Once they were one their way to homestead, David and Brie were relieved to finally be out of New York. It was one of their least favorite stops when they would travel between Israel and the States. It wasn’t that they didn’t like the city, it was that they didn’t care for the amount of publicity David’s presence stirred up, even retired. Now that they were well on their way back to homestead Brie found it a little easier to breathe.
Zack didn’t try anything stupid after he left Brie. It was wise of him not to. It wouldn’t have been fair for Zack to leave in a body bag after showing up unarmed. It wasn’t an even match up. Will would have won regardless.
When Jake and Delilah pulled into the driveway with their parents in the back seat, Miri came running out from behind the house. “Gramma, Gramma; you have to see this!” she said excitedly.
“Miriam, let them at least put their bags in the house”, Jake chided his daughter. “They just got back from New York.”
“I know, but Gramma should see this.”
“Miri, dear, let me put my suitcase in the house and I’ll meet you one the back patio. How does that sound?” Brie said to keep the arguing to a minimum. She had a headache trying to build behind her eyes and arguing would do nothing but make the headache worse.
Miri smiled at her grandmother. “Ok Gramma.” Miri ran for the house again as Jake and David unloaded the truck of the car. They talked about how if David were younger he’d buy a Porsche much like Jake’s. Brie leaned against the side of the car and gently massaged her temples.
“Mom, are you ok?” Delilah asked.
“I’m starting to get a headache.”
“You need something for it?”
“Yeah after I see what Miri is so excited about.”
“She’s been working with that horse the entire time you and Dad were gone. She seems to have him calm enough to bring him around everyone else and I think she wants you to see that.”
“Well, I’ll see it in a moment. Let’s get into the house and get this taken care of.”
“Have you eaten recently?” Delilah asked.
“Not recently enough to keep my sugar up. I know what my problem is, Delilah. I appreciate the worry though.”
“I’m just doing what I’m supposed to as your daughter in law and the future matriarch of the family.”
Brie laughed as she walked into the house. “Taking that seriously, are you?”
“As seriously as Jake takes being Dad’s replacement.”
“Good to know.” David and Jake continued up the stairs to the guest room as Brie made her way to the back patio to see what Miriam was so excited about. “What is it you wanted to show me, child?”
Miri guided the horse into her grandmother’s view. “Gramma, meet Ranger.” The horse was tall with a gleaming black coat.
Brie walked carefully off of the back patio. “Oh my goodness, Miri. He’s gorgeous. You didn’t tell me that he was such a beautiful horse. He’s an Arabian?”
Miri nodded. “Yeah. His papers say Tanto and the Lone Ranger.”
“Let me guess, you’ve grown attached to the horse and want to find a way to keep him?”
The young woman ducked her head. “Yeah.”
“I hear that Eli wants to paint you and the horse together. He’s going to make a copy of the painting for B’s grandparents. What if they want to adopt him?”
“Then I’ll know he’s in good hands. B’s a nice guy who seems to be understanding of Eli’s eccentricities and his needs as an artist. I can only imagine that his grandparents, as patrons of the arts, have a lot in common with their grandson.”
Brie smiled softly. “So, you’ll be ok with letting him go if that’s what needs to be done?”
“Yeah.”
“When are you going to start riding him?”
“I’ve already started. I’m going to get him used to carrying me again because from what I understand, I’m the size of a jockey. After he’s used to carrying me and working out, I’m going to invite Rina to ride him a little bit. I know how much she wanted a horse for her birthday or Hanukkah not so long ago and I know that that’s like. I wanted one too when I was her age.”
“And if she falls in love with Ranger here?”
“It’s up to her to ask Uncle Miah and Aunt Jona if she can keep him. I’ll teach her how to care for him and all that good stuff, but that’s as far as I go.”
“And the stipulation will be?”
“That I can ride him when I’m home.”
Brie laughed. “I knew there was something.” She held her hand out to Ranger so that he could sniff her and he ducked his head. She petted him between his eyes. “You’re a beautiful horse, Ranger. If only I were younger, I’d climb on your back and give you a good run. Alas, I’m too old now”, she murmured to the horse.
“Gramma, isn’t it Grampa that always says that you’re only as old as you feel?” Miri asked.
“There’s being as young as you feel, Miri dear, and then there’s knowing your limitations. I may only feel like I’m in my 60’s most of the time, but the fact of the matter is that I’m not and I can’t get up on a horse anymore as much as I’d love to. I used to ride all the time with I was your age, dear. I had a beautiful Golden Saddlebred that rode all the time as a young woman. When I was a girl around Rina’s age I had a Kiger Mustang that I rode religiously. Those were the times I felt closest to God. I remember Kiva and Blondie like I remember Sampson and Delilah. Them and your great- granddad’s old hunting dog Cougar.”
“Cougar? What?”
“You would have to great- granddad about that one, dear. He was a bloodhound. He was the laziest damn dog I’d ever seen until he got on a blood trail, then do not get in his way.”
“Would he run you over?”
“Oh yeah. He did run me over once or twice.”
“Dang, Gramma. Sounds like you have fond memories of childhood.”
“I have a lot of them. I grew up in a different time in a different kind of family than people saw when I was young. It was unheard of for a Jewish woman to marry an Irish Catholic, especially in the South.”
“Did Dad and my aunts and uncles get to know your parents?”
Brie shook her head. “No. My parents died a long time ago. The only one of my children that was able to know my parents was Uncle Malachai.”
“Did Grampa get to meet them?”
“Yeah. Great- granddad adored your Grampa. Still does.”
“That’s cool.”
Brie smiled and patted Ranger on the side. “Well, you two, as much fun as I’ve had standing out here and talking I need to get in and get something to eat and some Tylenol before I have to be rushed to the hospital. I bid you both a good day.” She kissed Miri’s cheek and went into the house.
Miri looked at Ranger. “I told you she’d love you, Ranger. My Gramma loves horses. And once you’re doing well enough carrying me, I’ll bring my little cousin out and I’ll let her take you for a ride. With me there, of course. Like the sound of that?” The horse whinnied. “I thought you’d like that, Ranger. Alright, let’s get you back out to the stable. I need to get other work down for the day. Your stall’s been mucked, you have clean water and plenty of food and hay; you’ve had a little exercise and a massage. You’re spoiled.” She laughed when the horse huffed in response. “Oh, you know I’m right. After all, I am that one that spoils you.”
---------------
As his parents got settled in after their trip, Jake received a phone call from his second born child- Ira. “Ira, my boy, how are things going for you and your cousins?”
“We’ve made a killing out here in Vegas. Oh my GOD, Dad. We’re glad we went to LA first because we don’t wanna leave Vegas, Dad.”
“Well, don’t you boys need to be home soon to start packing for school? Anthony needs to get back to Houston so that he can pack to meet you and Anthony at Loyola. You did change your mind and decided to get a degree in computer programming before becoming a mechanic, right?”
“Yes, Dad. A chat with Miri helped guide me in that direction.”
“Good for you. Well Ira, have a safe trip and we’ll see you when you get home.”
“Alright. Oh, Dad. How was Miranda’s play?”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Gramma and Grampa about it just yet. I know that something went down and that Uncle Malachai and Aunt Mandy stayed there for the duration of the play.”
“I hope everything is ok.”
“I’m sure everything is fine. Well, Ira, you should go enjoy your final night of gambling. Be smart and don’t ever go all in unless you know you’re going to win. I mean you had better have a hell of a hand.”
“I know, Dad. I know that I need to be careful. We all know that we need to be careful. Now, I’m going to get dressed for the night. See you when we get home, Dad.”
“Bye Ira.” They hung up and Jake sighed. Ira really was his father’s son, much like Jake himself was his. Stubborn to a fault was Ira, like Jake and David were. It’s so hard to believe that the boy is 19. Where did the time go? My son is old enough to get married. My princess is old enough to get married. What am I going to do when I have to let her go to become another man’s wife? How am I going to respond when Ira comes to me and tells me that he’s met the woman that completes him and he intends to marry her? He had to stop thinking about it. It was too much to think about for the time being. He really didn’t want to go there and end up depressed.
He walked down the stairs after leaving his office where he took the call from his son. He was glad that Ira, Levi, and Anthony were doing so well in Vegas. As he got to the living room, he took a seat in one of the chairs next to the couch where his parents were sitting. His mother was napping on his father’s shoulder like she usually did. “How are the boys doing in Vegas?” his father asked.
“According to Ira, they’re making a killing. They’re going to head back this way tomorrow morning. They want one more night at the tables.”
David chuckled. “Typical boys. I’m glad they’re doing so well and I hope they’re smart enough to know when to quit.”
“You and me both, Dad”, Jake laughed.
“So, are they excited about Loyola?”
“I know Anthony and Levi are. I can’t tell if Ira is or not.”
“Are you ok with that, Jake?”
“Yeah, I am I guess. I want him to find his own way the way we all did and his older cousins and older sister did. If he doesn’t know what he wants to do, I’m here to steer him where he needs to go. That’s really all I can do now.”
“That’s very true. I was there for all of you to guide you after high school. Keep in mind though, Jacob, that you can’t tell him what to do anymore. He’s a young man now.”
Jake sighed. “I know. I think it’s going to be easier with him than it was with Miri though.”
“It was easier for me with you boys than it was with your sisters. I think it was the opposite with your mother. It was hard for her to accept that her boys were all grown up. I had that problem with my girls, I know.”
“Was it hard for you to let Jordan chase the dream of being onstage?”
“You have no idea. It was so difficult to watch Jordan perform gig after gig and know that I had to be hands off. That was the hardest part; staying out of it. All I could do was offer advice. I couldn’t tell them what to do and what not to do.”
“You didn’t let any of us see it.”
“Your Mom saw it and that was what mattered. If I could have kept it from your mother I would have but she sees everything where I’m concerned. Once Lauren signed them to a contract, I had to throw my hands in the air and commend your older brother and twin to the hands of Lauren Cook and your Uncle Danny.”
“Frightening prospect.”
“Well, Reckless Disregard has been recording for nearly as long as Disturbed did.”
“Much to their credit, might I add.” The conversation paused as they watched more of the documentary that was one. The topic covered was the Utopian Occupation and the transitional government after the war ended. David had been watching it so that he could pick it apart. There were a lot of things that were inconsistent with things he knew to be fact, like Matt’s escape and the assassination of Commandant Henchley. There were a lot of assumptions made in the show that pissed David off. One of the many assumptions was about how the band lived during the War. David picked up the remote and turned off the TV. “Stupid fucking people”, he murmured under his breath. “Yeah, we stayed in our homes during the War after I got shot during the Encore of Uproar. That’s why my fucking house smelled stale and dusty when we opened the door for the first time in eight years.”
“You ok Dad?” Jake asked. “You seem pissed.”
“That damn documentary.”
“We both know that everyone is going to make assumptions about what they don’t know based on what they do.”
“That wasn’t based on fact, it was nothing but bias.”
“How could you tell?”
“There are a lot of things that are very inconsistent with things I know to be fact. You might have been too young to remember a few of them, but I know details that obviously the people that made that travesty don’t have.”
“That sucks. You would think that people would check their sources.”
“Not always, Jake. It’s been nearly 37 years since I ended that bull shit. Things are bound to get skewed, granted, but the extent to which things have been distorted is what pisses me off.”
“I guess I can understand that. I’d be pretty pissed if my research was misinterpreted.”
“So you see my point?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He sighed. “Any advice on what I can do to guide Ira, Dad? I’m at a loss.”
“At a loss. Hmm”, David said as he thought. “What I can tell you is not to be overbearing. Let him figure it out on his own. When you and your brothers all found whatever video game I had just finished at the time, what would I do?”
“You’d offer advice, but let us figure it out for ourselves.” Jake looked at his father with a scrutinizing eye.
“Certainly you don’t still play video games.”
“No, Jacob. I’m a little too old for video games. For the love of God, I’m 84. There has to come a time when you’re too old for certain things. I, unfortunately, have reached that point. Does that mean I’m old? Not by a long shot. I just recognize that I have limitations and that my body’s not as young as it used to be. The spirit is willing and always will be. The body- not so much because I’ve beaten the hell out of it.”
“Do you think I’ll be just as spirited when I’m 84, Dad?”
“Only you can make that determination, Jake. I can’t tell you if you will be or not. I know I am, by God, and so is your mother. You, however, are not either of us. You have very much become your own man. How spirited you are when you’re my age in about 40 years is completely up to you.”
---------------
Eli and B had become regular staples at homestead. Eli was either snapping photos with a professional camera, or sitting around with his sketch pad and drawing random pictures of his family. B took the time that he and Eli were away from the hotel and around the Draiman family to get to know the members of the family that were around. The sense of family and the reverence shown for the heads of their family as well as the respect shown for their successors astounded him. Talking with Elijah’s grandparents was always a special treat for B. “Are there any funny stories you two can tell me about Eli or his parents”, he asked one afternoon after they'd come home from New York. It had been a couple of days.
“Eli was a typical child”, Brie told him as she made a little lunch for herself and her husband. “He was very shy. Malachai and Amanda put Isaiah and Miranda in acting and voice lessons early. They tried to do the same with Eli, but he preferred art.”
“Did he take art classes?”
“He took some to learn different techniques, but Eli’s talent is completely raw”, David said as he grabbed a drink from the fridge. “I don’t think either of us got a birthday card from him that wasn’t handmade.”
“That’s pretty cool. Has he always been such a misanthrope, though?”
“For the most part”, David said with a nod. “Like my wife said, he was a shy child. He had a few friends, but he was pretty much a loaner.”
“How old was he when Miri and Hunter were born?”
“You have to keep in mind, B, that Hunter was adopted into the family by James”, Brie said, “and his birthday is a couple months after Miri’s, I believe. Elijah was 6; he turned 7 shortly thereafter, if I’m not mistaken.”
“It’s been so long it’s hard to remember”, David added. “Anyway, we have 26 or 27 grandkids.”
“I totally understand”, B said as he looked out the backdoor. “Looks like Miri has Rina on the back of the horse and is teaching her to ride.”
“What’s your man up to?” Brie asked. “I know he went out to take pictures.”
“He’s broken out the easel, as well as his laptop. He has a picture of some sort pulled up on the computer and he’s engrossed in what he’s painting.”
“How can you tell he’s engrossed?” David asked.
“I’ve been with him long enough to be able to tell when he and his muse are having a chat. He has this look that comes over him and there’s no talking to him. I know; I’ve tried. He’s in a completely different place when he paints.”
Brie looked from her grandson’s boyfriend to her husband. “That sounds familiar.”
B grinned. “Did he do that when he would write?”
“Either that or he would just shut himself off from everything. It was a very scary place that he went to at times. He told me several times that that dark scary place in his head was no place for me because I was too much a source of light for him. He depended on me to be there to help he come back from that place.”
“Then you can relate to what I’m going through with your grandson. His mind is so chaotic and it seems like it’s constantly racing. Right now, the collection he’s working on is relatively tame, but I’ve seen some scary shit come out of his head onto paper.”
“And you can’t do anything to take away that nightmare. All you can do is help him make sense of the world as he comes out of dream. I know. Been there.”
“Can you offer me any advice?”
“Do you love Elijah?”
“Of course. I would not do this otherwise.”
“I know that feeling. All you can really do, Brandon, is love and support him. Help him manage his fits of genius to the best of your ability. I’m very lucky that we had ten kids and eventually grandkids to help me get David to focus and come back from that dark place. For the time being, unless you and Elijah adopt or find a surrogate that won’t have any objections to you raising the baby, all our grandson has is you. Do what you have to so that Elijah is as mentally healthy as he can be. Eli loves you as well, B. I’m sure the he’ll do whatever it takes to see that you’re healthy and happy as well.”
B smiled. “So, basically, you’re telling me to just keep doing what I’m doing?”
“In essence, yes. Just keep on doing what you’re doing.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Draiman.” He looked at his boyfriend’s grandmother carefully. “Would it be wrong or uncouth of me to ask for a hug?”
Brie smiled. “Of course not. Standing rule with our grandkids- if you want a hug, all you have to do is ask.”
---------------
As dinner was being prepared, Rina came into the house to talk to her parents. “Mama, can we keep the horse?” she asked.
Jona looked at her daughter. “What?”
“Can we keep Ranger? I love him already. Please?”
Jona smiled at the girl after looking to Delilah. “Why don’t you go ask Daddy? He’s in the living room with all four of your grandparents and Uncle Jake looking at the family pictures we took.”
“Why can’t you make the decision?” Rina asked.
“Because this isn’t something that I can decide alone. Ask Dad. I would love to keep Ranger. He seems like he’s a wonderful horse. I might even go out sometime over the weekend and ride him, but Rina, I can’t make this decisions without Dad. Go ask him and tell me what he says.”
Rina huffed and walked out of the kitchen. “Daddy, can we keep Ranger?”
Jeremiah looked over his shoulder upon hearing the voice of his ten year old daughter. “Do what?” he asked.
“I want to keep Ranger. He’s a really good horse. Miri’s done a lot of really good work with him and she’s got him calm enough to ride. I really want a horse, Daddy, please?”
Jeremiah chuckled and looked at his parents. “Please tell me that I never begged for anything like that.”
“You? No, never. Your sisters did, though”, David said.
Jeremiah looked at his daughter and pointed to his parents. “If you want that horse, you need to convince them. If they’re ok with it, and Mom’s ok with it, then I’ll see what it will take to adopt him.”
“But Daddy…”
“But Daddy nothing. You talk to Gramma Brie and Grampa David about it or once the horse is healed I’ll drive it back to the shelter personally.”
“What is it that you want Rina?” Brie asked.
“I want to keep Ranger. I didn’t get a pony for my birthday a few years ago and I’ve been disappointed ever since. I really want to keep him. He’s a really good horse and I really want a horse. Please Gramma and Grampa?” Rina hit her knees and pleaded with her paternal grandparents to get her way, much to the amusement of all four grandparents as well as her uncle and father.
“Where is your dignity, Rina Brielle?” Brie asked the child.
“It ran away when I decided I wanted that horse.”
“Are you going to take care of the horse?” David asked as he tried to catch his breath. She nodded furiously, as though saying that she would do it would get her what she wanted, but David saw through her. “Don’t lie to me, Rina. If you want to adopt that horse then you will take care of him. If you need help you can ask for it, but it will be your responsibility. And this includes during the winter when it’s cold out and you don’t want to step outside. You have to be sure that he’s groomed, fed, and warm, and that his stall is clean. If you want this horse you will stand on your feet, look me in the eye and promise me that you will do this or the horse goes back to the shelter when Miri goes back to Chicago.” By the time he was finished speaking, David Draiman had stopped laughing. He meant business.
Rina stood and looked at her Grampa David. She knew he meant business because her Dad got the same look when he meant business. “I promise, Grampa, that I will take care of Ranger no matter what if you let me keep him. I will brush him every day, feed him, and all that stuff. I will take care of him.” She was looking him directly in his eyes.
“Gramma Brie and I will discuss it later and get back to you. For now, the topic is on hold. Go play.”
Rina nodded and walked away. Once she was gone, Jeremiah looked at his father. “You and Mom aren’t going to talk about it later, are you?” It was more a statement than a question. He knew his parents.
“No”, Brie said. “That was your father’s way of telling her yes without giving in right away. We’ll tell her that she can keep the horse tomorrow morning. Until then, she can just stew. It’s good for her.”
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