Chapter one

September 2023

Bam let out a heavy sigh as he looked down at himself. It was a few days before his 44th birthday and he was starting to feel his age. He placed his hands over the belly that he had developed and made a mental note to pick a date next week to start working out again. He didn't mind the grey patches around his temples, or the deepened expression lines around his eyes and mouth, but it irritated him how he let himself get out of shape. He opened the closet door and searched through the hanging shirts.

"Not again!" He groaned before closing the door

He left his bedroom and headed downstairs.

"Yo Stace! Stacey!"
"WHAT!" Came the feminine voice from the kitchen (in a tone not unlike Bam's)

Bam rolled his eyes, knowing that his niece would have been in the kitchen again. The smell of the freshly baked something or other should have given it away. Takes after Phil He thought as he reached the kitchen. There the short, slightly pudgy, seventeen year old drummer's daughter stood over the counter, removing cookies from the cookie sheet with a spatula. She didn't even look up once her uncle entered the room.

"Stacey what did you do with my red button-down shirt? I know you took it."
"I…" She glanced over her shoulder at Bam "I borrowed it but I think Dyllan still has it."
"Dyllan? He never wears my clothes."
"Well he was painting earlier and got paint on the shirt he was wearing. So I let him wear my shirt."
"You mean my shirt."
"Yeah… yeah that's what I mean."
"Ok where is he now?"
"He's… doing his yoga." She said, scrunching her face up on the word "yoga"
Bam shook his head "Great. Thanks Stace." He started to walk away and then came back to swipe a cookie "Ow! Hot!"
"I just took them out of the oven Uncle Bam."
"Yeah I don't care." He said with a mouthful of cookie as he walked away.

In the living room an instructional yoga DVD was playing on the TV. Standing there facing the TV, with feet together, eyes closed, and hands held together in front of the chest, was the spitting image of a younger Bam. He was a little bit shorter and his dark brown hair was a little curlier than his father's. Bam stood in the entrance to the room, watching his youngest child. He was always the type of parent who encouraged his kids to express themselves however they wanted. But seeing his son do relaxing activities such as painting or sculpting, meditation or yoga, completely baffled him. He would often look at him and think 'this can not be my son' (Even though he knew that no court in the world would agree with him). But then he would laugh to himself and follow up with the thought 'I just had to fall for that fucking hippie chick.'

Bam cleared his throat, which caused his son to jump.

"Geeze. Scared the shit out of me."
"Dyl you wearing my red shirt?"
Dyllan looked down at himself and tugged at the bottom of his shirt"This is yours? I got this from Stacey."
"Yeah and she stole it from my closet again. Could you take it off? I want to wear it."
"Fine." Dyllan unbuttoned a couple of the buttons and pulled the shirt over his head. Beneath it was a tight black tank top that showed off his buff physique "God damn this is like musical fucking shirts." He said with a laugh in his voice as he handed his dad the shirt
Bam took the shirt and ran his thumb over his son's exposed bicep, as if to wipe dirt off of it "Well what do you have here? Is that a new tattoo?"
"Um… yeah. It's a phoenix… You're not mad that I got it without your permission, are you?"
"Dyllan look at my body. Do I look like I give a fuck whether my son has a tattoo or not?" He held his left wrist out "Besides what does that say?"
"DILLIGAF." He rolled his eyes "Yeah yeah. I've always said you have great parenting skills, dad."
"Well you turned out great. I must have done something right." Bam said as he started to walk away
"Mom raised me too." Dyllan said under his breath
Bam turned around "What was that?"
"I said MOM raised me TOO."
"You think that's supposed to hurt me?"
"No."
"Good. Now finish up your yoga and get ready."
"For what?"
"Everyone is coming over soon."
"Really? What's going on?"
"We'll decide once everyone is here." He said with a smile
"Oh this should prove entertaining as usual."
"You know it." Bam rolled up the shirt and snapped it on Dyllan's butt before walking away. "Oh by the way Sam's coming here too and she's going to stay through my birthday. So I don't want you two fighting the whole time."
"Samantha's coming too?" He whined
"Did I stutter? Yes she's coming. Now please be nice to her."
"Do I have to?"
"She's your SISTER!"
"Fine I'll be nice. But only because of your birthday."
"Thank you."

Bam walked into the kitchen where he saw his niece mixing up another batch of cookies.

"Do you ever stop baking?" He laughed
"I do. You know it's uncanny, Uncle Bam."
"What?"
"You and Dyllan out there. Despite your interests, you two are exactly the same." She smiled
Bam sat down on a stool and sighed "Don't remind me."