JJ was at the house bright and early the following morning. He was there before David and Brie had even bothered to get up. They were still sleeping rather peacefully. “Marc, where are your folks? You said they would be here”, the Oscar award winning director and Marc’s father in law asked.
“I’m actually about to go check on them. They’re usually up pretty early. I was sure that they would want to see the kids off to school.” He sipped his espresso before standing up from the table and jogging up the stairs. He came to the door and rapped on it lightly then listened carefully. He chuckled. Yeah, that’s what I thought, he thought to himself as he turned and went back down to the kitchen. “They’ll be down shortly, I’m sure. Son un poco ocupados ahora.”
“What are they doing?”
“You don’t want to know, man. You really don’t want to know.”
JJ gave him a look then looked at his daughter. “Ellos tienen el sexo.”
JJ’s jaw dropped. “At their ages? You’re bullshitting me, Marc.”
“No. They’re still active even in their 80’s”, Marc laughed. He eyeballed the espresso sitting on the table. “Angelita, would you be a doll and make a pot of coffee? This espresso isn’t getting it.”
Mercedes laughed. “Of course, corazón. One pot of coffee, coming up.”
JJ was still shocked. “¿En serio que están teniendo sexo?”
“Yes, JJ. They’re seriously up there…” Marc started.
“Don’t finish that sentence”, JJ laughed. “I can’t listen to you finish that sentence in English. It’s bad enough I heard it in Spanish. I’m just in disbelief. In their 80’s?”
Marc nodded. “Yeah. Crazy. I hope I can still physically do that stuff when I’m my father’s age, man.”
“I hope I can find someone to spend what’s left of my life with.”
“Don’t worry about that, Daddy”, Mercedes said. “You’ll find someone I’m sure and I’ll do my best not to be an evil bitch and run them off.” She pecked her father’s cheek.
“You can’t be a devil woman to every woman I bring home, Mercedes Ernesta. You have got to like one of them sooner or later.”
“I’m trying Daddy. You can’t blame me for being protective.”
JJ chuckled. “I guess I can’t. You’re my only child and you want me to be with someone who will love me and not my money.”
“Much like I fell for Marc. I love him, not the money he was born into.”
“Do you know what their wills say?” JJ asked Marc.
“No. I’m not executor of the joint estate. Nothing gets released to any of us until they’ve both passed, as painful as it sounds”, Marc said with a shrug. It didn’t really matter to him. As far as he was concerned all of the money could have been left to charity or to the grandchildren and he wouldn’t have been affected.
“Who’s the executor?”
“My older brothers and sisters, I believe.”
“They have joint executors and a joint estate?”
“Yeah. I believe I heard it explained that it was never really separated. Everything belonged to the two of them, so everything is to be divided amongst those inheriting jointly. It’s not my problem. That’s for Jake, Jordan, Malachai and Maddie to all sort out.”
---------------
Finally, David and Brie made their presence known in the down stairs of the house. JJ looked at them with a grin. “How has your morning been?” he asked knowingly.
“Not bad”, David responded. “How are you today, JJ?”
“A tad depressed, but it happens.”
“What are you depressed about?” Brie asked.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about, Brie, but you’re sweet for asking. Were you two interested in seeing the storyboards for the movie?”
They both shrugged. “If you want to show us”, David said with a shrug. “It really doesn’t matter either way. We have to leave this afternoon. That’s all we’re focused on.”
“I’ll go grab them from the car.” JJ stood and headed out to his car.
As they settled into their seats at the kitchen table Marc gave them a knowing grin. “So, you missed saying bye to the kids this morning”, he said, hinting that he knew what they were doing when JJ arrived.
“We’re in our 80, Christopher”, David said. “We’re allowed to miss telling the grandchildren goodbye for school in the morning.”
“I’m not saying you’re not. They are a little disappointed.”
“They’re teenagers now, Marc”, Brie chided. “They’ll get over it. They’ll see us again when we all come out here for the wedding.”
“True…”
“Son, if you have something to say, by God, just say it”, David said. “Stop beating around the bush. You know better shit than that.”
“You two aren’t as loud as I remember anymore.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I went to see if you two were still breathing so that you could come down and see the kids off for school. I knocked softly on the door and heard Mom.”
“And?” his mother said.
“And nothing. I know why you weren’t down here. JJ’s jealous, but you didn’t hear it here.”
“Of what?”
“The fact that’s he a widower and hasn’t been able to find a woman that’s worth a damn”, Mercedes chimed in. “I don’t like any of his past girlfriends and I run them off.” She shrugged.
“The reminds me of Malachai before I met David”, Brie laughed. “Malachai was running off anyone I would bring home. Guys, girls- you name it. I could bring over a new friend from the clinic and he would run them off. The one of the girls that worked for me was Trisha. He hated the rest of the girls. I asked him about it once. He said that they were all mean to him. When I asked him which ones, they were all fired.”
“Well, all of the women I run off are actresses that want to ‘get that big part in a JJ Juarez movie’. I won’t have some stupid bitch breaking my father’s heart because she wants to use him to progress her career. Sobre mi cadáver”, Mercedes explained after making sure that her father wasn’t on his way back into the house.
Brie laughed a little. “I understand that.”
“Did Malachai try that with you, Dad?” Marc asked.
David shook his head. “No. The moment he laid eyes on me he asked if he could call me Daddy. I guess he saw something that he didn’t see in the other people your Mom brought home before me.”
“You were certainly a blessing to us both”, Brie said with a grin.
“And you and Malachai were the long awaited answer to a multitude of fervently said prayers.”
---------------
JJ showed David and Brie the story boards as they ate breakfast. “I loved the story of you meeting your in-laws, David. When Marc told me about it I couldn’t stop laughing. Your mother in law was a character.”
David and Brie laughed. “If only you knew JJ”, Brie said. “My mother was a trip and a half.”
“When I wasn’t laughing at something she said, I was beet red from something she’d said”, David said. “Sarah Rebekah Cartwright had no problem speaking her little Danish mind.”
“She was Danish?” Marc asked.
“Yes Marc”, Brie said. “You’re a quarter Belgian, a quarter Irish, a quarter Israeli, and a quarter Danish.”
“How does all of that add up to three quarters Jewish?”
“I was raised in a very Orthodox Jewish home, Christopher”, David said. “My mother’s parents were Holocaust survivors, remember?”
“Sorry Dad. I had a moment. Call it blond or call it a brain fart. Hell, say that my brainwaves skipped a beat if you like.”
His parents both laughed. “You’re not supposed to be having memory issues yet, Marc. You’re only 36”, David said.
“You know, I just realized that I’m almost the same age you were, Dad, when you and Mom got married.”
“In nine years you’ll be the same age I was when you and your twin sister were born. Isn’t that crazy?”
“I never thought of that, Dad. I’d rather take it a little bit at a time, you know what I mean?”
“Wise of you”, Brie said. “When you come to be your mine and your Dad’s ages, you’ll realize that it’s the best to way to live because you never know which moment will be the last.”
“Cherish each and every moment as though it were the last”, JJ said.
“Exactamente”, Brie said. She looked back at JJ. “Are there any blank spots that you need filled in for any of this project?”
“If there are, can we call and get them filled in?” JJ responded.
“As long as one of us is still living, I suppose”, David said. “I don’t see the harm in it.”
JJ nodded. “Thank you. It’s always good to be able to check with the source when you’re doing a biographical piece.”
“Well, until my heart no longer beats, JJ, you and Marc can give me a call to see if there’s anything about a certain scene that needs to be corrected whether it be dialogue or whatever.”
JJ nodded. “I’m sure I speak for your son when I say that it’s greatly appreciated.”
Marc echoed him. “No kidding. We greatly appreciate this, Dad. You and Mom are going to be great resources for this project. Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Marc. And should I go before your mother, I’m sure she can fill in a lot of the blanks for you as well.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Dad. Thanks.”
---------------
After Marc had seen them onto the train, David got out his phone and called Jacob as the train pulled out of the station. “Hello, this is Jake Draiman. Sorry I can’t answer the phone at the moment. I’m probably dealing with a patient or my kids, or I’m on my other line consulting with a colleague. If you could leave me your name, number, and a detailed message about what you need I’ll get back to you at my next available moment. Thank you and may you a blessed day”, Jake’s voicemail said. David groaned silently as he listened, being careful not to disturb his sleeping wife. “Jacob, this is your father. Call me. I’ll tell you what I want when you get back to me. Make is quick please. I don’t have the rest of my life, you know. Goodbye, son.” He hung up and put a movie on so that he could relax. He was tired, but he needed to stay awake as long as he could manage so that he could take the return call from Jake.
Right as the plot in the movie he was watching was getting good, his phone started ringing. “Hello?” he asked, not looking at the screen to see who was calling.
“Hey Dad. You wanted me to call?” Jake’s voice said.
“Yes I did. Make sure that Malachai is at the station early in the morning and that he’s ready to play that track for your mother and me. I’ve been anticipating this for a the last few weeks.”
“I will did. I think he’s lulled himself in to a sense of false security, but I have a plan to stir him into a frenzy so that his nerves are on edge when you and Mom listen to it.”
“Have you heard it?”
“I have. I don’t think it’s as horrible as he and Jordan are making it out to be. You know how they spin shit out of proportion. It’s ridiculous, to be frank Dad.”
“I agree Jacob, but there’s nothing that can be done about it. There’s no changing them this late in life like there’s not really any changing you this late in life. You and your sister are 46 years old, Jacob. Malachai will be 51 soon. Changing you would not only be impossible, but pointless.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. Doesn’t mean I like it.”
“You’ll get used to it, Jake. I had to as I watched all ten of you fuckers grow up and start families of your own- then watch as the children you had started to develop their own personalities.”
“Yeah. It’s been scary, I have to say. Well for me at least. I can’t speak for you and Mom.”
“Just imagine how you’re going to feel when Ira comes to you and says, ‘Dad, I’m about to make you a grandfather’, then you can vaguely imagine how it is for me and Mom.”
“Food for thought, I suppose.”
“Indeed. Now, I’m going to go back to my movie. You have a plan in place to scare the shit out of Malachai?”
“He’ll be there early, Dad. I got the plan from Marc, the master prankster.”
“Oh, now I know he’ll be freaking out when the train pulls into the station early in the morning. Have I told you recently, Jacob, that it’s not right to conspire and connive against your brother like this?” he chuckled.
“You taught us that, but you also taught us that we’re our brother’s keeper, so if I’m supposed to keep him in line and keep him on schedule when he’s no on the road, then I have to be allowed a little free reign.”
“Well said, Jake. You’re going to be the leader of the family yet, my son. Now, I’m going back to my movie and lunch is about to be served so I have to wake your mother. We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be up. I always am.”
When they hung up, David gently woke the angel that was sleeping on his shoulder. “Brie, love, they’re going to be bringing lunch around soon. You should wake up”, he whispered as he brushed his fingertips over her cheek.
She took a deep breath in as she came out of her soft slumber. “Lunch soon, huh?” She sat up from where she was laying on his arm and stretched a little. “How much longer until they come pester us?”
“Fifteen minutes, give or take. Enough time for you to splash a little water on your face to wake up a little.”
“I think I’ll do just that then.” She stood carefully, her back and knees going snap, crackle, pop as she straightened out. “Good GOD!”, she said. “What the hell?! Now my knees are giving me shit? This being old shit is for the birds.”
“I’m sorry, love. I wish there were something I could do.”
“I know, David. Sad thing is that there’s nothing either of us can do about it. It’s just a fact of life.”
“Unfortunately, you’re right.” He sighed. “Go splash some water on your face and I’ll be here when you get back. When they come around to remove the lunch dishes I’ll have them lay the bed out so that you don’t have a lot of pressure on your spine during the trip.”
She reached down and took his hand, kissing his palm softly. “Thank you, love. That will make the period of time that we’re on this train a little more tolerable.”
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