"Hello, Ginny, what's up?" "Jaiden. We are having a play day at the church for all the children age four and under and I was calling to invite you, Peyton, and your brothers to bring your children over on Saturday morning about nine am and let them play all day. Granny and I will take care of the children and the church is providing lunch for them: spaghetti." "Ginny, it is fine with me, but I need to run it by Peyton, Dale, and Charley. I am at the hospital finishing up rounds, and Peyton and I have a pediatrics seminar when I get through. I'll talk to Peyton in a few minutes, and to Dale and Charley when we get home. I'll give you a call as soon as I talk to them." "Thank you, Jaiden, I love all of you." "We love you too, Ginny. Give Granny a hug for us."

 

"Peyton, Ginny called and wanted to know if the children could attend a play day with other children age four and under on Saturday. She and Granny will care for the boys and for Dale's and Charley's children. Uh, the church is going to feed all the children spaghetti for lunch." "And we don't have to clean the children when we pick them up?" "Nope, Ginny and Granny are going to do that." "Then yes, all the children can go and have fun." "You're not going to ask Dale and Charley first?" "Heck no, Dale talked to me yesterday and said he and Charley would like to have some fun with us this weekend, and that will be the perfect opportunity to do that."

 

"Ginny, this is Jaiden. The children will be at the church at nine. We'll pack some extra clothes in case the children need to change for some reason." "That will be great, Jaiden, I'll let Granny know so we can make sure we have enough spaghetti for your boys." "Ah, so you know how Peyton's and my boys can eat spaghetti!" "Yep, sure do, they are just like you and Peyton." "Yeah, Ginny, isn't if fun." "Jaiden, you're a mess. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

 

"Dah, Ginny, Gamy!" "Yes, Mark, it's Ginny and Gamy, you get to stay with them today, eat lunch with the other children, and play on the playground all day." All the children were squealing at what Jaiden just told them. Peyton, he, Dale, and Charley got their children out of the van and into the children's center and got them settled in for the day. Since the fair is in town, The guys told Ginny and Granny they were going to the fair to have some fun and then possibly go by the beach for a couple of hours. When the children were distracted, they piled into the Lincoln Nautilus Jaiden had driven and headed for the fairgrounds leaving the van at the church in case Granny and Ginny needed to use it.

 

When they got to the fairgrounds, they bought their tickets and went inside the gates. Jaiden and Charley abruptly stopped and looked at each other. "Charley, do you smell what I smell?" "Yep, I sure do, fresh French fries cut from fresh potatoes and cooked in peanut oil!" "Charley, don't forget the malt vinegar." "True, Jaiden, we have to have that." Peyton isn't a fan of French fries and looked at Jaiden and said, "Hubby, you're really in to French fries at the fair, aren't you?" "Sure am, lover." "Geez, how can you eat those things, they smell like President Carter farted in the car with the windows rolled up!" Dale threw his head back and howled at Peyton's comment as he, too, got a large cup of the fries with vinegar. "Peyton, have you ever tasted these fries?" "No, Dale, and I don't think I want to."

 

"Here, Peyton, get one fry with vinegar on it and taste it; If you do, I won't say another word to you about trying them." "I guess one won't hurt." Peyton reached over and pulled out the shortest fry he saw and bit into it. The tartness of the vinegar got him behind the ears as he grimaced, chewed the fry, and swallowed it. Dale turned to Jaiden and grinned. As he did, Peyton grabbed his fries and took off running down the midway with Dale fast on his heels. Jaiden and Charley were dying laughing because Peyton was cramming the vinegared fries into his mouth as fast as he could. By the time Dale caught him, every fry had been eaten. "Peyton, you butthole, I thought you didn't like French fries and, yet, you have eaten all of mine!" Between gasping breaths, Peyton said, "Dale, I thought I didn't, but I've never had fries that were as good as yours were." Peyton threw his arm around Dale's shoulder and said, "Come on, bro, let's go back to Jaiden and Charley. I'm going to get you two cups of fries and get me another cup of them. Dang, they're good!"

 

As Peyton and Dale walked past Jaiden and Charley, Peyton gave Jaiden a smack on the butt and said, "Back in a minute, sweetheart." Jaiden and Charley turned and saw Dale and Peyton walk up to the window of the fry van and get three large cups of fries with malt vinegar. "Jaiden looked at Charley and said, "Dale's done it again." "Done what, Jaiden?" "He's gotten Peyton to eat something I have never seen him eat before." "Yeah, Dale's good at doing that to people. Let's just hope they don't eat too many; they make Dale fart in a bad way." "Charley, if they start farting in a bad way, do you think they could walk back to the church?" "Doesn't matter, Jaiden. If Dale cuts one of his bad farts, he's not going to have a choice about walking back to the church." Jaiden started laughing at Charley's comment as he said, "Let's go to the Gyro van. Gyro's do horrible things to me, and if Dale cuts a bad fart, I'll pay him back in grand style; we'll have to hold our heads out the car window, but I will pay him back."

 

"Jaiden, you have a mischievous sense of humor when you want to." "Yeah, Charley, I do. Isn't it fun when I get Peyton and Dale back that way?" Charley looked at Jaiden and grinned.

 

The four guys were walking down the midway toward the livestock barn when they heard a couple of guys behind them exclaim, "Damn, Joe, did you smell that? Who the hell would do something like that in public?" Charley shot Jaiden a glance with a grin as Jaiden said, "Sure did, keep walking!" Peyton looked at Charley and Dale and said, "I am so grateful we have those extra bedrooms downstairs that Jaiden can sleep in tonight." "What do you mean, Peyton?" "Well, Jaiden, for starters, I am not going to give you a chance to fart like that in bed and pull the covers over my head; ain't gonna happen." Jaiden looked at Peyton as he said, "You're just a party pooper, Peyton." "Jaiden, you're the pooper, and I have no intention of smelling your malodorous renderings tonight. I guess I could stop at the liquor store and buy a large cork that I could cram up your butt, but then the farts would just come out the upper end and smell just as bad." "I'll buy some Beano on the way home, sweetie, and that will take care of the problem."

 

After a tour of the livestock and animal barns, the guys walked toward the front of the fair grounds. As they got to the food booths, Peyton said, "Jaiden, you really liked the chili dogs we got at Orange Beach, let's all get one." They all sat down at the Exchange Club booth that was famous for their chili dogs at the fair. Dale and Charley each got one, but it was two each for Peyton and Jaiden – and they all got a Coke to drink, something they rarely did. The guys were talking and cutting the fool as they ate their food. When they finished eating, Dale said, "I guess we need to head to the church to pick up the children." Peyton chimed in and said, "There's one more stop I want to make," and he headed for the French fry van and bought fries for everybody.

 

They were eating the fries when they got into the car to head to the church. Peyton put his fry cup in the drink holder and leaned over and started rubbing Jaiden in an advantageous place as he said, "Maybe we could make mad, passionate love tonight." Charley being himself said, "Peyton, I don't think that would be a good idea. After hearing and smelling what Jaiden was doing after eating the Gyro, he would probably fart in the middle of making love and plaster you all over the bedroom ceiling!"

 

Jaiden started laughing so hard he had to pull the car over into the mall parking lot and sit there for a minute. "Charley, you're a hoot, do you know that?" "Yep, sure do, Jaiden. I am brutally honest about brutal farts, and you have been putting some out for the last hour." When Charley said that, Jaiden reached over and locked all the closed windows – and then cut one of the worst farts any of them had ever smelled. Charley was steadily trying to get the door open to get out of the car when Jaiden turned to him and said, "aren't child locks on rear car doors a wonderful thing." "Damn, Jaiden, at least let me roll down my window. Jaiden unlocked the windows and rolled all of them down.

 

When the windows went down, Dale exclaimed, "thank You Lord. Jaiden, I was turning green and about to puke all over your car. "I'm sorry, Charley, I won't do that to you again." "Thank you, Jaiden, I hope not; that smelled worse than the down-wind pig farms back home in Milton." Jaiden replied, "Charley it wasn't that bad." Peyton looked at Jaiden and said, "Oh, yes, it was" as he farted into his fist and let it go in front of Jaiden's nose. All Jaiden said was, "point taken."

 

They were surprised when they got to the church and their children ignored them. The kids were having a wonderful time playing with the other children around them. Dale looked at the children and asked Granny, "Did the children have spaghetti for lunch?" Granny answered him by saying, "Why, Dale, what would ever give you that idea?" "Granny, I guess it's the spaghetti that is covering them from head to toe. I love watching our children eat spaghetti, they enjoy it so much. It seems to go everywhere as they try to keep their brothers from stealing food off their plates."

 

Jaiden looked at the children and asked if they were ready to go home. Abraham looked at his dad and said, "no," as they all raced back toward the playground. Peyton looked at Jaiden and said, "I guess Abraham told you!" Ginny was laughing as she said, "Yes, he sure did, Jaiden." The Dads sat down and let their children play until they were tired and wanted to head home. Jaiden had laced his fingers with Peyton's as he said, "my heart feels so good when I see our children playing and having so much fun, it makes me wish sometimes that I had brothers and sisters to grow up with.

 

As they were putting the children into the van to go home, Alaina Joelle looked at Dale and asked, "ikeem, Dah?" Dale said, `we'll see when we get home baby girl."

 

As they were driving down the boulevard toward home, Jaiden stopped at Kroger and bought a half-gallon of Cherry vanilla ice cream. The children hadn't tried that flavor before, but Jaiden thought they would enjoy it. When he drove into the garage at the house, Peyton, Dale, and Charley were getting the children inside. Peyton asked Jaiden where he went on the way home and Jaiden handed him the bag he had in his hands. "Jaiden, the children are going to go wild when they see this." "I hope so, they deserve the treat. Y'all put them in their highchairs and I'll get it dipped up into bowls. When Jaiden walked into the dining room with the ice cream, the children grinned from ear to ear as they all yelled, "Ikeem!"

 

Once the ice cream had been eaten, it was time for their baths. Nathan and Elijah were being their usual selves doing everything they could to keep their dads from catching them. You could hear all four dads laughing a block away as they were playing with and bathing their sons. It was a special time for parent-child bonding. For Alaina Noelle, it was an even more special time. She liked her tub bath and playing with the floating animals in the tub with her – and she got to enjoy as much time in her bath as all four brothers enjoyed theirs. Dale was still spoiling her to no end, and Charley enjoyed watching him do it. Peyton and Jaiden simply shook their heads in amazement as they smiled at how much Dale and Alaina Noelle enjoyed their time together.

 

When the babies had been put to bed for the night, Jaiden went out on the deck and sat staring at the mountains. Peyton could tell he was deep in thought by the way he was sitting and focusing. "Hey babe, what are you thinking?"

 

"I am thinking about my relatives who survived World War II and Hitler, and about how some of them endured the horrors of southern France in the village of Lescun. Lescun is an area in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques area in south-western France. They wrote and filmed a story about the region and what the people had to endure as Hitler's troops moved through the area and went about finding, arresting, and sending Jews to the various concentration camps in Europe. The name of the movie was Waiting for Anya."

 

"Anya's mother had been taken by German soldiers, and Anya was hidden away by her dad who was desperately trying to get her to Spain. He had drilled into her head that should they get separated they would meet up at her grandmother's home in the mountains of Lescun. The Germans were closing in and were running into the train station as the train was leaving. Rather than let the German soldiers take Anya to be experimented on, and most likely killed, her dad handed her off to a lady on the train who took her and pretended Anya was her daughter. They were loading French Jews into boxcars at the train station to be taken to the extermination camps across Poland and Germany. Next to that train was a train carrying non-Jews to wherever it was they were heading. Benjamin was able to jump between the train cars and escape the German soldiers. They had seen Benjamin, but the two moving trains prevented them from getting to and capturing him."

 

"Benjamin went to Anya's grandmother's home where he was helping shepherd Jewish children across the border to Spain and out of the hands of the German Reich. Jo, a young boy from Lescun, had been watching his father's sheep when a bear came up and scared him. One thing led to another, and the bear was killed by the men in the village. Jo went back to the area where the bear was killed, and that is where he met Benjamin; it`s also when he found out the bear was a mama bear who had been trying to protect her cub, nothing more or less."

 

"Benjamin told Jo his name and said that if he told anybody about him, he'd tell all the men in the village how Jo had been surprised by the bear because he had been asleep. Joe gave his word he wouldn't tell anyone about Benjamin and they sealed that agreement with a handshake. Jo would secretly go to Benjamin's mother-in-law's house and feed the bear sheep's milk. On one visit, he saw a shoe in the barn and picked it up. A little girl named Leah came out of a hay pile and said the shoe was hers. Jo was more than surprised by the girl but said nothing to her."

 

"Benjamin's mother-in-law initially did not like, and did not trust, Jo until he saw German soldiers headed to her house. He was able to get back to the house and warn them of the approaching soldiers. Benjamin was able to hide several children in the barn and keep them quiet. One of the German officers knew Jo from the village and liked him. The officer also knew there was someone hiding in the barn, but because he liked Jo, he ignored those in the barn and sent his troops away saving the lives of the children who would be taken to Spain to escape the horrors that had awaited them. When Jo got back to his village, he saw soldiers posting a sign exclaiming three French citizens had been killed for hiding Jews and making themselves enemies of the Third Reich. A curfew was set in the village, the people were told their properties would be searched for hidden Jews, and that if any Jews were found, the ones hiding them would be shot. Those German bastards were exceptionally cruel people who followed to the letter the edicts of the maniacal German hierarchy."

 

"Russian and American troops finally came through and took care of the German army in short fashion, and the people of Lescun were finally able to breathe without fear. Had Joe not told Aleece, Benjamin's mother-in-law, about the advancing German soldiers when he did, she, Benjamin, and the children they were hiding and helping to cross into Spain would have been killed. Had any other German officer other than the one who liked Jo found out about the children hiding at Aleece's home, Jo also would have been killed along with his parents, who, if not shot, would have been sent to a concentration camp and sent to the gas chambers and the cremation retorts. Peyton, I am so thankful my family didn't lose more of its members at the hands of the Germans than it did, and my heart aches for the families who did."

 

"The official government report was that Hitler killed himself inside his bunker in Germany. Others outside the government say Hitler escaped to South America and lived out his life in relative obscurity. I tend to believe the latter." "Jaiden, it really bothers you, doesn't it?" "Yes, it does because so many in this country are trying to erase history in more areas than we realize, and if they are successful in their efforts, history will be repeated, this country will be destroyed, and all hope will be lost – all because history repeated itself. It will happen; it isn't a matter of if, but a matter of when. I look at the mountains, and every time I do, I ask myself who and what is on the other side. I look over the expanse of Lake Erie, and I have hope for what I cannot see. Regardless of what happens, I will never be scared into saying I am not a Jew. People can do to me whatever they want because I am a Jew. We are Hashem's chosen people and He said, `do not touch the head of Mine anointed.' If such does happen, there is no doubt in my mind that Hashem will exact his judgment against those who harm His chosen people."

 

"Jaiden, what made you think about the past this way?" "Peyton, the surge in anti-Semitism and the movements of the KKK and the skinheads are what concern me right now. I think about the innocence of Leah, the little girl Benjamin was hiding in the movie and the other children hidden in Aleece's barn, and those who seek to help are the ones on whom my hope is positioned if history repeats itself. It's also the reason I do a lot of the things I do in the community. If the time should ever come when we need help like the people of Lescun gave, than I believe we will have that help. If we teach our children about Ginny's and Granny's faith, then if the time should come when Jews are once again persecuted because of their faith, our children will be able to convince others that they aren't Jews simply by acting like Christians and survive to help their and other people's children to survive another holocaust. Sadly, the German's captured Benjamin and Leah and they were sent to a death camp and executed." "Jaiden, how old was Leah?" "Dale, she was only three years old."

 

"Jaiden, one of the things I love most about you is the way you look to the future and plan ways to help others no matter what comes about." "I try hard to do that, Peyton. I love people that much; maybe I shouldn't, but I do."

 

"Is there any coffee in the kitchen?" "Dale just made a pot." "Would you mind fixing me a cup?" "Coming right up, my love!" Peyton fixed Jaiden that cup of coffee and took it to him on the deck. For the next two hours, Peyton held Jaiden's hand and said nothing. Both listened only to the still, dark night and the sounds of nature.

 

Dale walked out onto the deck and asked, "Jaiden, are you OK, you seem a million miles away?" Peyton said, "he is, Dale, he was thinking about some of his relatives who survived the concentration camps in World War II and those who didn't. Frankly, our histories aren't that much different; my relatives were whisked away the night of Kristallnacht. Even though they were natural born Germans, Hitler had them rounded up and executed simply because they were Jews. Judaism has a rich and varied history, but it also has the sad times when six million of us were summarily rounded up, gassed to death, and then burned in the crematoriums of the death camps."

 

What is so sad is that in America today, many young people hang on only to the fact that Hitler was a fascist. They don't understand that while he was a fascist, his government was socialist, and they are touting the very same governmental system for America that resulted in the deaths of over fifty million people at the hands of Hitler's fascist ideas and Germany's socialist government. You can fault the public schools for teaching socialism as a viable and good form of government for the US population. Millennials deny that fact, but research and pay attention to the attitudes and political philosophies of young people now coming out of US public schools and compare it to the education of students from yesteryear; it's scary."

 

"Peyton, you have talked about getting a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering like Mom did. The current political bend of mind of America's young people would be a great thesis topic." "You know, Jaiden, that's not a bad thought. I think I'll call your mom tomorrow and see what she thinks about it." "It will be interesting hearing what she thinks about the idea."

 

"Peyton, would you please walk over to my left side? Now sit right here." Peyton sat across Jaiden's lap and put his head on Jaiden's right shoulder. Jaiden began rubbing the side of Peyton's head as he said, "Peyton, you are the most important person in my life, and I love you more than I can describe. Had we been born and lived in Europe during the time of Hitler, we, more likely than not, would have been executed in the gas chambers of Sobibor or Auschwitz - more so for being gay than Jewish. If we didn't have our boys and that happened to you, I wouldn't want to live; I don't think I could live without you." "Jaiden, it's the same for me and it is something that while I don't want to think about it, it is still in the back of my mind."

 

What we have learned about Christianity, and what we are helping the boys to learn, may save us in such a situation, and it would also more likely than not save Charley, Dale, and their children. I love being Jewish, everything about being Jewish, and I want our sons to love Judaism the same way, but if it comes to keeping our sons alive if history repeats itself, I will do what I have to do." "So will I, love."

 

"Jaiden, what if history repeats itself and we are arrested and asked about being Jewish?" "Charley, if I was you and that question was posed to me, my reply would be that you can't know what the enemy is up to if you are not in their camp." "I never thought of that, but I will now." Dale got up and walked to the deck railing and looked over the mountains in a deep fog. Jaiden walked to him, put his arms around Dale and said, "Dale, we love you and Charley more than you can imagine, and if our society ever sinks as low in our lifetime as Germany did in World War II, Peyton and I will have your backs, and we will survive; I promise you that!" Dale didn't say anything back to Jaiden, he simply placed his hand on Jaiden's hand that was resting on his shoulder.

 

When the guys went to bed, Jaiden pulled Peyton's body as close to his as he could and gently kissed Peyton on the lips as he smelled his hair and skin and rubbed his back. He began to sing "You are my special angel sent from up above; the Lord smiled down on me, and sent an angel to love...

You are my special angel, right from paradise; I know that you're an angel, Heaven is in your eyes, the smile from your lips brings the summer sunshine, the tears from your eyes bring the rain;

I feel your touch, your warm embrace, And I'm in heaven again!

You are my special angel through eternity, I'll have my special angel here to watch over me."

 

"Jaiden, I didn't know you could sing like that. I mean I've heard you sing before, but not from the heart that way; you're making me cry." "Sweetheart, if tears are rolling from your eyes, that makes two of us letting tears go. Babe, I love you so much and that love gets stronger every day."

 

"Hon, do you know who wrote that song?" "Peyton, if my memory serves me correctly, it was written by a guy named Jimmy Duncan, and it was published by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Company around 1956, and first sung by the Sunnyland Trio somewhere around 1956 or 1957. I've heard several groups sing the song, but my favorite rendition was sung in 1957 by a group called the Crests. The first time I heard the song was after I met you in Brevard. I got so emotional I lost it as I sat in my car."

 

"As the Crests sang the song, I closed my eyes and I swear I could see you in my mind just as if you were sitting in the car with me, and the smell of your hair and your skin permeated the car. I believe that was the point when I realized I had fallen head over heels in love with you and that I would do anything it took for me to win your love." "I am glad it made you that determined, Jaiden, because I have loved you just as much since the first time I laid eyes on you. I had never felt that way about anyone, and after we became a couple, you completed me in ways I could never have imagined, and Mom has said the same thing to me. Mom and Dad fell in love with you way before they ever met you, and so did Jenny."

 

"Peyton, for what it is worth, my mom and I feel the same way. Mom talks about how much happier and settled I have been since I met you, and the fact that Jenny worked it out for us to father our children...Mom will love Jenny for eternity for doing that, and so will I. Peyton, I hope you realize just how special your family is, how loving they are. You couldn't ask for a more special gift than having Jenny as your sister and having the parents you have; I just don't think that would be possible."