Goldstein Johnson & Cole (2024 re-write) - 11. Tears, Laughter and Plans

Ian and Kevin had just reached the bottom of the stairs when they heard the crash, quickly followed by the sounds of glass shattering and horrified shrieks from Shamira and Joseph. The colour drained from their faces, Ian bounded across the hall to the kitchen, and Kevin stood poised with his mobile ready to press *# as Jacob had instructed.

The twins could be heard crying out on the patio. Ian opened the kitchen door. Seeing the mess and disaster in the kitchen, he immediately brought his hand up to cover his mouth, his eyes screwed up, and his face contorted. Kevin saw his shoulders begin to shake. Pressing the buttons on the phone, he rushed to Ian's side and looked, his eyes were like saucers, and his jaw dropped.

“Stop laughing. It is not that funny.” Shamira tried to sound stern, but could barely get the words out before she could not help herself and laughed too.

Everybody was laughing so hard they did not notice the twins enter with shocked expressions on their faces.

“Wow.” Aaron started.

“What happened?” Asher completed the sentence, and the crying was replaced by childish giggles. As they looked at the mess the adults had made, the giggles changed to high-pitched squeals of childish laughter as they both dropped to their knees and pointed at Joseph and Shamira.

The kitchen looked like a disaster area, and Joseph was covered in white powder, giving him a ghostlike appearance. While everyone else was laughing, Joseph looked scared and horrified. His bottom lip pouted and trembled as tears, threateningly, formed in his eyes. The more everyone laughed, the worse Joseph felt.

Shamira calmed herself and enveloped Joseph in a hug. “It is okay, honey. There is no need to be upset. We can clean up and start again. There is no harm done.”

Just then, they heard a car screech to a halt. Its doors slammed shut, and running footsteps could be heard approaching. Jacob's face was the first to appear at the kitchen window, followed by two other familiar faces. Nobody saw them discreetly hide their handguns in holsters under their clothing.

The sounds of laughter had alerted Jacob that this was not a dangerous situation, and he too had trouble not laughing as he assessed the mess in the kitchen. On Jacob's suggestion, Kevin took Joseph upstairs to his room to get cleaned up and changed. Ian went with the twins to the patio to keep them occupied, and Shamira soon had the kitchen cleaned and back to normal with the help of Jacob and his colleagues.

Soon after, they all sat at the kitchen table for a late breakfast of American pancakes, fruit and syrup. They were all in good spirits, and even Joseph managed a laugh when Shamira explained to everyone what had happened.

Joseph was attempting to make pancakes using a large glass mixing bowl and a hand whisk. However, he decided to upgrade to an electric hand whisk on a high setting. It seemed like a great idea until a cloud of powdered mix exploded into the air, hitting Joseph squarely in the face and causing him to sneeze. In his sneezing frenzy, he dropped the jug and knocked the glass mixing bowl off the counter. Joseph attempted to rescue the bowl but ended up throwing the powder mix into a bigger, cloudier mess that covered him and the surrounding area. Shamira's retelling of the incident was so funny that it had everyone laughing hysterically as if they were watching an old slapstick comedy movie.

Kevin explained he hit the emergency call buttons because of the angle from which he saw Ian's reaction. He thought Ian was crying and something bad had happened. The truth was Ian saw the kitchen disaster and a ghostly-looking Joseph, which he thought was hilarious and was trying, unsuccessfully, to stop himself from laughing. Jacob understood Kevin's reaction and complimented him on acting swiftly. It was definitely a morning that would be retold for years to come, much to Joseph’s embarrassment.

Although later than originally planned, they enjoyed their time at the outdoor pool. Between spells in the pool, the conversation was lively. The bond that Joseph was forming with Ian and Kevin was undeniable. He asked many questions about life in England and hung on every word they uttered. Joseph really liked the sound of Ian's favourite meal of fish, chips and mushy peas, with bread and butter to make chip butties. He made them promise that it would be his first meal when they arrived in Manchester.

Kevin enjoyed telling Joseph about places to visit, especially two of his favourites, Alton Towers Theme Park and Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Joseph was totally absorbed when Kevin described the roller coasters, other rides, and huge amounts of candyfloss on wooden sticks. Joseph was not sure if he would like the rides, but because Kevin liked them, he wanted to try them and the idea of candy floss captured his imagination. Because Blackpool is on the coast, he wanted to go there first as he had never seen the sea. Being a young Palestinian boy from a poor family who relied on rearing goats on a harsh terrain near The West Bank, there had been little opportunity for fun in his short life, and he had yet to experience a holiday with Isaac and his family.

This caught Jacob off guard, but then he smiled and saw an opportunity to introduce Joseph to a new experience. “If Ian and Kevin have time before they go home, I could take you to Haifa. My family own some apartments there, and I am sure we could stay in one. They are nothing special, but they are adequate. If Ian and Kevin's schedules are too tight, I would be happy to take you another time. Let me know when you want to go, and I will arrange to take you there. That is, of course, if Isaac and Shamira agree. I would really like to take all of you though, if that is agreeable.”

Joseph was speechless as Shamira spoke. “What do you think guys? I would have to speak to Isaac first, but it could be a pleasant change for all of us.”

Kevin was happily nodding when Ian answered. “Our flight is six days away, and we have nothing planned as yet. Judging by Kevin's silly grin, I think I can say yes for us if it's possible to arrange it. If not, then as long as Isaac and Shamira approve of the arrangements, we agree to you taking Joseph after we leave, but I hope we can all go.”

“Okay then, Jacob, see what you can arrange.” Shamira gave a coy smile. “Leave Isaac to me. I will speak to him tonight.”

Smiling, Jacob got an evil glint in his eye. He glanced at the three young boys before addressing Ian and Kevin. “Fancy one last dip in the pool before we leave? I think we could all carry a passenger for a big splash. What do you think?”

Kevin nodded.

Jumping up, Jacob grabbed Joseph and held him tight to his chest. Ian and Kevin followed suit, grabbing Aaron and Asher. It was a race to the pool, with the boys shrieking in delight, launching themselves into the air. They hit the surface of the water at the same time to many cheers and a few groans. The resulting splash was huge, with almost everyone in the pool and some standing on the side getting drenched as the water descended.

Isaac laughed, hearing three excited boys describe how they made a big splash at the pool that day. Clearly, they had a lot of fun. When Shamira spoke about a possible trip to Haifa, he said that he did not think he could take the time off work, but if Jacob could arrange anything, she should take the twins and enjoy the break. All that remained was to wait until Jacob returned with some news about the apartment.

Behind the scenes at Associated Executive Car Services, men and women worked hard on their computers. City and Government employees were currently undergoing background checks looking for anything that could give them an edge to achieve their goals. In the meantime, meetings were being scheduled with contacts already on the unofficial payroll. Specialists wearing latex gloves in another room were poring over and scrutinizing documents. They spoke in murmurs and hushed whispers. All of them were working to a plan laid out on a storyboard. These activities were typical for all of the covert operations they worked on. Not wanting to waste time Tom spoke to his contacts in the UK. With arrangements in place, he could now work in tandem with his Israeli counterparts to provide what was required.