The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “I know that feeling, Dean. So do I. I’ve felt that way for an entire lifetime.”

  “I know this. I . .. . know this.” Dean faced Frank. “She and I have this remarkable relationship. Not that you two don’t, you do, but we worked together. We had a very comfortable, take for granted lifestyle. Unlike with you, it’s pretty much a given that I will see her every day and that she and I will find time together.”

  “Um . . . Dean? If you’re trying to make me feel bad . . .”

  “No, I’m trying to make you feel better.”

  “Really?” Frank asked.

  “Just listen . . . El and I may have that. I may love her as much as you. And . . . I may say I would do it, but you Frank have done it,” Dean spoke with soft passion. “You are literally going to the ends of the earth for her. You have done anything, gone to any extreme, saved her life more times than anyone can count, and you have . . . you have died for her. That is love. That is remarkable. I don’t think there’s a single instance in any history between two people that can top that. When I look at it, it’s unfair. I have her and I have her because of you. Your drive for her saves her and I get her.”

  “Dean. Fuck. Thanks. Now, if you . . .”

  “No, let me finish. The truth be known, Frank, whether she’s your wife, my wife, our wife, whatever, I will still get time with her. I just think, that maybe, the time now . .. is your time to be number one.”

  “Dean,” Frank spoke in near shock. “Are you saying you’re giving her up?”

  “No. I’m saying that I am stepping down from the number one slot for a while. We can make this work between us, Frank. We can. It’s just time for you to be primary now.”

  “You can’t be serious. How do you think El will handle this?”

  Dean chuckled softly. “Come on. You’re being the hero again. How do you think El will handle it. I’ll tell you she’ll handle it just fine. She’ll be just fine with it, as long as we’re just fine with it.”

  “You really mean this. Dean, you don’t have to do this.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Frank shook his head. “No. I can’t let you do this. She’s your wife.”

  “She’s your life. As I said before, I wouldn’t have her if it wasn’t for you.”

  “Dean . . .”

  “No, Frank.” Dean lifted his hand and looked upon Frank with seriousness. “Do this. Bring her home, Frank. Bring her home to me, to our kids, do your thing. OK? And I swear by my soul, I will do . . . the right thing.” He extended his hand to Frank.

  Frank hesitated, then after gripping Dean’s hand, he pulled him in to an embrace, one of assurance. Stepping back, Frank laid his hands on Dean’s shoulders. “Just know, I don’t need a reason, or a cause, or even a deal. I just . . . want her home.”

  ^^^^

  “Thank you, Officer,” Joe spoke with a calm aggravation many, many, years before at that amusement park. “I assure you they were playing around, and are brothers.”

  Joe waited until the officer walked from the booth in that particular section of the park then turned to his four sons. After a nod of his head, he reached out and gave a light ‘whack’ to the back of Frank’s head.

  “Hey.” Frank rubbed his head.

  “What the hell is the matter with you?” Joe barked. “Trying to drown Hal?”

  “Jimmy was involved.” Frank pointed. “He hit him too.”

  “You’re an adult now, It’s legal to abuse you in public.”

  Hal exhaled dramatically loud. “Father, I did nothing to provoke him. It was . . .”

  “Yeah. Yeah. My ass!” Joe snapped.

  “Dad,” Jimmy spoke up. “We were playing around.”

  “The goddamn cops were called in.”

  Frank’s loud ‘oh’ drew attention. “That’s not fair. He was here anyhow. They didn’t call him.”

  “He was not, Frank.” Joe argued. “The officer told me that he was called to observe the situation because there was a hint that there’d be trouble and that he was told ahead of time . . .” Joe’s voice slowed down. “That something . . . might.” He winced. “Goddamn it, Hal!”

  “What?” Hal asked innocently. “I was being cautious.”

  Joe grumbled.

  Robbie swallowed hard and looked up. “Am I in trouble too?”

  Jimmy rolled his eyes. “You’re never in trouble. Why would you even ask that?”

  “I was here,” Robbie said. “You know Dad’s saying ‘ Birds of a feather flock together’.”

  Joe shook his head. “Yeah, but that doesn’t count. You have to flock with your brothers. No. You aren’t in trouble.”

  “Oh!” Frank griped loudly. “That’s unfair.”

  “No it’s not, Frank. Robbie can’t even reach Hal. You two were drowning him.”

  Frank pouted. “We wouldn’t have let him die. It was just payback because he’s such a shit.”

  Hal gasped, “I am not. I resent that. You are just a sore loser.”

  “You cheat!” Frank pointed.

  Jimmy added, “That’s true, Dad, Hal . . .”

  Joe’s loud whistle, short and sweet, silenced them. “Cheat? Cheat? How in the hell can he goddamn cheat? There is not cheating here! I have just a few final words to say on the subject.” He swung out a point to each of the boys going down the line. “Nineteen, seventeen, fourteen and twelve. Your ages. What in Christ’s name were you four doing at the ‘go fish’ booth anyhow! Huh?”

  Jimmy shrugged. “Easy win.”

  Hal nodded. “True.”

  “I got lots,” Robbie stated. “Hal won the bonus fish.”

  “Which he cheated to get,” Jimmy said.

  Joe heard it. Nothing,. He looked at Frank who was counting on his fingers “Frank? What are you doing.”

  ‘You said a few. Few meaning three or four. You said more than a few final . . .” He stopped when he saw Joe’s glare. As Joe turned away. Frank mumbled. “Twenty-three.”

  Joe hurried and looked back.

  Frank shrugged. “That’s how many words you said.”

  Jimmy gave Frank a nudge. “Good job. College is paying off.”

  Frank smiled smugly.

  “No more trouble,” Joe warned. “Speaking of trouble. Where is she? She was just here.”

  After a tug to Joe’s sleeve, Robbie pointed. “There.”

  Joe groaned when he turned to see Ellen giggling and laughing at another booth. “Christ, can we not take her anywhere without her flirting?”

  “With a ‘huh?’ Frank turned and looked. “Oh, that’s not right.”

  Jimmy looked at Frank with a tilted head. “If you were doing something right, Frank, that wouldn’t be happening. You only have yourself to blame.”

  Joe looked at Jimmy. “Do you mind?”

  Frank heaved out, “Why would he mind? I’m the one that minds. Ellen is flirting.”

  Wincing, Joe stayed calm. “Just . .. Just go get her. Snatch her away from that bozo and bring her back here.”

  “Got it.” Frank gave a nod and darted off.

  “Um, Dad,” Hal said.

  “What, Hal? What?” Joe yelled.

  Hal pointed. “You asked.”

  Joe didn’t have to look. Ellen’s scream gave it away. Turning with a hunch, Joe exploded. “Goddamn it, Frank. Put her down!”

  Andrea giggled and handed the photo back to Joe. “That was wonderful, Joe. Thank you for sharing.”

  Joe took one more look at the picture taken in a photo booth. “It was aggravating then, but times have changed . . . no, wait, times haven’t changed. But it was fun.”

  “Frank is still Frank. Hal is still Hal. Robbie is still Robbie.” Andrea paused only briefly. “And I’m sure, wherever the good Lord has Jimmy, he’s still Jimmy.”

  “I’m sure.” Joe rummaged through the cigar box for another picture. “I cannot believe Hal kept all these.”

  “Oh, I can. We’re talking about Hal. Hal is like you, Joe. He loves his family very m
uch.”

  “We’re a tight family. Did I tell you what I started?” Joe asked.

  “No. What?”

  “A journal. I started it a while ago when I found out . . . well, when I found out. I started keeping track of all the memories I recalled from the boys. Every single one. From my memory you know. I started the journal out with Frank’s birth and I am going in order. Haven’t made it much into Jimmy. My God, do I have the memories. I find myself recalling something that I don’t want to forget to include and I jot it down on a loose piece of paper and stuff it in the back.”

  “I’m curious, Joe Slagel. How many loose pieces of paper do you have in the back of that notebook now?”

  “Too many to count.” Joe winked. “I fully intend on including this little jaunt as well.”

  “It may take up a lot of paper,” Andrea smiled.

  “This may sound odd, but . . . I’m looking forward to the return trip. Me, the boys, Ellen. Of course Elliott will be there, but we can ignore him.”

  “Kind of rekindling those family vacations?”

  “Absolutely. I want to. I . . .. I need to, Andrea. I need to do this. I feel that even though I have been ranting here, I need to go back to who I was before this crummy world ended. I need to show my boys, one more time, that I can be strong.”

  “Oh, Joe,” Andrea spoke softly. “They see that every single day.”

  “But I need them to see I will go out on a limb for them. I want to fight side by side with them. I need my family to see that I would do anything to bring them all back together, even if it’s just so I felt I showed them.”

  “You’ll do it, Joe. You’ll have your family back, safe and sound, by his time next week.”

  “I feel that too.” Joe reached over and gave a squeeze to Andrea’s hand.

  “Now . . .” She reached for the cigar box. “While we’re relaxing, relieving tension, and getting that mind set for the trip, how about a few more of the Slagel family memories?”

  “I’d like that.” Joe looked through the pile and with a smile pulled, out a photograph. “Ah, here’s one.” He chuckled in reflection as he handed Andrea the picture. “This is the fishing trip when Frank drove the car into the lake. He was . . . . thirteen.”

  “And . . . you enjoyed these trips?” Andrea asked with sarcasm.

  “Oh yeah.” Joe smiled peacefully. “Every single one.”

  ^^^^

  To anyone else it was probably a really lame reason for the late night phone call, but to Hal it bred fear. A dream that was overall pleasant had turned into a waking reality.

  It wasn’t much. It was a dream in which Hal was young again. He was thirteen, perhaps, at a time when they all lived at home. He recalled recognizing the fact that he was his younger self again. His mind even found amusement in the fact that he still wore something on his head. He had gone from the backwards baseball cap to the bandana he wore faithfully. There was an eeriness when Hal peered up to his father in his dream and saw himself. He knew they resembled each other. He just never knew how much until he had that dream.

  But what was it about the dream? It wasn’t much, just a typical day at his home. He was doing something creative, Robbie playing, Jimmy studying, and Frank pretty much not doing much but sitting there staring out.

  Nothing much. A pretty boring dream. Hal supposed in that dream, boredom was the reason that one by one they started leaving the room. Jimmy left first, then his father stood and walked out, and then Robbie. The moment Hal turned to Frank in that dream and said, ‘They all left. We’re alone you and me’, Hal snapped awake in a panic.

  He calmed himself first before calling Dean. He sounded irrational, but Dean handled the questioning well. Hal never put much stock into Dean and Ellen’s ‘trip to the so-called future’, but he did after that dream. Alone with his thoughts and information, Hal did one other thing. He called Elliott. If he was going to be awake and fighting his neuroses, so was his right hand man and best friend.

  Surely Elliott, of all people, would not only be understanding, he would immediately be on the same wave length as Hal as soon as he looked at the future information. Or so Hal thought.

  “I’m not clear on why you are having me read this, Captain?” Elliott referred to the notes Hal had taken of his conversation with Dean.

  “It doesn’t strike you?”

  Slowly Elliott shook his head.

  “Give me that.” Hal snatched up the paper.

  “Captain, don’t get defensive . . .”

  In a whine, Hal mocked, ‘don’t get defensive.’ He took a breath, “Good God, Elliott one would think you would know.”

  “Maybe if you tell me why I have to read it, it would snap to me.”

  “Ok.” Hal figured Elliott was just groggy so he explained. “I had a dream that I was thirteen and I was sitting in my old living room with all my brothers and my father. Then everyone, one by one, got up and left, everyone except me and Frank. It was just us. Just him and me, Elliott. Now what do you make of that?”

  “Your youthfulness manifested itself into the form of a dream . . .” Elliott paused with a calm blink when Hal smacked him lightly with the notebook. “What . . . was that for?”

  “I’m not wanting your interpretation Mr. Wanna-be psychic . . .”

  “You asked,” Elliott said. “If you’d let me finish, I was merely stating that basically, when you were young, your family was together. Now you are leaving in a few short hours to get your youngest brother. You’re bringing the family together The dream just signified that your longing to do so is bit by the reality that . . . that . . .” Elliot’s words slowed.

  Arrogantly, Hal nodded. “That?”

  “One by one they’ll . . . “ With an exhale, Elliott sat back, “Leave.”

  “Hence . . . “ Hal dropped his notes to the table. “Our future scenario. You aren’t there, Elliott. Neither is my father or Robbie.”

  “This is twenty years in the future. Your father and I are both ill, Captain . . .”

  “Robbie,” Hal interrupted. “Robbie isn’t. It’s too ironic, Elliott, that in the future it is just me and Frank. None of you are there. It’s also too ironic that we are going on this mission . . . all of us.”

  “I understand your concern,” Elliott spoke. “You have us four. It could actually get dangerous, therefore, it could actually be the reason, not the illness, that cause us not to be together in the future.”

  “This is supposed to make me feel better?” Hal asked.

  “No, but this should.” Elliott folded his hands. “When Dean and Ellen were pulled into the future, they were pulled in because Frank and Billy wanted to divert the tragedy that took their lives, the same tragedy that took my life, Robbie’s life . . . get it?”

  “Tragedy was diverted.”

  “Yes.” Elliott smiled. “The accident that was suppose to take our lives . . . didn’t. Your father’s passing in the future has to do with his illness, not the coincidence that we are all leaving together.”

  Hal smiled in relief. “Thank you, Elliott, I feel . . .”

  “Unless.” Elliott lifted a finger.

  Hal whined.

  “Unless you go by the theory that you may change the road but you can’t change the destination. Meaning, one way or another we were all suppose to die in a certain time frame and the diverting of the accident only delayed the deaths. Let’s face it. Had Ellen not lived through that explosion, we would not be going to L.A. to get her and Robbie. Ellen killed Bev. In that original path of time, in a sense, she was the reason for the explosion and therefore, in a sense, the reason for all our deaths. Of course, now she is kidnapped, so in a sense, we are going after her, fulfilling the destiny that she, again, could be the reason for our deaths.”

  Hal just stared.

  “Just a theory.”

  “I hate you.” Hal stood up.

  “Captain, please. It is my feeling you are making way too much out of this. If by chance it is suppose to happen, w
e have proved time and time again that things can be changed and you’ll be on top of things. Correct?”

  “I guess so. Yes, I will.” Hal nodded.

  “Another thing.” Elliott stood as well. “It was a dream, a simple dream. You are not psychic, intuitive, or anything like that. It was just a dream.”

  “You’ve made a valid point.”

  “So don’t worry.”

  “I won’t.” Hal chuckled. “You’re right. I will take relief in the fact that I am not . . .” Hal made quotes of his fingers. “the gifted brother.

  Elliot winked. “That would be Frank.”

  “That would be Frank. As long as Frank has no weird prophetic dream . . .” Hal exhaled, “I’m not going to worry.”

  ^^^^^

  The ‘squawk’ of the crow was so loud that Frank would have sworn it blasted its call right next to his ear. It awakened him, or so he thought. He sat up but instead of on the couch where he fell asleep, Frank found himself surrounded by corn stalks.

  “Whoa,” Frank commented as he stood up in the middle of the field. It was night but a green hue hung over everything with an eeriness. Thinking he had become one heck of a sleep walker to wander out into the fields of Beginnings, Frank heard it.

  A guitar.

  The strumming was bad and the chords were sloppy, yet Frank, against what he wanted to do, followed the music. He started to get a little aggravated as he separated the stalks to make his path. The old voice singing irritated him even more and to Frank, it was bad enough he made it to the cornfields, but did he have to end up there while Josephine was in a drunken binge out there as well?

  He approached the end of the field and saw the old farm house. Just as he started to wonder why he never noticed that farm house there before, Frank wondered something else. Who was the old black broad?

  The guitar playing stopped and the extremely old black woman put down her guitar. She rocked in her rocking chair and waved to Frank. “Welcome, welcome. All are welcome.”

  “All?” Frank looked behind him. He was alone.

  “Come closer.”

  “OK,” Frank said apprehensively and walked. “I have a feeling, I’m not in Beginnings anymore. Wait . . .” Frank snapped his fingers. “This is a dream.” He pinched himself. “Ow. Is it?” He peered around. It is. No. Yeah. It has to be. We don’t have any old black women in Beginnings.” He moved closer to the porch. “I’ll go with it.”