Chapter 61

After dinner that night, just before he and Brie laid down for bed, David got a call from Nadia.  "Hola, boss man.  How was your day after we left?" she asked.

"Nadia, cut the small talk.  I just laid my tired ass in my huge bed.  What can I do to help you?"

"We finally got Tali to stop acting like a retard by biting one of the hands that feeds us,  She sends her apologies and she'd like to try the meeting after Thanksgiving as soon as you're available."

"Are you serious?  As soon after Thanksgiving as I'm available?  How about as soon afterward as I'm ready?"  He tried to hide the disgust he felt from the request.

"What will it take to convince you to have this meeting, Mr. Draiman.  Tali feels like shit.  She wants a second chance."

"Stay in town and await my return call.  I'm going to take this time over the holiday weekend to calm down.  You girls would do well to give me that respect and space.  I have never been so disrespected in my life.  Natalia not only disrespected me but she disrespected my daughter when she wasn't there to defend herself.  That's pretty unforgivable in my book.  It's going to take a lot for me to allow her to darken my door again."

"I understand that, David.  We'll await your call."

"Good idea.  I'll call you soon.  Have a good holiday."  He didn't wait to hear her say good night or anything like that.  He needed to get off of that phone so that he could calm down.  He peeled the covers back and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth again.  He had to get the taste out of his mouth.  He was beyond disgusted. 

Brie was just stepping out of the shower as he grabbed his toothbrush.  "Baby, what's wrong?  What has you brushing your teeth again?"

"Just got off of the phone with Nadia.  She was calling to beg for a meeting after Thanksgiving  as soon as I've recovered from the holiday."

"What do you plan to do?"

He sighed, setting the toothbrush on the counter and hanging his head.  "I don't know, baby.  The way Natalia behaved today was ridiculous.  I was actually pissed.  And the fact that she said what she did about Jordan and Jordan wasn't in the room to defend herself is what pissed me off the most.  Jordan's never done anything to her.  Jordan does what we taught her to do and plays square with everyone she comes in contact with.  What Natalia said about her behind her back was bullshit."

"I agree.  Again I ask, what do you plan to do about this."

"Again, I don't know.  What do you think I should do?"

She sighed.  "Well, you could handle it one of a few ways.  One, you could invite them over and tell Natalia what she said was unacceptable.  Two, you could call them over and let me talk to her to see what the problem may be.  Three, you could have Jordan in there as your bull dog, of sorts."

"If I have Jordan in the room she'll want to give them a piece of her mind.  That might not be the wisest decision."

"She has the right to do so, David.  She was the one that was slighted in this."

He turned and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest and glad there was cloth between his ass and the marble counter top.  "Maybe I could call Natalia over and have you talk to her, then have the other girls over and have Jordan in the room to say her piece."

Brie pulled her night gown once she was finished applying her lotion.  It was a nightly ritual.  "Combine options two and three to make an option four.  I like it.  But, I'm begging, please don't have Natalia over here tomorrow.  I'd like to have a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.  "That sounds like a plan to me."  He pressed his lips to her forehead and left a kiss behind.  "Let's go to bed now."

She smiled and stretched up to press a kiss to his lips.  "Let's go to bed."

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

After Thanksgiving dinner, David called Nadia.  "Nadia, have Natalia come over alone.  My wife and I want to have a talk with her."

"It's Thanksgiving, boss.  Are you sure?"

"What better day to have a heart to heart with a young woman the same age as our oldest daughter than Thanksgiving?"

"What about the rest of us?"

He looked at his wife who was sitting next to him.  She nodded.  "The rest of you can come over and enjoy a little bit of Thanksgiving dinner.  We have plenty to go around.  My wife cooks for an army because she has to feed one."

"No problem, boss.  We'll be there.  Thank you for sharing Thanksgiving dinner with us."

"Dont' mention it.  My wife won't let me let you girls not have a Thanksgiving dinner since you can't be with your families.  Come on over."

"We'll see you in a few.  Again, thank you, Boss."

"Just get here.  That's thanks enough."  He hung up and looked over at Brie.  "Are you sure this is a good idea, baby?" he asked.

She smiled softly and leaned in to kiss his cheek.  "Yes, baby.  I'm sure.  I'll talk to Natalia.  I'll figure out what the hell is going on and I'll let you know what she says."

"Can you do that?"

"Yes.  I'm not acting a therapist.  I'm acting a wife and mother that's trying to get to the bottom of something that's uset me huband and one of my children."

He pulled her into the front of his body.  "Thank you for doing this, love.  You have no idea what this means to me."  He kissed her temple.

She looked up at him.  "It's what I do, honey.  I pick up and take over where you have no idea what you're doing."

He smiled.  "And you do a marvelous job of it."

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

When the girls arrived, Brie took Natalia up to her office.  "Natalia, you know who I am, don't you?"

"Yeah.  You're David's wife and Jordan's mother", she said, slipping into defense mode.

Brie noticed it and put a stop to it immediately.  "You can toss that attitude right out the door, darlin.  I don't play that.  My husband may put up with it to an extent, but I won't.  I have ten children four of whom are married, and ten grandchildren with more on the way.  I do not have the patience for it.  Now, why don't we start off with a clean slate, no defense mode bull shit, and have an open and honest conversation.  I'm not attacking you.  I'm trying to understand you."

Natalia looked at her with wide eyes.  "The last person to talk to me like that was my mother.  She was the only woman I respected."

"Why don't you tell me about her?"

Natalia took a deep breath.  "My mom was a petite woman like you.  She was a fire cracker.  She wouldn't hesitate to tell me when I was acting out.  When dealing with men, she was a powerhouse.  No man would tell her that she was beneath them.  They found out really quick what it was like to be beneath her."

"So, you picked up on that and assimilated that to the way you behave."

"Yeah.  Men have always tried to walk over me like they did my Mom.  When we formed Demonatrix, that was the message.  Still is.  Don't let anyone tell you that you're less than you are.  When we met David, it was like something clicked."

"Musically?"

"And inside me personally.  I never knew my father.  My mom was a single mom my whole life."  She paused to swallow the lump forming in her throat.  "David was the first man to show me any kind of kindness.  He was the first man to act fatherly toward me and I... I kinda put him on that pedestal."

Brie gapped at the young woman sitting in her office.  "Are you fucking kidding me?  That's why you copped an attitude with him yesterday?  You felt abandoned?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Does he know this?"

"No; I've always been too embarrassed about it to tell him."

"So, because you don't the balls to tell my husband that he's like a father to you, you have to talk shit on my daughter when she's not there to defend herself?"

"It's not that.  I have trust issues with men.  The fact that I put David in that father role and he lost contact with us for five years to watch his family explode the way it has told me that he didn't see me as part of the family.  I thought the fatherly stuff was an act.  It made me suspicious of why he was calling after five years."

"So he's not allowed to have a life?"

"He can, but there's no way he's so busy that he can't call and check up on us every once in a while.  I thought I made it obvious that I saw him a a father figure."

"Child, we have ten kids, five of which are girls.  All of our girls know that if they want something from Daddy, then they need to talk to him.  Now he can't fill that role if you don't open your mouth, girl.  He doesn't read minds.  If you don't tell him point blank that you then he can't do it.  His failure to contact you on the last five years shows that.  You have to learn how to communicate.  I understand that this persona of yours is a defense mechanism, but it's disrespectful to a lot of people.  You need to learn proper coping mechanisms and how to wield that dominatrix mentality with responsibility."

Natalia looked up at Brie with tears in her eyes.  "Can you help me?" she cried.

"No.  That's not my field.  I do know someone who can, but I don't know if they're taking clients or not."  Brie reached behind her where she sat on teh edge of her desk and grabbed a business card holder.  "Here; this is a good friend of mine.  Give a call and see if he can help you. Mention the name Draiman and he might be able to make room for you.  Now, once you stop crying, you can come down and get some food.  Be sure to wash your face before you come down."  And with that, Brie walked out of her office and went to find her husband.

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

"She WHAT?" David damn near screamed when he heard what Natalia had said to his wife.

"Did I stutter, David?"

"No, Brie, I was just making sure that I heard you right.  She's been acting the way she has because she  was upset that I lost contact for a few years as our family grew?"

"That's what I said."

"For the love of God, WHY?"

"Why is she upset?"

"Yes."

"Because she sees you as a father figure."

"And I'm supposed to know this instinctively?"

"She thinks she made if obvious."

"I certainly didn't pick up on it."

"Do you think Danny did?"

"If he did he would have said something.  I'm sure of that.  I know Danny."

"Call him and ask him."

David shook his head.  "No.  Just because our holiday is being spent dealing with this shit doesn't mean that Danny needs to spend his helping us weed through it all."

"He's supposed to call you tomorrow, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Ask him then."

"Planned on it.  Now, what to do with the four young women sitting at our Kitchen table eating dinner?"

"Why don't you go on ahead and have that meeting with them?"

"Are you sure?"

"You might as well since they're here."

He took a deep breath and headed back into the kitchen after giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.  "Jordan, may I speak to you in private for a moment, please?"

Jordan left her perch against the counter where she was leaning and trying to hold her tongue.  She was doing the best she could as far as not going off, but if the person that called her a cheat continued to sit at her parents' table and go unchecked, she was going to lose it.  She was happy her father called her from the room.  "Yeah, Dad?"

"Follow me to my office, baby girl.  I need to talk to you."

They walked up to his office and she shut teh door behind them.  "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No, Jordan.  I was actually going to ask you if you wanted the chance to speak your mind about what Natalia said the other day."

She started at her father wordlessly for a few moments.  "Are you serious?"

The look on his face spoke volumes.  "Does it look like I'm kidding?"

She cracked a slow smile.  "I was hoping to get the opportunity."

"Good.  My only stipulation is that you don't hit her.  I know you want to knock her teeth out for what she said, but you can't.  In this instance, I'm insisting that you be the bigger person."

She nodded.  "I won't hit her, Dad.  I promise.  But, she will know that I did not appreciate her saying what she did yesterday."

"Of that, baby, I have no doubt.  You're have a double dose of telling it like it is from your mother and me.  I'm sure you'll make your feelings known and Natalia feel five inches tall."

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

David left Jordan sitting in his office on the edge of his desk.  As she sat and wait for her father to return with the young women in Demonatrix, she contemplated what she was going to say.  She'd had to learn tact over the years.  She had mastered speaking her mind and not making herself out to sound like she was a spoiled, foul mouthed brat because she was far from it.

When her father walked into the room, the look on Jordan's face bore all of the disgust she felt for what had been said.  If looks could kill, she would have been a nuke.  David motioned to the chairs in front of his desk as he walked around to sit in his office chair.  Once everyone was seated, he looked at Jordan.  "Jordan, did you have something you wanted to say really fast?"

Jordan sucked in a deep breath and started to speak.  She crossed her arms under her breasts as she did so.  "I want to make it PERFECTLY FUCKING CLEAR that I did NOT appreciate being called a cheat behind my back.  Natalia, I could care less what your issues may be.  If you have something to say to me, say it now.  If you have something to say about me, get it out.  If you have something to say about MY FATHER, speak.  Let's clear the air now so that we can have clear, open communcation about this concert.  This shit isn't about us."  She pointed at her father.  "It's about this man right here and the three men he calls 'brother'.  It's about giving them a retirement to remember.  So, whatever you may feel that you need to get off of your chest, get it off of there NOW or forever hold your peace."

It was so quiet in the room that you could have heard a pin drop.  David just sat in his high back office chair and let Jordan say her piece.  She had every right to feel the way she felt.  Everyone in the room knew it.

They sat there in silence for several moments.  There was only so much of the silence David and Jordan could take.  "Well?  What do you have to say, Natalia?  We're not going to sit here all damn day and wait.  I don't have the patience to sit here and wait.  At the very least you owe me an explanation and Jordan an apology."

"I... I don't know what to say", Natalia said.  "I am sorry, Jordan.  I know you play square with everyone.  I never should have said what I did."

"You're very lucky I wasn't in the room yesterday when you said what you did yesterday.  Had I been, you'd have been eatin' Chiclets cause I'd have knocked them out.  I accept the apology, but I do NOT forgive you."

"What I want to know is why you said it to begin with, Natalia", David said.  He was fighting not to get upset.  He needed to remain calm.  Losing his cool would accomplish nothing and he knew it.

"I don't know why.  All I know is that not hearing from you for five years then out of the blue you call made me suspicious of you and everyone that surrounds you.  I saw you like a father figure because I never had one.  When you stopped calling I felt abandoned."

"And how the hell am I supposed to know that if you don't tell me?"  He was aiming for neutrality and got it.  He silently thanked God that he was maintaining.

"There's no way you can know unless I open my mouth to tell you.  I know I have issues.  I know I need to have them dealt with."

"No, you need to deal with them yourself", Jordan said.  "You need to face your demons.  I know.  I've had to have some counsiling too.  I had to deal with my Uncle's death, being cooped up for the first eight years of my life because of a stupid war, countless lovers screwing me; I had a lot of shit I had to deal with.  I didn't do it conventionally, but it's been done.  I suggest you do the same or it will ruin you."

Natalia's band mates stared at her in shock.  "How come you never told us?" Nadia asked.

"Can we discuss that at the hotel?  I don't want to talk about it any more right now."

"Why don't you girls go do just that for the rest of the day?" David offered.  "We can talk about the show again after the new year."

"Thanks David.  We'll call you", Tasha said and the girls made their way out of the office.

David and Jordan exchanged a look.  "Did you know that she saw you as a father figure, Dad?"

"Not until right before I had you come up here with me."

"Mom made her crack, huh?"

"You know your mother, Jordan Hannah.  If there's one thing she's good at it's getting people to talk."