They had arranged their flight to Israel for that afternoon as their children prepared to go home. David fumed as they sat in the airport and awaited their flight. “To think that I wouldn’t tell our children that I was sick is fucking insulting”, he said.
Brie laid her hand on his thigh and tried to calm him. “I know, baby.”
“I know that Jordan has had her flights of whimsy and fantasy over the years, but this is fucking ridiculous. It’s worse than ridiculous. It’s ludicrous and flat out damn absurd.”
“I know, baby. And to think that I wouldn’t have told them that you were sick is rather insulting to me as well. The worst you have going on with you is your blood pressure. I’ve cut back on the amount of sodium that you intake. That’s about it. You’re actually very healthy for a man who’s nearing his seventies.”
“And you’ve made sure of that. We’re both really healthy for our ages. The fact that Jordan would make such an assumption is beyond me. I’m actually offended.”
“I don’t blame you for being upset, David. But, you need to calm down. Our plane will be here soon and then we’re heading out of the country to Israel to buy our new home.”
He took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “You’re right. I need to relax.” He pulled his Kindle out of his carry on and started to read as he held his wife’s hand.
As they sat and read they heard, “Excuse me.”
They looked up from the reading tablets in their laps. “Can we help you?” David asked.
“Are you David Draiman of Disturbed?” one of the three young women that were standing in front of them asked. She had light brown hair and green eyes.
“I am. What can I do for you young ladies?” he said politely.
“Wow, you even hotter in person”, another one of the girls said.
David smiled. “Thank you. You do realize my wife is sitting next to me, right?”
The three young woman looked embarrassed. “We’re sorry, Mrs. Draiman. We don’t mean to offend you.”
“Girls, I’m not offended”, Brie said with a smile. “I agree with you. He’s hotter in person than he is on camera.”
“We were wondering if we could get your autograph, Mr. Draiman. We’re huge fans”, the third girl asked.
“Absolutely. Always willing to sign things for the fans.” He set the Kindle aside and grabbed a Sharpie from his bag so that he could sign their shirts and things. He even took pictures with them and signed tattoos. “Did you get everything you needed?”
“Yes. Thank you so much. Our brother’s going to trip balls when he sees this.”
David chuckled. “I’m glad I could help you shock your brother. Did you girls watch the show yesterday?”
“That was monumental. We were there, front row, right next to the cat walk. That performance of ‘The Animal’… WOW. You and Jordan are so awesome together”, one of the girls said.
“Is it true that she’s your daughter?” another asked.
“Yes. She’s my oldest daughter and Malachai is my son.”
“That’s really awesome.” They all exchanged a look. “Well, thank you so much. We really appreciate this.”
“Not a problem girls. You girls enjoy the rest of your trip.”
The girls walked away and David and Brie started gathering their things after their boarding call sounded. Although the fans that they had just entertained help him relax a little, David couldn’t help but continue to feel irritated by what his daughter had said that morning at breakfast. Thankfully, he had a long flight ahead of him to unwind and put it to the back of his mind.
---------------
He dozed off once they were in the air. The first class seats on Untied Airlines were a lot more comfortable than he remembered and it made falling asleep relatively easy. He’d reclined his seat and let sleep over take him. He hadn’t realized just how tired he was after the show the night before.
What little sleep he got on the flight in between layovers was restless. Something just wouldn’t let his mind rest. He tossed and turned during the flight. When would wake it would be with a start. One time when he did it, she gently laid her hand on his and stroked his knuckles with her thumb. When he woke, he wasn’t so jumpy. She had to ask. It was going to drive her crazy not knowing. “Baby, what’s the matter?” she asked.
“I just can’t seem to quiet my mind enough to get a little rest after last night. I’m exhausted, but my mind is going a million miles an hour.”
“Song ideas floating around in your head?”
He took a deep breath. “Not really. It’s just that all I’ve been focused on for the last three weeks was that damn show and everything else has been on the back burner. It think that all of the things I’ve tried not to think about over the last few weeks are now making themselves known.”
“And it’s keeping you from getting rest?”
“I can only really guess to be honest. All I know that that I’m sleeping but not resting. I need rest.”
“What would help you rest, love?”
“What do you mean?”
“What can I do to help you get some rest?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
She raised the armrest between them and put her back to the window. “You want to try lying against me? When I touched your hand it seemed to calm you a little bit.”
He smiled as he adjusted to lean against her. “This is an odd position”, he chuckled as he laid his head against her shoulder.
She adjusted a little herself, moving her Kindle from one hand to the other. The hand she just emptied rested on his chest from over his shoulder. “It’s going to feel that way for a little bit, but there’s nothing wrong with a woman holding her man when he needs a little comfort”, she giggled.
He picked up the hand that laid against his chest and kissed the palm. “You’re too good for me.”
“No, nothing’s too good for you. You deserve the best.”
“And in you, I have it.”
---------------
After landing in Frankfurt they had a straight shot to Jerusalem after a two hour layover. The scene was similar to right before they caught their flight out of O’Hare. They were sitting- eating lunch or reading- and fans that recognized him would approach and ask for pictures and autographs. Brie was a great sport about it. She would take the pictures for them. When the fans would apologize, Brie would shake her head, wave her hand, and tell them it was not problem.
One instance in particular that got to her was a young man who was wheelchair bound came rolling up as they were packing their things up to catch their flight to Israel. His accent was barely noticeable as he spoke. “Excuse me, but are you David of Disturbed?”
David looked up and nodded. “I am. What can I do for you?”
“Can I get a picture with you and an autograph?”
David looked at his wife. “Do we have the time?”
“That haven’t sounded the boarding call. We were just getting our things together to go stand in line at customs. Do it, baby.” Brie set her carry on in the seat she had been sitting in and held her hand out for the camera. “Let me see that camera.”
The boy handed her the camera and David moved to squat next to the wheelchair. Brie snapped a couple of pictures for the boy as David signed his shirt and a few other choice pieces of memorabilia. Brie talked to the boy about his disability. He had muscular dystrophy and had since he could remember. She’d had a few clients in her career that were so afflicted. She recommended that he look into getting massage. It would help with the circulation and help move the nutrients into the muscles. It wouldn’t reverse the problem, but it would help. He thanked them both went about his business right as their boarding call sounded and they headed to customs.
---------------
Upon arriving in Jerusalem, they grabbed their rental car and went straight to their hotel. David called their real estate agent to find out when would be a good time to come in to finish paying off the house. It was too late at night and they couldn’t go in until the morning. Instead, they ordered room service and got ready for bed.
The next day, as they ate breakfast, they discussed everything that they were bringing with them from the US. “Everything in our bedroom comes here”, Brie said plainly. “I don’t care what kid wants what, I want everything in our room.”
David nodded. “I agree. What about your office?”
“I’ll leave my books for Maddie, Delilah, and Jona. I won’t need the certifications, but I do want my computer. All of my little trinkets, like the geisha and kabuki, come with us too.”
He nodded. “I agree there too. Our children, especially our daughter Madison, will jack those if you leave them there. I’m bringing all of the stuff from my office.”
“You had better.”
“You won’t allow me to leave that damn Kennedy Center medal there will you?”
She shook her head as she chewed. “Not on your life”, she said when her mouth was empty.
He chuckled. “I can’t win for losing.”
“Or lose for winning”, she said with a grin as she sipped her juice.
He laughed. “What about the living room furniture and the dishes in the kitchen?”
“We’ll leave all of that for Jake and them. I’m sure that Jake will make everyone in the area get together for family dinner once a week like we did once children started moving out of the house.”
“So you want to just replace all the pots and pans, the dishes, the stuff in the living room?”
“Yeah. We can shop while we’re here. We’ve got a week at least.”
“After that shit Jordan said the other day at breakfast, I want to get out of there as soon as we can. I’m ready to get away from having the kids around all the time.”
“That makes two of us, baby. I never thought I’d say this but I need some distance. Our children are all adults now. What more can we do?”
He nodded. “I think while we’re out here that you might want to start looking for an endocrinologist for your diabetes.”
“Have you noticed something that I need to have checked out?”
He hesitated as he thought about the question. “Is there a right answer to that question?”
“No right or wrong, just don’t lie to me.”
“There have been a few things that have had me worried. I just want to be sure that you’re ok.”
She smiled and took his hand. “Baby, I’m too damn stubborn not to be.”
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