Jake was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast with his family when his phone buzzed. “Hello?” he asked, not looking at the caller ID.
“Jacob, it’s Dad. How is everything over there?”
“Not bad. We’re eating breakfast and getting ready for school or work. Seth and Sammi about to leave for school with Matt and they’ll pick up Jasmine on the way. How has the trip been for you and Mom?”
“It’s been good. Mom’s in the shower in our private room right now.”
“Ooh, private room. As in there’s no one else in the car?”
“As in it’s the only car where the rooms have showers in them and our windows have blackout curtain on them for our privacy. The conductor recognized me and said that he would see to it that Mom and I had as much privacy as we needed.”
“That’s good. Where are you, do you know?”
“We’re somewhere in the Iraqi countryside. We’ll be in Iran by morning.”
“Fun. One of these days, I’ll have to take Delilah and the kids on something like that.”
“Are Malachai and James there yet?”
“Not yet. They should be here. Malachai is bringing the triplets over so that they can ride to school with Samantha.” He paused. "Nevermind, it's Saturday. I'm so not here right now. Sorry."
“Ah. It happens, Jake. And James just rides along with?”
“Sometimes.” He was quiet for a minute. “They just walked in. My answers are going to get vague.”
“Which sibling are you pretending you’re speaking to today?”
“Bro, that is so funny. I can’t believe that. Did he seriously?”
David chuckled. “So, I’m Marc. Got it. They’re in the room?”
“Yeah? That’s insane.”
“At some point I want you to nonchalantly ask Malachai if he remembers what he has to do when he picks us up at the station. Can you do that, Jacob?”
“For sure, man. I’ll be sure to let him know.”
“That was slick, Jake. I have to hand that to you. That was slick. Well your mother is out of the shower and wants to go to sleep. Is everything ok over there?”
“Yeah. We’re good. It good that she said something. We wouldn’t want someone with no back bone to play that character, would we?” He looked over at his brothers and held up a finger to them.
“Good night Jacob. We’ll see you in a week.”
“Alright. Get some rest. We’ll talk later. Bye.”
“Bye Jake.”
Jake chuckled. Now it was time to out in his performance. The performance he’d been putting on the past three weeks was Oscar worthy; his baby brother had even said so. Marc couldn’t help but laugh as he talked with Jake the night before on the phone so that Jake could fake the answers with their father the next morning.
“Marc again?” Malachai asked.
“Yeah. Just updating me on how thing are going. It’s been an amazing journey he says. He’s reading over the script- which is based on Dad’s auto biography as well as different video sources that the writer had seen over the years and he was updating me on some of the things that are happening as far as production. He was also telling me that he’s going to put production on hold during the wedding.”
“Cool. Any news on Mom and Dad?”
“They’re in Iraq at the moment. Dad estimates they’ll be in Iran by morning. He asked that you be reminded that you have something to do…”
“I know. I haven’t forgotten.”
“Anything for me”, James asked.
Jake thought for a moment. “Not off the top other than be prepared.”
“For what?”
“Hell if I know. It’s a Saturday morning, man. I’m not fully aware right now. I’ve got to take Sam to the school so that she can go to some cheer competition in Denver. That’s more at the forefront of my thoughts than a conversation I had with Dad at 2 am.” No one but Delilah knew that he hadn’t spoken with their father at 2 am. Instead, he was otherwise occupied by his wife as he made her toes curl and her back arch in pleasure.
“Oh. Sorry. I understand that you’ve slept since then.”
“Yeah.” Amongst other things, he thought to himself.
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“Dad, why did you lie to Uncle James and Uncle Malachai?” Samantha asked as she and her father headed to town so that she could go to the State Cheer competition.
“Because Grampa told me to, Sammi. He told me that he wanted them panicking and scrambling when he and Gramma arrive in a couple of days.”
“Ah. That makes sense I suppose.”
“Any other questions?”
“Are Gramma and Grampa dying, Dad?” Her voice was small as she asked the question.
He reached over and took his daughter’s hand. “I’m sorry to say, baby, but yeah. Gramma and Grampa are dying. They probably won’t see the end of the year.”
“No more Hanukkah?”
“Not with Gramma and Grampa, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “That kinda sucks, but I guess I need to get ready for it. They’re on their way back to the US right now, aren’t they?”
“Yeah. Judging from what Grampa told me when we talked earlier, they were on their way through Iraq and they’d be in Iran by the time you’re in bed.”
“Fun. Will they bring us anything?”
“I don’t know, Samantha.” He pulled to a stop at a stop light. “Look Samantha, I know you’re worried about your grandparents. For the time being, just focus on your competition. If you win this you guys go to Nationals, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then focus on the competition. Let me worry about Gramma and Grampa. That’s kinda my job.”
She giggled a little. “Ok Dad. Thanks for listening, though.”
“It’s my job. I’m your Dad. If I didn’t listen to you, then who would you talk to?”
“Mom. Or Miri.”
“Touché, Sammi. Touché.”
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“Babe, what all do you want done before you get home from the set tonight?” Mercedes asked Marc as he prepared to head out to meet his father in law.
“The house needs to be spotless, ‘Cedes. My parents will be here in two days and this is a big house.”
“How long will they be staying with us?”
“Just the night that they land and the following afternoon. The next time we see them will be Miranda’s wedding in San Diego.”
“So, I need to get the guest room made up and all that good stuff?”
“Yeah, and see if you can’t get the some of the portraits that we did last spring up in there as well. I’m sure that they would love to see pictures of the kids and the two of us.”
“I’ve been meaning to get those put up. I’ll have Joshua help me with them when he gets in from school this afternoon.”
“Oh, did you know that he wants to play a younger me for the movie?”
“Seriously? Are you and Dad considering it?”
“We’re talking about it. When we get there, we’ll screen test him and see we’ll see where it goes from there.”
“This is teenaged you, right?”
“Yes. He’s going to be 15 soon, ‘Cedes. I wasn’t a virgin anymore by that time.”
“Don’t remind me that I wasn’t the one that took your virginity.”
“Sorry hon. And, I don’t know if this will make you feel better or worse, but it wasn’t just one girl that night either. Seven women, one Marc- one night. The best night I had as a teenaged boy.”
“Then we met, right?”
“Yes. You’re the only person I see anymore. You’re the only person I’ve seen for the last sixteen years, amor. No veo mas.”
She smiled. “Muy bien. Te quero, amor.”
“Te quero tambien. Now, I have got to get the hell out of here. I’ve got to get to the set.”
“What are you guys working on today?”
“We’re shooting the last night of Uproar when my Dad got shot.”
“Lovely. Have fun.”
“Of course. I love you. I’ll see you when I get in, baby.” He brushed her black curls from her face and kissed her softly.
“Try not to be too late if you can. It would be nice to have you home for supper sometime.”
“I think your Dad and I will be calling it early tonight because he wants to have dinner with us tonight. Oh, speaking of, what’s for cena a la noche?”
“Tell my father not to worry; it won’t be beans and rice.”
“I want to know so that I know that to be ready for.”
“Tacos. And I don’t mean the kind with hamburger meat. I’m taking steak.”
“Yummy. Can’t wait.” A horn sounded from outside. “That’s your Dad. I’ve got to go.”
“Ok, angel mío. Hasta luego. I love you.”
“I love you too, corazona. I’ll see you when I get home.” The kissed one more time and he headed out the door. Once he was in the car with his father in law, they took off with the top down and started talking about what they were going to do that day on set.
Mercedes stood at the door and waved at them before they took off, blowing her husband a kiss before the two men that meant more to her than anything drove off. She turned and started working on the list of things she needed to do that day while her husband was at work and her children were at school doing their various activities. It wasn’t like she kept a messy house or anything like that. It was a daily job picking up after her husband and children. She was going to have to go into her husband’s office and straighten up his desk and things like that. Her children’s bedrooms she’d leave to them.
She took out her Android pad and started making her list. The kitchen needed to be straightened up after breakfast, the room she and her husband slept in needed to be straightened up a little and the bed needed made. She absolutely had to run the vacuum in every room that had carpet and she needed to clean the floors in the kitchen and bathrooms. The guest room needed to be cleaned, the bed made, and last but certainly not least the family portraits they took the last time his parents were out during the spring needed to be put up in the house. She made note of all of it as she sat and watched her morning novela, then she started the grocery list for the week. She had to make sure that they had plenty to eat for the week, and she wanted to make sure that there was plenty in the house while her mother and father in law were staying with them- though it was for a short period of time.
Once her show was over, Mercedes Draiman got the things that she needed- purse, keys, recyclable shopping bags, ect- and headed out to get the week’s groceries. It wouldn’t be a long trip, but the time that Marc was working and Josh and Connie were in class was her time to do what needed done. After all was said and done, she would get a glass of Sangria and relax for a few minutes in the Jacuzzi tub she and her hubby soaked in when they would take a bath together. Jacuzzi jets and her favorite bubble bath would be the perfect end to such a busy day… until her kids got home.
---------------
The train ride wasn’t rough, but it wasn’t comfortable for either of them. She’d had to get up and move around a few times during the day because she would feel her legs starting to go a little numb. All she had to do was get up and move about the train carefully. They would eat their meals and watch different movies for the most part. When the time came to set up the bed one of the many attendants in the car would come knock softly on the door to let them know that she was there to help them out.
And that was how the days went when they were on the train. They knew the route like the backs of their own hands. They would completely miss India this trip, which didn’t really bother either of them. They were traveling at a few hundred Km/h so missing India wasn’t a concern. It was getting to Shanghai so that they could fly into LA.
That night as they slept, they knew that their clocks were adjusting on their own to the constantly changing time zones.
They slept the only way either of them was comfortable- on their sides, spooned against one another. It was familiar. It was home away from home. It didn’t matter where they were, as long as they could hold each other they were home.
He woke in the middle of the night and moved enough to turn on the computer they had been watching movies on during the day. When he got the new movie queued up, he adjusted in the small bed. She moved as he did, rolling onto the opposite side and resting her head on his chest. Another familiar position. They had spent many hours laying like this and holding each other- usually after sex or when she was resting and just wanted him to be close. He just watched the movie and held her as tightly as he could without hurting himself.
With a glance down at her where she was laying on his shoulder he cracked a smile, kissed her forehead softly, and watched his movie with a sigh of content.
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