavior."
"They can't drink."
"But I remember distinctly watching your granddad sit them down along with others in the family to teach them how to play different games Vegas style."
"I know. Ira, Tony, and Levi are usually pretty well behaved. They may get a little rowdy but not enough to get arrested."
B nodded. “None the less, they should still be careful.” He pushed his plate away and watched Eli eat his food. “Where do you put all that food? You’re tall and athletic. I’m the short chubby one and yet you eat like an elephant.”
Eli laughed. “I have a good metabolism. Got it from my Dad who got it from Gramma.”
“All of your family seems to have good metabolism.”
“It’s the blessing of being a Draiman, I suppose. Though Gramma, Uncle Jake, and Samantha are all diabetics.”
“What?”
“Yeah, not many people know that. Gramma got it from her Dad and passed it to Uncle Jake. He passed it to Samantha.”
“Do they take care of themselves?”
“Oh yeah. Gramma went years without having to use insulin. Uncle Jake doesn’t have to use it and neither does Samantha but we’re all carriers.”
“Carriers?”
“Type 1 diabetes is genetic, B.”
“Oh. Sorry. Had a moment.” B stared at Eli for a moment. “But, how do you do it? You rarely exercise, you eat two massive meals a day and snack the rest of it. I kill myself with my boxing trainer I’m the one that’s told I’m out of shape.”
Eli smiled. “Brandon, my sexy man beast is what you are. I don’t give a damn what you look like. I love you inside out. So what if you’re chubby. You know what my Grampa’s favorite ice cream is?”
“No, what?”
“Chubby Hubby by Ben and Jerry’s. You’re my Chubby Hubby. Fuck the other mother fuckers. You’re just right in my eyes.”
B chuckled. “And I’m not a slouch, either.”
“Gramma always calls Grampa her chubby hubby even though they worked out every morning together before they retired. He ate like a horse.”
“Your grandmother doesn’t exactly eat like a bird.”
“She eats a balanced meal. Sometimes Grampa would go back for seconds and thirds.”
“How does he burn off the calories?”
“I don’t know if they still do, but they used to fuck like bunnies.”
“Bet you don’t have the balls to ask if they still do or not.”
“We’ll see. If I do ask? What do I get?”
“I’m sure you can think of something that you’ll want.”
“You’re on.”
---------------
When they got to the house Eli and B found Ira, Tony, and Levi out at Ira's car, leaning against it looking at
something. "What's so important that it has your undivided attention?" Eli asked.
"Something that Gramma gave me", Ira said, not looking up at his older cousin.
"What did she give you?"
"A picture of her as a baby with her brothers."
Eli chuckled. "Oh yeah. I remember that hunt."
The boys finally looked up. "What do you mean?" Levi asked.
"Well, from my prospective what happened was we had family dinner and Aunt Jordan was being nosy. She asked Aunt Delilah if she was pregnant again and Grampa told her to mind her own. After dinner Uncle James and Uncle Jeremiah went and started digging through the attic as Mom and Dad got me, Isaiah and Miranda ready for bed. When we got up the next morning Uncle Jake told us that we were going to have a new cousin whose name was going to be Ira. I don't know what they did with the boxes though.”
“Apparently they were looking for this picture.” Ira handed Eli the picture. “The taller boy is Great- Uncle Matt, the baby is Gramma, and the other boy is how I got my first name. He’s our Great- Uncle Ira.”
Eli looked at the picture and cracked a smile. “That’s cute. How did you come about the picture?”
“Gramma.”
“Nice. So, you three ready for your trip?”
“Hell yeah”. Anthony said. “I think Ira just found his good luck charm.”
“A picture is my good luck charm?”
“It could be. You never know”, Levi laughed.
“Fuck you… all of you. You’re not funny.”
Eli chuckled. “Well, you three have fun packing the car. I’m going to go greet our grandparents and see how Miri and the horse are doing if the damn thing has been delivered yet.”
---------------
When Miri came in for lunch that afternoon, she was in a bad mood already. The poor horse seemed to be fighting her at every turn. She sat down at the table and groaned in frustration. "God! What have I gotten myself into?"
Jona, who was the only other person in the room, chuckled softly. "It’s a little tough, I'm sure. Just stay calm and stay gentle, but not so gentle that you let him run you over, of course." She laughed a little. "Horses also like consistency, so make sure you have a routine for him to follow every day. Most nervous horses will relax once they know their routine. Everything will get better as it goes; you just have to get into the swing of it."
Miri sighed "It’s just so frustrating though, Aunt Jona. I don't want to hurt him, but he's pressing my nerves enough to want to go into my parents’ room and get one of the shot guns. I love him; I'm just getting tired of him already." She hung her head, slightly ashamed of what she'd just said. "You wouldn't know of anything that can help me with his issues, would you Aunt Jona. They have him on anxiety medication, but I would really rather do this a more natural way rather than have him doped up in what amounts to Valium."
Jona smiled warmly. "I know, honey. We all feel like that sometimes. But just think of him as if he was your child... a "furry child" per say. And kids may drive you crazy sometimes, but deep down inside you know you love them and will do anything for them." She looked around to make sure no one else was listening then said quietly. "Now, who says this poor critter has to be on drugs? Who’s watching your every move that you have to give him Valium? No one... except us Draiman's and we all know you are capable of making the rightful decisions. If you want flower remedies and soothing essential oils for his nerves and natural feed to make sure he's 100%, then do it. You're the one taking care of this horse and promised to fix this horse, so fix him with what you know is the better route to go."
Miri smiled. "Thanks Aunt Jona. Think about him as a child. It makes perfect sense. I think of all of my other pets that way. I would like the flower remedies and essential oils for him. I don't want to have to give him those shots. I hate seeing any animal so scared. It seriously pisses me off that his owners beat him like they did. They should have just sold him. I'm sure that there's someone out there that would have taken him and taken good care of him." She took a deep breath. "If you could put together a flower remedy for me and get together the oils, I'd love you forever- not that I don't already. I'm gonna go ask Mom if she has any experience in equine massage. If not her, then Aunt Maddie." She gave her Aunt a quick hug and ran off to find her mother.
Jona smiled. "Well you're welcome, Miss Miri. I'll get those things to you by the end of the day, I promise." She accepted the hug with a smile and watched her niece run off thinking, She's going to take such good care of that horse that when she's done, not only will he be healthier than they could ever imagine, but he'll be so well cared for here that he won't want to leave this yard either.
Miri ran into her mother’s office with a smile. “Mom, do you know equine massage?”
Delilah nodded, giving the young woman in her office doorway an odd look. “Yes, I know equine massage. Done it on a few occasions. Why?”
“Can you show me so that I can do it for Ranger?”
“Why?”
“To calm his nerves and to help him trust that I’m not going to hurt him. Aunt Jona’s getting some flowers and stuff together for me to help with his nervousness too. “
“I thought I heard you all frustrated and stuff when I went out there earlier to talk to Dad.”
“I was frustrated because I was treating him like a project instead of like he’s another one of my critters. I know better now. Will you help me, please Mom?”
Delilah laughed as she pushed away from her desk. “When do you want me to help you out with all this?”
“Aunt Jona said she’d have the flowers together for me by the end of the day, so when she gives me the flower remedies for him. I have to start my classes for the summer and feed the rest of my babies. He’s had my attention all day thus far. I can’t spend time with the one while neglecting the rest.”
“Very mature of you, Miriam. Go take care of your other pets and while you’re doing that, I’ll see if I can find my equine massage routine. Has he been groomed yet?”
“That’s why I was so frustrated. He wouldn’t let me clean his hooves, brush his coat or his mane and tail. He would barely let me touch him.”
“Ok. Well, I’ll help you out with that the best I can. Just check on him though the day. Make sure he’s ok.”
“I will. Thanks Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too, Miri baby. Go do your studying.”
---------------
Miri went out to the stable that had been built for Ranger armed with some tools to help him relax and calm down. She had the flower remedy that her aunt had put together for her and she had talked to her mother who was going to come out and show her how to massage the horse. She had a little hope. She was going to start working with him every day, giving him the flowers and giving him massage until his nerves settled. She slowly walked up to him, showing that she meant him no harm. "Hey buddy. I'm back. I'm sorry for getting upset with you. I just didn't know what to do. Now I have a plan." She slowly approached him and rubbed his snout. "That's it buddy. I'm sorry." She mixed the flowers in with his evening oats. He started getting a little antsy. "Hey now. You're just gonna have to be patient. I'm waiting on someone to come out here help me get you to trust me." He whinnied and sputtered, stomping his hoof. “Look at you, Mr. Attitude. I think naming you ‘Tanto and the Lone Ranger’ was a mistake. They should have named you after my grandfather.” She continued to lovingly pet his snout, trying to keep him calm. The last thing she wanted was him freaking out bad enough that she ended up injured. “You can hold on, buddy. Once my Mom gets out here, I’ll give you the oats and you’ll get a massage while you eat. How does that sound?” He huffed, but he was still calm.
Delilah approached slowly on the four wheeler, making sure to keep the noise down so as not to spook the animal. She came in slowly as she listened to her daughter soothe the horse in the stable. Her voice was calm and as gentle as she could be when she announced herself. “Miri, I’m here.”
The horse rebelled a little, but Miri handled him like a pro. “Shh. It’s ok. It’s just my Mom. She’s going to give you a massage. You’re ok, buddy.” She rubbed his snout and kept him calm then looked at her mother. “Approach slowly. If he tries to bolt, there’s no telling if I will be able to catch him again without having to get out the tranquilizer gun.”
Delilah nodded slowly and took measured steps toward her daughter and the horse. When she reached them, she introduced herself to the horse and Miri gave him the oats with the proper amount of the flower remedy that her aunt had put together for her.
Once he was distracted Delilah started showing her daughter different techniques and the signs to look for when Ranger was hurting and when he was enjoying the strokes. With each stroke of their hands he seemed to relax a little more. He was a long way from being the champion that he’d once been, but with any luck, Miri would have him close to it by the end of the summer. The question was, would she be able to let him go back to the shelter at the end of the summer or would she have to find a way to keep him there?
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