"Hey," I yelled into the hall as the door opened, "I'm home!" My answer was the silence that followed. I pushed the door all the way open, and walked into the entry hall, my dress shoes clicking as I walked on the hardwood. Closing the door behind me, I shifted my duffel bag off of my shoulder and slid it on to the floor. "Hello?" I called, listening to my voice echo through the house. "Any one here?" Again I was greeted with silence.
"Wonderful." I muttered. Picking up my duffel I pushed it on to my shoulder and began to walk up the stairs to the bedroom I left behind when I entered the military three years before. As I topped the stairs I turned and walked down the hall to my room, thankful that my parents had the up stairs carpeted. I hate the clicking my dress shoes make. The door to my room was closed, and for the first time since I had begun my journey home, I felt a little awkward.
The door was made of oak, and shone just as brightly as the silver door knob attached to it. I felt strange, and oddly. . .intimidated. Why? It was only a door. Shaking my head over my own stupidity, I opened the door and walked inside. As I look back on it now, I think I had a sense of the things that coming home would bring me.
It was as if the last three years had never happened. My bed was made, but every thing else was the way I had left it. A mess. My civvies, or civilian clothing, I had worn while home was strewn about the room as I had left them. My computer desk and dresser were chalk full of things I didn't even recall while I was away. Dropping my duffel to the floor, I took off my hat and ran a hand through my short hair.
Maybe I shouldn't have taken my leave.
Just as I was feeling as if life couldn't get any worse at all, I heard the front door open, and a woman's laughter ensuing. My ears had long ago been finely tuned to hearing an enemy's approach. The woman's laughter was followed by a man's voice, fairly hushed and not my fathers. Instantly I was on alert, my entire body honed in and ready to fight. Quickly and silently, I slipped my dress shoes off and my socks, and exited my room, closing the door as I went, as silently as possible. A small almost inaudible click followed, but as the voices continued in their conversation, I knew they hadn't herd it.
Slipping a hand into the back of my pants, I grabbed the knife I had been given to me years ago by my father, and began to creep down the hall. I listened carefully to the voices as I went and I quickly realized they were coming toward the stairs. Stopping all movement, including my breathing, I listened, and heard as they began to climb the stairs.
Suddenly the conversation stopped, and the movement stopped. Had I been spotted? Tightening my hold on my knife, I sprang out knowing my best chance at defense was surprise.
Boy was I surprised.
My little sister's frightened scream, and her boyfriend's shout of terror were something I was counting on. Only I was counting on it coming from a burglar or a rapist or something. Not my little sister.
"I am going to kill you, you stupid bastard!" My sister's shout of rage hit me quickly as I looked from her to her stunned boyfriend.
"Andi? What the hell are you doing?" I asked quickly coming to my senses.
"James you are so dead!"
"Uh. . ." Andi's boyfriend was slowly backing up, walking slowly down the stairs. "I'll call you later, Andi." He said as he turned and ran out the door.
"Ben, wait! He's just. . ." The front door slammed on her explanation. "my brother. " Andi turned to me and began to walk up the stairs, her expression as frightening as hell week. "You weren't supposed to be here till next Monday."
"No," I said correcting her, "This Monday. Today." I stated. My sister came to rest a foot away from me, and I could tell she was steaming mad. Her face was bright red in color and her eyes looked ablaze.
"Why did you have to scare him off like that? Geese, James, I'm eighteen now. I do have sex."
I cringed. When I had left home my sister wasn't quite fifteen, now she was eighteen and having sex? I had to admit, she was getting more than I was then. Unable to help myself I gazed quickly down at my sister's body. Well, she wasn't little anymore. Nice rack, smooth curves, long legs... man! She's your sister! My eyes instantly clicked back to her's with that reminder.
"You are a dead man."
Before I realized her intent, Andi decked me. More stunned than knocked off balance, I fell backward, landing hard on my butt. Andi gave me a cocky smile, and walked past me down the hall to her room. "Oh, really?" I asked under my breath. "This is war." As Andi opened the door to her room, I grabbed her around the waist.
"Hey, put me DOWN!" Andi screamed as I tossed her on to my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"No, I believe you started a war."
"No, you did! You chased Ben out of here!"
"I did no such thing." I said as I calmly kicked her door shut and strode into her room. I was relieved to find it free of posters of N*SYNC and Backstreet Boys. She did have one poster, a poster I was a little shocked to see. It was a large movie size poster, an advertisement to join the SEALs. "I didn't say one word to him, Andi. He just ran off when he saw me."
"Big shock there." Andi mumbled under her breath. "You looked like you were going to kill us when jumped out like that. Was that Dad's old hunting knife?"
"Yep." Tossing her on her bed, I smiled evilly at her. "As I have herd it said before. . .I declare war!" I made an overly dramatic lunge at her, and began to tickle her unmercifully. She had always hated being tickled.
"James!!" Andi screamed as I tickled her. "Stop! Please! She was laughing so hard I could barely understand her. I smiled to my self and realized that this was the most fun I had had since I left home. It felt as if the last three years hadn't happened. I felt like I was seventeen again, a week before I left for the Navy, and I was simply hanging out, or rather tormenting my sister.
