- Author
- 03/11/2024
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Goldstein Johnson & Cole (2024 re-write) - 9. Getting To Know Joseph Part 2
Ian spoke to The Major and Christian, who assured him that Sean was doing a sterling job managing the business. Sean was enjoying the extra responsibility and reporting good figures. They were confident Sean could continue for longer, giving Ian and Kevin another week or more before they needed to return.
With the business doing well and running smoothly, Kevin paid the extra fee and arranged the rescheduled flights.
Joseph had mixed feelings; he was happy that Ian and Kevin would be staying longer as he would see more of them, but he was also concerned that he was causing them inconvenience and extra expense. When he raised his concerns, the following conversation was crucial and long overdue.
“Ian, I accept that you are my bigger and older brother, and you are in charge. But I need to know what will be expected of me as the youngest brother. I have caused you inconvenience and cost you money. What will my duties be to repay you?” Joseph wanted, no, he needed to know. His voice conveyed Joseph’s sincere desire to know where he would fit into his new family.
Taken aback by the unexpected request, Ian asked, “Joseph, what do you mean that I am in charge?”
In Joseph's eyes, Ian, as the biggest and oldest brother, was automatically in charge as that was the tradition where he came from. He explained this and added that until he was of age, it was a little brother's duty to do his big brother's bidding in the absence of a father. Ian understood what was being asked but carefully considered what he would say.
“I think Kevin should be involved in this conversation,” Ian spoke calmly and confidently. He wanted to assure Joseph he accepted what he had said and establish a basis for changing Joseph’s concept of family. “I will say this. You are not a servant or anything like that. You will be our little brother, and it is our duty to look after you. When it comes to making decisions, you will be treated as an equal, and as much as possible and where practical, you will be part of the decision-making process.” Ian continued to introduce new thoughts for Joseph to consider. His tone lightened a bit as he casually said, “Come on, let's find Kevin. Then we can talk properly.”
When they found Kevin, he was chatting with Shamira and informing her of their changed plans. He offered to book Ian and himself into a hotel since their stay would be extended. Shamira insisted they were welcome to stay for as long as they wanted and reminded them that staying with them would give them more time to bond with Joseph. Two noisy six-year-olds were running circles around them all the time, whooping with joy that their big brother would be staying longer. They had already bonded with him and didn’t want him to leave.
Ian explained Joseph's concerns to Kevin and asked him to help explain what it would mean to be their little brother in Manchester. At Kevin's insistence, Shamira was invited to join them and help Joseph to understand.
For Ian and Kevin, this was simply what they did as a family. Their family was based on things they had learned from their family, the Major, Manny, Christian and Andy. However, this new kind of family was a huge and important matter to Joseph. It was new and very different for him. He was feeling confused. Shamira had her work cut out, keeping Joseph focused while dealing with his uncertainty and emotional excitement. This was heaven and a dream come true to Joseph, all wrapped in one.
Joseph learned he was not expected to perform household duties independently like a servant. He would, however, be expected to pick up after himself and help around the house in the same way that Ian and Kevin do. His room would be his private domain, for which he would be solely responsible for keeping it tidy. Helping to plan, prepare and cook meals would be expected, but not at every meal-time. His focus should be to attend school and apply himself to his studies, doing his best in each subject. Perfection was not expected, but his best efforts were. If his grades were good enough and if he wanted to, only if he wanted to, Joseph could attend college or university to achieve the best he was capable of.
He would receive a regular allowance, or as Kevin called it, pocket money. This would partly be determined by his willingness to do his chores and academic achievements. If he wanted, he could do a part-time job when he was old enough. While he would be allowed to spend his own money as he wanted, within reason, he would also be expected to open a savings account and make regular deposits.
When he made friends, they would be welcome to visit him at home, provided they were decent people and respected their home. If they could not do that, they would not be welcome. In short, they expected him to be a typical boy growing up, hopefully into a good, responsible adult. They emphasised that having fun while growing up was also important, and he was responsible for ensuring that Ian and Kevin remembered that. Ian and Kevin may have grown up but needed someone to remind them to have fun. They often forgot to take time for that when they got engrossed in the daily demands of their business.
Joseph was excited that they had many good friends and hoped they would like him. Ian and Kevin hugged Joseph as they reassured him they didn’t just like him but already loved him very much and each day would love him more than the last. He became excited when they told him about The Major, their Pop, who was like a father to them, and Christian and Andy, who were like big brothers. His excitement rose when they told him that it was guaranteed he would be liked and loved.
For Joseph, there was only one downside, he would miss Isaac, Shamira, Aaron and Asher. They had become his surrogate family in Israel, and he wanted to maintain contact. Because of the bond that had been made, promises were made and received that they would keep contact, and reciprocal visits between Israel and the UK would be part of the plans.
All of this sounded too good to be true, but Ian, Kevin and Shamira reassured Joseph that it was true, which overwhelmed Joseph. There was one question that Joseph felt he needed an answer to: how much would he owe to Ian and Kevin, and how would he ever be able to repay what would undoubtedly be a huge sum of money?
The answer was complex for the young boy. Joseph needed help understanding that a trust fund set up by Manny would cover the expenditure for high-value expenses and that Ian and Kevin were covering all of his regular day-to-day expenses, meaning that there was no debt to repay. He accepted that he would understand this better as time went by.
Being overwhelmed by the revelations from their conversation, Joseph went to his room to rest and to try to absorb all of the information. Shamira made sure Joseph knew he could ask any questions he wanted to if he felt he needed more details or a better explanation of what he had been told.
For the remainder of the afternoon, Shamira, Ian and Kevin enjoyed a cold drink and each other's company while the twins played on the patio.
When Isaac arrived home, Joseph had many questions for him. He was seeking clarification regarding some of what he had been told earlier. Realising this was important to Joseph and wanting to avoid explaining in public, the planned evening meal out was cancelled. With Ian and Kevin's help, Shamira put together a meal of cold meats with salad and fresh bread, followed by fresh fruit. The wine was passed up for soft drinks so that clear heads were kept.
When the meal was eaten, everyone was exhausted from Joseph's relentless questions, one of which took everyone by surprise. Joseph asked if he could have a pet. He used to have a donkey and missed having an animal to look after. His look of disappointment, when told no, soon disappeared. Kevin said he had always wanted a horse so they could have horses instead. Joseph was so hyped up he was ecstatic.
Eventually, it was time for everyone to turn in for the night, but only after plans were made for Ian and Kevin to take Joseph to the outdoor swimming pool in Beit Zayit the following day. Shamira and the twins would be going with them. Joseph took it upon himself to call Jacob and tell him to bring swimwear the next day. Hugs were exchanged as they said good night to each other, and peace descended on the house for the night.
I hope that all readers will enjoy this story and will leave reactions and comments to let me know what they think of the story along with any other comments they wish to make.
This story would not have been possible without the invaluable help and support of @raven1 who has worked hard as the editor and beta reader and deserves a lot of the credit for the end result.
Please leave a reaction or preferably a comment to let me know what you think, I promise that all comments will be read, acknowledged and replied to.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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