The video was finished, the publicity tour ended, and the holidays had come and gone. Everyone was home where they belonged. Malachai was enjoying his children and Logan was preparing for the arrival of his son.
Jordan had found a girl that was interesting, and they talked. They had an understanding that Jordan wasn’t looking for anything serious and the young lady understood. Ginger, the young woman in question, was perfectly ok with being Jordan’s fuck buddy. Jordan loved that she was cool with it because even she needed a little satisfaction every now and then.
Caleb met a girl and fell in love. Heather was the sweetest young woman he’d ever laid eyes on and she reminded him of the woman who mothered and raised two of his band mates. Heather was a down to brass tacks young woman who had no trouble telling him that he was being an idiot. When he brought her over to the Draiman house to introduce her to David and Brie, Brie took one look at her and smiled. “Honey, you’ll do. Just keep my adopted son in line and we’ll get along just fine.”
Heather’s response was simple. “Not a problem, Mrs. Draiman. He steps out of line with me and I’ll land a frying pan upside his head.” Her Texas drawl was unmistakable.
Brie went into a belly laugh, grasping at her sides. “Oh, I like you already.” She took a look at the young woman’s skin tone and black curls. “Are you of a Pacific Island decent?”
“Yes, ma’am. My father’s from a little island in the middle of the ocean known as Yap.”
“You must be mixed then. Not that I have a problem with that.”
She smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“That island temper will keep Caleb in line. I guarantee that.”
“It had better or he’ll learn to fear me.”
David and Brie exchanged a look. “She’ll do, won’t she baby?” she asked.
David looked back at her. “Oh, yeah. She’ll do just fine. She’s a Pacific Island version of you and Jordan and Caleb knows not to cross either of you.”
“Because I’ll get me ass kicked”, Caleb interjected.
Jordan laughed. “Damn straight.”
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“So, what does everyone think of my little island flower?” Caleb asked during rehearsal.
“She’s perfect for you, man”, Malachai laughed.
“Amen to THAT”, Logan chuckled as he tuned his bass.
Jordan had remained quiet. She had a notebook in her lap and tinkered with a melody in her head. She’d play a little on her piano, then jotted down something in the notebook.
“Earth to Jordan Draiman. Come in, Jordan”, Caleb said.
“Grow up, ass hole”, she said, not tearing her attention away from what she was doing.
“I’d like to know what you think of Heather.”
“She’s fan- fucking- tastic. Now, let me write, ass munch, or I’m going to get up and go GET HER from the living room with my parents and she can come whip your ass FOR ME. Comprende?”
Caleb looked at Malachai. “What’s gotten into her?”
“Dunno, but she’s deep in thought and I wouldn’t suggest interrupting her again.”
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“You, Heather my dear, are a breath of fresh air!” Brie said as she poured herself a cup of hot tea and David a cup of coffee.
Heather smiled brightly. “Thanks, Mrs. Draiman. I wasn’t raise to tolerate stupidity.”
David had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from spewing coffee everywhere as he laughed. After swallowing the mouthful of coffee he was drinking, he looked at his wife. “Where have I heard that one before?” he laughed.
“Me.” She smiled brightly at her husband. “Remember, we also raised our children the same way.”
“Jordan just seems to come by it naturally”, Heather commented.
“That’s for sure. Jordan’s our little fire cracker. She may be small like her mother is, but God forbid you piss her off. Not only will she verbally take your head off, piss her off enough and she’ll physically take your head off.”
“I like her already. Until I met Caleb, I bet she was the one keeping him in line.”
“I think during one rehearsal she bounced a six inch stiletto heel off of his head”, David told the young woman.
“No fucking way!”
“Yes, fucking way”, Brie said.
“What happened?”
“When they’re rehearsing, Jordan’s all business. You’re down there to learn a song or get ready for a show, not to dick around. Well, she and Malachai were discussing something, I don’t quite remember what, but Caleb starting doing shit he shouldn’t have; he was fucking with my recording equipment downstairs. Malachai, Logan AND Jordan all asked him twice not to mess with it. Finally, after the last time she asked, Jordan took off her shoe and flung it at him. The spiked heel landed in his forehead as he turned around. They came up the stairs and he was bleeding, blood oozing down his forehead. My wife asked, ‘What happened to Caleb?’ ‘I got a shoe upside my head, Mrs. D.’ ‘Whatever for?’ ‘He was dicking around with shit he shouldn’t have’, Jordan said, ‘so I bounced my heel off his head. Now I have to trash a pair of shoes because one of them has blood on them and it will NEVER come out of that leather.’ Needless to say, we doctored his forehead and I told him that if he fucked with my equipment again he’d never be welcome in my house again.”
Heather laughed. “Girl after my own heart.”
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Dani, Mandy and Heather were fast friends. Heather loved playing with little Miranda and Isaiah. She adored them. Miranda was a talkative little munchkin even though she did know any words quite yet. Isaiah was more reserved. He would only share his opinion if he had one. He was a man of few words. He took after his mother and grandmother that way. Unless they had something to say, they rarely spoke. Miranda was like her father and grandfather. She didn’t care who heard her, she had an opinion about everything and she would make it heard. At seven months old, Malachai and Mandy’s twins were showing their stripes.
When “Civil Disobedience” was released, it achieved a Billboard top ten release in its first week. No party was had. The band wasn’t home to celebrate. They were filming the video for their second single, “Deliverance”. When David got the news, he made sure each of the kids got a text message telling them congratulations. They were also prepping to go on tour. They wouldn’t be touring with Disturbed. David, John, Mike and Dan had all made it very clear that they had to prove their meddle before being asked to tour with them. Jordan, Logan, Malachai and Caleb had no problem with that.
Caleb was FINALLY growing up. He was starting to act like a young man and NOT a teenager. Logan and Dani’s baby boy was delivered three days before they were supposed to head out on tour. He was drastically early. Little Seth Edward Moyer weighed about three and a half pounds and had to spend a couple of months in the incubator. The band that Reckless Disregard was supposed to tour with agreed to postpone the tour so that Logan could be with his son. Logan was eternally grateful. Once Seth was released from the hospital from being born nearly three months early and Logan could breathe without feeling like heart was going to explode, the band finally started rehearsals for the tour they were opening. None of them could have been happier than they were when they were preparing to get ready to finally go on the road. It brought a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. They’d been through their fair share of struggles, each of them, and they’d come out smelling like roses. Jordan was struggling with her sexuality and what society thought a young woman her age should have been doing. Logan had the problems with his son’s hospitalization. Malachai was trying to find a way to balance between being a family man and a musician. He’d spoken with his father only to find that he even still had trouble with it. Caleb was learning what it meant to be a man. Heather would tolerate no bull shit and she made it clear. He would grow up or else. He was doing so steadily. He was realizing that he was far too childish and was learning the meaning of the word respect.
They’d come a long way in the time that it took them to get their start. Now it was time to show the world that they could shine.
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