Chapter 4

When he got up the next morning, he talked to his parents about the dream.  “I’ve had the same dream twice now, Dad, Mom.”

“What is the dream about?” Brie asked as she set a plate on the table in front of him.

“A baby.”

“Really?  You trying to make us grandparents again, Jake?” David asked.

“On the contrary, Dad.  I’m not trying to give you another grandchild until I have a wedding band hugging my left fourth phalange.”

“WHAT?”

“His ring finger, David.  He’s not trying to give us grandkids until there’s a ring on his left ring finger”, Brie laughed.  “I’ve told you this before.”

“I’m entitled to have a moment of memory lapse every now and then”, David said with a chuckle. He looked back at his son.  “Ok, Jake, no grandkids until you’re married.  I get that.  So, what does this little girl look like?”

“She has the signature brown curls of our family, but she has green eyes like her mother”, Jake explained.

“Do you have any idea who the mother could be?”

“A girl I met while I was pre-med at Loyola.  Her name is Delilah.  She was just beautiful; physically and spiritually.  She had the most beautiful soul of anyone I’ve ever met.  She actually made me think of you, Mom", he said as he cut into the steak on his plate.

David picked up his fork and knife when his wife put his plate in front of him.  “Do you have Delilah’s number?”

“Yeah, I think so.  I was thinking maybe I should give her a call today.”

“Well, did you two date any while you were doing your undergrad stuff?”

“Yeah, we dated for a year.”

“Then you ran off to Boston for medical school?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you love her?”

“I couldn’t say for sure.  I felt very strongly for her and if anything were to happen to her I’m sure I’d be pissed.”

“Jacob”, Brie said softly to the young man at her table, “that’s love, son.  You were in love with her.”

He looked at his father who nodded.  “You’re mother’s right, son.  What you just described is love, plain and simple.  Maybe you should give her a call.  She’s probably missed you over the last three and a half years”, David said as he cut into his steak and dipped the meat into the yolk of his eggs.

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

To say he was nervous would have been an understatement.  His heart thundered in his chest as the other phone rang.  He hoped that she wasn’t in class or anything like that.  When the phone picked up, he heard the most melodic and entrancing voice he’d ever heard.  “Hello?” the woman’s voice said.

He had to clear his throat to speak.  “Hi, is this Delilah Holt?”

“It is?  Is this Jacob Draiman calling me?” she asked sweetly.

“It is.  How have you been, Delilah?”

“I’ve been good, Jakey.  How have you been the last three and a half years?”

He couldn’t help but smile.  She was the only person he’d ever allowed to call him Jakey.  His parents didn’t even do it.  “Been busy.  I just graduated Med School.  How is your degree in dance coming?”

“I just finished up my Bachelors’ Degree and I’m going to be moving from Chicago here in the next couple of days.  I’ve been offered a chance to teach dance in Dallas, Denver, or LA.”

“Really?  I’ve been offered jobs in all three of those cities.”

“Really?  That’s great, Jakey.  Don’t your parents live in Colorado?”

“Yeah, I’m actually at home right now.”

“Well, my first interview is in Denver.  I could always come up and visit.”

He smiled brightly.  “Really?  You’d come up to visit me?”

“Well, yeah, I mean, you kinda were my first and I did fall in love with you.  I’ve missed you.” 

The sincerity in her voice made his heart skip a beat.  “You know, something, Delilah.  I fell in love with you too, and I’ve missed you quite a bit.  Now, I’m not going to tell you that you can’t come visit me, but let me clear you staying here at my parents’ house with them.”  He stood and ran into the living room from his bedroom upstairs.  “Mom, Dad, I need to ask you guys something real quick”, he said in a hushed voice.

“What’s that?” David asked.

“Delilah is coming to the area for an interview in Denver.  Would it be ok with you if she stayed here?”

David and Brie exchanged a look.  “Is this the green eyed mystery woman?” Brie asked.  He nodded, and they looked at each other again and shrugged.  “We don’t see why not.”

He smiled at his parents and mouthed, “Thank you”, as he headed back up the stairs to his room.  “When do you leave out of O’Hare?”

“Tomorrow morning at 8 am CST.”

“When do you land in Denver?”

“Around 11 am MST.”

“I’ll be there to pick you up.  I can’t wait to see you again.  I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too, Jakey.  I’ll see you at 11 am tomorrow morning.”

“Hold on.  Do you like motorcycles?”

“Yeah, why?”

“When I get you back here, I’m going to take you for a ride on my motorcycle I got for graduation from my Uncle Mike.”

“Graduation from med school?”

“No, from high school”, he said with a laugh.

“You’re weird, Jakey.  I can’t wait to see you again.”

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

He ran down the stairs with a huge smile on his face.  “Mom, Dad, have I told you recently that I love you?”

They laughed.  “Can’t recall if you’ve said it recently or not, and it never hurts to hear it”, Brie said.

“I love you, both of your crazy people!  Delilah’s leaving tomorrow at 8 Chicago time and getting here at about 11 our time.  God, I’m so excited!”

David chuckled.  “We can see that, Jacob.”

He flopped down in the arm chair to their left.  “I’m on top of the world right now.  I’m going to take her to town on my bike that Uncle Mike gave me; we’re going to ride four wheelers in the woods; romantic dinners in town… I cannot wait!”

“Calm down there, doctor, you have to wait until she gets here first”, his mother laughed.

“I know, I know.  I guess I’m being impatient.”

“You GUESS?” his father laughed.

“Ok, I know I’m being impatient.  But, she told me that she’d fallen in love with me during the year we dated.  I was her FIRST, Dad.  Think she wants me to be the last man she’s ever with again.”

“What do you want, though, Jake?”

“I want to see where this goes.  I started falling for her while we were together three and a half years ago, too.”

“Speaking of, Jacob, I’ve been wondering, how did you finish your medical degree in five years?”

“I pulled a you, Dad.”

“Pulled a me, huh?  Piled on the credit hours, worked, and went to school year round?”

“Yep, I worked a little bit.  I spent more time volunteering than working, but the same concept applies.”

“What is it with your Draiman men and being over achievers?” his mother asked them both.

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

When he lay down for the night, he silently celebrated the visit that the girl he’d started falling for was going to make.  He was still floating on cloud nine.  When his siblings had come back from their various activities, his sisters decided to try to pick on him.  Jordan was even there and joined in.  “Jake’s got a girlfriend, Jake’s got a girlfriend…” they chanted.

When he’d had enough, he put an end to it.  “ENOUGH!” he shouted over the noise of his five sisters.  “Jordan, you’re 23, for the love of God.  Can’t you act it and not lead out little sisters in chanting about me having a girlfriend?”

“I COULD, but, I like to pick on you, Jake my boy.  You’re my twin after all.  If I have to share a birthday with you, then it give me license to pick on you.”

He sighed and shook his head.  “You’re the most immature, Jordan, I swear.”

“What are you bitching about, Jake?  We’re just having a little fun with you.”

“And when have I ever picked on you with your girlfriends, huh?  When have I ever said, ‘Jordan’s got a girlfriend, Jordan’s got a girlfriend.’?”

“Well, never.”

“Exactly.  I don’t want to pick on you, so please, lay off.”

“Fat chance.”

He just rolled his eyes and walked away.