Summer soon gave way to fall. Halloween came and went, Jake and Delilah celebrated four years of marriage, and James came home so that Hunter could go trick or treating with his cousins. “I did try out for a make one of the teams that was interested in me, but they want me to play a position that not only am I unfamiliar with, but that I’m not comfortable in”, he explained to his family about the NFL. “They’re willing to train me to play Corner, but I’m not really interested. I just want to be a lawyer. I don’t’ want to be a pro ball player. Too much bull shit and not enough sportsmanship, if you ask me.”
“Well, I must say, Jay; I’m proud of you for making your decision and sticking to it”, Brie said with a smile.
“Thanks Mama. That means a lot.” James looked at his father. “What do you think, Dad?”
“You sure you don’t want to play to get your Dad life time season passes to the Chicago Bears games?” he teased.
“I could only do that if I had made the Bears. I didn’t. I made the Saints, the Raiders, the Broncos, and the Redskins.”
“Did any of them not want to put you in as Corner?”
“The Saints wanted me for backup quarterback and the Broncos wanted to make me Center. I’m just not interested. I want to practice law, not have to worry about if I’m getting screwed in my contract. Though, I think I’m going to study entertainment law to start out with. I still plan on being like Mr. Sasser and not being a one trick pony.”
“Every facet of the law, huh?”
“Exactly, Dad; every facet of the law.”
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As Thanksgiving crept closer, Brie was on the phone everyday with Kaylian planning for the arrival of her family. They already had a quarter of them there, now to get the other three up to Colorado for the holiday. “Damian will be coming with you this time around, yes?” Brie asked as she walked around the house. When she would first walk into the room she looked like she was talking to herself. Then, she’d turn for one reason or another and the kids would catch the Bluetooth on her ear.
“Oh, goodness”, Maddie said when she dropped off Asher to be watched so that she could go to work for the day, “Mom’s become one of the Bluetooth aliens.” She couldn’t help but laugh.
Even though the Bluetooth was popular, Brie Draiman had always refused to wear one- convinced that they looked like the mind control devices from several different movies. Brie looked at Maddie and took the baby from his car seat. “You, as well as your brothers and sisters, can kiss my ass, Madison Jade. I’m busy trying to get this house presentable for visitors. Jona’s family is coming up for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah this year. Your father and I have already told the rest of the band that we just don’t have the room this year. The big news in our family is that Jeremiah got engaged and that James is a daddy to a sweet little three year old boy named Hunter. They can give us the rest of the news later.”
“How is the Kennedy Center thing for Dad coming?”
“Not bad. Jake’s in the studio with Jordan and Malachai working on the narration for the video. Your Uncles have all decided that they want to mess with Dad a little bit at the ceremony. I’ll explain everything later. I need to get back to cleaning and talking to Kaylian. Dad’s going to watch Hunter while I run the vacuum cleaner. That’s why I took him from his seat.”
“Is Dad taking a break from the book writing?”
“For the time being, yes. Now, get your ass to the clinic. Your partners are in the kitchen.” Brie headed up the stairs and continued her conversation with Jona’s mother. “Sorry, about that, Kaylian. I had to deal with Maddie. Ok, so, when do you three plan to arrive?”
“Probably a day or two before Thanksgiving so that if you need help cooking, I can jump in the Kitchen and give you a hand.”
“I’ll sure appreciate it. There are just so many”, Brie laughed.
“I wanted a big family like you and David had.”
“Well, Kaylian, you can live vicariously through me and spoil all of my grandkids right along with me. How does that sound?”
Kaylian laughed. “I like it.”
“Oh, there’s a new one for you and Skyler to help David and me spoil. Maddie had a boy in August. His name is Asher.”
“What a handsome name! Which of his parents does he resemble the most?”
“Colton. He’s got Colton’s EVERYTHING: nose, mouth, eyes, chin, black hair… I think the only thing that boy bares from his mother is his curly hair.”
“All of your kids and grandkids have curls, I’ve noticed.”
“All of them but Hunter.” She sighed as she laid the sleeping baby boy in the bassinet in Grampa’s office as Grampa worked on the book he was writing. “But, we need to get back on topic.”
“Yes, I understand. Will Jona and ‘Miah be picking us up from the airport?”
“I’m honestly not sure. Jona’s not a full partner with Maddie and Delilah in a little family massage and wellness clinic that Maddie and Delilah named ‘The Draiman Wellness Connection’. She’s the resident nutritionist and aromatherapist. If she needs help with something, she’s sure to pick my brain and I have NO problem sharing my wealth of knowledge in the field. If she has an herb question, she goes to Maddie.”
“Well, it’s good that she has those resources at hand should she need them.”
“Yeah. It’s good that she’s good at what she does. I’m sure that Maddie and Delilah wouldn’t have offered her a chance to become a full partner if she wasn’t.”
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Maddie’s first client of the day was a woman that had been her mother’s client for years. The woman was extremely picky about the music, the lighting, the draping in the table… she was picky about everything. As Maddie read the file, she called her mother. “Mom, I have issues”, she said.
“No. Really? I had no idea?”
“Not funny. I have a nitpicky client first thing and I don’t have some of the things I need.”
“What do you need?”
“Those flameless luminaries that you used, Celtic Pan Flute music; I’m sure that I have some of the lotion that she likes.”
“If the client is who I think it is you’ll want to talk to Delilah. She has all of that stuff locked in her office, baby girl.”
“Yay! I don’t need this shit today.”
“Just chill- lax, Madison. You’re freaking out over nothing. The woman will understand if everything’s not perfect. Hell, she BROUGHT the lotion the first time she came to me. I was a little taken aback, but, I got over it. She might be picky, but she’s sweet and she won’t be too big a pain.”
“Are you sure, Mom?”
“Yes, Maddie girl. The woman was a client of mine for several years. She started seeing me after I opened my business there in the house. She was actually one of my first clients there.”
Maddie smiled. “Thanks, Mama. I needed the encouragement.”
---------------
“So, baby, who are we going to have go pick up the Mason’s when their plane lands this weekend?” Brie asked David when he emerged from his office for lunch. “Jeremiah and Jona can’t. Jona has appointments from what I understand and Jeremiah has a HUGE paper due that day.”
“Yay”, David said sarcastically before taking a bite of his pesto angel hair pasta. One he’d finished chewing, he cleared his throat and spoke. “When’s James going to be in?”
“Tomorrow I think. He’s bringing Hunter and Kimmy back; Meagan and Makayla I think are bringing boyfriends, but I can’t be sure. Marc’s bringing the finished product for that video montage in your honor for Jake to finish narrating so that I can overnight it to the Kennedy Center people.”
“Ok, I’m curious. What all is going to happen for this thing?”
“Someone’s going to speak in your honor, the video is going to play, Makayla and Delilah are going to dance, and Reckless Disregard and a couple of friends are going to sing.” She omitted the fact that the other guys were going to take over the playing at some point in the show and that Jordan was insisting on a song solo. Those were to be surprises for her husband.
“You’re leaving something out. I can feel it”, he said with a suspicious look on his face.
“The things I may or may not have left out are more than likely NTK.”
“NTK?”
“Yeah, nosy ass. Need To Know. And, guess what; you don’t need to know. Now, back to whose going to pick Skyler, Kaylian, and Damian up from the airport. Any ideas?”
“We could see if Jake can do it.”
“He’s working that night.”
“I still don’t understand why he does that. He’s the Chief of Medicine for the love of God. The Chief of Medicine doesn’t have to work the graveyard shift.”
“It’s his choice, baby.”
David sighed. “I know. Now, let’s think. I’m still a fan of James going to see if they can tell him from Jeremiah”, he laughed.
Brie laughed with him and shook his head. “You’re mean, baby.”
He shrugged. “That’s not mean. Mean would be not warning them that James was going to be the one to pick them up.”
Brie was at a loss for words so she just laughed.
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