It's 2021
Brad groaned as he was woken by his phone. He checked his watch, it was 1.30am, tomorrow. That wasn't right. He had been sitting on a bench at the airport, where he must have dozed off. Seeing MOM as the caller I.D., he immediately took a sharp inhale.
"Hi Mom." He said, rubbing his face. "Yeah, I'm in Detroit. I landed safely. Yeah, I'm tired. I'm probably still on European time."
Growing up in Flint and barely graduating high school, Brad didn't have much of a future. There was no way he could survive two years of community college, and there were no jobs. With no choice and graduation coming, he joined the Army when he turned 18.
When he returned from the recruiter's office, his mom and dad were very chill. Brad would have been shocked if they weren't. They were always very hands-off as parents, probably too hands-off. They never cared about report cards or even if Brad actually attended school. They were probably happy that there was soon be one less mouth to feed.
The only one who cared was Lucy, his older sister by three years. Brad could still remember her face when he told her he had enlisted. She was close to tears. Since they were kids, Brad and Lucy had always been tight. She was always protective of him, keeping an eye out on him during high school, giving him advice with girls and generally guiding him. Brad paid her back by covering for her whenever she was out late and being her chauffeur during dates.
Brad calmed her down when he told her what he scored on the aptitude test and that he wouldn't be in the infantry. But not by much. When his test results returned, Brad discovered he had a knack for construction and fighting. So, he signed up to be a combat engineer on an eight-year contract.
After four years and three different bases, two firefights, and one drunken incident with a tank, Brad's active duty was up. By then, he had been in Afghanistan for 18 months. He thought about asking if he could stay another year but be transferred to somewhere else, like Korea. They denied that, and Brad was returning back to Michigan just before Christmas.
Everything happened so quickly, and Brad didn't have the chance to find a place to stay. He had lost touch with friends from high school. The friends he did make in the service were dotted around the country. Out of options, he called Lucy a couple of weeks before he left Germany and asked if he could crash with her. Lucy screamed and instantly agreed but warned him that she only had a sofa for him to sleep on. That was fine; he will sort something out after the holidays.
He told his mother that he was waiting for Lucy to pick him up. Also, he had shipped his belongings to her house; it should be there after Christmas. His mom was now living in Florida without Brad's father. He left the family months after Brad left for basic training, and no one had seen him since.
"I know it's been a while since we last saw each other. I really wished that we could spend the Holidays together, me, you, Lucy, and Julio."
"I know, Mom."
"Florida is so scary right now. Are you and Julio keeping safe?"
"Yeah. We're taking every precaution here. We've got our booster jabs. Look, you sound so tired. I'd let you go. I hope you and Lucy have a fun Christmas together. Especially now you're back. I can't wait to see you again. Talk soon. Love you. Bye Brad."
He told his mom he loved her too and put away his phone. She was correct; Brad felt exhausted. But he didn't want to fall asleep yet. There was so much he wanted to do. But first, he wanted a beer.
"BRAD!"
He dropped his phone at hearing his sister scream his name. He looked up, seeing Lucy running up to him. He got up on his feet just in time for Lucy to throw herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the mouth. The kiss was quick and chaste. He let out a soft groan as her tits pressed up against his abs. They weren't the biggest pair of tits Brad had ever seen; those belonged to Mrs. Fox, his calculus teacher. But they still were a good size and probably fun to play with.
Brad groaned again, disgusted that he was thinking about his sister's breasts. It was probably due to Lucy being the first attractive woman he met in the last couple of months. He knew he needed to get laid soon. Or at least masturbate.
He peeled her off him, looked down and grinned at her. At 6 feet, Brad easily towered over his sister. Lucy had her height down as 5 feet on her driving license, but Brad always thought she was lying. When Brad turned 13 and got his growth spurt, everyone would be confused about who was the older one.
"God, it's like hugging concreate." Lucy groaned.
Brad chuckled. With all the P.T. he had to do and his job, he had developed a strong, toned physique. While he was nowhere near as shredded like the other soldiers on the base, Brad felt proud that he was able to get himself a six-pack and bulging biceps.
"God, I missed you!"
"I missed you too!"
He took a good look at his sister; Lucy hadn't changed that much since the last time Brad had seen her. She had lost the bangs, and her silky brown hair now touched her shoulders. With heavy snow falling, Lucy wore a thick coat that covered most of her tiny frame.
"How are you?" She asked.
"I'm good, but I'm sick of airports." Brad said, smirking.
"Let's get out of here, then." Lucy then pulled him outside to her car. As they trudged in the snow, she looked at Brad and the lack of luggage. He was dragging a small carry-on and a duffel bag.
"Where's the rest of your stuff?" She asked.
"No. I sent most of my stuff to Mom's. She's going to keep hold of it until its cool for me to get down there."
Lucy stopped immediately and hit her brother. "You sent it to Mom, really? Have you talked to her yet?"
"Yeah. I had no choice. I had to tell the T.O. where they can ship my stuff like 6 months ago. I didn't know where you were staying."
Lucy nodded and shrugged her shoulders, then continued walking. She knew that he was right. In the last two years, Lucy had been all over the state, following different jobs and different men. She was now staying in Lansing, living in a tiny apartment, and working at a bar.
"Mom called when I landed. She asked how I was doing and we talked. It was strange but good. Are you guys talking?"
Lucy nodded her head and smiled. "Once a week, maybe more."
"And Julio?"
"He's a nice enough guy. You might like him. Big basketball fan. I saw them back in February."
"Cool." Brad then stopped, looking at the powder blue 2004 Pontiac Vibe. "You still got this car?"
"Hell yeah!" Lucy smiled. "Brings back lots of memories."
"Not for me. I was just driving you to Detroit."
Brad dumped his luggage in the back, and they got moving. Talking nonstop during the drive to Lansing, Lucy asked about his life in the Army. That was easy. As a combat engineer, Brad had many stories he could throw out. He told her what he got up to in Missouri, Germany, and Afghanistan. Weird C.O.s, riding in an Apache and getting drunk in a tank. Knowing how Lucy might react, Brad kept it brief when discussing combat situations.
"So, this is it? You back home for good?"
"Yeah. But kinda." Brad said, smiling at the change in Lucy's expression. "I'm in inactive reserves. I don't have to do any weekend drills. But I can still be called up if the Army needs me."
"What are you going to do next?"
