Marine brats

I awoke this morning like so many others, but today was to be very different. Like clockwork at 4am the familiar cadences and the words, “Yo Lep! Yo Lep! Yo Lep! Right! Lep!” drifted in from outside. I remember jokingly asking my dad before he deployed if all Marines made “Lep” turns…and does two “Leps” make a right.

I was wiping the sleep out of my eyes staggering up the hall toward the bathroom with my piss filled morning wood. On my way I wrapped on my little sister May’s door “Come on PipSqeak, gotta get ready for school” I hollered. I heard a muffled “OK, I’m up” as I ducked into the bathroom to take care of some pressing issues.

A short while later May and I were sitting at the table shoveling down some Cereal. As part of our morning routine May jumped up and went over to the fridge and put a big X on the calendar for today and gleefully exclaimed “Fourteen days! Daddy will be back in two weeks!” May is a blast to be around. At the time May was bubbly little sister. I was in my senior year due to graduate this year. Mom was a civilian nurse who worked nights at an off base hospital. So she usually slept the bulk of the day.

We finished our breakfast, and put our dishes in the sink, picked up our backpacks and headed for the door. I got no farther than the foyer when I saw a black towncar stop out front, out of it came two Marines in full dress blues. My stomach lurched, I almost puked right there.

“Steve, are you ok? You don’t look good.” I heard May say behind me.

“May, I need you to go upstairs and wake mom up and tell her we have visitors, and that it’s important. When you tell her stay upstairs until one of us comes and gets you.” I said to her.

“But…..” She tried to ask something.

“Please May now don’t argue” I cut her off before she could finish her sentence. She quickly scampered away.

The two Marines had now made their way to the door, I opened the screen door before they could knock

“Steven Arnold?” One of the Marines asked.

“Yes sir, and unfortunately I already know who you two are” I replied, staring at the floor.

“Is your mother home son” One asked.

“She works nights, I sent my sister to wake her up. She will be down in a second.”

I heard my mom’s footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Steve, honey who is it?” She asked from across the room.

When she approached she saw I was some combination of green from nausea and white with shock.

“Steve, honey whats wrong?”

I took a small step to the side. Upon seeing the two Marines, my mother just started screaming “No!” over and over again. She lost all function in her legs and crumpled to the floor. I had to do a near dive in order to catch her.

Speaking in a soft voice you don’t usually hear from a Marine one of them said “Mrs. Arnold it is my sorrowful duty to inform you that last night Lt. Steven Arnold Sr was killed in a road side IED attack while serving his country in the Helmund Province of Afghanistan. On behalf of the United States Marine Corps, and a grateful nation……..” His words just became a muted mumble as I sat on the floor holding my mother.

After the funeral, I tried to do every thing in my power to make my mom’s life easy as possible. I fielded all the news media, the household chores, cooking, thank you notes, and all the other tasks of daily life while still attending school.

Shortly after the funeral my mom had no choice but to return to work. One particular evening about a month after the funeral I had finished a shitload of homework, I was cleaning up dinner and making something for mom when she got home in the morning. From behind me May asked a question, I don’t even remember what it was, I think she needed help with a math problem or something. The events of the last month, the stress, and the emotion I had bottled up to give a strong appearance, had all boiled to a head at that moment. Unfortunately May caught the full force of it when the dam broke. I exploded into a loud venomous tirade.

“Jesus Fucking Christ, May…Do I have to do every God Damn thing around here….” Was just a small part of what I spewed, storming away to my room slamming the door so hard the would house shook. I threw my self onto the bed and just burst into tears, my face and neck were so hot from every emotion ranging from anger to self pity, all being released at one time. I laid there for a long time after calming down just staring at the wall, I remember hearing the faint sound of Taps being played at the nearby recruit barracks. I was essentially asleep with my eyes open. I never heard my door open, I was shaken out of my fog by the realization that May had slipped into the bed and curled up tightly behind me sobbing.

“Please don’t be mad at me…Please don’t hate me…I’m sorry…you and mom are all that I have left…I’ll do better I promise…Please Steve…I love you.” She said nearly unintelligibly, trying to breathe between sobs.

I flipped over and pulled her tight to me in a hug and cradled her head into my chest, and cried along with her for a while. She was shaking, and her face absolutely soaked with tears.

“No May don’t be sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong at all, I was a total fucktard for going off like that, my emotions got the better of me. I will never hate you, never! You’re my little sister I will always love you….ok?”

“Ok…fucktard.” She replied, we both busted out laughing. I hugged her so tight she had to beg me to loosen up.

I woke up Saturday morning with an unusual sensation. After my brain started working I realized May was still in bed with me in my arms, we were in a spooning position, her back to me. She was wearing one of my hand me down t-shirts and a pair of cotton panties. My morning wood was tucked up firmly against her little ass. May had spent many nights with me after dad died because of nightmares, but this is the first time I had ever been aroused by it.