RACHEL'S STORY
CHAPTER ONE
Written by: Manchester's Stubborn Pansy
This is an update to "Ranger Has To Eat His Words" (you might want to read that first).
My name is Rachel Martine. I am the first wife of Carlos Manoso. You might know him as Ranger of RangeMan Security. I am also the mother of Julie Martine by Carlos. I am also the mother to Bradley Martine. His father was my second husband, Ron Martine. Ron adopted Julie while Carlos was in the military and rarely ever home. When Carlos became a Ranger he allowed Ron to adopt Julie but Carlos always still paid his child support for Julie. He reconnected with Julie eventually. Both Carlos and Ron are good men and they shared the fatherly responsibilities with respect of each other.
Now we are facing the Hurricane of the Century. It is aimed right at Miami. Something inside me tells me it is time to leave! I spoke to Carlos and he told me to pack up my belongings and he would having a moving crew start the journey to move all of us to Trenton until the danger passes.
Ranger will put us up in one of his safe houses until I can find one of my own. Bradley, has been struggling since Ron died. Maybe Bradley just needs to get away from this house and all of Ron's memories.
The road trip took several days but we arrive at the new house. Ranger, Stephanie, and Julie are waiting on us. Ranger has another son who just had a kidney transplant and the donor was Julie.
Ranger and his men help unload the moving truck and do all the heavy lifting. The Men set all the boxes in the rooms marked on the boxes. With this many men it didn't take long to empty the truck.
Julie was glad to see us. She is still recovering from her surgery but she is taking it easy and she couldn't wait to see our new home. She gave me and Bradley big hugs. Julie showed us which rooms Stephanie, Ranger's new wife, had picked out for each of us.
Stephanie has mellowed Carlos out. I like her as a person and surprisingly enough I honestly think she is perfect for him.
Carlos was always a handsome devil. He still is very attractive. But the look of love on his face when he sees his woman has put on a whole new demeanor. It has made him into the Cuban Sex God Stephanie believes him to be. I wished I had been able to to that when we were a couple! But he was still to wild to be tied down back then. Not sure how the curly brunette tamed that wild mustang! But oh does he ever love that woman! It shows in his countenance, in his eyes, in his very movements. He has to have his hands touching her as much as possible. Maybe someday I will find a man to look at me like that. I loved Ron and know he loved me but not with the intensity Ranger loves Stephanie!
Stephanie walked away from him 5 years ago. Now that he has her back in his life he is determined NOT to let it happen to him twice! This time he married her so knew she wouldn't try it again.
It is fun to sit back and watch him. Can you believe this hard core Army Ranger is acting like a lost puppy dog? I have to laugh at him sometimes. Believe me that hard-ass Ranger has never been a "puppy dog" type of man! But boy does he enjoy being within touching reach of Stephanie. It is almost like she is his private brand of Oxygen!
Bradley, mine and Ron's son, is shy around strangers. He is not used to such tall, bulky and muscle bound men. Bradley, Julie and I do not interact with the Miami RangeMan men often. One man, called Cal, walks over to him. "You must be Bradley."
"Yes, sir."
"You are part of our family now so just call me Cal."
"But I an not part of your family. I am not related to Ranger or Julie, except my father adopted Julie. So he became her adopted father but that didn't change for me."
Cal put his hand on Bradley's shoulder then knelt down to Bradley's level.
"Bradley, the way RangeMan views things is anyone Ranger considers to be his family automatically becomes "Our" family also. Even Ricardo, Stephanie and Ranger's son, has stated he was glad he was going to have a brother. So we consider you family."
"Thank you, Cal."
"You know don't you that we have a full size gym? We are training Ricardo. Would you like for us to train you too?"
"Train me to do what?"
"We know boxing, Tae kwon do, and several other forms of Martial Arts. Plus we know hand to hand combat style training. That way you can always defend yourself. We even have an indoor pool. We have several Navy Seals. They can train you in water sports along with water survival skills."
"You are willing to train me?"
"Sure. We can't have you growing up to be a weakling. That would ruin our image."
Bradley laughed at him.
"Mom."
"Yes, Son."
"This is Cal."
"Hello, Cal. I think we have met before."
"Yes, Ms. Rachel. We met at Ron's funeral."
"Mom, Cal said he could train me in Martial Arts. Is that going to be OK with you?"
"Sure, Son. When you make some friends after school starts you could ask Carlos to let them come with you too."
"OK. I am confused, Mom. I thought Ranger was in charge."
Cal once again knelt down by Bradley.
"Bradley, his name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Most family members call him "Carlos" like your mother does. But when "Carlos" is at work then he is called "Ranger". It is a nickname that he was given when he was training to be an Army Ranger. Ranger means you are at the top of your class and the name stuck. He has worked for the government in Special Ops, a branch of the Rangers, for many years. So you can call him whichever name you are comfortable with. And he will answer to either name."
"He is who Ricardo is named after?"
"Yes. Stephanie is his mother. Ranger or Carlos is his biological father."
"I get it! That is how he is Julie's father and Ricardo's father!"
"That is right."
"Wow! Thank you, Cal for explaining that to me. That is so neat!"
"Remember you are part of this family too."
"Won't Carlos see me as an outsider?"
"Carlos is not that kind of man, Son. Did Ron consider Julie as an outsider?"
"No."
"Then Carlos will make you a member of his extended family. If I know Carlos once he gets to know you better he will consider you his son as well." Rachel said.
"Won't that hurt Ricardo's feelings?"
"No, Son. Ricardo was begging us to move up here so you would be protected. Ricardo wants to "adopt" you as his brother just like Julie is his sister." Rachel said.
Carlos Sr. walked up.
Carlos also knelt down to his level.
"Bradley, you will never be an outsider to me. You know how your father raised Julie as his daughter? Well it would be my honor to raise you as my son. But at no time will I ever try to replace your real father."
"Then can I call you Daddy? Like Julie did when you came to our house in Miami?"
" I will make you a deal. Once we get your settled we will hold a family meeting. We will sit down then ask them if you can call me Dad. If they say "yes" then any time you think I have earned that honor I will gladly accept the title of "Dad" from you."
"What if they say "no"?
"Then together we will decide what they think you should call me. I will abide by their decision. But if they ask me I will tell them I would love to call you my son. I may only be your "adopted" father but that doesn't mean I will love you any less than I do Julie or Ricardo. So regardless
of the title I will always treat you as my own son."
Bradley threw his arms around Carlos' neck.
"Thank you. I thought I was going to hate it here. Now I think I will like it here, Daddy."
Carlos' heart just about melted hearing Bradley's words.
"Thank you, Son."
"I know Julie called you "Daddy" but called Ron "Dad". Since You gave me permission to I would like to call you "Daddy" until someone stops me. I will refer to Ron as "Dad" just like Julie did.
"Anyone tries to stop you then you send them to me! There is only four people in this world that can change that. You, your Mother, Julie and ME! Three votes "yes" so majority wins.
"Carlos, you know I wouldn't stop you." Rachel said.
"See Bradley. We don't even need a family meeting to solve this problem But when we do have a family meeting you will have a vote just like each of us have."
"Mom, will calling Carlos "Daddy" upset my own Dad?"
"No, Bradley. Your father and Carlos have been friends for years. I honestly think your father would be proud to have you consider Carlos as your new father. Besides your own father isn't here to do it himself so yes he would accept Carlos in his place."
Carlos hugged Bradley. "I won't be upset any time you need to mention your Dad's name or to talk about things you did together. Your Dad was a good man. He did a good job raising you. Now it will be up to me to finishing raising you. It will be my honor to him to do that."
"I think I am going to like it here after all."
"Then why don't you run up to your room. Get your swimming trunks then meet everyone at the pool. Lester already has steaks on the grill. Maybe he could use your help. If not just go play in the pool. Word of warning. Girls don't like it when you splash water on their hair. If you splash water on their hair they will get mad and girls holds grudges a long time for anyone who gets their hair wet when they didn't want it wet." Carlos said.
Thanks, Daddy. I will try to remember that."
Bradley ran upstairs to find his swimming trunks.
"Carlos, thank you for inviting us here. I think with this many good men around him Bradley will have a better chance to become a good young man than if we had stayed in Miami."
"Rachel, I know how rough Miami can be. Even worse than when I was a kid. I don't want
Bradley taking the same roads I did at his age."
"Thank you for finding me this new job. I honestly don't think they would have hired me without good words from you."
"Rachel, I know you are a hard and dependable worker. But getting the job is the easy part. The hard part is for you to deliver. I have faith in you. So just work hard and enjoy it."
"I have always wanted to do something in the journalism field. But I never tried to find a job in that field. Guess thought I wasn't good enough."
"Janice Ruley is our friend. She mentioned to Stephanie about needing an assistant. Stephanie told her you were moving here and it was Stephanie's suggestion to give you a try. Besides the job is only 5 minutes away and very little traffic to contend with."
"I appreciate your good words."
"Remember to thank Stephanie because she is who Janice has worked with. So I don't want to take the credit for what Stephanie has done."
"You love that woman don't you?"
"Stephanie has done more healing for me than any doctor could or has done. I am not sure how she broke down all those walls without my building new ones to keep her out. By the time I realized what she had done it was too late. I was too deeply in love with her."
Stephanie walked up behind Carlos. Stephanie put her arms around Carlos' waist.
"See I can get sneaky when I want to."
Stephanie kissed his shoulder.
Carlos put his hands over Stephanie's hands.
"What was it you used to tell me "Be aware of your surroundings." Stephanie asked him.
"You aren't really sorry I was there for you are you?"
"Never in a million years, Mrs. Manoso."
Rachel just smiled. It made her happy to see Carlos so happy.
"Do you need anything else, Rachel? The guys have most to the boxes in the rooms you designated. There is a full refrigerator for you. This way you don't have to go grocery shopping for awhile."
"No, we are fine, Carlos. I appreciate the house and the new job."
"When do you start?"
"On Tuesday. Monday I have to get the kids enrolled in school before I can start the job."
"Do you need one of the men to stay in the cottage in case you need a guide?"
"No, thank you. I have GPS both in the car and on my phone."
"The next time you come into the office I will have ID's for everyone. This will give you access to the gym and the communication center."
"You are too generous, Carlos. I deeply appreciate it."
"You are welcome here as long as you want to stay. Stephanie and I will enjoy having the kids
to spoil."
"You have already won Bradley over. He said often that he did not want to come here."
"I understand his feelings. Since I had to move from Newark to Miami when I was young. Those are still very vivid memories for me. So I know how frightened and worried he had to be."
"I hope he can make some new friends. Bradley didn't have a lot of friends in Miami. He was very much a loner."
"Loner by choice? Or lack of self confidence?" Stephanie asked.
"The truth is I think he had to be in Julie's shadow to the point he never trusted himself to think for himself for fear of hurting Julie's reputation."
"Well, the Uncle Merry Men will take care of that I am sure. Bradley will have them for role models. Plus they can teach him to defend himself. That will build his self confidence as well." Stephanie said.
"I hope so. Deep down he is a really smart boy."
"Not to mention when it comes to homework he will have 35 Uncles to help get any subject."
"I was never good at school. Luckily Julie is smart as well. She didn't ask for my help often."
"We will see how well he adapts. We can change our ways to accommodate him if we have to." Carlos said.
THE NEXT DAY:
Rachel took both Bradley and Julie to enroll them in their individual schools. Julie liked the curriculum they picked out for her. The Guidance Counselor showed her where her locker was. The Counselor even made sure she could work the combination. The Counselor also gave her a guided tour. The Counselor walked Julie to her first class. Julie was introduced to the class. The Counselor noticed Becky Sharp. The Counselor knew that Becky was in two of Julie's classes.
"Becky, can you be Julie's student guide until she get comfortable?"
"Sure, Miss Jensen".
"Thank you, Becky. Julie if you have any questions just ask Becky or come ask me if Becky doesn't know."
"Thanks, Miss Jensen."
The rest of the day Becky and Julie were inseparable. They had lots of things in common.
The kids seemed to accept Julie right off. Becky was part of a "popular group". Her group really found it interesting that Julie's father was part of RangeMan.
These are teenage girls. They really appreciated the eye candy those muscle bound men were to be known for. Can't blame them. What female, of any age, doesn't enjoy looking at a good male specimen?
Becky's group had four girls and formed their own clique. All of them found Julie to be outgoing enough to fit into their group very well.
When school let out the group walked out together.
Nick, a RangeMan bodyguard, was assigned to pick Julie up.
"Julie? I am Nick. I have been assigned to pick you up. Your father wants me to take you to RangeMan until your Mother gets off work."
"Thanks, Nick. These are my new friends. This is Becky Sharp. She is my student guide."
Nick stuck his hand out and shook Becky's hand."
Becky thought she would faint. Becky didn't know they made men like this! Talk about a hot flash!
"Nice to meet you, Nick. This is Bobbi. She is my sister but a year younger than me." Becky said.
Nick shook Bobbi's hand as well.
"This is Gloria Rodriquez. Gloria has an uncle working for RangeMan too." Becky said as she introduced Gloria.
"Really? Who would that be?"
"His name is Hector."
"Hector! Sorry he is so quiet I didn't know anything about his family." Nick said
"He has been that way all his life. I never told many people I was related to RangeMan or the girls would drive me crazy wanting me to fix the up with the guys. I refuse because of the age difference. Not to mention if would reflect on Uncle Hector. I love him too much to do that." Gloria said.
"Gloria, get my number from Julie. If you girls go out as a group. Call me and I will gladly play bodyguard any time I am not working."
"Thank you, Nick. Our group has adopted Julie as one of our sisters. I have heard about her from Uncle Hector. She will fit in real nicely." Gloria said.
"Thank you, Gloria" Julie said.
"The last girl in our group is Emily Procter. She is our serious bookworm and also our mentor when we hit a rough spot in our studies. She is a good tutor as well." Gloria told Nick.
"Nice to meet you, Emily."
Nick shook her hand.
"Are you ready to leave, Julie?" Nick asked
"Yes. See you girls tomorrow. Thanks for your acceptance. It has made my move a hundred percent enjoyable." Julie told the girls.
"Bye, Julie". The girls said in unison.
Nick took Julie to RangeMan.
Julie already had an ID badge.
Nick took Julie up to the sixth floor.
Ella would be babysitting Julie until Rachel got off work.
Julie had already talked to Ella about some cooking lessons.
Julie was trying to learn to self sufficient before she left for college in two years.
Not to mention Julie wanted to learn how to mend her own clothes for when she was in college.
Ella was a proud grandmother and very willing to train Julie in any area Julie chose.
AT BRADLEY'S SCHOOL:
Rachel took Bradley to his school and repeated the process of enrolling Bradley into his school.
Bradley was shy around new people. He was an introvert to Julie's extrovert personality.
The Principal, Dennis Ford, gave Bradley the guided tour. Bradley introduced him to his teacher, Mr. Gary Smalley.
Mr. Smalley welcomed Bradley to his class. Mr. Smalley showed Bradley where to sit.
"Class please welcome our new student, Bradley Martine. Bradley just moved here from Miami, Florida. They were trying to escape the Hurricane of the Century that you hear about on the news. So please be nice to him. Try to make Bradley comfortable here. Bradley's father just recently died of cancer so he could use some friends to make him feel welcome. Lester Cardwell, will you be Bradley's buddy until he learns his way around, please?"
"Yes, Mr. Smalley." Lester Cardwell said.
Bradley had been sat next to Lester by Mr. Smalley.
Bradley extended his hand to Lester.
Lester shook it. "Welcome to the crazy house."
Bradley smiled at him. Bradley liked the comedic streak in Lester.
Bradley's day went well and with Lester's help Bradley felt comfortable in this new school.
At lunch time Lester and Bradley went to the cafeteria.
"My real father died about a year ago from cancer. Mom moved us here. Partly to get away from the coming hurricane. Partly because living in Dad's house was too rough for her. I never told her it was rough for me too. She had enough to deal with so I kept my feelings to myself." Bradley told Lester.
"I know the feeling. I lost my father to a car accident about 6 months ago."
"Can I ask your opinion on something?"
"Sure, Brad".
"I have a chance to get a replacement father. But I am not sure about it. If I replace Dad won't that be like a slap to his face?"
"No, Brad. Your father is not here. He just might appreciate this other man's help since he can't be here in person. Who is this man?"
"Ranger Manoso."
"Ranger as in the CEO of RangeMan Security!"
"Yes, My sister, Julie, is Ranger's biological daughter. Ranger allowed my father to adopt Julie because Ranger was in the Army Rangers and gone most of the time. This way Julie could be raised with two full time parents."
"Brad? Wouldn't you let him "adopt" you be seen as a repayment for your own father raising Ranger's daughter?"
"I never thought of that!"
"Brad, I would give anything to have a man to talk to. What if I have a question I don't want to ask my Mom? I would give anything to have a man to care enough to want to adopt me. You can't turn love like that down, Brad."
"Then you think I am real lucky? I also get 35 Uncles at RangeMan as well."
"Man, what I would give to have that privilege."
"Let me talk to Ranger. He offered to have me trained in Martial Arts. Maybe if I talk to him he just might let me bring you along with me."
"Man, you have no idea how lucky you are. The only thing I have is Mom. She is always working. She isn't into dating again just yet. Hell, she barely makes enough money to keep the roof over out heads. Then that leaves little left over for groceries. I am sick of Mac and Cheese! I have it here and at home too! YUCK!"
"Let me talk to Ranger. I will see if I can help both of us out."
"Man, can you believe we just met yet I feel like I have known you all my life."
"I have that same feeling, Lester. I have a cousin on Ranger's side of the family. His name is Lester also. Wouldn't it be funny if Lester was teaching us?"
They laughed. Lunch was over. They went back to class.
The rest of the day flew by and Bradley liked all his teachers.
The final bell of the day rang.
Lester Cardwell walked Bradley to the parking lot when Bradley had been told he would be picked up at.
Bradley and Lester walked outside.
There stood none other than Lester Santos waiting on Bradley beside a black SUV.
"How was you day, Bradley?"
"It was great! I know Julie calls you Uncle Lester. May I call you that too?"
"Sure you can!"
"Uncle Lester, I would like you to meet my new buddy. He lost his father too. His name is Lester Cardwell."
Lester Santos held out his hand. The he shook Lester Cardwell's hand.
"Nice to meet you, Lester."
"Uncle Lester, Ranger told me he was going to train me in Martial Arts. Would Ranger allow my friend to train too?"
"How soon do you have to be home, Lester?"
"Mom doesn't get home until around 8 pm."
"Who watches you until then?"
"Nobody. Mom can't afford a babysitter so I hide in the house so no one calls DHS on us."
"Let me call my boss. We will see bout getting you permission to come along with us. I promise we will see to it you get home safely. How do you normally get home?"
"Walk. I live 10 blocks from here. Then I lock the door and wait on Mom to come home."
"Let me check with Ranger."
LESTER CALLS RANGER:
"Boss, I have 2 young men here. Bradley has made a friend. Bradley has made a friend. Bradley would like permission to take Lester Cardwell with him. Lester's mother works until around 8 pm. The other factor is there is no one to watch young Lester due to a money flow problem."
"Let me talk to Bradley."
"Yes, sir."
"Son, do you think this boy is serious in wanting to learn the Martial Arts?"
"Daddy, this boy is my student guide. He lost his father 6 months ago. His mother has to work so there is no one to watch him after school. Please, Daddy. He needs our help. I am worried about someone hurting him or taking him away from his mother."
Ranger heart melts.
One for hearing Bradley addressing him as Daddy. Secondly the heart tug was over the compassion Bradley has for this new friend.
"Son, then I will have Lester bring both of you here. Check in the lobby there will be ID badges for you so you can enter the building without a problem."
"You mean you will make Lester one too?"
"Yes, Son. As long as he follows our rules then he can come into the gym any time he wants."
"Lester, Daddy says you are welcome as long as you follow the rules. He will even give you your own ID badge. You can work out in the gym any time you want."
"Wow! Tell him thank you!"
"Lester said "thank you". I will give the phone back to Uncle Lester."
Bradley hands the phone back to Lester Santos.
Lester told Ranger he was en-route with both boys.
The boys were giddy with the thought of working out together.
When Lester Santos was ready to take them to RangeMan he remember Lester needed to tell his mother where to find him.
"Lester, should you call your mother so she won't worry about you?"
"Thank you, sir".
Lester rattled off the phone number.
"Her name is Amy. She works as a waitress at Pat's Diner."
Lester Santos' ears perks up. That is where Ranger met Stephanie.
Lester Santos made the call.
"Can I speak to Amy Cardwell please."
"This is she."
"Amy, my name is Lester Santos. I work for RangeMan Security. You son, Lester, made friends with my nephew, Bradley Martine in school today. Bradley just moved to Trenton from Miami. I would like your permission to take Lester to RangeMan until you get off. We are going to start training Bradley in Martial Arts. Bradley would like your son to train with him. We can not do that without your permission. Would that be alright if Lester gets the training?"
"Mr. Santos, I can't afford that kind of training."
"Ms. Amy. There will be no charge. We will even provide his meal. We have our own kitchen so not only will he be learning Martial Arts, we will feed him. But the best part is he will have 35 Uncles to protect him."
"It sounds too good to be true. You said it was totally free for Lester?"
"Yes, Ma'am! We are on Haywood Street. You can either pick him up on your way home or we will bring him to you once you get home."
"Mr. Santos, I like how it all sounds. But once again I need to remind you that I can't not afford the package you are talking about."
"Ms. Amy, I will make sure Ranger comes to talk to you in person. We will not ever send you a bill for our help."
"Can I talk to my son?"
Lester hands the phone to Lester C.
"Your mother wants to talk to you."
"Yes, Mom?"
"Son, it is alright for you to go with your friend. I will pick you up after I get off after work."
"Thank you, Mom. Did you know Bradley lost his Dad too?"
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, a year ago. Mom, I really like Bradley. I hope you will let me keep coming with him."
"We will talk about this later., Sweetie. I need to get back to work."
"Here is Mr. Santos."
"Amy, just stop at the lobby desk. We will bring Lester to you."
"Thank you, Mr. Santos. I will always worry about leaving Lester alone but I just don't have the money to pay a babysitter."
"Well, Amy, stop worrying this band of Rangers know how to defend him from any threat so he will be safe with us. This company is made up of Army Rangers, Navy Seals, Marine SOC's. We even have some Air Force Special Tactics Squadron members. Your son will be well protected. These men are the best of the best. They will be good role models. Hopefully we can pick up where your husband left off."
"Thank you. I will see you a little after 8 PM."
"I will look forward to meeting you. Thank you for letting us help both you and Lester."
"Thank you for offering."
They hang up.
"Did Mommy say I could go?" Lester C asked
"Yes, Lester, she did. Are you ready to go see what kind of things we have to show you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then let's me and you and Bradley head out. How about we go to the fourth floor when we get there we can get us something to eat."
"You have food?" Lester asked.
"Sure we do."
"This is going to be fun."
Lester drove them to RangeMan. Let the adventures start.
AT RANGEMAN:
Lester parked the SUV in the garage. He led the boys into the lobby.
"Cal. Can I have the boy's ID badges that I called about?"
"Sure Les."
Cal handed the boys their ID's.
"Lester you know we will have to have Lester's picture taken for his badge?"
"I will get Hector to do that for us."
"Nice to see you boys." Cal said.
"Uncle Lester is going to teach us Martial Arts."
"Oh, you are, Uncle Lester?"
"Yes but right now I am going to take them to the fourth floor. They can grab a snack before they work out."
"Have fun, boys." Cal said.
They take the elevator to the fourth floor
When they get off the boys were awe struck at what that saw.
"This is better than McDonald's!" Said Lester Cardwell.
"Yes. Their food is not healthy for your body. Too much fat will only make you fatter. You can't attract girls that way."
"Uncle Lester. Mom says I am too young to think about girls yet." Bradley said.
"Bradley, she is right but at your age you get to check girls out to find what kind of girls you might like. But by eating healthy you can keep your own body fit so when you do get old enough you will be more attractive to the girls than those that don't stay fit."
Lester let them fix their own plates.
Lester took them to the large circle table in the center of the room.
Merry Men stopped by to speak to the boys. They were welcomed to RangeMan.
The boys were treated like adults and the boys were totally surprised.
Now it was time to go the gym.
Hal was going to be their instructor.
Hal was a licensed instructor.
Hal taught them the proper stretches before a work out.
Hal started with some basic moves..
Hal let them practice the moves with him then he let them practice with each other..
Hal made sure they had the moves down pat.
Lester C. caught on real easy.
Bradley struggled a little.
Hal then showed him other ways to still make the moves work.
Bradley then got the idea and was able to master the moves.
Hal continued to work with them. The boys were loving it.
After a hour of practice Hal took them back to the break room and made the boys do their homework.
Stephanie and Ranger joined them.
"Well, boys, how did you training go?" Ranger asked them.
Hal spoke up. "They both show promise."
Bradley spoke to Ranger.
"Daddy, it was fun. Hal showed me how to it differently when I could do it right. Then I got it."
"What about you, Lester?"
"I found it interesting. I hope Mom lets me keep coming."
"I see Hal had you doing homework. Are you both all done?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Lester C said.
"Would you like me to check it over for you?"
"You know how?" Lester C said.
"I am a college graduate so yeah I think I figure you homework out."
Stephanie went over their work carefully.
"Well boys...I would give each of you a 100 since it was done correctly."
"Wow! I get to learn Martial Arts plus I get a tutor! This place is amazing!"
Ranger smiled at the boys.
"Hal did you show them the proper cooling down stretches?"
"Yes, sir. I also had Ella to get their sizes so we can get them proper uniforms for the sport."
"You mean I will have my own Dobok?" Lester C. asked.
"You will need it if you decide to go the different colored belts." Ranger said.
This was a fun day for the boys. Wonder what else them might learn.
A/N: This will be a story of trying to blend many different families into a large integrated blended family. There will be three families with a total of 6 adults and 6 children working to blend into one big blended family and making it work. I hope by doing it in chapters, which I have never done before, I can cut down the confusion. I am open to your suggestions on mistakes I have made, changes to help ease the confusion or anything else you think I should know. Hope you enjoy my efforts.