The Family You Choose
Page 1
The Family You Choose
Title Page
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The Family You Choose
Book Two of The New Pioneers
by Deborah Nam-Krane
Smashwords edition | © 2013
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Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
http://writtenbydeb.blogspot.com
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Miranda Harel—A college senior in Boston who has lived with her guardian Alex Sheldon since she was orphaned at the age of five.
Alex Sheldon—A successful self-made financier. He lives up to his ruthless reputation…with everyone but Miranda.
Emily Graham—Miranda’s good friend, newly wed to Mitchell Graham. Loyal to a fault and unafraid of bullies.
Mitchell Graham—Emily’s husband. He hasn’t forgiven Miranda for preventing him from getting Michael arrested.
Zainab Oginabe-Kensit—Emily’s best friend. She knows firsthand how loyal-and stubborn- Emily can be.
Richard Hendrickson—Zainab’s boyfriend and Michael and Jessie’s unofficial caretaker. Finally ready to begin his solar car company.
Jessie Bartolome—Richard’s cousin, Lucy’s niece and Miranda’s oldest friend. She’s never understood why Richard put up with Michael-and she understands even less after what happened last summer.
Martin Shepard—Mitch’s best friend who got him through Ireland the year before.
Michael Abbot—Richard’s other cousin who has lived with Alex and Miranda since his parents died. Whose life does he want to make worse, Alex or Miranda’s?
Lucy Bartolome—Richard’s mother. As cold as Alex is ruthless.
The dearly (and not-so-dearly) departed
Tatiana Hamilton Harel—Miranda’s mother
Asher Harel—Miranda’s father
Tom Bartolome—Jessie’s father
Josie Bartolome—Jessie’s mother
Stephen Abbot—Michael’s father and Alex’s best friend
Annabelle Hendrickson Abbot—Michael’s mother
Jim Hendrickson—Annabelle’s brother, Lucy’s husband and Richard’s father
Michael Abbot Senior—Stephen Abbot’s father
Helen Hamilton—Tatiana’s grandmother
DEDICATION
To Karen Idra Kaiser, who has always combined sweetness and compassion with a spirit that never says die.
A DAY AT FANEUIL HALL
It was Israel 1984, another long summer night. The summer heat was so comforting and dry, unlike the oppressively sticky heat of the Massachusetts beach town he had left just a few weeks before. He smiled. Not that he'd paid much attention to the humidity.
The Jeep rolled through the sand, bouncing and jarring every few feet. But Asher Harel hardly noticed. The other guys in the Jeep were cursing under their breath about having to take the night shift, but Ash just kept feeling the letter he’d just read and then fingering his ring.
He still needed to pinch himself when he thought of Tatiana. She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. She was like something out of a fairy tale with honey blonde hair, the greenest eyes he’d ever seen and skin that remained luminous despite hours in the sun. She was a miracle of nature.
He'd thought so when he first saw her in Faneuil Hall that first day. Spring was just starting—at least, what they called spring in Massachusetts. Ash had felt a chill and looked down at his tee-shirt. Most places, he could get by with only a tee-shirt in the spring. He didn't want to buy one more item he'd have to pack up, but he needed another layer. "Excuse me?" he said to several of the passersby before they walked away, ignoring him. Ash snorted a little bit. People were much nicer last year when he had been in New York. He looked around at the stores, unsure of which one he should go into.
"Are you lost?" someone asked quietly. He turned around and there she was. The first things he saw, of course, were her beautiful eyes; and then her confident smile. He automatically smiled back as he took in the rest of her perfectly oval, perfectly smooth face.
"I think so," he said after a moment. "Lost and a little out of my element. I didn't realize it was going to be so cold today."
"I guess not," she laughed. Her laugh was huskier than her voice. "You were looking for a clothing store?"
"Yes, but nothing too expensive. I'm a tourist…"
"Really? I never would have guessed by the accent."
"Oh, aren't you smart? So can you tell me where I'm from?"
She winked one eye and wrinkled her nose. "Germany?"
"Ha!" Ash involuntarily laughed. "No, not for some time."
"Then where?"
"Israel."
"Oh." She nodded knowingly. "I guess that would do as well."
"But where is your accent?" he asked. "You don't sound like the other Bostonians."
She giggled. "Thank you. My grandmother will be very pleased to hear you say that. I'm not from Boston."
"Then where are you from?"
"You haven't heard of it, I promise."
"So tell me now and the next time someone asks me where the prettiest girls live, I can tell them."
"And why would anyone believe you about anything when you can't even bring a sweater to Boston in the middle of winter?"
"It's supposed to be spring!" he laughed.
"Never listen to the weather reports in Boston—everyone will believe you about that."
By the time they had walked down Congress Street, he had told her his name. By the time they walked down Washington Street to Filene's Basement, she had told him his
. They learned each other's life stories as he picked out his sweater, and by the time they were at the checkout he had decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
"When do I get to meet this grandmother you speak so highly of?" he asked as they got a cup of coffee at a Dunkin Donuts.
"She doesn't always like strangers; it might take a little time."
"No, I have only a little time to convince her that she should let you come back to Israel with me as soon as it’s safe. I want to meet her as soon as possible."
"Do you want....?" She smiled and looked away. "Never mind."
"I'm sure I want it, whatever it is."
She looked back at him. It was a look he had seen when he was younger, meant for others, but one he never thought he’d ever get for himself. "The train leaves in two hours. I suppose you could come with me…"
"I think that's a great idea," he said quickly.
"…But it will be really late when you have to take the return train, and you won't get back until about eleven thirty tonight."
"Is that considered late?"
"It is here."
"I'm willing to take my chances."
"Don't worry, I'm not very dangerous."
"I don't believe that's the case," Asher said with a wink.
Ash wound up staying at Tatiana’s house for hours; talking long into the night with her and her grandmother Helen. She was not easy to draw a smile from, but by the end of the evening she wouldn't hear of him going anywhere at such a late hour and set up a bed for him on the couch. When the women awoke the next morning, they found Ash had already made breakfast for them. (He was suddenly very grateful to his mother for all of those times he had to make breakfast while she got the younger children ready.) After that morning, Tatiana’s grandmother didn’t object when Tatiana wanted to leave with Ash, and she didn’t mention anything later when they didn’t come back that night. Her smile was enough for him to know that she approved of him.
Helen, he repeated to himself. That's a nice name. So was Judah, his brave, stubborn grandfather who’d survived on will alone for himself and his only surviving son to live through the Hell of a concentration camp. Tatiana had cried when he’d relayed how his grandfather and father had lived through the Nazi horrors. She promised that she would never forget.
She cried again when he told her he would have to return to Israel, and the war. He couldn’t bear to see her cry, so he made his decision then. "We’re getting married," he said simply. "Stupid idiot war—I’m going to do what I have to do, then I’m coming back and we’re never going to be apart again."
Her pretty eyes were bloodshot. "You’re just saying that. You’re never coming back again after you leave."
"How can you say that?"
"Because no one ever comes back."
"I swear on my grandfather’s life, I’m coming back for you."
"Don’t swear anything. Just do something! If you want to marry me, take me back to Israel with you."
"Are you crazy? There’s a war going on now."
"Didn’t you say there was always a war?"
"Yes, but this one is new. Please, Tatiana, it’s so much more dangerous now."
"But that’s where you’re going! And you’re going into battle!"
"I am not going into battle, alright? My father has well-placed friends...I’m not proud, but I’m on patrol duty, not infantry. It’s much safer."
"Fine, then take me with you," Tatiana pleaded.
"God, my grandfather will love you. You’re as stubborn as he is."
"Is that a yes?"
"No, you crazy fool. I’d kill myself if anything happened to you there."
"Oh really? And you want to marry me? So where do you suppose we’re going to live if Israel isn’t safe?"
"Darling, the war isn’t going to go on forever."
"There’s always a war..."
"Yes, fine, but it will be safe in a few months, and then you’ll come over."
"And do you have a date for that?"
"Yes—right after Yom Kippur."
"I don’t believe you."
He put his arms around her and kissed her softly. He meant every word. She kissed him back and gazed into his eyes, holding them with hers. "So marry me now," she whispered.
"I think my family is going to want a bigger wedding, and I’m not sure we have enough time to sort out all of the arrangements before I have to leave…"
"We can get married again and everyone can be with us, but if you want me to believe you, then you have to marry me now."
He racked his brain to see if there was anything wrong with what she was proposing. And there wasn’t. So he kissed her again. "Alright then, let’s get married. We'll do it as soon as the sun comes up."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned. He realized that at this late hour, they had the beach all to themselves, and they used it to their advantage. Ash smiled at the memory. Of course, that must have been when it happened, he thought.
Ash returned to the present as the Jeep stopped and he automatically began to check his weapon. Good call getting married, he thought. Now no one would count on their fingers around his child, not that those things should matter anyway, but he worried about what his family would say about his wife if they thought she had "trapped" him. Now the baby made things a little easier. His parents, he knew, were not so crazy about his marriage to an American but he also knew that they couldn’t and wouldn’t deny their own grandchild. And his grandfather… as long as the baby was raised as a Jew, he’d be happy.
"Ash, look out!" Ash had been too preoccupied thinking about his pretty new wife and the child they’d have by next year to move out of the way quickly enough. He died instantly. Tatiana’s face was the last image in his mind.
CHAPTER 1
Miranda Judith Harel was busily putting the final touches on Mitch and Emily’s belated wedding reception. They’d been married for over a week but they’d spent three days in Rhode Island and another two on the Cape. And then there was a little black hole in time which they both refused to account for. Miranda had snickered with Zainab and Jessie about it. Who knew that Mitch’s little basement studio could be so romantic?
It was all the more time for Miranda to plan and set up for her fabulous reception. Most of it was easy enough. It was nothing to pick up the phone and order food, flowers (although finding a caterer who could provide good vegan options was surprisingly difficult), and labor to help with the physical setups. It was managing her guardian, Alex, which was a challenge.
"It’s your house, Miranda. You can have a party whenever you’d like," Alex said.
"It’s your house too, and I think you’d like to meet my friends." She was not going to let him squirm away from attending.
"I’ve known Richard longer than you have, and I’ve known Jessie since before she was born."
"But you haven’t met Emily, or Zainab," she paused. "Or Mitch."
"No, I haven’t, but their reputations precede them, particularly Mr. Graham’s."
Miranda stood up a little straighter. Did he have any idea how hard she’d worked to get any of them through the door? "I would like to think that if Michael did to me what he did to Emily, the least of his worries would be a nose filled with spinach dip," Miranda snipped.
Alex had a gaze that had unnerved many. "There wouldn’t be anything left by the time I was through."
But Miranda was unmoved. "Then meeting them should be easier," she said with a smile.
Alex looked at the floor. "And what about Jessie and Richard? I haven’t seen them...in quite a while."
"Richard will be as gracious as he always is and Jessie is really here for me." More silence. "Martin’s coming too—I don’t think he’s heard anything about us and he’s very funny. And you will love Zainab—she’s better traveled than even you are and possibly the nicest person I’ve ever met." She paused. "And you wouldn’t want someone like that to think you were too good for a party in your ow
n home, right?"
He smiled. "Right." Miranda reached over and squeezed his hand. "But not the whole time," he said. "I’ll make an appearance, but don’t plan around me, alright?"
"Of course."
~~~
Richard, Jessie and Zainab were the first guests to arrive. Richard was even quieter than usual. Jessie looked at Miranda, and then looked around the room to make sure it was clear. "He’s not here, Jess," Miranda said quietly, giving her a little hug as she whispered, "and you know I’m just looking for an excuse to kill him anyway."
Jessie snickered and hugged her back. "Just let me know when so I can help."
Sweet, wonderful Zainab gave Miranda a big hug of her own. Her smile was even wider than usual. She squeezed Miranda’s hand to let her know that everything would be okay. Then Zainab asked Richard to give her a little tour before the others arrived.
Martin was next to arrive. "Hello gorgeous," he said. Richard and Zainab were still on the tour (Richard did a lot of things more slowly since he’d met Zainab) so she introduced Martin to Jessie. "Ohhh," Jessie said loudly. "So you’re Martin. I think Emily mentioned you a few times."
"Did she now? Interesting, because we only had that one date—and there were more people there, and of course she wasn't dating me. Anyway, I hope Mitch has been kind in whatever he said about me."
"No clue," Jessie shrugged. "I haven’t met the infamous Mr. Graham."
"Wow. Well, he did have a serious lapse of judgment back then, but infamy doesn’t generally cling to him."
"Then what does Emily see in him? She doesn’t like guys who aren’t kind of mean and twisted in some way."
"Does the same apply to her friends?"
"Only this one. Zainab, Miranda and most of her long-distance friends are nice enough."
"Long-distance friends?"
"You know, high school friends who went to a real college."
"Okay, so I take it you don’t think too much of our fine university?"
"And neither should you. It’s built on a foundation of lies, murder and corruption."
"And how might you know that?"
"One of my great-grandfathers founded it."