Finally, David and Brie went home from celebrating their anniversary. They were well relaxed and ready to finish pulling their son’s wedding to the girl of his dreams together. After arriving home and being greeted by all of their children and grandchildren, they started tackling their individual tasks. “I’m going to go put the finishing touches on my book and make a few phone calls about the concert next year. You gonna be ok down here with the grand brats?” David said.
“Yeah, sweetie. Go do what you have to do. I’m going to play with the grandkids until dinner and put the finishing touches on Jona and Jeremiah’s wedding. I’m going to make them help me with the invitations”, Brie said with a smile.
“Alright. I’m glad I’m almost finished with that damn book. I should have listened to you and never took on that project.”
“Are you admitting that you got in over your head with that, love?”
He laughed. “Yes, I’m admitting that I got in over my head. Happy now?”
She pressed a kiss to his lips. “No. I don’t like to see you miserable. You’ve been miserable as you’ve recalled the events that book covers.”
“Because there are a lot of miserable times in that damn thing. But, I also recount the day I found you, the day we became a couple, the day I adopted Malachai, the births of each of our children and grandchildren, and so on. Now, I’m going to go add our thirtieth anniversary in there. These are all the happiest times of my life.” He kissed her again.
That earned him a smile. “Then go add our anniversary to that book of yours and let’s end that chapter of our lives.”
“I’m going, I’m going”, he laughed before giving her one more kiss and making his way up the stairs.
She watched him walk up the stairs and shook her head. Damn, what did I do to deserve that?, she asked herself. Damn, he is so fucking sexy! Is that really MY husband? She shook her head to clear the thoughts, then called for her son and his fiancée. “Jeremiah! Jona! Come to the living room please.”
The young couple made their way down the stairs. “Yeah, Mom?” Jeremiah asked.
“Jona, come have a seat with me. Jeremiah, go to my office and get the invitations for your wedding for me. We need to get them made out and sent out. Your Uncle Danny’s on my ass about his and Aunt Nikki’s.”
Jeremiah smiled. “Yes, ma’am”, he said with a laugh. He kissed Jona quickly before turning around to go get the wedding invitations from his mother’s office.
Jona took a seat on the loveseat across from her mother in law. “Is there something you wanted to discuss with me, Brie?”
“No, sweetie. It only takes one person to get one small box of wedding invitations”, Brie said with a smile.
Jeremiah jogged down the stairs and set the box and envelopes on the coffee table. “Do you have a list of addresses, Mom?”
She grabbed her phone from her purse. “Right here on my phone, ‘Miah. Please tell me you grabbed pens.”
“I did, mother. I grabbed the nice pens out of your desk drawer.”
She laughed. “Ok, then, let’s get started putting names and addresses on these envelopes.” She picked up a pen off of the table next to the box and started neatly writing names on the envelopes. She instructed the young couple on how she wanted them to look and they started. Brie was actually shocked at how nice her son’s handwriting was. She thought his writing was going to look like her husband’s and her son Jacob’s. “’Miah, I thought your handwriting would look like your brother Jacob’s or your father’s.”
He laughed. “Nah. I’ve worked LONG AND HARD to make my handwriting legible. I knew this day would be coming so I knew that I’d have to make it so that people can read my handwriting.”
“Well, that’s good.” They sank into silence for a few brief moments. “I’m sorry to interrupt your concentration, but your father and I have been wondering where you two wanted to go on your honeymoon.”
“Actually, Mom, we’ve been discussing that, and we’ve decided that we’re going to forego a honeymoon. As long as we’re together, we’re happy.”
“Do you mind if I ask why?”
“Well”, Jona said as she sealed the envelope that was addressed to her parents, “I really don’t want to travel outside of the US because I know that I won’t want to come home. People here are so rude at times and I know I’d fall in love with the culture no matter where we go. Plus, there’s really no where in the States that’s appealing as far as travelling to for a honeymoon either.”
Brie nodded. “Well, I don’t know if you two would be interested in moving out of the country anytime soon, and I’ll have to talk to my husband about it, but if there comes a point where you two want to move out of the country, let us know. It will be nice to have at least one of our children and their family close by.”
“Well, Mom, I’ll be honest, I really don’t want to leave the States just yet. I still have to finish school and I actually have a teaching job lined up at the high school my siblings and I went to once I finish up my Associates’ degree in History. They need a new World History teacher because the one that Jay and I always heckled just retired. I actually went up there and apologized for being such a pain in his ass the year he had me”, Jeremiah said without looking up from what he was writing.
“So, you’re going to take over his job teaching history?”
“Yep. I can’t wait.”
“How many hours do you lack to have your Associates’ degree?”
“I lack two classes that total 10 credit hours.”
“Do you think you can go into a class room and keep their attention?”
“Yeah, actually. I’m not much older than a lot of them. They’ll be able to relate to me a little better than Mr. Hallowell. Plus, I have a LOT of awesome ideas to make learning about the Trojan War or the Persian War a little more FUN than just reading it out of a book. That, on top of some of the stuff you taught us when we were kids, and I think I’ll be pretty set.”
“You have it pretty figured out it seems. But, Jeremiah, will you be able to handle being called ‘Mr. Draiman’ on a regular basis and not say, ‘Mr. Draiman was my father’.”
“The first few times, it will be very tempting, I’m not going to lie. It will take some getting used to, but I think I’ll manage.”
“So, you’re going to teach, Jona here is in holistic healthcare… you kids are taking off rather well.”
They both smiled. “Thanks Mom”, Jeremiah said. “But, I have to say, if it weren’t for seeing you and Dad’s work ethic growing up, I wouldn’t have worked this hard.” He stood and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek- something he hadn’t done in years. “Thank you, Mom.”
Brie blushed. “It was my job, ‘Miah. I’m just glad that you and your siblings paid as good attention as you did.”
---------------
The words flowed onto the page and he smiled to himself. It’s easier to write about the happy things than it is to write about the shitty things, he thought. He looked at the screen and realized that he’d typed exactly that. He laughed. “Fuck”, he said out loud. “Focus, David. You can do this. You’re almost finished with this damn thing.” He grabbed a bottle of water of out the mini fridge he kept in his office and took a sip. Ok, let’s try this again, he thought as he hit the backspace key on his keyboard. He took a deep breath and started again. This was the last thing he had to do before he could send the finished product to his publisher for editing and publication.
“…And now, as I look to the future, I can’t help but recall the words of Walt Whitman, ‘I am as bad as the worst, but thank God, I am as good as the best.’ I am far from perfect. I know this. But, in the 67 years I’ve been walking this planet, I’ve been so many different things. I’ve been a maniac because that’s the persona I created for myself. I’ve been the voice of the millions. I’ve inspired people to raise their fists in protest of a government that was just as bad as Nazi Germany. But, amongst the roles I’ve played in the drama of my life, the roles I hold closest to my heart are husband and father. I’ve been lucky to have shared the last thirty years with the woman that is my soul mate. She completes me. She is the one thing in my crazy, charmed life that brings me balance. Together, we have had a grand total of ten wonderful children. Of those ten, five of them have given us a total of eight grandchildren with more to come. I’m so very thankful for the things that I’ve been blessed with in my life and I know that it can only keep getting better after the insanity of this ride comes to an end. My brothers, my sister, my blood; forty years in the business have been quite the ride. Alas, all good things must come to an end. There are far more important adventures for me to undertake now. In closing, I would like to thank each and every one of you that picks up this publication and reads it for your undying support. I’ve always held that Disturbed has the best fans on the face of the Earth. You will always have my eternal gratitude. Thank you.”
He read over what he’s written. I think that just about sums up this book. But, just to be sure, I think I’ll have Brie read it. He stood and went for the door. “Brie, baby, will you come up here to my office really fast? I need you opinion on something.”
“Give me just a moment to peel Miri and Ira off of me and I’ll be right up”, she called. He heard her laughing as she got their grandchildren off of her lap. “Grampa needs Gramma to look at something. You two need to let Gramma up.”
“But, Gramma, you’ve been gone forever and we missed you”, he heard Ira complain.
I had better go rescue her, he thought. He headed for the staircase and walked about half way down them. “Miriam Rebekah and Ira Benjamin, get off of your grandmother and let her up, or I’m going to take you outside and dump you on Mama and Daddy”, he said.
They children looked at the grandfather in horror. “You wouldn’t!” Miri said.
He looked at the little miracle and his first biological grandchild. “Try me, Rebekah. Let Gramma up or I’ll pick you and your brother up by your collars and drag you out to your Daddy. Got it?” He loved his grandkids and hated to have to get stern with them. He’d much rather spoil the hell out of them. But, he didn’t let them see how much he hated getting on to them. He just stood in the middle of the stairs with his arms crossed over his chest and watched as his grandchildren climbed off of their grandmother with pouting faces. “Much better”, he said, then called for one of his sons. “JAMES MATTHEW”, he called.
“Yes, sir?” James said, peaking his head out of the kitchen.
“Keep an eye on your niece and nephew.”
“You got it Dad.” He looked at Miri and Ira. “Miri, Ira, come down to the game room and play air hockey with me and Aunt Kimmy.”
The kids followed their uncle into kitchen and disappeared. Brie stood from her seat on the couch and headed for the stairs. “You wanted me to look at something?”
He laughed. “Yes, I did.” He held a hand out to her. When she approached, she took it and went up the stairs to his office with him to see what he needed of her.
---------------
Brie sat at the desk and read the final part of the book that her husband had been writing for nearly a years. About half way through the paragraph, tears came to her eyes. She tried to hide them, but it didn’t work. They fell on their own. She wiped her eyes and continued to read through. Once she was done she looked at her husband and smiled. “I honestly don’t think there was a better way to end it. That was beautiful, David. It truly was.”
He smiled and brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “Thank you, love. I really wanted to sum up the book by reflecting on everything that I’d already gone over and emphasizing that I’m proudest of being a husband and father.”
“You did a wonderful job of it, honey. I’m sure it will be a best seller.”
He made a face. “I don’t really care about it being a best seller. I just wanted people to know what it was like to be me for the last forty years.”
She laughed. “Being you hasn’t been that damn bad.”
“Not for the last thirty, no. But, the ten years before I found you, my life kinda sucked”, he said with a laugh.
She laughed. “Are you telling me that the time you spent technically stalking me was the start of your life turning around?”
“Well, when you put it that way…” he chuckled, then his face sobered. “The day my life turned around was the day you told me that you said that you were falling in love with me.”
“That was two days after you saved my life. Three days after I actually met you.”
“The day of the big bar-b-q where you met the wives.”
“Yep. I remember. It’s been so long ago. Now look at us. Been together for thirty years, you’re about to retire, and we’re about to move to Israel.”
“And we’ve got four kids married, one about to get married in two months, five kids that have kids of their own, all of our children have graduated high school and gone on to college… we’ve got a good life, baby.”
She smiled. “That we do”, she said with a sigh. She stood and caressed his face. “I love you, David. I really do.”
“And I love you, Brie. And I always will.”
---------------
Jeremiah and Jona were in their room watching a movie. She sat snuggled against the front of his slender body. He had his arms wrapped around her. “Baby”, Jona said from out of nowhere, “I want to learn Hebrew. I was thinking about asking your Mom to teach me.”
“Why not just ask me? I’m just as fluent as my parents are.”
“You speak Hebrew?”
He bit his tongue and tried not to be an ass. “Yes, honey. I speak Hebrew. My parents taught all of us how to speak Hebrew so that we understood what we hearing when Dad would sing the Hanukkah prayers and so that we knew where we came from.”
“Do you speak Yiddish as well?”
“No. Mom and Dad wanted to be able to communicate in a tongue that we didn’t understand should they have something that they didn’t want us to know. The only one that comes close to understanding them is Jake because he took German as his foreign language in high school and college.”
“What language did you take?”
“My high school was unique in that if offered Mandarin Chinese.”
“Say something in Chinese.”
He laughed. “Wo ai ni”, he said with a smile.
“What does that mean?”
“I love you.”
She smiled. “I love you too. Say something else.”
“Ai ren.”
“What does that mean?”
“Spouse, husband, wife, or sweetheart.”
“Is there another way to say ‘wife’ in Chinese?”
Yes. The version of the word that would apply to you would be xi fur. Why?”
She shrugged. “No reason. Just curious. So, are you going to teach me Hebrew?”
“Wei.”
“What?”
“Yes, I’ll teach you Hebrew.”
She turned in his arms and pressed her lips to his. “Thank you, baby. I love you.”
He smiled and kissed her again. “Wo ai ni, Jona.”
No comments:
Post a Comment