Finally, the boys were finished with their training. Thirteen weeks of everyday getting the boys up at the ass crack of dawn, getting them fed and ready to go, and getting them on the transport to go to HQ for the Agency. It took a couple of weeks for the women to get used to the idea, but they finally did.
To celebrate the boys completing their weapons training, their parent's figured out a way to give them a celebratory cook out complete with Family Jam Night afterward.
As the wives cooked the stuff to go with the meat, Malachai sat at the bar and talked his Mom's ear off about the training and how he scored best on the physical testing at the end- Matt's "mini Crucible". "Mom, I didn't know I was that fast. I mean, I know I'm fast and all that stuff, but I'm faster than Uncle Matt. I mean, after we did the mini- crucible, Uncle Matt raced all of us one at a time and I breezed past him in NO TIME!"
Brie laughed as the shopped up a couple bulbs of green onion. "I'm glad you're so fast son, but you have to keep in mind that Uncle Matt is in his forties. He's just a little older than your Dad."
"Dad's how old?"
"Forty- four."
"And that makes Uncle Matt how old?"
"Forty- seven."
"How old are YOU, Mom?"
Brie gaped at Malachai. "Malachai Aaron. You never ask a woman how old she is. But, because I'm your mother, I'll tell you." She swallowed. "I'm 41."
"Ok, so you're six years younger than Uncle Matt and three years younger than Dad?"
"Yes, 'Chai. That would be the age difference between myself, your Dad, and your Uncle."
Malachai thought for a moment. "That's pretty cool." He sighed wistfully. "I hope that I can find a woman like you when I'm older, Mom. Someone who loves me the way you love Dad. I mean, it's just too obvious how in love you and Dad are with each other."
She smiled at her son. "I hope you find a woman that will treat you right, Malachai. That's all I want. I want you to find a girl that you can love, who will love you. You two can take care of each other. That's the relationship your Dad and I have. We love each other and we take care of each other. When your Dad needs advice, I'm always there to give it if I have it. When I've been sick, where has your Dad been?"
"Glued to your side. He was like that after you had Jordan and Jacob, then when you had Maddie. He was like that when you had the miscarriage. He never left you."
"Exactly."
"I hope I can find a woman that I can take care of like that."
"Would be nice if you did."
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"James, Jeremiah, stop running around this grill before you get burnt", David yelled at his youngest sons.
They skidded to a stop and looked at their Daddy. "But, Daddy, we just want to spend some time with you", Jeremiah said.
David sighed and set down his glass, then got down on the boys' level. "Boys, if you want time with me, all you have to do is ask for it. Running circles around my legs and the grill is the best way to get hurt or yourself in trouble. Now, it stops or you go inside to your Mama.
"Yes, sir", they said. James leaned in and whispered in his Dad's ear.
David smiled and told the boys to do something in Hebrew. As he stood up and chuckled to himself, Dan gave him an odd look. "What did you tell them to do?"
"I told them to go get their brothers and sisters and for each of them to get one fun little toy or something out of their room. I'm going to make up a game with them."
Jeremiah poked his head out the door and asked his Dad a question in Hebrew and David nodded and responded in Hebrew as well. Jeremiah nodded and went back into the house.
"What was that?" Mike asked.
"'Miah asked if he should drag Brie out here too. I told him only if she wasn't busy."
David took a drink as his eight children spilled into the back yard, each of them holding a toy and something that they found fun that everyone could play with. He set his drink down and went into the yard with his kids.
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