Chapter 37

David and Brie went out to the cottage and started getting ready to call it a night.  “Do we want to humor Jordan and stay with her for a few days?” Brie asked as she made the both of them hot chocolate.

David sighed.  “I don’t know, dear.  If getting out of the golf care wasn’t testament enough that the cold makes us old prematurely, then I don’t know what is.”

She laughed.  “David, you are nearly 85 years old.  Are you ever going to get old?”

“Maybe when I’m on my death bed but that will be because I’m about to die.”

She shook her head and laughed as she handed him his cup.  “You’re crazy, David.”

“Are you just figuring this out, Brie?” he asked as he laughed along with her.

“No.  I’ve known since we met, if not longer.”  She sipped at the hot chocolate in her mug.

“That’s a relief.  As for Jordan, perhaps we should wait until the spring so that it’s warmer and the kids can have our undivided attention.  The best time would have to be after Miranda’s wedding.  Everyone’s going to be distracted until the wedding is over.”

Brie nodded.  “Sounds like a plan to me.  We’ll tell Jordan when everyone comes over for Hanukkah.”  She sighed.  “The holiday is almost over.  After that, we’re celebrating the New Year and then we’re going home.  Right?”

He nodded as he set the cup down on the coffee table.  “That is the plan.  Once we know when the wedding will be, I’ll book the trip back.”

She nodded and laid her head on his shoulder.  “Sounds good.”  She sighed.  “I’m tired.  Are you ready for bed yet, David?”

“I’m close enough that we could go to bed and turn on the TV, and I’ll be asleep in no time.”

“Then why don’t we do that.  I am exhausted.”

He kissed the top of her head.  “Then let’s go to bed, dear.”

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

It was a familiar scene.  Rolling fields of green; the scent of saltwater and rain thick in the air.  Lightning flashed overhead and she saw the cliffs that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.  She knew what she was seeing because she’d seen them before in life and in dream.

She heard familiar voices in the distance.  The hut she normally saw was a house.  It looked a lot like the one she grew up in.  I should know better shit than this, but I think I’ll go check it out, she thought as she made her way toward the house.

She knocked on the door.  “Mitchell, answer the door”, she heard her mother say.

The door opened and her father gave her a warm smile.  “Nikki girl”, he said joyously.  “Come in, please.”

She went through the door and looked around.  Her mother was in the kitchen making latkes.  It was Hanukkah after all.  Matt was playing videogames with who she assumed was the adult version of the brother she never knew.  It warmed her heart to see them all in one place.

Her mother turned to her.  “Irian.  Come here, child.  Come give me a hug.”

She met her mother at the entrance to the kitchen and they embraced.  “Hello Mama.”

“My only girl”, her mother said.  “How are you?”

“I’m fine mother.  I live in pain these days, but I can handle it.”

“How is David doing?”

“He’s fine mother.  Still insists on taking care of me.”

“And your children?”

“Half of them are ok with us getting older and the other half thinks they have to fret over us for everything we do.”

“Your oldest boy with David is a trip.  We all sit and watch him worry about everything.  Poor Jacob.  He thinks the weight of the world rests on his shoulders.”

“He truly does.  But, he carries a lot of responsibility.  He’s going to be in charge of keeping the family together after David and I are both gone.”

She smiled.  “He’s going to do fine.  You and David have taught him well what leadership is.  He just needs to relax into the role.”  She looked to the boys on the couch.  “Ira, come meet your sister.”

The other man on the couch stood and walked over to the two women.  “Hello little sister”, he said with a grin.  He was built a lot like her son James.  He was tall and thin, but thick in the chest.

She smiled.  “Ira”, she said as tears flooded her eyes.

He took her into his arms and hugged her.  “Hello Brie.”

“You’re calling me Brie.”  She was fighting back the tears that stung her eyes.

“Yeah.  Matt and I are the only ones that do.  Mom and Dad still insist on calling you Irian.”  He kissed her forehead.  “Come on little sister.  Walk with me.”  He looked at Matt.  “I’ll be back in a bit, Matt”, he said and led then outside.  “We figured that if you saw what I would have looked like as an adult for this visit that you wouldn’t panic.  Is it less unsettling for you?”

She nodded.  “Yes, but I’m confused, Ira.  What brings the entire family to me?”

“I’m bringing you a message.  The powers that be thought that seeing all of us- especially Mother- would make this easier for you.”

“What’s the message?”

“You don’t have to suffer the pain you’re feeling much longer.  You and David will both be with us soon.”

“How soon?”

“I don’t know.  I’m new at this ‘otherworld messenger’ gig and they’ve changed some of the procedures.  I can tell you that you’ll be able to greet your great- granddaughter first.”

“Will David have to live long without me?”

“No.  He won’t have to live without you.  Speaking of David, he’s pretty boss.  I’ve been watching since you two got together.  And, tell Jacob that my namesake is a brilliant young man who will find his way soon enough.  And, my great- nephew may surprise his anal retentive father.  Keep that part to yourself.”

She laughed.  “Thank you, Ira.  This has put my mind at ease about a few things.  I’m still sketchy on what I should tell David, who I’m sure is lying next to me wondering what I’m dreaming about.”

“Tell him not to worry, that you’ll both be through suffering soon enough.  And after that, you’ll have all of eternity to get to know me, and I will have the chance to get to know you and your wonderful husband.  Tell him that Mom still says that she wants to steal him from you if she were younger and not married to Dad, and I think he’s amazing.  By the way, what possessed you two to have ten kids?”

“To be honest, sheer dumb luck is what happened with most of it.  We should have stopped at eight.”  She laughed.

“Nah, I think ten suits you.  You have such a big heart and you’re amazing with kids.  Ten kids are perfect for the two of you.  You’re both awesome and patient.  I would have loved to get to know each and every one of them.  They’re all amazing and talented.”

She smiled.  “Thank you, Ira.  It’s a relief to know that everyone is still looking out for me over here.”

“And soon enough, you’ll have the same chance- to look out for and guide your children from this side.  For now, I have to say goodbye little sister.  Take care of yourself and I’ll be seeing you again before you know it.”

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

The first time he heard her mumble in her sleep he was wide awake.  He knew that he wasn’t going to sleep well if she was mumbling.  He just laid there next to her and listened as he waited for her to come out of her dream.  She heard her mention her mother and the brother that she’d only learned about 21 years before.  The brother in question would have been the same age as David himself was.

He felt the shirt he had worn to bed that night getting a little wet and looked down to find his wife crying in her sleep.  This can’t be good, he thought.  Whatever it is that she’s dreaming, it’s making her cry.  I hate to see her upset.

After a few more minutes, her eyes cracked open and she blinked away the tears as she pushed herself upright.  He looked at her.  “What’s wrong baby?” he asked.

She took a shuddering breath.  “I saw everyone, David.  My parents, my brothers.”

“What did they have to say?”

“The only one that had anything to say, really, was Ira.  He told me that we’re not going to have to suffer much longer.”

“Really?  How soon?”

“He couldn’t say.  We’ll get to meet little Gracie before we go, though.”

“Who’s going first?”

“He wasn’t really clear on that.  I asked if you were going to have to live long without me and he said no.  But he didn’t elaborate.”

He nodded.  “Mixed blessing, I suppose.  What did you see when the dream started?”

“Ireland and the little house I grew up in when I was a girl in Tennessee.  I knocked and Dad let me in.  Mom was making latkes; Matt and Ira were playing video games.”

“What did Ira look like?”

“James.”

“Tall, thin, barrel chested?”

“Yeah.  That’s what he looked like.  I got a good look at him when Mom told him to come meet me.  I assumed that it was him because he didn’t really take after Dad other than he was tall and thick in the chest.  He took more after Mom in complexion.”

He nodded.  “Any messages for me?”

“Don’t worry; we’ll both be through suffering soon.  And my mother is going to be flirting with you endlessly once we get to the other side.”

“She’s still convinced that she could steal me from you?”

“Apparently, though she did ask about you and how you were doing.”

“That could have been loaded.”

“Oh, I know.  I know my mother.”

“Anything else?”

“Ira wishes he could have met the kids, but I think that was an understood.  But, Ira is looking forward to having eternity to get to know us both.  He’s been watching us since we first met and he says you’re, quote, ‘pretty boss’.”

“Nice.  I’m glad he thinks so highly of me.”

“He seems to like you.  But, what’s not to like?”

He laughed.  “I don’t know.  Is there anything that shouldn’t be liked?”

“Not a thing.  You’re fantastic the way you are, my love.  If you changed, you wouldn’t be you and I’m in love with you and an idea of what you should be.”

“Can I ask what had you crying?”

“Hugging the older brother I never knew for the first time.”

“That makes sense.”

She sighed.  “I don’t think I could go back to sleep.”

He nodded.  “That’s fine, love.  Let’s go into the living room and watch some TV or something, and we’ll just go from there.  I’ll put on some tea for us once we’re out there.”

She nodded and carefully climbed out of their bed.  “Why is it that every time I move, it’s harder and harder to bend in my low back?”

“Because we’re in our 80’s and the vertebrae in your back are fusing again.”

She slid her house shoes on her feet and sighed.  “I hate to say this, but the sooner this is over, the sooner I don’t have to take pain medication just to get through my day.  Tylenol 3, here I come.”

He chuckled.  “Since when are you willing to take pain medication?”

“Since I found one that helps with the pain and doesn’t put me on my ass all day.”

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“Jacob”, he heard, the voice rousting him from a dead sleep.  He shot upright in the bed and looked around.  “Jacob, listen to what I’m saying to you”, the voice said.  The voice was familiar, but it wasn’t.

“Show yourself”, he said into the dark of the room.  “How are you and how do you know my name?”

A tall man that looked a little like his younger brother James stepped out from behind the opened closet door.  “Happy now?  You can see me, nephew.  Are you actually going to listen now?”

“Who are you?  You’re not Uncle Matt.”

“No.  I’m the other uncle.  The Uncle that never got to know you.”

“Uncle Ira?”

“B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his name-o.”

“But you died when you were three.”

“So we’re fudging on my age a little bit.  Does it matter?”

Jake sighed.  “I suppose not.”

“Are you going to shut your yap and listen now?”

“I’m sorry, Uncle Ira.  I’ll be quiet and listen now.”

“Finally.  You’re as bad as your sister Jessykah.”  He sighed.  “Listen to what I’m telling you.  I’ve had to deliver the same message to Maddie, Jeremiah, and Jessi tonight as well.  And I’m doing this all at the same time.  Your parents aren’t much longer for this world.  Those of you that are constantly agonizing about them are going to have to relax and accept that.  Rather than trying to keep them around as long as you can, see what you can do to make the time they have left more comfortable.  Yes, pay attention to them and let them you that you still love them.  But don’t try to prevent your father from doing what he does with your mother on a regular basis.  This goes for all of you, not just those that are receiving this message.  Jordan is just as guilty as the rest of you.”

“But they’re so bad about pushing themselves past their abilities.”

“Then let them do it.  They’re still young at heart.  They still wish that they could go down and dive, but they’ve stopped because they can’t do it any longer.  Your mother’s back started acting up and they stopped diving.  You’re going to want to start seeing an orthopedist soon as well.  You’re back is going to start giving you fits as well.  Fair warning.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

“You have big shoes to fill, Jacob, and you should be prepared to do so.  Being the one to help those of your siblings that are still having trouble accepting that your parents are soon to go will finish preparing you to step into your father’s shoes.  Sure, you’re pretty much there, but you still have one more thing to go through that will make you absolutely prepared and that’s your parents’ deaths.”

“Who’s going to go first?”

“The only person that is to know this is you.  Your mother doesn’t even know who’s going to pass when.  They’ll pretty much go one right after the other.  Your mother’s heart will just stop beating, then your father’s.”

“Will we have to bury them separately?”

“No, but I can’t give you any more than that.  I’ve already given you too much.  I’m surprised the powers that be haven’t cut off my speech yet.  They’ve started doing that you know.”

“I didn’t know that.”  Jake sighed.  “Is there anything else I need to know that you can tell me without getting into trouble?”

“Yes.  I know that you’re worried about the son you named after me.  He will find his way; you just have to have patience with him.  I know you wish the boy would make up his mind already, but he needs to take his time.  Let him change his major a few times.  If he feels that it’s not right for him to be in a University setting, then let him drop out and go to a technical school or something like that.  He has to find his way on his own.”

Jake nodded.  “Yes Uncle Ira.  I understand.”

“I have to go now, Jake.  Your grandmamma has latkes ready and before I got sick I loved them.  Hell, I cut my teeth on latkes.”

“Ok, Uncle Ira.  Pass my love on to Grandmamma, Granddad and Uncle Matt?”

“Of course, Jacob.  Get some rest, if I didn’t scare the hell out of you badly enough to keep you from the arms of your beautiful wife.”

“No Uncle.  I’ll be fine.”

“Good bye, Jake.”

He sat up straight in the bed and looked around the room.  It had been a dream.  The Uncle none of them had ever known had come to him and told him, in essence, to relax.  He’d have to discuss the dream with his brother and sisters in the morning.  Maddie and Jessi would be there early to help clean and prepare for the evening’s festivities.  There were only a few more days left of the holiday and he wanted to be sure that everything went down right.  This may very well be the last Hanukkah they got with either of their parents and he wanted to make sure it was one that they would all remember.

Chapter 36

The holiday started off beautifully.  Callan had never seen the ceremony done before.  His friend in school had only ever told him about the lighting of the candles and the prayers.  Spending the holiday with Miranda, he was allowed to witness the beauty of the prayer as the candle was lit.  Her uncle Jacob was the one to preside and sing the prayer as the sun disappeared behind the horizon.  He was literally moved to tears as he stood and listened.  In the back of him mind, he’d wondered what it had sounded like when her grandfather had been the one singing the prayers.

They had dinner that night, prepared for the family by Aunt Delilah.  It was marvelous.  After the meal had settled on everyone’s stomachs, the gift exchange went down, starting with her grandparents.  They handed out their gifts to each of the grandkids that they’d bought for them and exchanged gifts with each other.

When they opened the gift from her grandparents, tears trickled down Miranda’s cheek.  “Thank you, Gramma and Grampa!” she said as she looked at the blanket they’d given her.  It was a pink blanket that had the baby’s name embroidered into it.  The materials were fleece with a silk backing and trim.  “Gramma, did you embroider this yourself?”

“Lord no, Miranda.  I can’t hold the embroidery needle to do that, and I’ve never been very good at sewing or embroidery.  A former client of mine client of mine runs a shop in town that makes things like that.  I asked her to do that for us so that Grace would have something to remember great-gramma and great-grampa by.  Something that she would feel our love in.”

“It’s beautiful, Mrs. Draiman.  Who decided on what it was supposed to be made of and what it was to say?” Callan asked.

“It was a joint decision”, David explained.  “We agreed on what to have put on the blanket and what it was to be made of.”

“And pink is the universal color of little girls”, Brie laughed.

“We love it Gramma and Grampa”, Miranda said.  “Thank you so much.  Gracie will love it too, I know.”

Brie handed Delilah the gift they got her.  It was a small, simple box wrapped with a little ribbon.  She looked shocked.  “What?  What’s this all about?”

“It’s a Hanukkah present”, David said.  “Just a little something to show our appreciation for getting our children off our asses.”

Delilah pulled the ribbon off of the box and opened it, her jaw falling open once she saw what was inside.  “OH MY GOD!”, she said, stunned.  “It’s beautiful!”  She looked at her husband.  “Baby, look at what your parents got me.”

Jake looked at the pendant in it’s box.  “That’s beautiful.  What are the stones?”

“The children’s birthstones”, Brie said.  “I thought it was fitting.”

“Are you kidding me?” Delilah said.  “I love it.  It’s gorgeous.”  She hugged them both.  “Thank you Mom and Dad.”

They smiled as they returned the hug.  “You’re very welcome”, David said.

“Thank you for getting our children to back off while we’re here for the holidays.”

She pulled back and gave them a smile.  “You’re very welcome.  It’s nice to see everyone a little more relaxed and I would think it’s easier to enjoy yourselves while you’re here without everyone freaking out.  Believe me, it was my pleasure to get everybody to back off.”

They sat back and watched their grandchildren open their gifts from their parents and opened the occasional gift themselves.  New watching- a matching his and hers set- as well as a multitude of different trinket were received with gracious smiles and thinks to those that gave them.  By the end of the night, as they were all eating Hanukkah treats and relaxing, slow smiles spread across David and Brie’s faces.  They were stress free and everyone was happy.  For a family holiday, it couldn’t have been any better.

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

The rest of the holiday went much the same way.  Every day preparations were made for the evening’s festivities.  Brie even helped a little in the kitchen, making latkes and other Hanukkah treats.  It was something small that she could do and not overdo it.  She hated feeling like she was just sitting on the couch doing nothing.  She needed to get up and move around a little bit.  It made her happy to feel like she was contributing.

David sat and discussed different topics with the boys.  James talked about Intoxication and the strides they were making.  They’d signed several rock bands, as well as a few rappers and other different bands.  David nodded in approval as he listened to James talk about the record company he’d helped to build.

Jeremiah talked about school and how teaching was going for him.  Being as young as he was and having a PhD was odd as it was.  He told his father how when his students looked at his credentials when he passed out his syllabus at the beginning of every semester.  The looks on their faces when they saw that he had a PhD in Theology, a Masters’ in Philosophy and a Bachelors’ in History was hilarious.  Then they asked him how old he was.  Most people worked their entire lives to earn their PhD’s and Jeremiah was only in his late thirties- jaws hit the floor.  He impressed people.  So young and he’s got his doctorate.  People tended to stand in awe of that when you were in a college teaching environment.

Jake chatted about work and a new research project he and a few of his peers were looking into doing that dealt with MS.  He talked about a few patients that had come down ill with encephalitis and meningitis.  Getting them well was a process, but he was winning what was normally a losing battle.  This was Jacob, after all.  He loved a good challenge.

Marc and JJ were looking at different scripts that Marc could use to try his hand at directing.  Marc had been working with his father in law long enough for JJ to know that Marc was ready and that he would be dedicated.  “There’s been a lot of talk of people trying to write a script based on your memoirs, Dad.  If I can find the right script, would you be alright with JJ and me doing a moving about and Disturbed?”

“I don’t see why not, Marc.  It might be interesting to see that”, David said with a grin.

“You’d come watch a movie about yourself?”

“Sure.  Why not?  Fan art was flattering when I was still recording.  It was awesome to see that kind of stuff.  It would be interesting to see a movie about myself to see how things are interpreted.  What would be even more interesting is to see who you’d get to play me.  Would you be participating in the casting of this whole thing?”

“Yeah.  JJ and I would be executive producers and I’d direct with a little help from my wonderful father in law.”

“Do it, Christopher.  I would love to see how it turns out.”

Marc nodded.  “Cool.  I can’t wait for you to see it Dad.  Right now, it’s a script hunt.  There are a few promising ones out there, but so far we’re not big on either of them.  When Mercedes and I head home, I’ll talk to JJ and see if there are any that have caught his eye.  He’s read your memoir and he wants to be a true to it as he can.”

“I appreciate that.  Perhaps you can find a screen writer that will write it for you.”

“I’ll bring that up to him, Dad.  Thanks for the suggestion.”

“Any time, son.  That’s what I’m here for.”

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

Just because it was Hanukkah didn’t mean that chores didn’t get done.  Jordan’s children were no exception.  Levi was straightening up his room while Jasmine had to clean the living room.  “Why am I vacuuming again, Mom?” she asked as she broke out the cordless vacuum cleaner.

“Because I’m going to see if Gramma and Grampa want to come over here tonight to stay with us for the remainder of the holiday”, Jordan explained to her daughter.  “Are you going to keep asking ridiculous questions?”

Jasmine laughed.  “I guess I can”, she said sarcastically.  “What else do we need to do?”

“We need to clean up the guest house out back so that they have space of their own if they do come over here.”

“Is there even furniture out there, Mom?”

“There is furniture out there.  Your father lived out there for a while after we figured out that we weren’t going to work out.  Remember that?”

“Vaguely.  I know things were really awkward between you two for a while.  Then it was like overnight things changed.”

“That’s because it did.  Your Dad and I had a nice long talk so that things wouldn’t be awkward between us.  He was afraid that I was going to oust him because we couldn’t make it work.  I just wanted him to move on.  I wanted him nearby for you and your brother.”

“That’s cool.  I’m glad things worked out”, Jasmine said as she ran the vacuum over the carpet.

“I’ll be right back.  I’m going to go see what your Dad, Levi, and Ronnie are up to so that we can clean out the guest house.”  Jordan disappeared up the stairs as Jasmine put the vacuum back in the closet and grabbed a jacket. 

It was starting to get cold out and it didn’t matter how warm blooded you were when you were in Colorado.  When it got cold outside you put on warm clothes.  Jasmine was the kind of girl that loved to wear short skirts and cute shoes.  She was for all intents and purposes a girly girl.  Her older brother didn’t understand it, but that was because he was a guy.  She argued, but that was because they were siblings.  If they went too far one of their three parents would put an end to it.

Jasmine Draiman considered herself to be lucky that she has three parents- two moms and a dad- active in her life so that she could stay on the straight and narrow.  It was a mixed blessing.  It also meant that she couldn’t get away with a whole hell of a lot.

When her mother came down the stair with her brother and Dad behind her, Jasmine grinned.  “Off to clean up the guest house?”

“Yeah.  Ronnie is busy in our bedroom cleaning it up.  You know how Gramma is about things being clean and in their place, and it doesn’t matter what room of the house it is.  Speaking of, Jasmine Nichelle, what does your room look like?”

“It’s a little cluttered because of school work and stuff like that, but it’s nothing that I can’t get cleaned up quick, fast like, and in a hurry.  It’ll be pretty easy to get it cleaned up before we go over to Uncle Jake’s place for Hanukkah.”

Jordan grinned.  “Is it weird to you that you’re Hawaiian and celebrating Hanukkah?”

Jasmine shook her head.  “Nope.  Not at all.  It’s how I was raised.  This is all I know, Mom.”

Jordan nodded.  “Cool.  Well, while Ronnie is cleaning our room let’s go get this guest house cleaned out from Gramma and Grampa.”

The four of them headed out and started moving out the boxes that had been put in there for storage.  That was what the shed was for.  The boxes contained simple little things that needed to be taken out and put away.  Some of them were old clothes that no one wore anymore.  “I’m really going to have to donate these clothes”, Jordan said with a sigh.  “These boxes take up too much room and needs to be gotten rid of.”

“But MOM”, Levi said.  “Some of these clothes are sentimental.”

“If it’s sentimental, Levi Joseph, then why is it in the box?  There are things that can be done to preserve those articles so that you can preserve the memories attached.  After Hanukkah, I want you and you sister to go through these boxes to see if there are any clothes in them that you want to keep.  Understood Levi?”

Levi grinned.  “Yes ma’am.  In between taking my online finals, Jazz and I can go through these boxes.”

“What you don’t keep I’m donating to Good Will.  I want this shit out of my house.”

“That’s why I put it in the guest house.”

Jordan gave Levi a look that made him stop laughing.  Reece- both kids’ father- stepped in.  “Levi, do as your mother says.  Yes, you’re an adult now, but you’re still technically our dependent.  Straighten up and do what you’re asked.”

Levi sighed.  “Yes sis.”  He looked at his mother.  “I was just kidding, Mom.  I kept all of the stuff that means something to me.”

“Go through them with Jazz and make sure that you didn’t miss anything.  Can you do that for me?”

“Yes ma’am.  I’ll make sure that happens.  After we’re done, we can run it to town for you to make that one less thing you have to worry about.  Aren’t you going into the studio again soon, Mom?”

“Yes, after the New Year.  Uncle Malachai, Logan, and Caleb have been harassing me with music for months now.  It’s making me nuts.”

Jasmine choked on her laughter.  She was trying very hard not to tell her mother that she was already nuts.  If growing up in the family she did hadn’t made her nuts, then certainly Jasmine and Levi would have done it.  She put down the box she had in her hands and turned toward the wall.  “Mom, you… you really need to close that door.  You’re inviting me to be a smart ass.  As for the guest house here, it’s going to take more than just today to have it ready for Gramma and Grampa to stay over.  I’m gonna say it will take almost a week to get it up to Gramma’s standards.”

Jordan sighed.  “It sucks, but you’re right Jazz.  I hate that you’re right about this, but you are.”

“Well, your parents’ would prefer it if we took our time to clean it out and clean it up so that allergies don’t act up.  The last thing we want your folks to be doing is sneezing their heads off because the place is so dusty they can’t breathe”, Reece said, seconding what Jasmine had just said.

“Yeah, you’re both right.  And Dad’s always had horrible allergies.”  She sighed.  “What I’ll do is invite them tonight and see what they say.  If they want to come over, we’ll finish this up.  If not, there’s really no point in cleaning it out.”

“Very true.”

“Can I go pick up my room now?  I have books and stuff to pick up as well as clothes to put away”, Jasmine asked as she pulled her black curls up into a pony tail.  Jasmine was a touch OCD when it came to her room.  Everything had to be in the right spot or she would freak out trying to fix it.  Sometimes the freak out would last for a few minutes as she tried to fix it- sometimes if would last anywhere up to a month or two- but it lasted until whatever the issue was, was handled.

“Go Jazz.  Be ready to leave by three thirty.  I promised Aunt Delilah and Aunt Jona that we’d be there early so that I could help with dinner tonight, seeing as it’s Hanukkah and all.”

“Yes ma’am.  I’ll be ready.  Connie and I have a friendly little competition going anyway.  Who can win the most gelt playing Dreidel.  So far, I’m kicking her ass.”

“Is it just you and Connie playing this?”

“No.  I think Rina, Kenzi, Danica, Zeke, Josh, Nikki, Josie, and Gabe are the ones playing.  The bet is just me and Connie thought.”

“Matt, Sammi, and Seth aren’t playing?”

“They do intermittently.  I’m just in it for the competition and the chocolate”, Jasmine said with a shrug.  “I’m off to clean my room now.  I’ll meet everyone downstairs at 1530.”  She waved a little and sauntered off.

Jordan laughed.  “Why wouldn’t I be surprised if I was the same way when I was her age?”  She looked at Reece and held up a hand.  She knew he had a response.  “Don’t say it, smart ass.  No need for comment from the peanut gallery.”

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

The kids all sat around, enjoying their new gifts and playing Dreidel together.  Jordan peeled herself away from Ronnie so that she could talk to her parents.  “Mama, Daddy- can I talk to you guys for a minute?” she asked.

“When have you not been able to talk?” David said, patting the seat next to him.

She took a seat and looked at her parents.  “I was wondering if you might want to come stay with us for a few days.  Change of scenery, you’ll get to be near Levi and Jasmine for a little bit… and it will be nice to have you closer for a couple of days.”

“Scared we’re going to pass on and you’re going to miss it, Jordan?” Brie asked.

“No, I genuinely want you guys closer.  Jake gets you all the time.  He needs to learn to share, damn it.”  She laughed.

David chuckled.  “Maybe so.”  His face sobered almost instantly. “Jordan, you do realize that it’s getting colder and that means it’s getting more and more difficult for your mother and me to get around.  Getting out of bed in the morning is a challenge enough and we keep that little cottage rather warm.”

“I understand that.  I just want you nearby for a few days.  That’s all I’m asking.”

They nodded and exchanged a look.  “We’ll discuss later and get back to you tomorrow night.  Right now, I think it’s about time for us to check out for the night.  It’s been a rather eventful day.  I actually got to help do a little cooking today without hearing a bunch of nervous wrecks worrying over the fact that I could hurt myself.  I have arthritis and carpal tunnel in my wrists; not osteoporosis.  Just saying.”

Jordan smiled.  “I’m glad you got to feel human for a little bit today, Mom.  Let me know what you guys decided when you make a decision.  I’d love to have both of you close to me at the house for a couple of days, at the least, and I think Jasmine has a million different questions she wants to ask.  I don’t know.  It would just be nice to have you at the house for a little bit.  Call me crazy, but it would mean a lot.”

They nodded.  “We understand that.  We need to go to bed for the night.  We’re both rather tired, Jordan”, David said with a sigh.  He was trying to be patient, but he was exactly what he said he was.  He was tired.  He might even get a full night of sleep that night.  He could only hope.  “Jacob!” he called.

“Yes, sir?” Jake called.

“We need to go out to the cottage.  We’re falling asleep on the couch as we sit and watch the kids play Dreidel.”

“I’ll take you.”  He called out to the kids.  “Kids, tell Gramma and Grampa good night and Happy Hanukkah.  They’re going to bed for the night.”

All of the kids came and wished their grandparents a good night with hugs and kisses.  Their own children were sure to wish their parents good night and Jake took them out to the cottage so that they could get some rest.

Their night was far from over though.  It had only just begun.

Chapter 35

The family started getting ready for Hanukkah.  It was in two weeks.  David and Brie had started their shopping in Israel.  They just needed to finish it while they were there.  They had eight days of presents to buy for a few of their young grandchildren.  The older ones could fend for themselves.  The only other person they needed to buy for was Delilah.  That was going to be a one night thing.  They wanted to get her something special for getting the worrywarts off their asses.  They debated on it for a couple of days and decided that they would get her a nice necklace.  She wasn’t one to accept a massage- much like Brie, she preferred to give them- but she deserved something nice.

As they holiday crept closer, the wrapped and packaged so that would be ready for the festival to begin.  The morning of the day the festival started, Jake sat down with his father.  “Hey Dad, who’s singing the prayers tonight?”

“Up to you, Jacob.  I’ve relinquished that responsibility to you.  You can do it yourself or you can assign it to one of your brothers.”

“Do you and Mom need to do any more shopping before tonight?”

He looked at his wife, who was making them breakfast.  “Do we need to shop anymore, love?”

“Did we want to get gifts for Miranda’s baby?  I mean, that is the first great- grandchild.”

“We can if you want.  We’ll have to go out to shop today if you wanted to buy for our great- granddaughter.”

“Then we need to go out today and shop for our great-granddaughter.”

David laughed.  “You got it, baby.”  He looked at Jake.  “You heard your mother, Jacob.  We need to go shopping today before tonight to get things for your great- niece to be.”

“I’ll have James take you, unless you wanted to drive yourself.”

David and Brie both looked at Jake in shock.  “Did you just offer to let us go without a baby- sitter?” Brie asked.  As she was cooking, she paused for several moments in shock.

“Yes Mom.  You two can go without a ‘baby- sitter’ as you call it.  And you might want to pay a little more attention what you have in that skillet before it starts to burn.”

Brie looked down quickly and silently cursed under her breath as she started stirring again.  “Wow, I’m still in shock”, she said as she grabbed the plates that were sitting next to her so that she and David could eat.

“Sorry to nearly give you a myocardial infarction there, Mom.”

“No need to worry, Jacob.  My heart is just fine.  You shocked me, but I’m good.  How are we going to get there?”

“You could take my Porsche.  I don’t need it today.  I have the next eight days off.  The clinic is actually closed; my neurology clinic and the massage clinic.”

“Are we expecting the Mason’s to join us?  If so, I think that we need to pick up something for Skyler and Kaylian while we’re at it.”  At the beginning she was talking to Jacob.  At the end, she was talking to David.

“They will be joining us”, Jake said.

“We’ll shop for Skyler and Kaylian”, David said with a chuckled as he sipped his coffee.

She grinned brightly as she set David’s plate in front of him.  “It’s nice to know that you both see things my way.  Cuts back on the hassle.”

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

Callan caught a MAC flight from 29 Palms to the Air Force Base outside Colorado Springs.  From there, he grabbed a cab to Malachai Draiman’s house so that he could see Miranda.  She wasn’t expecting him for several hours.  As a matter of fact, they were supposed to be picking him up in Denver two hours before sunset and the beginning of Hanukkah.  His early arrival was a Hanukkah surprise for her lovely fiancée.  He couldn’t wait to see her.

Once they pulled up to the gate, he paid the cabby and hopped out with is C-bag over his shoulder, spotting Malachai at his truck.  He was cleaning it up so that they could pick him up once that evening.  “MALACHAI!”, he shouted.

Malachai looked at the gate and grinned.  “You slick son of a bitch!” he shouted back.  “Does Miranda know you’re here early?”  He walked toward the gate to let Callan into the property.

“No, this is a surprise.  I wanted to surprise her so I set up to catch a MAC flight while telling her I was going to catch the latest possible flight to be here before Hanukkah.”

Malachai punched in the code to let Callan in as he shook his head laughing.  “What a Hanukkah this is going to be.  Miranda’s going to flip when she sees you and I walking up to the house together.  She’s currently in the kitchen with her mother.”

“What are they up to?”

“Making a dish for Hanukkah dinner tonight.  It’s become quite the tradition since there are so many of us Draiman’s.”

“How many are there, if I may ask?”

“Fifty plus.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.  There are ten kids- all but one is married- and twenty seven grandkids.  My parents had their hands full until Dad retired fifteen years ago.”

“Nice.  Then, I take it that the family went BOOM and exploded to massive proportions.”

“Yeah.  Something like that.”

As they approached the house, Callan spotted Miranda and grinned.  He was hoping that she would see him and come running out to greet him.  He couldn’t wait to see how big she’d gotten.  She was sure that he was getting big.

And he got his wish.  She looked out the window by chance and did a double take.  She spoke briefly to her mother and took off for the door.  She came out the door and she was huge.  Being nearly six months pregnant looked good on her.  She was so beautiful that she glowed.  His breath caught in his throat.  “Hey beautiful”, he said after he relearned to breathe.

“Hey handsome”, she said with a smile as tears came to her eyes.  “What are you doing here so early?”

“I wanted to surprise you.  Happy Hanukkah, baby girl.”

The tears in her eyes flowed down her cheeks.  “God, I hate being pregnant.  I cry at the drop of a hat.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.  “I’m so happy you’re here.  Now we don’t have to explain to Grampa why we were late if that had happened.  This is the best Hanukkah gift I’ve ever gotten.”

He pulled back and wiped the tears from her face.  “Baby, I love you so much.  I’m glad that I could make the holiday for you.  I wanted nothing more than to see you smile today.”

“I love you too, baby.  I’m so excited to have you here.  And we get a month together?  I’m all a twitter with anticipation.”

“Good.  Now, why don’t we get you back inside the house so that you don’t catch a cold and get sick, and let me get warmed up?  The MAC flight here was a bitch and I’d love to relax for a little while before we go to your Uncle’s house for the beginning of the festival.”

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

Miri, Connie, Rina, and Sammi had gone out to check on Ranger.  Miri wanted to see her equine buddy again.  She hadn’t really seen him since the summer.  “I’ve taken really good care of him, Miri”, Rina said.  “Sammi helped a lot.”

“Good”, Miri said.  “So he’ll be well groomed and taken care of, right?”

“Yes, Miri”, Sammi said.  “I’ve been getting up at the crack of dawn to help Rina with the horse.  He’s hard headed and thinks he runs things, but we’re shown him otherwise.”

“You haven’t hit him, have you?”  Miri sounded nearly panicked.

“No.  We’ve just been stern with him.”

“Ok.  I’m relieved.  I was worried about that for a minute.  I know Rina’s temper.”

“I’ve been good about not losing my cool with Ranger though”, Rina said.  “He’s been a good lesson in patience, Mama said.”

“What about your Daddy?”

Rina hung her head.  “Dad threatened to sell him to B’s grandparents at one point.”

“Yeah, it was the day before Gramma and Grampa went back to Israel”, Sammi said.

“Why was it that Uncle Jeremiah wanted to sell Ranger?”

“Because Rina didn’t want to get out of bed to come out here one morning.”

“Ah-ha.  Ranger is still here so I take it that’s changed.”

“Yep”, Rina said happily.  “I’m up every morning to take care of him.”

“Good.”

“Is there any way I can ride him?” Connie asked.

“If he’ll let you.  He’s temperamental.”

“He’ll like me.  Animals like me and I’m an experienced rider.  Abuelo has been paying for lessons since I was five.”

“Abuelo?” Rina asked.

“Grampa JJ.  Abuelo is Spanish for grandpa.”

“Learn something new every day.”

Miri opened the gate to the stable and called the horse.  “Ranger!”  The horse trotted out and whinnied happily when he saw the girls.  “Are you happy to see me, Mr. Stubborn Hooves?” she laughed as she patted his side.  “Ranger, have you met Connie?” 

Connie came up and let him give her a sniff.  “Hi there, Ranger.  What’s up, buddy?” she asked.  When he lowered his head, she petted him.  “Would you be ok with me giving you a ride through the woods?  Maybe run you up to the house and back?”  He nodded.  “Cool.  We’ll get your saddle on, get your bit and we’ll run to the house and back.”

The girls set about putting the saddle blanket on and securing the saddle to the horse’s back.  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Miri asked.

“Miri, please.  I’ve been riding for eight years now and Abuelo bought me a horse when he started paying for the lessons.  My horse is an Arabian, but I have a mare rather than a stallion.  Her name is Tiffany; named for the Cult Classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”  She rolled her eyes as she mounted the horse.  “Having my dad and one of my grandfather’s both in the movie industry really sucks because I know more about the history of Hollywood than I care to.”

“Always fun.  Much like Sammi and I know more about the human brain than we care to or Rina knows more about history or religion than she cares to?”

 “Something like that.  Well, give me about ten minutes.  I want to see how fast he can go.  I’m going to start him slow and run him back.”

“Good luck and have fun.”

Connie grinned.  “Always do.  I am my father’s daughter after all.”

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

“Look at this, David”, Brie said as they looked the jewelry store at the mall to buy something for their daughter in law.

David looked at the pendant on the necklace she was looking at.  It was empty of stones, but they could have stones set into the fixture and there were just the right amount of spaces for Delilah and Jacob’s four children.  “It’s nice.  We could have the kids’ birthstones set into it.  Do you know what their stones are?”

She laughed.  “Yes.  Miri shares a stone with me, Ira’s is sapphire and the twins’ stone is amethyst, I believe.”

“They were born in February, right?”

“Yes.”

“All we can do is ask.  Is this what you want to get for Delilah?”

“Yes.  She’ll love it.  She adores simple things like this.”

“Much like her mother in law.  I’ve never understood it, but I accepted it a long time ago.”

“I’m just a simple person.  I like the KISS method for pretty much everything.”

“The KISS method?”

“Oh David, close the door before I walk through it.  You know what KISS is an acronym for.”

“I’m drawing a blank at the moment.  Remind me.”

“Keep It Simple, Silly.”

“Oh yeah.  Right.”

She shook her head.  “Let’s get this done so that we can finish our shopping for the great- grandchild we have on the way.  There are a couple of things I want to get for the baby.”

“Well, let’s get this necklace set so that you can finish spending my money on our great- granddaughter.”

“I thought it was our money.”

“It is, but I’m trying to get you to move along.  If we hurry, we can get some lunch while we’re away from homestead.”

“And without baby-sitters?” she laughed as she started moving into the store so that they could purchase the necklace she’d been eyeballing.

He laughed with her.  “Yeah.  It’s nice to get away without baby-sitters.  I’m surprised that Jake even made the offer to let us leave without one of the kids or grandkids that drive with us.”

“It’s certainly refreshing not to have the ever watchful eyes of our paranoid children as we shop.  We do it all the time in Israel.  It’s rather nice to have that same ability here.”

“And for you to have me driving you everywhere still?”

She laughed.  “That’s always a plus.  I enjoy having you as my personal driver.” 

Once they were in the store, they caught one of the sales associates’ attentions and inquired about having the stones set in the heart shaped pendant that Brie had found.  “What stones were you wanting to have set in the pendant?” the man asked.

“We were wanting birthstones.  One for June, one for September, and two February”, Brie explained as David walked around the store looking at the jewelry.  He was contemplating a gift for her as he strolled.

The associate pulled out a birthstone chart.  They offered two stone selections for June.  “Which stone for June did you want?  The Alexandrite or the Pearl?”

“Let’s go with the pearl because of the pinkish color of the amethyst.”

“You have a good eye.  You do this often?”

“No.  I have far too many birthdates to remember.  I have ten children and twenty- seven grandchildren.”

“No wonder you don’t do this a lot.”

“Yeah.  This is for one of our daughters in law.”

“So you want the pearl, the sapphire, and two of the amethyst?”

“Yes please.  How long will it take to set those?”

“About fifteen to thirty minutes, give or take.”

“We can come back for it.  Please get that started.”  She looked to David.  “Do you want to go finish the shopping for little Grace?”

“You can go on ahead.  I’ll stay and wait for the necklace.”

“Why are you going to stay here and wait?”

“I have one or two more gifts that I want to buy for you and I have a couple of ideas.  You can’t be here when I buy your last two gifts.”

She laughed.  “Ok, I can take a hint.  I’ll go finish the shopping for Gracie and I’ll meet you back here?”

“That sounds good, dear.”

She wondered off and left him there to buy her remaining Hanukkah gifts.  He looked at the salesman.  “I love that woman to death, but she is so difficult to buy for.  Do you have any suggestions?”

“What does she like?” he asked.  They stood and discussed Brie’s likes and dislikes so that the salesman could make an informed suggestion to help David decide what to get for his very not picky wife.  He settled on a bracelet and a nice pair of earrings.  She kept a single set of holes open to wear earrings, but the rest of her piercings had all healed up.  The bracelet and earrings went beautifully together but weren’t part of a set.

Once they were all paid for- including Delilah’s necklace- he paid for them and waited for his wife to come back.  When she saw her, he smiled.  “Are you ready to go get some lunch, love?”

“Of course.  I have everything I wanted to get Miranda for Gracie.”

“Good.  I have Delilah’s necklace as well as your final gifts, so let’s get the hell out of here.  Shall we?”  He held out his hand to her.  She took it with a soft smile.  “So, where do you want to eat lunch?” he asked.

“I don’t care, David.  As long as I’m with you, I could honestly care less.”

Chapter 34

After dinner, Miranda sat down with her parents and grandparents to talk wedding date.  “Callan and I were talking as I was getting ready to come over here and we were thinking about an early spring wedding”, she said.

“Did you have a date in mind?” Malachai asked.

“Grampa’s birthday, if we can swing it.”

David chuckled.  “You want to get married the day I turn 85 and name the baby after Gramma.  I love it.”

“You’re ok with Callan and me getting married on your birthday, Grampa?”

“Yes Miranda Jayde.  I’m ok with it.  Now, you might want to talk to Matt and Connie to see if they would be upset about it while Connie is still here.  I’m sure they won’t be upset, but March 13^th isn’t just my birthday, dear.”

She smiled.  “Ok, Grampa.  I wanted to let everyone know what I was thinking before we set the date.”

“That’s fine.  I would love it if you and Callan got married on my birthday.  When is the baby due?”

“Early to mid- April.”

“So you two will get married just in time for the baby to be born.”

“And to pack us up to get ready to move to San Diego.  I’m going to sell my loft to Kent and his boyfriend privately and call it good.  Callan and I will get married, I’ll move to San Diego with him until he gets his orders for Japan.”

“Is it for sure that he’s going to get the Japanese command?” Brie asked.

“He’s pretty confident.  We should know by the time he comes out for Hanukkah.”

“He is coming for Hanukkah?” David asked.

“Yes Grampa.  He’s being given Hanukkah and Christmas off.  We’re planning to go to Texas to meet his so that I can meet his folks before we get married.”

“Do his parent knows who you are?” Amanda asked her daughter.

“Yes, they know that my Dad is Malachai Draiman and my Grandfather is David Draiman.  His father is ecstatic to meet me.  Talking to the man the few times that I have he thinks I’m the cat’s meow.”

“What does his mother think?”

“She seems to like me.  She’s excited that she’s finally getting a grandchild from her oldest son, that’s for sure.”

“Does she know about the other circumstances?” Brie asked.

“Yes.  She’s told me that she’s very proud of Callan for doing what he’s doing.”

“Have you and the other girl been talking?”

“Oh yeah.  We’re trying to devise a way to warn other girls to stay away from you know who.  She’s going to go after him for child support.”

“Smart girl”, David said.  “You should really go talk to your cousins about what you just asked me.  Tell them that if they still want the traditional dinner with Gramma and Grampa, we can do it a day or so before the wedding.”

“Would you mind doing it in San Diego?  We’re thinking a beach wedding.  It would be so romantic.”

“If you set the date and location as March 13^th in San Diego, your Gramma and I will be there.  You need to get details to us as soon as you can, Miranda.  We’ll be more than happy to show up and watch your father give you away but you need to get us all the details.  As for the date question, talk to your cousins.  If they want to still have dinner with me and Gramma, we can discuss doing it before the wedding.”

“You want me to go do that now, Grampa?”

“It might be wise seeing as Uncle Marc leaves tomorrow to head back to LA.”

Miranda laughed as she pushed her nearly six months pregnant self up from the chair she was sitting in.  She hadn’t gained a lot of weight, but she was getting big.  She wondered how her mother did it twice and how her grandmother had done it three times.  The one time she was doing was unpleasant.  She felt like a hippo, not a rock star- though she’d heard that her performance in RENT had gotten her nominated for a Tony award for supporting actress.  There was no way she was going to attend the award show as pregnant as she was.  Kent had said he would accept it for her.

She walked through the huge house and knocked on Seth’s door.  She was almost positive that that was where Matt was.  He and Seth were pretty close.  When she didn’t get an answer, she went carefully back down the stairs to go through the kitchen to the game room.  If they weren’t in Seth’s room getting caught up on holiday homework then they were in the game room whooping each other at video games.  And if it wasn’t that, they were getting ready for the football game.  Apparently, the Bear were playing that Thanksgiving and Grampa wanted to watch the game with his sons and grandsons.  They wouldn’t be going home until after the game, but Miranda was cool about that.  She understood that it had been a tradition for all of the boys to watch football with her grandfather since her father was a boy.

She peeked into the game room to see the boys playing the newest UFC game before heading up to help with the snacks for the game.  It was a championship match- Matt was the reigning champ.  She laughed.  “As soon as you’re done whipping Seth’s ass, Matt, can I talk to you?”

“Sure, let me knock this loser out really fast and we’ll talk Miranda”, Matt said as she played with the buttons and toggles on the controller in his hand.  “Knock Out!” she heard the game say.  “IN YOUR FACE, BITCH!” Matt said to Seth.  “Better luck next time, Seth.  You shouldn’t challenge me when you know I’m going to stomp a mud hole in you.”

Seth laughed.  “I bow to the Champ.  Eventually, I’m going to unseat you and take that title.  Now, see what Miranda wants so that we can get ready to watch the game with Grampa.”

Matt handed the controller to Seth so that he could put it away and he turned toward their older cousin.  “What’s up?”

“Two questions; one- do you know where Connie is?  And two- would you be upset if I got married on your birthday?”

“Connie is in Miri’s room helping with the critters before the game and no.  I think it’s cool that you want to get married on my birthday.  How does Grampa feel about it, seeing as it’s his birthday too?”

“He’s elated.”

“As long as Connie is cool about it, we can bump dinner with Gramma and Grampa that night in either direction.  Where are you and Callan thinking about having the wedding?”

“On the beach in San Diego.”

“Cool.  Pass it by Consuela and if she’s ok then I’m ok.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, Seth and I need to go help our dad and uncles- as well as other cousins- prep for the game.  Go BEARS!”

“WHOO!” Seth said as they walked past.  Miranda followed and went up to Miri’s room.  “Miri, is Connie in there with you?”

“Yes, you need to talk to her, Miranda?” Miri called back.

“Please?”

“No problem.”

Connie came out the door.  “What’s up, Miranda?”

“Would you mind if I got married on your birthday?” Miranda asked.

Consuela thought about for a moment.  “What do Grampa and Matt say?”

“That it’s cool.”

Connie nodded.  “What’s in it for me?  I mean, since I was little, Gramma and Grampa have taken me and Matt out to dinner one our birthday.  You get married that day and that’s not gonna happen.  So, what do I get out of this?”

“Grampa said that he would discuss having dinner early with you two.”

“I want more than that or I’m going to say no”, Connie said with a grin.  She was messing with her pregnant cousin.  She was a bit of a con artist, but it was all in good fun.  She didn’t really have a problem with Callan and Miranda getting married on her birthday.

“What do you want?”

“I want a dance with your groom at the wedding.  He has to save me a dance or you two have to pick a different date.”

Miranda looked at her cousin.  “You’re screwing with me.”

“Totally.  But, I would really like a dance with Callan.  I know he’s your fiancé and all but he’s hot stuff.”

“I got lucky, huh?”

“Sure did.  If only I were older.”

“Never in your wildest dreams, Pilar Consuela.  He’s mine.”

“I know.  No need to bust out the full name.  But, if I didn’t mess with you just a little bit, Miranda, would you think I still liked you?”

“No.  I’d be seriously concerned.”

“And that’s the way I like it.”

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

“AWW, COME ON, REF!” James Draiman shouted at the screen with several of the other men in the family.  “THAT CALL WAS BULL SHIT!  THE DAMN PACKER WAS FACE MASKING!”

“Dad”, young Gabriel said, “what’s face masking?”

“You see that guard on the front of the players’ helmets?” James asked his youngest child.

“Yeah.”

“That’s call the face mask.  If another player grabs that it’s called face masking.”

“Did you ever have that called on you when you played football?”

“No.  I was the quarterback.  I was the person that called the plays and threw the ball to where it needed to go.  I got sacked- or tackled while I was holding the ball- a few times, but I was never penalized for face masking.”

Gabriel grinned.  “That’s cool.  Will you teach me about Football, Dad?”

“All you have to do is ask questions, Gabe.  I’ll answer whatever you want.”

A couple of turnovers later and the family erupted again, this time in cheers of encouragement.  Montenegro- the Bears’ Running back- broke away and was about to score a touchdown.  “GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!” they all yelled.  When he jumped over the goal line into the end zone, all of the men that were physically able to jump up and cheer did so.  Shouts of elation filled the air.  A few of them even broke into dance, doing the Robot and several other outdated dances.  When the field goal kick sailed between the uprights, the cheering started again.

Once everything settled down again, Gabe tapped James on the knee again.  “What were we cheering for?”

“Our team scored.”

“Then they kicked the ball between the fork thing?”

“Yeah.  It’s called an extra point or field goal.  The fork thing is called the goal post.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”  The thought for a moment.  “Maybe I’ll save my questions for the game Sunday at Uncle Malachai’s house.”

James laughed.  “Might be smart but with Gramma and Grampa here, we’ll be watching the games here until they go home.”

“Ok, this is obviously the more important game, so I’ll cut out the questions.”

Hunter patted his little brother’s head.  “No bro.  This is about us getting together as a family and cheering on our team- the Chicago Bears- as they face their arch rivals- the Green Bay Packers- on Thanksgiving.”

“Why are the Chicago Bears our team?” Gabe asked.

“Because they’re Grampa’s team and he raised a bunch of Bears fans in Broncos’ territory.  That in itself is dangerous.  Anyway, baby bro, we grew up in Chicago.  It only makes sense that we’re Bears fans.”

“What if I want to cheer for the team in green?”

“Then you better run”, David said to his youngest grandson.  “The Packers are our rivals.  I won’t have Packers fans in my family.”  Of course he was teasing the boy, though he hated the Packers.  He wanted his grandson to think for himself.  He might have been teasing, but it was a test.

“Well, Grampa, I can’t do that.  If I want to cheer for the Green Team, I’m going to.”

“Do you have a good reason to cheer for the rivals of the team I’ve been cheering on for decades, Gabriel William?”

“When they’ve been desperate, they’ve been keeping the ball low and not throwing the ball and praying that the Bears don’t get it.”

“You mean because they’re not getting desperate and going for the Hail Mary pass, you want to cheer for them?” James asked his son.

“No, I’m  just saying that it seems smart.”

“The point is that they’re losing and will eventually go for the Hail Mary, Gabriel”, James said.  “The Bears are ahead by 24 points.  We are wiping the field with them.”

“So I should cheer for the Bears because they’re winning?”

“No.  It’s a loyalty thing”, Hunter said.  “We’re from Chicago.  Grampa was raised there; Dad raised us there.  Being a Bears fan is in our blood.  We bleed Blue and Orange.”

“I thought we bled red.”

“It’s a figure of speech”, Hunter said.  “It means- like I said- we were born to be Chicago Bears fans.  We were raised to be Chicago Bears fans.  This being as it is, the Packers are our rivals.  That’s just the way it is.  It’s been that way for a very long time, I’m sure.”  He looked to his their grandfather.  “Am I right, Grampa?”

“Yep, longer than any of you have been alive”, David said.  “That includes your parents.”

“Wow”, Gabe said.  “That’s cool.  Ok, I think I get it now.  It’s a matter of family pride that we’re all Chicago Bears fans.”

“Pretty much, Gabe”, David said.  “That’s it in a nutshell.”

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

The game had everyone exhausted, especially David and Brie.  “Mom and I need to go chill for the rest of the evening”, David said to Jake.

“Do you want the golf cart or do you want someone to take you out there?”

“I couldn’t drive that golf cart right now, Jacob.  I’m rather tired.”

“Ok, I’ll have Ira take you out there.”  Jake poked his head through the door to the basement area where the game room, gym, and studio were all located.  “IRA BENJIMAN!”

Ira came to the entry to the game room.  “Yeah Dad?”

“I need you to take your grandparents out to the cottage please.”

“Let me grab Levi and we’re on our way.”

“Make it fast Ira”, David said.  “I’d like to get a cup of tea or something before trying to get a little bit of sleep for the night.”

Ira and Levi were up the stairs in no time.  “We’d drag Tony along too but he’s locked in an epic battle on Ground Zero: Apocalypse with Hunter, Seth, and Matt.  Can’t interrupt the killing spree”, Levi said.

“I remember when the Ground Zero series started”, David laughed.  “That was a fun game.”

“It’s still a fun game Grampa”, Ira said.  “And just what we need to decompress from the semester.  Those professors are going to be the death of me.”  He grabbed the keys to the golf cart and his jacket.

“That bad, Ira?” Brie asked as they got in the cart.

“Gramma, it’s worse than I’m letting on.  I have homework that I haven’t touched since I’ve been home and I really don’t want to but I need to.  It’s for the big project for the class.  Good news is that after next semester I’ll have my Bachelors’ degree in Computer Programming.”

“There’s always a silver lining to every storm cloud.”

He chuckled.  “I’ll keep that in mind, Gramma.  Thanks for that.  Strap in.  I’m going to book it out there and book it back.  I want to get back in time to see Anthony lose his ass in Ground Zero.”

“Same here”, Levi said with a laugh.  “Tony thinks he’s so bad ass at that game.”

“Little does he know but Matt and Seth have been practicing together.”

“He’ll learn soon enough”, David said.  “I’ve always told Tony not to underestimate his younger cousins.”

“Well, he’s gonna learn it the hard way”, Levi said.  “To be honest, I’d hate to be in his shoes.”

Ira drove them out to the cottage as Levi got their grandparents caught up on what he was up to and how classes were going.  He told them about the fraternities that had shown interest in him, and how the Poly Sci program was driving him insane.  The periodicals that he had to read for the class were the worst.  Most of them were articles from the Utopian Conflict.  He even had a professor that had asked if there were any way for him to get his hands on the old monologues his grandfather had done during that time.  “You’d have to talk to Uncle Marc about that, Levi.  I believe that he’s the one that has all of that”, David said.  “He was the one that put the video homage together for my induction into the Kennedy Center.  I think he was the last person to get his hands on a lot of those.”

“Thanks Grampa.  I’ll have to ask him about that before we leave to head back to school.”

“Yeah, for all of a week”, Ira said offhandedly.

“Do you have a lot of finals to take?” Brie asked.

“I don’t”,  Ira said as he stopped in front of the cottage.

“I do”, Levi said.

David got out of the back of the golf cart first, then offered his wife a hand out.  “Good luck to you both.  Do your best.  Study hard, and Ira- get that project finished.”

“I will Grampa.  Have a good night you two.”

“Good night boys”, David and Brie said in unison as David pulled the key to the cottage out of his pocket.  Once they were sure that the boys were gone and Brie had started the water for them to have tea, they talked about the day as they got settled in for the night.  David checked the heater as he started the conversation.  “Overall, not a bad holiday.  Wouldn’t you agree, love?”

“I most certainly would”, Brie responded.  “It was peaceful, we watched the game.  To this day, I don’t understand the point behind the sport, but you and the boys have all bonded over it so I don’t have much to complain about in that department.”

“And James is trying to pass that same love of the Bears on to his boys and Gabe is being a little boy and being inquisitive.”

“I thought his argument in favor of the Packers was pretty sound for a ten year old”, she said with a laugh.

“I have to agree, but James’s theory proved true because they did, eventually, go for that Hail Mary pass.”

“I know I’ll never forget my first football experience”, Brie laughed.  “I asked my dad why they called it a Hail Mary.  He said, ‘They call it a Hail Mary because as soon as the ball leaves the quarterback’s hands he’s saying his Hail Mary’s’.  I didn’t get it until I took a comparative religion class in college and learned what a Hail Mary was.”

“Was your father Jewish?”

“Hell no.  He was Irish Catholic.  I went to mass with him a couple of times and it felt wrong.”

“Ah.  I see.  So, you took Comparative Religion and learned what Hail Mary’s were.”

“Yeah.  It was an interesting conversation with my father that night, needless to say.”

“I can imagine.”  He carefully lowered his aching body to the couch.  “God, I feel old tonight.”

“You?  Old?  Never”, she teased as she set his tea on the coffee table and carefully sat down with her cup in hand.  She sipped the oolong and sighed contently.  “Ah.  Perfect.  Warms your body and soul.”

David chuckled.  “Is it that good?”

“I think so, but I made your green tea as usual and put a couple of ice cubes in it too cool it enough to drink.  I had to do the same with my own.”  She took another sip and spoke again.  “So Miranda wants to get married on your birthday and name the baby after me.  Why?” she laughed.

“I don’t know.  Maybe she feels that it’s her turn to honor us.  I don’t know.  I don’t pretend to understand our grandchildren much like I don’t pretend to understand our children.”

“Or their obsessive need to keep us around as long as they can.”

“I’m glad that we’ve had a little peace since we got here the other day”, he said as he reached out and grabbed his tea.  “I’m very glad that Delilah put her foot down and told them to get over themselves.”

“At least we know that Jeremiah understands that taking a side is pointless and that James is of the opinion of we go when we go.  It’s not a big deal.”

“Of course, that means that when we are gone, it’s going to be more difficult for the ‘keep Mom and Dad around as long as possible’ camp because they’re not going to be allowed to fret over us until we finally pass on.”

“Unfortunately.  But, they want us to have peace in death, so they need to keep the obsessive fretting to themselves.”

“Agreed.”  He sipped his tea again.  “We should get Delilah something special for Hanukkah for telling our children that they have to keep the anxiety to themselves while we’re here.”

“But when are we going to be able to get away to do any Hanukkah shopping?”

“I’ll figure something out.  Don’t worry about that.  We’ll get for the grandkids, Delilah, and each other.  That’s it.”

“I don’t need anything other than you, David.  I’ve told you that a million times if I’ve told you once.”

“I’m still going to get you something because you’re my wife and that’s what I want to do.”

She laughed.  “Ok.  I’m not arguing with you.  I know better.  I’ll lose this one.  If I haven’t learned better than to argue with you over this point over the forty- seven years we’ve been together then I’ll never learn.”  She sipped her tea.  “And you call me stubborn.”

“Yes, I’m stubborn.  If I weren’t would you still love me?”

She laughed.  “Probably not.  You have to be stubborn in order to put up with me for as long as you have.”

“I don’t regret a moment of it.”

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

Miranda relaxed against her pillows for the night, hugging the large body pillow she’d taken to sleeping with since she started getting big.  It help to have something to hold on to.  When she’d gotten home, her Aunt Kenna had made her soak her feet in a warm salt soak to help with the swelling.  Apparently, it was supposed to help aid in getting her circulation up so that the lymph- whatever that was- would circulate out of her feet and back up to the heart so that it could be mixed into the blood again and re-oxygenated.

As Miranda clutched at her pillow, she recalled the conversation she’d has with Callan before she went to bed.  “Well, March 13^th is a go.  We got the green light from Grampa”, she said.

“Great.  I think that’s all my CO needs so that he can sign off on the swords.  I told him who your grandfather was and he about shit himself”, Callan laughed.

“Did you also tell him that my great- uncle was the infamous Master Guns?”

“Oh yeah.  He then told me to get a date so that he could approve it.”

“Well, I want March 13^th.  That’s it.  That’s THE DATE.”

“You got it, baby.  What about a location?”

“Can we do it on the beach?”

“I don’t see why not, baby.  If that’s what you want.”

“It’s what I want.”  She laughed as she recalled it.  She’d laughed when she said it as well.

“Then that’s what you’ll get, beautiful.  Do you know what your dress is going to look like?”

“I have a few ideas of what I want, I’m not sharing them with you because it’s bad luck.”

“Who told you that lie?”

“My grandmother.  Are you going to tell Brie Draiman that she lied to me about it being bad luck for a man to see his bride in her dress until they’re at the alter?”

He chuckled.  “I suppose not.  If your grandmother said it, then it has to have some kind of merit to it.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“So, did you pass on my message to your parents and grandparents?”

“Of course.  They said Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.”

“Cool.  So, you’re going to have to give me a quick crash course in Hanukkah with the Draiman family.  What do you guys do?”

“Usually, Gramma and Grampa get gifts for all of the younger grandkids and each other.  My dad gets something for us kids and for and vice versa and all of my aunts and uncles’ families are the same way.  And my dad and my aunts and uncles’ all try to get something for Gramma and Grampa.”

“What about the Menorah?”

“The past few years, that’s been left to Uncle Jake.  And yes, the head of the family sings the prayers every night at the at sunset for the duration of the festival.  Before that it was Grampa.  Occasionally, Grampa would let Great- Uncle Ben do it.”

“How long has it been since you’ve seen your great- uncle?”

“Years.  I’m not sure if he’s passed on or not.  I don’t believe he has.”

“Who’s older, Uncle Ben or your Gramma?”

“Not sure.  I think they’re the same age.”

“Cool.  So, what do you want for Hanukkah or Christmas?”

“You to get your promotion and to get the assignment in Tokyo.”

“Me too”, he chuckled.  “But, it’s not Tokyo, it’s Okinawa.”

“Whatever.  It gives me an excuse to learn Japanese.”

“Same here.”  He looked at something off screen.  “Baby, I’ve got to hit the rack.  It’s getting late here and I’ve got to be up early for PT.”

She smiled sadly.  “Ok.  Call me when you have a chance to tomorrow?”

“When I have a free moment, you know I will.  I love you, Miranda.”

“I love you too, Callan.”  A tear trickled down her cheek as she drifted off to sleep.  She missed her fiancé dearly and she needed him to hold her.  Thankfully, he would be there in a couple of weeks to do just that.  The time she would be without him would only last a little longer, then they would have a month together.