Jump to content
    Mancunian
  • Author
  • 1,671 Words
  • 1,103 Views
  • 4 Comments
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
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. 
As part of the Lost Souls Series and The Boot World readers may benefit from reading the other stories previously published, although it isn't necessary it could help you to enjoy this story more.
 

Goldstein, Johnson & Cole - 6. Chapter 6 The First Meeting

Ian and Kevin have finally arrived in Israel and met Joseph, what does their first day bring? Well breakfast is the first order of the day, but what happens next?

“Do you mean it? You would be my Ahkh? My brothers?”

“Yes,” was whispered in to each of Joseph'e ears as the grip was tightened.

*****

Isaac and Shamira looked on, although cautiously optimistic, they were happy for Joseph, this was the first time they had seen him genuinely happy and smiling. It was plain for anyone to see that an instant bond was forming. Now the work needed to begin to make sure that this boy remained happy.

The light meal of chicken accompanied by salad and fresh baked bread which was followed by a fresh fruit medley with ice-cream was perfect for the evening that was charged with excitement and hope. When the evening wound down as everyone grew tired there was a hint of disappointment on Joseph's face. He was happy, he felt an instant bond with Ian and Kevin when they hugged. He knew he would be sleeping well and having good dreams that night as he laid down in his bed, its just that he wanted to sleep with his 'big brothers'. There was no ulterior motive he just wanted to sleep surrounded by them and the love that he felt.


 

The next morning Kevin was woken up by a tapping on the door, a little groggy he made sure that Ian was covered by the sheet then called out, “come in.”

The door opened slowly as Joseph made his way in carrying a breakfast tray loaded with fresh coffee, fruit juice, croissants and fresh fruit.

“I want to show you that I will be a good brother, I have prepared breakfast for us. Would you like to eat where you are or would you like me to prepare the table on the balcony?” The smile on Joseph's face couldn't be any bigger.

“Thank you Joseph, the weather looks good so let's have it on the balcony. While you set up I'll wake Ian and we'll join you in few minutes.” Kevin was impressed and touched by the gesture.

He shook Ian awake. After telling him about breakfast waiting on the balcony they both relieved themselves in the bathroom, quickly brushed their teeth, then dressed in shorts and t-shirt. Ian was drawn by the smell of coffee and made his way to the balcony followed by Kevin.

Breakfast in the sun was enjoyed by all three, Joseph was excited as they chatted about life in Manchester and made tentative plans for days out during Ian and Kevin's stay in Israel. Joseph knew that he would not be going back with them on this trip, he just hoped that the wait wouldn't be too long. He was eager to start a new life with his brothers. When breakfast was finished Joseph returned to the kitchen with the tray to tidy up while Ian and Kevin showered and dressed for the day ahead.

Shamira met them in the lounge, where two happy boys could be heard playing on the open patio. Joseph went to join them, knowing it was one of their favourite toys he took a large box of lego. This brought squeals of delight as the boys settled for a morning of construction and probably demolition.

“Isaac has asked me to apologise for not being here, he received a call from his secretary and has some urgent business that he needs to attend to for one of his clients before seeing you. He also asked if you would meet him there so that you can discuss the matters concerning Joseph without distractions. Joseph will be happy playing with the boys while you're gone, as you can tell he is popular with Aaron and Asher, he is very good with them.”

“That sounds sensible, what time is best for us to be there?” Asked Ian.

“If we get a taxi there maybe we can organise a hire car later, that would give us some freedom for while we're here.” Kevin suggested.

“Isaac will be there all day so really it's when ever you feel ready to meet. As for transport don't worry, a car and driver have been organised for you. They will be at your disposal for the duration of your stay, the driver will also act as your guide. I'll call them when you're ready.”

“That's good of you but we had planned on a hire car, that's more within our reach.” Kevin felt awkward.

“Kevin don't worry about it, it's all been organised and is covered by trust funds set up by Manny, they will only be paid for sitting about doing nothing otherwise.” This had been arranged by friends of Marty and The Major, Shamira had been asked to keep it confidential. “It also gives you more time to get properly acquainted with Jacob.”

“It's probably for the best Kev, we'd only get lost anyway and that would cause problems. If you're ready we may as well get the meeting out of the way, I doubt it will be the only one. Then we can spend time with Joseph and maybe Aaron and Asher too, if that's okay with Isaac and Shamira.”

“Yeah, I think you could be right, they drive on the wrong side of the road here and while I like playing Mario-Kart on the Wii I don't fancy trying it out on real roads.”

“If you are sure you want can cope with two energetic six year olds I know the boys would like that. I'll call the car for you, it should be here soon, and as for driving on the wrong side of the road I'll leave that to you Brits.” Shamira was laughing at Kevin's analogy of driving on Israeli roads, but she did agree with it.


 

The drive into Jerusalem was uneventful, but on entering the city the roads were packed and slow moving. It was very much the case that the more aggressive drivers made more progress. The large blue SUV that they were in was intimidating to those in smaller cars, if that wasn't enough the sight of the behemoth of a man driving definitely was.

After parking in the underground parking lot Jacob, the six foot seven inch giant of a driver, escorted them to the reception desk. There he explained that he had brought Mr Johnson and Mr Cole to meet with Isaac Lehrer. Before they were taken through he told them he would be waiting for them at reception.


 

When seated in Isaac's office they welcomed the offer of bottled cold water he kept in small fridge near his desk.

“Ian, Kevin, please make yourselves comfortable.” Isaac was stood behind his desk and sat when Ian and Kevin did. “I'm sure that you understand that this is only the first meeting that we will need, but I promise to keep them to as few as possible.

“Joseph speaks, understands and can read and write the english language very well, he is intelligent and a very good student. What you may not be aware of is that Joseph is not of the jewish faith, nor is he a muslim, from what he has told us he is a christian. This may surprise you but it's not unusual, Israel is not exclusively jewish.

“Regardless of the on off troubles here in Israel, jews, muslims and christians can and do live in harmony in many parts of the country. The troubles here are nothing to do with religion, it is territorial and always has been, although religion has been and is used as an excuse by many.

“Joseph has been taught to be respectful of all faiths and religions, he lives a mainly jewish way of life as those of us taking care of him are of the jewish faith, and out of respect for Manny who rescued him. I met and knew Manny, I know it was his wish to adopt Joseph and take him to the UK to live with him, he wanted him to meet and know both of you. I don't need to tell you this but I will say it, he loved both of you and held you in high regard. The fact that you are here and want to welcome Joseph into your lives, and your home tells me all I need to know. I will do whatever it takes to make sure it happens.”

Hearing this brought back many happy memories of Manny, holding back their emotions they continued to listen.

Isaac went on to explain that as things stand and with the current documentation Jacob is without a legal guardian and this being the first thing that needed to be addressed. Isaac would remain his legal advocate for as long as necessary and do all he could to push for a fast resolution. They discovered that Manny had instructed that they were to take over as trustees of the fund set up to support various local charities, one of which had been set up to take care of Joseph. As soon as the 'irregularities' were discovered that support had been withdrawn resulting in those responsible disappearing without trace and Joseph being found without support or supervision. This is why he is currently residing with Isaac and his family.

There was a small stack of documents requiring their signatures. They included the acceptance of the trusteeship, appointing Isaac as their representative to act for them in their absence, and granting him permission to collate any and all information and documents to apply for legal guardianship of Joseph and start those proceedings. Following a conference call with Mark and The Major back in the UK they signed all of the documents, which Isaac then gathered and handed to his secretary to be filed away.

He then checked his watch. “Well gentlemen that is everything we can do for now and seeing what the time is, I think it's time for some lunch. I take it that Jacob is waiting for you, so let's meet him in reception and find somewhere to eat.”

Well that is the first meeting over and done with and it seems that there is a lot for Ian and Kevin to take in, not only are they applying for legal guardianship of Jacob they are also trustee's of funds to be used for charitable purposes. Manny was a very good and shrewd man, can they live up to his expectations?
Next chapter they will have time to get to know Joseph and by the looks of thing his two foster brothers too.
Thank you for reading, I hope you are all still enjoying the story. Please leave a reaction, or better still leave your comments to let me know what you think. I promise that all comments will be read and acknowledged.
I have written this without the aid of an editor or beta reader so any mistakes are all mine, if you spot any let me know and I'll try to get them put right.
Copyright © 2022 Mancunian; All Rights Reserved.
  • Like 8
  • Love 7
I love to see what readers feel by the reactions that they leave so please hit that button to leave your initial reaction.
What I enjoy more than reactions is to read any comments that readers care to leave. Promise to read and acknowledge 
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
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. 

Story Discussion Topic

Welcome to The Boot World discussion forum. This includes all of the stories from The Boot Series and the Lost Soul Series. The Boot was the first story posted in this collection of stories, it was originally intended as a one-off story. Like many one-off stories, it grew and The Boot Three Years On was written as a follow-up. Some readers asked about the back story of some of the characters, which led to the Lost Soul Series. Together they form The Boot World. Both Series have grown and in
You are not currently following this author. Be sure to follow to keep up to date with new stories they post.

Recommended Comments

Chapter Comments

Another great chapter  & we are beginning to learn more of  Jacobs  back story & gain further insights into Mannys' shrewd mind with plans & failsafe built into the charities as far as possibly to put them! 

Will the boys spot that their driver is ex military & they're protector too!?!?

It's a shame to learn that there  are money grabbing self serving gits  (and I'm staying polite !) In too many countries nowadays!!

I wish I could have met Manny  he sounds like a sharp & centred business man with a soft loving side few truly saw!?!? 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
6 hours ago, Freemantleman said:

Another great chapter  & we are beginning to learn more of  Jacobs  back story & gain further insights into Mannys' shrewd mind with plans & failsafe built into the charities as far as possibly to put them! 

Will the boys spot that their driver is ex military & they're protector too!?!?

It's a shame to learn that there  are money grabbing self serving gits  (and I'm staying polite !) In too many countries nowadays!!

I wish I could have met Manny  he sounds like a sharp & centred business man with a soft loving side few truly saw!?!? 

We will continue to discover more about Joseph and Manny as the story unfolds, Manny was a very clever man but sometimes too trusting.

The driver's background is obvious to all who see him, but when someone is in plain sight you have 'see' not just 'look'. At this time the lads have no reason to suspect.

Dishonest and shady people exist everywhere and are not always obvious, at least these were found out, but unfortunately not before they had lined their own pockets. I hope they get caught.

Obviously Manny - like all of the characters - is fictional, like all of my characters he is however based on a mix of people that I know, some of those people unfortunately are no longer with us but they still influence and inspire me.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

It appears Isaac is very competent and also well aware of those who are associated with the "shadier" side of the law. Given this, he should be able to expedite Joseph's adoption with a greater chance of success than had Ian and Kevin attempted to do so from the UK. 

Initially I was somewhat disturbed by Joseph's serving Ian and Kevin breakfast in bed; it was almost as if he expected this would be his role in their home should he be adopted by them. I think my initial reaction may have been misguided, or I at least hope that it was.

 

  • Love 1
Link to comment
17 minutes ago, Summerabbacat said:

It appears Isaac is very competent and also well aware of those who are associated with the "shadier" side of the law. Given this, he should be able to expedite Joseph's adoption with a greater chance of success than had Ian and Kevin attempted to do so from the UK. 

Initially I was somewhat disturbed by Joseph's serving Ian and Kevin breakfast in bed; it was almost as if he expected this would be his role in their home should he be adopted by them. I think my initial reaction may have been misguided, or I at least hope that it was.

 

Isaac knows his stuff and has every intention of using all legal means possible to make things happen. Ian and Kevin being in Israel makes matters easier.

Joseph wants to make a good impression on 'his brothers' and does what he believes is right.

Link to comment
View Guidelines

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Newsletter

    Sign Up and get an occasional Newsletter.  Fill out your profile with favorite genres and say yes to genre news to get the monthly update for your favorite genres.

    Sign Up
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Our Privacy Policy can be found here: Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue..