Chapter 21

Instead of getting calzone, they ordered Chinese and Callan paid.  “I don’t make much because I’m enlisted, but I get enough and it’s only polite that I asked you on a date so I should pay”, he said when she made the call for dinner.

“You’re even paying for Will’s food?” she asked skeptically.

“He’s here to protect you.  That’s his job.  He deserves a good meal for that.”

“You.  I don’t know what to think of you”, Miranda said as she shook her head.  “You’re something new.  That’s for sure.”

“I’m a Marine and I know how to act like an adult.  That boy that was escorted out of the theaters is exactly what I called him.  He’s a child.  He wouldn’t know how to act like an adult if it bit him on the ass and shook.”

She laughed.  “I like that.  I really do.  You’re something different.”

“A new breed of animal?”

“Sounds like something my grandmother would say, but yeah.  That’s what you are.  You’re a new breed of animal, at least for me.”

“Not used to people treating you like a lady?”

“Not used to people outside my family- and that includes the extended family- treating me like a lady.  That’s what’s so crazy.”  She sighed and curled up on the futon with her blanket and as they waited on the food.

“You’re not used to it and I don’t know any other way.  Isn’t that interesting?”  He sat down on the couch next to her with a huge boyish grin on his face.  “So, Miranda, since I started the confessions earlier why don’t you start us off and tell me about your family.”

She laughed.  “I have a huge family.  We’ve been called Mafia- like and it’s pretty much run that way.  Grampa is the Don of our little Jewish Mafia.  Uncle Jake is the Capo.  Uncle Jeremiah is like his right hand man.  The rest of my uncles and my Dad all act as enforcers, so do my brothers and cousins.”

“Wow.  Can I share something with you?”

“Sure.  We’re being honest here, aren’t we?”

He nodded.  “True.  What you just described to me doesn’t make me think Mafia.”

“Oh?  What do it make you think?”

“COC; Chain of Command.  Think about it this way.  Your brothers and cousins are all like Corporals and Privates.  They all follow orders and report to their superiors, being your Uncles or Dad.  They report to Uncle Jeremiah, who reports to Uncle Jake.  Uncle Jake reports to Grampa.  Grampa is the General, right?  That would make Jake his Colonel and Jeremiah would be a Captain.  The other uncles would all be various ranks of NCO’s.”

She giggled.  “Wow.  I never thought of it that way.”

“Interesting way to think of things, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Now, my question is who all’s permission of I have to marry you should we become that serious?”

“You know?  I don’t honestly know.  I would assume that you have to have my Grampa’s permission because he’s at the top of the Chain of Command and my Dad’s because- Duh! He’s my Dad.  I’m not sure if you’d need Uncle Jake’s permission or not.  Uncle Jake will be taking over once Grampa’s passed.”

He nods.  “So, this is one of those things where we’ll have to play it by ear.”

“Yeah.  I get to be the one to set precedence in the family because I’m the oldest granddaughter.”

“Well, I can’t say I envy you.”  He laughed.  She liked his laughed.  She liked the way is sounded and the way it made his face light up.

“I don’t envy me either”, she laughed and tucked a lock of her brown curls behind her ear.  Her laugh was music to his ears.  She was beautiful, but he wasn’t sure how to let her know that’s what he thought.  All he wanted to do was take her into her room and do naughty things to her, but he was the one that asked that they don’t become intimate until they knew that they were going to go somewhere.  She was gracious enough to agree so he had to be strong enough to deny the urge.  He was almost positive that she felt what he was feeling- the electricity in the air between them, the awkwardness they were both feeling- but he didn’t want to take it anywhere that it didn’t need to go immediately.

They kept talking and she learned that he was raised in North Carolina and though he was a Mormon and held the “priesthood”, he was more spiritual.  “I just don’t believe that any organization should be able to tell anyone that I can’t have tattoos or that I can’t do this or that.  Or better yet, I have to go to church every Sunday to worship God.  What if I’m in the middle of a freaking War Zone on Sunday?  What am I supposed to do?  Ask the people shooting at my to hold off for an hour or two so that I can go to church?  Let’s be reasonable here.”  He said as he tossed his Sweet and Sour Pork in its little carton.

She laughed.  “I understand that, I guess.  I’m totally agree.  I was pretty much raised that way.  We were all taught to respect and honor our heritage on all sides of the family but we were never, like, dragged to Temple on Friday nights.  Though I have heard a story where my Grampa threatened to make all of his kids go one Hanukkah because they wouldn’t stop fighting.  I my parents had just told everyone that Mom was pregnant with my twin and me.”

“That’s funny.  I can’t imagine David Draiman threatening to make his kids go to Temple.”

“Well, the story my Dad always tells is that the band had come out, meaning Disturbed, and Gramma and Grampa had stepped out to go do some last minute Hanukkah shopping.  Well two of the quads- my Uncles James and Jeremiah and my Aunts Meagan and Makayla- were fighting and Aunt Maddie was in on it, Uncle Jake was complaining about something.  Great- Uncle Danny was trying to make sure that everyone was behaving.  Well, Grampa got onto people and the day progressed.  By that evening before sunset, Grampa had had enough and made all of his kids under that age of 18 go to their rooms to think about their behavior.  Uncle Jake, Aunt Maddie and Aunt Jordan all had to write essays on what Hanukkah means in general and what it meant to them and that was the only way he was going to reconsider making them all go to Temple on Shabbat.”

“That’s messed up.  Temple as a punishment.”

“Yeah.  And here it is, nearly 30 years after the fact and we’re expecting my grandparents to leave the earth for good any time now.  And the entire family may end up having to go to a Temple in Israel for their services.”

“Who’s older, your Grampa or Gramma?”

“Grampa by three years.”

“Cool.”

She smiled.  “If you say so.  They’re my grandparents.  What I think is so awesome is that they’re still so in love in their 80’s.  They’re more in love now than they were 15 years ago.”

“How do you know?”

“Other than hearing them say it?”  He nodded.  “Well, I’ve got a confession to make and I’ve never told another soul.”  She looked over her shoulder to see where Will was.  It seemed that he was making his routine check of the building to see if there were anyone that might want to harm her, so she leaned in and whispered to him.  “When I was about 12 or 13, I was walking down the hall after taking my little cousin Miri to the bathroom and I walked past their room on the way back.  The door was cracked and I was hearing my grandmother moaning and sighing so, being a nosy little Leo I peeked in the cracked door and saw them making love.  There was such passion there.  I moved so that if one of them looked to the door they wouldn’t see prying eyes and I put my back to the wall.  At the time, I was playing Christine in Phantom of the Opera and there was some element of ‘Point of No Return’ that I couldn’t get my hands on.  As I sat there in the hall and listened, I imagined the choreography to the piece and singing it with the guy who played the Phantom and I knew what I was missing.  I was missing passion.  The kind of passion that not only burns and consumes, but soothes and comforts.  When I heard that they weren’t making any more noise, I went to the bathroom and cried until my Dad came looking for me.”

“Wow.  So you know the meaning of passion from spying on your grandparents?”  He was shocked.  “I don’t know what to say about that other than suddenly I’m curious as to what it means to have that kind of passion in my arms.”

“Well, you’re the one that requested that we not be intimate and I don’t want you to think that just because I have rock star relatives that I’m easy.  But, yeah, I’ve kept that to myself for 16 years.”  All Callan Maguire could do was look at her in shock.

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

Callan and Miranda spent the night together. The tall slender majesty of Miranda Draiman awed Callan Maguire. What amazed him more was the fragility under the tough exterior. She was from one of most notable families in the nation. She had to learn to be tough out of the gate. But, she was more in touch with herself than any of the other girls he'd been with. He liked that about her.

They lay in her bed and he held her close to his chest. He was beginning to really fall for the woman against his chest. She was strong, beautiful, kind. She had a strong family background. She was everything he was looking for in a future wife.

Miranda had started having strange dreams about babies. She couldn't make sense of it. Unlike a select group of her family, she'd never had prophetic dreams. Her dreams had always been obscure and had little to no meaning to them. So, to be dreaming of babies was something new. She had to admit to herself that she'd been feeling off since she came back to New York from homestead in Colorado and she was a couple weeks late for her cycle. She still wasn't very worried about it. When she had the time she would take a pregnancy test.

The next week would go in the same way. Miranda and Callan would walk to the theater together with Will accompanying them and they would walk back to Miranda's apartment to hang out for the night. Their last night together was tearful for Miranda. She wanted to go with him but she couldn't. "I want to go back to San Diego with you when you leave."

"I know. I want you to go, but I've gotten my orders already. I have to go to Venezuela from 29 Palms for four months. I'll come home after that. You have a play opening in two days. Your grandparents will be here as well as your parents. Stay here with them and let them see you shine. You're a marvelous actress. Let them see it."

She smiled sadly. "I know. I just don't want you to leave."

"But I have to." Be brushed his knuckles down her cheek. "Will it help to know that the entire time I'm away I'll be thinking of you?"

"If you're going to be in hostile territory, then no. I'll only distract you."

"Miranda, you could never distract me."

She smiled. "You sweet. I can't wait to tell my family about you."

"Doesn't your brother Isaiah already know?"

"Yeah. He seems to like you."

"Miranda, can I just say that the past week has been the most magical week I've ever had?"

She smiled shyly. "Really?"

"Yeah. The best week ever. I would love to make a habit of it."

"Me too. That would make me very happy."

"Well we can't do too much right now, baby. But, if you'll permit it, I would love to sit on the couch and hold you for a little while."

She smiled at him. "That sounds like a plan to me." She curled up next to him on the couch and laid her head on his shoulder as they watched TV. They say in silence until dinner arrived. Miranda paid this time around. It was the only night Callan let her pay. They ate and laughed as they shared stories about childhood. "There was one year that I was disappointed around Halloween. That was the year my Uncle Jake and Aunt Delilah got married. I didn't get to go trick or treating because their wedding was Halloween night. I was so pissed", Miranda said.

"I can imagine. How old we're you when Uncle Jake got married?"

"Well, they'll have been married for 23 years this Halloween, so I was like 7 I think."

"Wow. They've been together a long time."

"My grandparents have been together for over forty years."

"Wow. I wonder if we'll find anyone like that."

"I'd like to think so. If you ask me, I'd say I already found it."

"Really? What's his name so I can kick his ass?"

"His name's Callan Maguire. I don't know if you can kick his ass. He's a Marine", she giggled.

He looked at her. "Seriously? You think that highly of me?"

She nodded. "Something that my parents and grandparents taught me from the cradle was never to say things I don't mean."

"Well, if I may be so bold as to say how I feel, I believe the same thing."

She smiled. "Is there a way for us to stay in contact while you're in Venezuela on deployment?"

"I'll take your number along and call you from the sat phone and we'll have a comm station that we get a couple hours a week on to call home and video chat."

She smiled. "I'd like that. My phone has those capabilities."

"See? We can make it happen. Over the past few days, I think I've grown closer to you than I have any other woman I've ever been with. I really do care for you, Miranda."

"And I care for you, Callan."

They finished their dinner in silence and went back to cuddling on the couch.  It felt so natural for them to sit like they were.  It was second nature.

When she drifted off to sleep he gently scooped her up his arms and walked her to her bedroom, lying in the bed next to her.  Once he was good and comfortable, he brushed her hair from her face and kissed her temple.  “We’ve only been together for a short period of time, but I’m in love with you Miranda Draiman”, he whispered softly into the silence of the bedroom.  “I don’t know what this spell is that you’ve cast on me, but I don’t want you to lift it.  Eventually, I will make you my wife.  I promise you that.”

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

Once Callan was gone, Miranda was back to sleeping in her big lonely bed all alone all over again.  It was something that she was going to have to get used to if she was going to be a Marine Corps wife.  She just got up and showered- upset that she had to wash his scent off of her skin- then got dressed to go to dress rehearsals.  She and the rest of the cast were trying to get used to a new Mark in the mix.  He was working out rather well.

“525, 600 minutes.  525, 000 moments so dear.  525,600 minutes, How do you measure, measure a year?” the cast sang together at the beginning of rehearsal.  Miranda’s stomach was turning violently but she managed to keep it in control until she got off of the stage.  She ran to the bathroom the moment she stepped off of the stage and hit her knees, vomiting up everything she had on her stomach- which was a steak, egg, and cheese biscuit she’d picked up at a bodega on the way as well as a cappuccino.  Tasting the food and coffee again sucked.  Once she was dry heaving she got her breathing under control, washed her face and went to get her purse so that she could brush her teeth.  Something wasn’t right.  Her period was still absent now she was puking.  Top that off with the fact that she’d been feeling weird since she got back from her visit home to see her younger cousins graduate and she had a feeling she knew what was going on.  She was going to have to take a test to be sure, but she knew her problem.  But, how did she break it to her family?  Better yet, how did she break it to Callan?

She went on with rehearsal as planned.  She danced her tango, jumped over the moon in protest of Cyber Arts, and mourned the loss of Angel like she was supposed to.  The day was going the way it was supposed to.

At lunch, she called her Aunt Kenna and asked her what she suggested for an upset stomach and vomiting, seeing as she was an OB nurse.  “Saltines and Gatorade, Miranda.  That’s my suggestion.  Do you think your pregnant?”

“Yeah.  I might be.  I don’t know just yet.”

“You need to take a test, Miranda.  If you are, do you know who the father is?”

“Yeah.  That douche I brought out for family photos.”

“Ooh.  You’re father’s not going to be happy about that.”

“No, Aunt Kenna, he’s not.  Dad’s going to want to kick his ass.  But I’m not worried about telling Dad as much as I am about telling my new boyfriend.”

“New boyfriend?  Name?”

“His name is Callan and he’s a Marine.”

“Gramma will like him”, Kenna Draiman laughed.  “You do know her late brother Matt was a Marine, right?”

“I’d heard.”

“Well, best of luck to you, Miranda.  I suggest getting a pregnancy test as soon as you possibly can and eating things with salt.”

“Ok.  Thanks Aunt Kenna.”

“Your Uncle is looking at me like I’m keeping nuclear secrets.  What do I tell him if he asks me what the sudden call was all about?”

“Tell my nosy Uncle James that I was just calling for a little advice.  Don’t tell him about what.  I’ll tell him when I tell everyone else in the family if I’m going to be blessing Gramma and Grampa with their first great- grandchild or not.”

“Ok.  I’ll tell him.  Just take it easy, Miranda.”

“Yeah right.  My play premieres in day after tomorrow.  Mom and Dad will be there.  Gramma and Grampa will be there.  I can’t take it easy.  I can’t be flat or sharp.  I can’t miss a step or a cue.  I have to be perfect because this is the first time Gramma and Grampa will see me perform professionally.”

Kenna laughed again.  “Take it as easy as you can.  I’m not saying that it’s going to be easy by any stretch.  You’ll be fine, Miranda.  Let us know what you find out.”

“I will Aunt Kenna.  Give the twins and Gabe my love.”

“Will do, Miranda.  Go finish your rehearsals for the day.”  They hung up after saying goodbye, and Miranda snacked on the fruit and cheese at the catering table rather than eating something big and asked if Will could run to the bodega and get her a Gatorade.  He did what she asked really quick.  She’d pick up the test on the way home.  She didn’t want to freak anyone in the cast out.  The last thing she needed was to have her cast mates tripping over themselves to be careful of her if the test said what she was sure it would.

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

When she got home from the theater, she ordered dinner and she and will sat and watched movies all night.  She hated television.  There was never anything good on.  The movies weren’t very original anymore either, so they were watching what he Uncle Marc would call Cult Classics.  They were movies that had been out for many years that had made good money at the box office.  If anyone would know, it would be Uncle Marc.

As they waited on dinner, she stepped into the bathroom and pulled a small plastic pregnancy test from her pocket.  She was nervous.  She didn’t need this right now.  She needed not to be pregnant so that she could wear what she wanted to wear and dance in her 5 inch stiletto heels.  There was a company of dancers that were auditioning and she wanted to put in her head shot and audition, but that wasn’t happening if she was pregnant.

Still, she pee’d on the little stick and waited the agonizing five minutes it took for the little lines to turn blue.  Much to her mixture of horror and relief, that’s what happened.  Two little blue lines.  She was pregnant.  Now, to break the news to everyone.  Her parents and grandparents were first.  They’d be there the following day.  She was going to have dinner with them when they all got there.  She’d even heard that Will’s father- the infamous Morbus- was coming out of retirement so that her grandparents weren’t left without protection.  Will would be staying with her, Travis would have her parents, and Morbus would have her grandparents.  It was a one night only occasion.  It wasn’t often that people were able to get David and Brie Draiman out and about anymore because of their ages.  All they wanted anymore, from what Miranda understood, was to live quietly and die surrounded by family.  They knew that there would probably be a time when one would live briefly without the other but from what their own children speculated they would die together.  Probably in each other’s arms.  No one knew.  She just hoped that they would be around long enough to greet their first great- grandchild.  She wanted her child to feel the love that their great- grandparents.

When she walked out, she had a strange look on her face.  “What’s wrong, Miranda?” Will asked as he set the pizza down on the table after tipping the delivery boy.

“Well, Will… I don’t know how I should take this news, but I just took a pregnancy test and I’m pregnant.”

“Whoa.  Are you going to tell your parents and grandparents when they get here tomorrow?”

“I’ve kinda got no choice.  They’ll be here tomorrow afternoon and we’re getting together for dinner after rehearsal.”

“Are you ready for this to be done?”

“The play, you mean?” she said as she sat in her chair and grabbed a slice of pizza.  She was feeling a little better after throwing up earlier that day.  She’d picked up crackers, cheese, and Gatorade on the way home from the theater.  She had something to help quell the morning sickness until the play was over.

“Yeah.  Are you ready for the play to finally end?”

“Oh yeah, I’m ready.  Thankfully, we’re only doing a week so I don’t have to do too much worrying.”

“I’m almost willing to put money on the fact that your parents will want you to come home for the entirety of your pregnancy.”

“Oh, I’m sure they will too.  I know my mother.  She’ll want to be there every step like Gramma was there every step for a LOT of my Aunts and Uncle’s kids.”

“Didn’t your grandmother actually deliver a few of them?”

“Yeah.  She aided in Ira, Abby, and Rina’s births, and delivered Ash and Matt.”

“I heard she helped with you and Isaiah too.  She held your Mom’s feet when she was pushing you and Isaiah out.”

“I’ll have to ask about that.”  She took a bite of her pizza.  “How do you know so much?”

“My Dad was your grandfather’s bodyguard for years and I was raised around the family.  I think you and Isaiah are only less than a year younger than I am.  My siblings and I are all Irish twins.  Well, I guess we’d be called Irish triplets.  There’s a year between Travis and Melody and about a year and a half between me and Melody.”

“How is there so little time between all of you?”

“My Dad was in a hurry to have all of his kids, apparently.  He only wanted 3 and that’s what he got.”

“Nice.”

“Back to the subject at hand.  How are you going to break the news to your parents and grandparents?”

“I’m just going to tell them.  What else can I do, Will?  I can’t hide it.  Gramma and Mom will notice that I’m picking at my food and not really eating.  Grampa will notice that I’m ‘glowing’.  He’s noticed it about each of my Aunts when they were pregnant.  Dad will notice something; he always does.  They’ll all ask me if there’s something I want to tell them.  I have no choice Will.”

He nodded slowly.  “What about that guy that’s been staying here?  You gonna keep seeing him and if so when are you going to tell him that you’re pregnant with another man’s child?”

“I’m going to keep seeing him and I’ll tell him the next time I talk to him.  He had to leave to report to 29 Palms this morning.”

“Oh yeah.  He’s a Marine.  That’s right.  I totally forgot about that.”

“You’ve been pre- occupied trying to keep me safe from the moron that fathered my child.”

“So that Zack loser is the baby daddy?”

“Yeah.  I’m not thrilled about it either.  And I get to tell my family about it tomorrow evening at dinner after we meet them at the airport.”

“Oh shit.  Not fun.  When do you expect to hear from Mr. Marine again?”

“I don’t know.  I’m sure I’ll get tons of emails from him, but I’d rather break the news to him face to face and I don’t know when I’ll get a video call from him.”

“You’re going to tell him that you’re pregnant over a video call?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Not the way I’d want to learn, but then again.”

“Will, much as I consider you family, I really am not asking for advice.  I know what I have to do and I’ll do it the way I think is best.”

He nodded to her with a smile.  “Good for you.  Tell me to but out.”

“Butt out, Will.  It’s my problem, not yours.”

Chapter 20

Finally, Miranda could go back to having a normal life.  She was ready to get into rehearsals and get this play over with.  After RENT was over, she was going to take a sabbatical and go home for a little while.  It would be nice to be around her family for a while.  She needed the rest.  She was just feeling so tired and stressed recently.  She wasn’t even worried that her period was late.  Her hormones were always weird when she was stressed.

There were days that she was grateful that she lived just down the block from the theater they were performing at because it saved on cab fare.  The big pain was having Will with her, though she understood that it was a necessary evil.  He was there in case Zack decided to be a pain in the ass.  He was her protection.

When they arrived, she went straight back to the dressing room and greeted her cast mates.  They asked her how her break was and if anything exciting happened.  She told them that she got to take family pictures and that she and Zack broke up.

She was in her red Tango dress for “The Tango- Maureen” standing off stage right when she felt eyes on her.  She tried to dismiss it and bent over to adjust the strap on her shoe when the gaze intensified.  She whirled around and looked at the man who was staring at her.  “What exactly are you staring at?” she asked.

The man’s face turned red.  “You”, he said as he blushed.  “I’m sorry ma’am.  I shouldn’t stare.  It’s impolite.”  His southern drawl captivated her.  “I’ll go back to work now.”

She smiled.  “I’m sorry.  I’ve had a bad day so far.  I shouldn’t have snapped at you like I did.  When we have lunch, would you mind sitting with me?” she asked.  “It would be nice to have someone other than my brother and my Dad’s bodyguard to talk to.”

He grinned a little lopsided.  “Sure.  We can talk at lunch.  I do apologize for staring at your ass though, Miss.  It was rather rude of me.”

“It’s ok, sugar.  I’m not offended.  I’m actually kinda used to it with this dress on.  I’ve got to go on now.  I’ll see you in a bit.”  She took her dance partners’ hands and whirled out onto the stage as the song played.  “She cheated (she cheated), Maureen cheated (fucking cheated), I’m so mad that I don’t know what to do”, Joanne and Mark sang as Maureen tangoed with another man and another woman.

The young man watched at the guy playing Mark intentionally hit the girl he’d just had an exchange with in the head as he danced with the black girl.  The girl tried to play it off, but her wince was too visible and the director called cut.  “What happened?” the man yelled.

“Either Zack or Keisha smacked me in the head as we were doing the scene.  It’s bull shit, Frank”, the girl said loudly.

“Has something happened in the last few days or weeks that I need to know about?” the director asked.

“Zack met my family and was nearly escorted off my grandfather’s property by my uncles and father.  He committed one of my grandfather’s cardinal no-no’s and disrespected me by acting like a fucking moron.”

“Your family shouldn’t have put their nose in our relationship, especially not your nosy ass brothers and cousins”, the man on the stage said

“Watch how you talk about my family, mother fucker.  My Dad’s body guard won’t be able to get up here fast enough to keep me from beating the hell out of you in this skimpy ass dress.”

“ENOUGH!”, the director yelled.  “One more unnecessary crack about the Draiman family, Zack, and I’ll replace you with your understudy and you’re fired.  Hit Miranda again, and you’re fired and your understudy will take over.  Think I’m kidding, try me.  Marc Draiman is a close friend of mine and I know what the family is like in passing.”

When he heard the last name, he was stunned.  This tall, statuesque woman is a member of the infamous Draiman family?, he thought to himself.  I think that I’ve heard that name before in connection with a Master Guns that became notorious in the Corps for his kill count as well as a great deal of other things.  Cartwright was his name.  Master Gunnery Sergeant Cartwright.  I wonder if they’re related.  That would really cool.  I’m for sure curious where our talk over lunch is going to lead.  It would be long before he found out.

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

When lunch time rolled around, Miranda sat next to the sweet young man she’d been hanging out with before her cue to go on.  She smiled at him.  “Hi”, she said as she sat next to him backstage.

He looked over at her.  “Hi.  I was hoping you weren’t kidding when you said you were gonna sit with me at lunch.  I really didn’t want to eat lunch with my ignorant brother.”

She laughed.  “You’re funny.  I like you.”

“Thank you.”

“So, I’ve never seen you before.  Are you a new hire?”

He shook his head.  “No.  I’m here helping my brother with some set production.  I’m on two weeks leave right now and trying to make the most of it.”

“You’re on leave?  Are you in the military?”

“Yes ma’am.  I’m Staff Sergeant Callan Maguire, USMC.  I’m in EOD.”

She smiled.  “You’re a Marine.  I like you more.  I’m Miranda Draiman.”

“So, which of the infamous Draiman’s is your parent?”

“I’m the oldest daughter of Malachai Draiman, the lead and rhythm guitarist for Reckless Disregard.”

“So, you’re David Draiman’s oldest grandchild?”

“One of the oldest grandchildren.  I’m a twin.”

“Oh.  Nice.  I was really young when the man died, but was one of your grandparents related to the late Master Gunnery Sergeant Matthew Cartwright?”

“Yeah.  My Gramma is his baby sister.”

“Wow.  That’s pretty cool.”

She smiled.  “You’re not intimidated are you?”

“No”, he said with a grin.  His voice and face contradicted what he was feeling inside.  Her grandfather was David Draiman and she was the great- niece of the most infamous Marine in the history of the Corps.  It was just a trifle intimidating.  Was he up for the challenge?  He was always up for a challenge.

She grinned back.  “So, you’re a Marine.  What’s it like to have two birthdays?”

“I don’t actually.”

“You don’t?”

He shook his head.  “Nope.  I share my birthday with the Corps.  My Dad always used to say that I was destined to be a Marine.  But, I’m not just a Marine.”

She laughed.  “You’re not?”

“Oh no.  I’m also a Scorpio.  I enjoy long walks on the beach as long as they involve cadence, good music, guns, and making shit go boom.  My dislikes are tools who think it’s funny to hit a female in the head.  I’m looking for a good woman to stand by me.  Not in front of me and not behind me.  She needs to be family oriented, strong and independent because I am a lifer in the Corps, and want a family of her own.”

Miranda laughed out loud.  “Where is the signup sheet for this?  I’m in.”

He laughed.  “Really?  I just gave you my dating profile.  Why don’t you give me yours?”

She took a deep breath.  “I’m a Leo.  I too like long walks on the beach- but they don’t have to have cadence to them, good music that’s NOT my dad’s band or the musical stylings of my Grampa.  I like watching things go boom.  My dislikes as also tools who think it’s funny to hit a female, as well as assholes who have no spine.  I’m very family oriented and I need a man who is as well.  My family is the most important thing in the world to me.  He also needs to be supporting of my career.  I want to act.  That’s my passion.  I want to be able to stand beside my man and I want him to stand beside me.  I want a marriage like my grandparents have.  They’ve been perfect for each other since the day they met, from what I understand and I want that.  You’d have to see my grandparents together to understand what I’m getting at but when you see it, you’ll know.”

He nodded.  “Do you have a problem with a man that’s gone a lot?”

“Nope.  My Mom’s had to do it with my Dad his entire career, my Gramma had to do it with Grampa.  It’s only fair that one of us carries on the tradition.”

“Ok, I just have to know.  Is your family as big as everyone says?”

“My family is huge.  My grandparents had 10 kids.  I have five siblings myself.  I think all together, my grandparents have 27 grandchildren.”

“HOLY SHIT!  THAT’S ENORMOUS!” he shouted.

She laughed.  “That’s my family.  Imagine all of us piled around a single table during the holidays.  And my Uncle Jeremiah’s in- laws live nearby and usually join us for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.”

“So celebrate the high holy days?”

“No.  Just Hanukkah.”  She looked at him.  “How do you know so much?”

“Well, I’m curious for starters.  But, I was raised a Mormon.  Obviously because I just shouted ‘Holy shit’, I don’t practice anymore.  We’re all about tradition and stuff like that.  I had a really good buddy in high school that was Jewish and he told me all about the High Holy Days and even invited me to his bar mitzvah.”

“Did you go?”

“Sure did.  My parents gave me 50 bucks to give him.  Mother fucker was rich that day.”

“That’s too funny.  You should tell my grandfather that story should you ever get to meet him.  He’d get a kick out of that, I think.”

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

They were doing the second run through of the show.  The scene was “La Vie Boheme” when everyone was dancing on the tables in the diner.  The scene was carefully choreographed to prevent people from getting injured.

Callan was having trouble focusing on what he was doing.  He was too busy watching the girl he’d just spent lunch talking to and getting to know.  Was this what it felt like to be in love?  And if so, was it love at first sight?

As they ran through the scene, Callan watch and saw something that would piss him off not only as a man but as a Marine.  The worst part was that at the moment there wasn’t too much of anything he could do about it.  As the scene played he watch the guy that had hit Miranda earlier in the day do so again and try not to make it obvious.  He jumped like he was going to go after the tool only to be stopped by his brother.  “Let the director handle it”, his brother whispered.

“He’s a punk, Kade, and he needs to be dealt with.”

“I agree, but let the director handle it.  Technically, she’s not your problem.  She’s not your woman, so don’t go all Marine on everyone’s asses and jump this tool because he’s assaulting Miranda Draiman’s honor.  From what I understand, she can take pretty good care of herself and she has a bodyguard with her.”

“Bodyguard?”

“Yeah the youngest son of her grandfather’s long time bodyguard, Morbus.  His name is Will.”

“He’s not doing a very good job of body guarding her.”

“There’s only so much he can do from the audience, Cal.  Give him a break.”

Callan sat and fumed as he listened to the director chew the guy’s ass then the bodyguard came up on the stage.  “You’d be wise to just stay away from Miranda.  I’ll be here with her through the end of the play and if you show your face here or at her apartment, I will shoot you.  Don’t think I won’t.  I couldn’t do it because you were in the cast.  Show your face at the theater again and you will regret it”, the bodyguard said as he waited for the douche to grab his things so that he could be escorted out.  He heard the familiar sound as the hammer of a gun clicking back and smiled.  I like the bodyguard all of the sudden, he thought as he watched the guy who hit Miranda get escorted off of the property at gun point.  I guess it’s true that you don’t fuck with the Draiman’s because one way or another, they will fuck with you.

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

Rehearsals for the day were over and Miranda was ready to go home.  It was just her and Will in her apartment now that she was back at rehearsal and Isaiah was teaching classes at Julliard.  It wasn’t like she wasn’t having a good time with Will.  He was an interesting guy.  But, the fact of the matter was that he was there to protect her to the best of his ability from Zack.

As she walked out of the front of the theater with Will in the lead, she checked her phone for any messages.  She’d have to make it a point to call her parents and let them know what was going on with the Zack drama.  She was looking forward to doing the play with Gordon, the understudy for Mark.  “Miranda”, she heard a familiar voice call from behind her.  She stopped and turned to see who it could have been.  It was Callan.  “Hey, glad I caught you.”

“I see that.  What’s on your mind?”

“I know this is probably a really long shot but while I’m in town, you wouldn’t want to go out sometime would you?”

She smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  “Sure.  Sounds like fun.  How long are you in town for?”

“My leave is almost up and I’ve only got about a week left before I have to report back to 29 Palms.”

“Oh, so you’re stationed permanently in California?”

“Yep.  San Diego area.”

“That’s pretty cool.”  She pulled her phone out.  “I’m available the rest of the week after rehearsal.  Any time for me is good to be honest.”

“You wouldn’t want to go out tonight, would you?  I know that douche may have gotten to you a little bit overwhelmed, but I figured I’d give it a shot.  I would really like to get to know you better.  You’re an amazing person.”

She smiled brightly.  “I don’t really feel like going out tonight because of the douche, but if you want to come to my apartment, we could just hang out.”

“Can I just put it out there that this is a getting to know you thing and I really want to wait until we at least know there’s going to be something between us before we are intimate?”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine.  I’d really like to take it slow rather than rush things anyway.  I rushed things with my last boyfriend and that’s the reason he’s my ex.”

Callan nodded.  “Ok then.  Let’s go to your place.  Do you cook at all?”

“Not really.  I know how, I’m just never home enough.  I’m either here all the time or I’m with my parents in Colorado, or I’m flying out to Israel to visit my Grandparents.  I don’t that one often, but I do it upon occasion.”

“Fun.  Well, I’m going to run and grab my bag so that we can leave.  Do you live far?”

“No.  I live a block away.  It’s convenient like that.”

“Cool.  I’ll get my bag and I’ll be right back.”  He jogged away and she watched, looking over her shoulder at Will.  “I’m having company.  Is that a problem?”

“Not at all.  I’ll just hide in a corner or something and let you two get to know each other.  You’re fine”, Will responded.

When Callan came back, he had a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder.  She wanted to ask what was in the bag, but wasn’t going to for the moment.  She’d wait until they got back to and were eating something before she went asking too many questions.  She wasn’t very hungry, but it was always good to eat.  To be perfectly honest, she was feeling a little sick.  She wouldn’t find out what was actually going on with her until the night they opened.  By that time, not only would the man walking beside her be her man full time, but he would be gone.  Breaking the news to him would be frightening, but he would handle it a lot better than she thought and it would impress the hell out of everyone in her family as well as Miranda herself.

Chapter 19

The boys were up early to eat and say their good- byes before they loaded their things into the back of Ira’s car and took off for Las Vegas.  David and Brie were sure to be in the main house to bid their grandsons farewell.  Ira watched David walk into the house carefully with a hand on his lower back.  “Did you throw your back out last night, Grampa?” he asked with a chuckle.

David shook his head.  “Nope.  Just feeling my age, Grandson.  I think I’m actually starting to get old.  Finally.”  He laughed.

Jake and ‘Miah exchanged a look.  “Do my ears deceive?” Jeremiah said.

“Is Dad finally admitting that he’s old?” Jake added.

“No.  I said I think I’m starting to get old, not that I am old, boys.  Never in a million years.  I’m still young at heart, God dammit.”  He took a seat at the table.

The boys both rolled their eyes.  “Where’s Mom?” ‘Miah asked.

“Playing with one of the little mastiff puppies that came running up to her as we were coming in.”

Jake chuckled.  “Goliath and Kiana need to stop fucking so much and stop having puppies so that we can get rid of the ones we have.”

“Goliath and Kiana?” David asked.

“The mastiff pair I have out there.  They’re from breeding purposes only.  They’re pets, but they aren’t supposed to be popping out pups so much.”

“How many litters have they had?”

“Too many.  I’ll take you out later so that you can see Goliath and Kiana.  You’ll see why we call Goliath, Goliath.”

“Should I be afraid?”

“No.  You might be shocked, though.”

“Anyway”, Levi said as he drew the attention back to himself and the three boys that were taking off after breakfast.  “So, Grampa, you think you’re finally getting old.  What constitutes old in your eyes?”

“Feeling it and thinking that you are.  I’m not old, by God.  I’m far from it.  I don’t think anyone will ever convince me that I am.  Not until the day I die.”

“And when do you think you’ll be old enough to die, Grampa?” Anthony asked.

“That’s not a case of, ‘When will I be old enough?’.  It’s more a case of, ‘When I’m called home, I’m called home’.  That could be any moment.  I could just be sitting here and stop breathing for whatever reason.  That’s when it’s my time.”

Levi laughed.  “Well if that’s the case, then I need to go on and tell you what I planned to do with the quality education that Loyola is going to provide me.”

David looked at Levi suspiciously.  “And what might that be?”

“I’m going to major in Political Science and when I’m 35, I’m going to run for president.”

David went still, not breathing for a few seconds.  When he finally blinked the boys all relaxed.  “You’re gonna do what?” he asked the 18 year old boy in a monotone.

“I want to be the first Draiman to be the president.  I’m going to run for local stuff right out of college and build a career of politics.”

David nodded slowly and looked over his shoulder to see if his wife was coming in.  “I want you to repeat that to your Gramma, Levi.”

Brie was standing outside the opened back door dusting her dress off before coming in.  “Say it nice loud, Levi.  My hearing not that bad, but I am a good distance away.”

He chuckled.  “I just told Grampa that I want to be the first Draiman to run for president”, he said a little more loudly.

Brie looked at Levi, then back to her husband.  “I know you want to say it.”

David looked back at Levi.  “Boy, have you lost what’s left of your ever- loving mind?”

“No.  I think that I can do it.  I can be honest.  I was raised with a good background and a pride in who and what I am.  Between you and Gramma, and Mom, Dad and Ronnie, I have a good set of morals.  I think I can actually be honest.”

Brie smiled.  “My aunt was an honest politician.  So was the wonderful man that made sure that Jake had his funding for his research and awarded you the Kennedy Center Medal.”

“McAlister?”

“Yes.  What I’m saying is, the boy has a point.”

David sighed.  “Touché.  I’ll admit that one, love.”  He looked back a Levi.  “Stay on the straight and narrow.  Keep the  morals that you were taught and remember the things I’ve been trying to teach you from the cradle.  Don’t bridle your tongue, but be tactful.  Those are my words of wisdom and advice.  Now, the three of you should eat some breakfast and get the hell out of here if you want to beat Denver traffic.”  He gave the three young men a smile.

“You’re not going to rip my head off?” Levi asked.

“Why?  You made a good point.  And, I’d forgotten that your great- great Aunt had served as the Transitional President as well as the President after the Utopians fell.  She was a good woman.  A bit of a pain in the ass, but a good woman none the less.  I had to concede the point.  I couldn’t rebut it.”  He shrugged.

The boys all ate their breakfast and said their goodbyes.  “We’ll be back in a couple of weeks”, they said after dropping their dishes in the sink so they could be rinsed.

“There are no maids around here”, Jake called as the boys tried to run out the door.

They played Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would go back to take care of the dishes while the others loaded their bags in the car.  Levi lost, and turned back to load the dishes in the dishwasher after rinsing them off.

Before pulling away, they were sure to go back to say good bye to their grandparents.  “You boys have fun”, Brie said when they all gave her a hug and said they’d see her soon.

David chuckled when the boys turned to him and added, “And try not to get arrested.”

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

After everyone was up and around, Jake did exactly what he said he would do.  He took his father out to the dog pen and showed him the bullmastiffs that he’d bought.  “I loved Sampson and Delilah.  They were great dogs.  But, I didn’t want Akitas after having to put them down.  So, after a few years- about when Miri was in middle school or high school- Delilah and I started talking about what kinds of dogs we wanted to have around the property.  I wanted something that would scare the hell out of anyone that thought they would come onto this property meaning harm.  That’s when we decided on Bullmastiffs.”

David nodded.  “I see.  Well, let’s see these dogs then.”  Jake whistled a couple of times and out came the dogs from their house.  The biggest of them trotted over to the fence and looked like a monster.  David jumped.  “Oh shit, what the hell is that?” he asked, grabbing his son’s arm to keep from falling.

“Don’t hurt yourself, Dad”, Jake laughed as he grabbed his father’s elbow.  “That’s Goliath.”

“That is not a dog.  That is a freak of nature.”

“He’s a gentle giant.  He’s a big bear.”

“He’d rather lick me to death?”

“Yeah.  The one you have to worry about is that evil bitch in front of you.”

“This is Goliath’s mate?”

“Yeah.  Kiana.  And she’s evil as hell.”

“You let her know she’s the Alpha.  You show her fear.  You can’t do that or they run over you.  Here.  Let me show you.”  He reached out and grabbed the dog by her collar and put his hand in front of her nose to sniff.  She tried to bite him and he tapped her on the snout.  “No”, he said in a stern voice and repeated the action.  When she tried to bite him again, she got her snout smacked again.  “I said, no.  Don’t bite.”  He put his hand in front of her nose again.  One more time, she tried to bite and got the firm tap on the snout.  “Kiana.  I said don’t bite”, he said sternly with a bit of a growl in his voice.  The next time he put his hand in front of her nose, she took a good sniff and licked the back of his hand.  He scratched her behind the ear with the hand that was on her collar as she licked him and looked at Jake.  “And that’s how that’s done.  You’re the owner and you’re the Alpha.  You can’t let her run you over.  Remember how I would grab Sampson by his collar and physically put him where I wanted him when he didn’t want to listen?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m the Alpha, You do what I say.  The dog doesn’t run the show.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind and try that.  How hard were she popping her on the snout.”

“Not hard.  Just hard enough to let her know that I meant business and I wouldn’t tolerate being bitten.  I’m top dog.”

Jake laughed.  “That you are, Dad.  You certainly are.”

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

Miri took care of her animals first thing in the morning so that she could go spend the day with Ranger.  Her fish had been taken care of, her ferret, her rats… all fed.  She was working on her class project with the horse.  She wasn’t going to be deterred.  If she had to spend all day with him for a while, she would.

When she made her way out to the barn that morning after her brother and two cousins left to tend to the horse, she had a bounce in her step.  She’d made detailed notes on what she’d done the day before with him.  She was going to need to change the dressing on the infection in his front leg.  She was hoping to be able to get him to trust her enough that she didn’t have to tranquilize him.

When she got close to the barn, she approached slowly.  She knew he was still on edge.  He was in a new environment and surrounded my new people.  It was something she understood.  She’d been shy before.  She was shy every time she started a new school or new classes with people she didn’t know.  “Hey buddy”, she said with a smile as she slowly approached him.  “How ya feeling today?”  He whinnied happily.  “Good to hear.”  She tried moving a little faster, still measuring every step.  He didn’t react.  That made her smiled.  “You just needed some time to move about the corral to get familiar with your surroundings, huh Ranger?”  She got him his oats and put them out with the flowers mixed in.  She was giving him the flowers at every meal and feeding him twice a day.  He loved the mix and she was happy that he was calming down and becoming more comfortable.

She grabbed all of the things she would need to groom him and change his bandage.  First thing she did was glove up to deal with the infection in his left front leg, just above the hoof.  After grabbing the stool, she sat down and changed the dressing carefully.  She looked at the wound carefully.  “Looks like it’s clearing up rather well, Ranger.  You’re going to be able to carry a rider again in no time.  She cleaned it with saline and redressed it after putting the antibiotic ointment on it.

After he was done eating and he was groomed, Miri started rubbing his snout.  “You wanna take a walk around the corral, buddy?” she asked when he lowered his head.  “I could put you on the lead rope and walk you around for a little bit?”  He moved his head up and down with enthusiasm like he was nodding.  “You wanna take a walk, Ranger?”  He nodded again.  “Ok.  Let me get the halter.  Cool?”

She got him ready and put the lead rope on the halter and took him walking up around the corral.  He tried to lead her to the gate.  “No.  We’re staying here.”  He pulled his head toward the gate again and she grabbed him by the halter and pulled him to look him in the eyes.  “I said No”, she said sternly.  “I run this show, Ranger.  I know you want to do more, but you’re injured still and we need to take it a little bit at a time.  Eventually, I’ll ride you up to the house so my Gramma can see you.  She grew up with horses.  I might let my little cousin take you for a ride with me.  You think you’ll be able to handle that eventually?”  He nodded.  “Well, then you need to listen to me then don’t you?”  He huffed.  “I know it sucks.  I used to tell my parents the same thing.  Now we’ll walk around the corral for a little while, then we’re going to do the exercises that the vet to me to do with you.  Understood?”  he nodded.  “Good boy.  Come on.  Let’s walk.”

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

“It’s not a dog, Jacob”, David said.

“Dad.  He’s a gentle giant.  He’s lick you to death before he bit you”, Jake laughed as he made lunch for himself and his parents.

“I’m inclined to agree Jake.  Goliath is not a dog.  He’s a monster.  Have you taken him to the vet and had him check for pituitary problem?” Brie asked.

“That’s just the size he grew to.  We’ve had him checked a million times if we’ve had him checked once, Mom.  He’s just a big dog.”

“I take it Gramma and Grampa met Goliath earlier”, Sammi asked when she walked into kitchen to get a drink.  She pulled a glucometer out of the drawer and tested her sugar.

“Yes we did”, Brie said.  “Samantha, were you diagnosed with diabetes finally?”

“Yep.  Type 1 like you and Dad, Gramma.  It sucks, but I manage.  It doesn’t keep me down.”  She nodded.  “Doing good today.  Staying right at about 180 which is my norm.”  She looked at her father.  “Dad.  I would really like to have a salad.  Would that be cool with you?”

“Get whatever you want, Samantha Cheyenne.  When have you ever been told that you couldn’t eat something?” Jake said as he got down plates for everyone.

“Halloween.”

“I really don’t want to have to explain to you why that is, Cheyenne.  You know.”

“I do.  I was just saying that you told me no that night.”

“You wanted to gorge yourself on candy.  Do you want to go into insulin shock?”

“No.  I was just saying that you told me no.  It was for my own good, but you still told me no.”

“Get the salad and go, Sammi.  I’m talking with your grandparents.  I told them that after I was done cooking lunch, I had a tough subject that I wanted to discuss with them.  You don’t need to be here when we discuss it.”

“Yes sir”, she laughed.  She did what she was told and took the plate to her room.  “I’m gonna watch a movie on the Pay- Per- View, Dad.”

“What movie?”

“That new vampire horror thing that Uncle Marc just got done working on.”

“How much do I have to take out of your allowance for this one?”

“Nothing.  I gave you the money at the beginning of the month when I pre- ordered it.  I have the receipt if you want to see it.”

“No dear.  That’s fine.  Go on and watch your movie.”  He rolled his eyes when the girl walked out of the room as he set the plates on the table in front of his parents.  After he grabbed his he sat down.  “Ok, I know you two probably don’t want to talk about this, but I need to know what you two want done when you finally do go.  What traditions do you want to follow; which ones don’t you want?  Makes things easier for me once it does happen, you know?”

Brie dug in her purse and grabbed a piece of paper.  “This goes for both your father and me.  We don’t want a lot of pomp and circumstance.  Just family and close friends.  All of the traditions are lined out on the paper.  I think the only thing we really don’t want is a Shiva.  That’s it, Jake.  That’s our joint Living Will.”

“Is your Last Will and Testament drawn up jointly as well?” he asked solemnly.

“Yes Jacob”, David said.  “You, Malachai, Jordan, and Maddie are the Joint Executors of our Joint Estate.  If one of us goes before the other, the living spouse is the executor until they pass as well.”

“You drew it up jointly because?”

“Nothing was ever separated.  It was never my money or your mother’s money.  It was Our Money, Our Property.  Everything had both of our names in it.  I just said it was MINE because I’m the Man of the House.”

Brie nodded.  “Exactly.”

“Makes sense”, Jake said as he ate.  “I’m sorry I had to bring it up, but it’s important.  I need to know.”

They both nodded in response.  “We understand that Jake.  We’ve have been worried if you didn’t ask sooner or later.”

Chapter 18

That night after everyone had eaten B looked at Eli with a sly smile.  “What has you so happy?” Eli asked in a whisper.

“You still haven’t asked”, B whispered back.

“Asked what?”

“Oh, don’t tell me you forgot that you were supposed to ask your grandparents a question.”

“Oh yeah.  That reminds me.”  He waited until the story his Uncle James was telling about something Gabe had done in school then cleared his throat and asked his question.  “Gramma, Grampa.  I know that there are a few young ones in the room so I’ll keep this as PG as I can, but I’ve got a huge question that I’m dying to know the answer to.”

David looked at his second oldest grandson with a question.  “What might that be?”

“Are you two still active?”  He placed emphasis on active for a reason.

Brie and David stared at him for a brief moment in disbelief that he’d actually asked the question, then started to chuckle.  “Very much so.  We may be in our 80’s, but we’re not dead”, Brie said with a smile.

“May I ask how often?”

“That’s really going a little too far, Elijah Michael”, David chided.

“Sorry.  Thought I’d ask.”

“Why did you want to know?”

“B and I had a bet.  He didn’t think I had the balls to ask and I had to prove him that I was blunt enough to ask.”

“And what do you get for doing so?” Brie asked.

“Whatever I want.”

“AH.  We see.  Well, B, my husband and I are still very active to satisfy your curiosity.  How often?  Quite.  I’m not giving exact details.  That’s none of anyone’s business.  Now, if there are other questions let’s just get them out so that these questions don’t come up again.”  She looked expectantly at her family.

“Does Dad need help in that department?” James asked.

“No”, Brie said unabashedly.  “Your father needs no assistance in any aspect as far as things in the bedroom go.  Anything else?”

“Not that I want to ask with small children in the room”, Ira laughed.

“Then that’s a no?  Good.  This had better never come up again.  All of you over a certain age should realize that just because we’re in our 80’s doesn’t mean that we don’t like to have fun and do so often.  We’re not dead yet.  Any other stupid questions will be treated as such.  Don’t ask again.”  She flashed a smile at her family and looked at David.  “I’d like to go out to the cottage now.”

David just laughed.  “As you wish, love.”  He looked at Jacob.  “Take your mother and me out to the cottage please, Jake?”

Jake laughed in shock.  “No problem, Dad.”

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

Once they were alone in the cottage, Brie looked at David.  “Baby, Eli has stones”, she laughed.

“No kidding”, he laughed.  “Huge ones.”

“What got me was that James had the nerve to ask if you had trouble getting and keeping it up.  I bet you have more stamina in your little toe than he does in his entire body.”

“The person to ask as far as that goes would have to be Kenna”, he chuckled.  “I’m still amazed that Eli asked if we’re still active.  Why wouldn’t we be?”

“People assume that because we’re in our 80’s that we don’t have the drive anymore I suppose.”

“I’m still attracted to you, even though I’m 84 and you’ll be 81 soon.  What is so shocking about that?”

“I don’t think that it’s shocking that we’re still attracted to each other.  I think it’s shocking that we still act on that attraction.  I still think you’re sexy as hell.  As Christopher Titus put it once, I found my ice cream truck.”

“Ice cream truck?”

“You’d have to watch the standup bit in order to understand.  Just know that it’s a good thing.”

“Well, I would assume.  Ice cream truck means ice cream for a nominal fee.  Ice cream means happiness.  Hence, ice cream truck means happiness.”

Brie laughed.  “Oh, baby.  I love your logic.”

“Thank you.  I thought that made sense.”

“Perfect sense.  Flawless logic.”

“And the kids and grandkids think we’re senile.”

“Little do they know, right?”

“Right.”  He sighed.  “What are we going to do with ourselves tonight?”

“We could watch a movie?”

He nodded.  “We could.  And if one thing leads to another?”

“I’m gonna scream so loud it wakes the dead”, she laughed.  “I’m sure that Sampson and Delilah will come to the front door and start scratching until they figure out what’s going on in here.”

“Nothing gives you performance anxiety like brown eyes at the end of the bed.”  He held his hand up just below his eyes.

“Oh, I remember those days after we got Sampson and Delilah.  They’d wanna sleep in our room and you’d wanna fool around.  Eventually they learned how to open the door.  All of the sudden you’d get a cold nose against your leg. ‘God dammit, dog!  What the hell?  How did you get in here?’  You’d put the dogs out of the room and lock the door.  Eventually, we’d recover the mood and finish what we started.”

He couldn’t help but laugh.  “Ah… those were the days.  Kicking the dogs out and locking the door so I could love on you.  Chasing the kids off after they would interrupt.  Where did the time go?”

“I wish I knew because there are a few of those years I’d love to steal back.”

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

Once everyone had gone home or settled in for the night Ira, Tony, and Levi sat in Ira’s room and talked.  “I can’t believe how blunt Gramma is”, Levi said.

“I can”, Ira laughed.  “She just said what she had to say and didn’t care.  She stated just how it was gonna be and that was that.  I love our grandmother.”

“I think we all do”, Tony chuckled.  “Now, gentlemen, are you ready for a road trip?”

“WHOO!” Ira howled.

“Gambling”, Levi said.

“Show girls.”  Tony grinned.

Ira laughed.  “And pussy galore!”

“BOND.  JAMES BOND!”  The boys all laughed and toasted the bottles of water they hand in their hands.

There was a knock on the door.  “Boys, is everything okay in there?” Jake asked through the door.

“Yeah Dad.  We’re just joking around”, Ira said.

“I heard something about James Bond.”

Ira opened the door.  “You might as well come in Dad.  It’s weird to hold a conversation through a door.”

Jake stepped in.  “What was with the sudden burst of laughter and ‘Bond.  James Bond’?” he asked.

“It’s an inside joke.  Every time one of us uses a title or character from a James Bond movie, we say that.”

“And how did that come up?”

“This time, Uncle Jake?” Tony asked.

“For starters, Anthony.”

“Well, we were discussing our trip and Ira said, ‘pussy galore’”, Levi laughed.

Jake laughed.  “Ok.  Pump your breaks boys.  That’s more than I needed to know.”  He shook his head.  “First my 26 year old nephew asks my 80 year old parents is they’re still active sexually, then my son and two nephews his age all joke about pussy and James Bond.  What a fucking day”, he said as he walked away and closed the door.

“Anyway”, Ira said as his father walked away, “are we ready to tear up LA and Vegas?”

Levi and Tony looked at each other and nodded, returning their gaze to Ira.  “Oh yeah.  Look out Vegas!  The Draiman boys are coming for ya!”

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

Jeremiah and Jona got their kids settled in for the night and cuddled on their couch.  “I cannot believe the size of Eli’s balls”, Jeremiah said.

“Neither can I”, Jona laughed.  “Did he seriously ask your parents of they still have sex?”

“Yes.  And, I’ll have to be honest.  I did not need to know that my parents still screw.  I could have gone the rest of my life not knowing that my parents still have sex in their 80 and that Dad has no problem getting it up.”

“I know.  I’m sure my folks still do too.  Doesn’t mean I want to know about it.”

“Exactly.  And James?  What in the world?”

“What do you mean?”

“How the hell are we twins when we’re so different?”

She laughed.  “He’s brazen, that’s for sure.”

“No, that wasn’t brazen.  That was ridiculous.  Do you really want to know if your father has erectile problems?  I sure don’t.  Now I have a metal image burned into my brain that will never go away.”

“I think Jake’s of the same opinion.”

“Jake has walked in on them having sex before.  Not recently, but it’s still happened.  I think he’s less shocked.  I’ve never walked in on them.  I’ve interrupted them, but never walked in on them.  Now, they the thought… I honestly think I’m traumatized.”

Jona laughed at her husband.  “My dear sweet ‘Miah.  Is there anything I can do to help rid you of the mental picture of your parents making love in their 80’s?”

Jeremiah chuckled.  “I can think of a couple things, all of which would involve going to our bedroom and locking the door.”

She pressed her lips to his.  “Are you always such an horn dog?”

“We’ve been married for 15 years.  You didn’t know?” he laughed.

“I did… I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t hallucinating.”

“Nope.  This is me, baby.”

She claimed his lips and gave him just enough passion in that kiss to leave him breathless.  “Then why don’t we go take your mind off of the crazy things you heard earlier and see what other trouble we can get into?”