Peyton
"Hey punk," I answered my phone when my brother, Carter, called. I had just walked into my place from the airport, getting off one of the worst flights that I've ever been on. I had done a lot to convince Janet that I didn't need a First Class seat, only to be seated next to a screaming baby, and in front of an overactive toddler who kept kicking my seat. I would never tell her that though. She'll never let me hear the end of it.
"What's up, you big dummy? You home?"
"Yes, just walked in."
"You were gone for, what, two weeks in LA? You shoot a pilot for a new show or something?" he asked, being his normal silly self.
"Please shut up. What do you even want?"
"I was just calling to check on you. I haven't talked to you in forever. Wanted to see how you were doing."
"I appreciate that, big brother. I'm doing okay. Kinda glad to be home, kinda not." I've always been a bit of a homebody. It's comfortable, it's chill, it's mine. But being at my girlfriend's house for the last two weeks was almost gave me a very similar feeling. Almost. I still liked my space.
"So when are you coming home to see us? Your nieces have been asking about you every five damn minutes, driving me crazy."
"Them heathens ain't worried about me. They just want me there so I can take them to Chick-Fil-A and to get ice cream."
"True, but they do miss you. I miss you."
"I miss you too, Brother Bear. How are you doing?"
"You know me, if my girls are good, then I'm good. And they're doing just fine."
"Good. How's dad?"
"Lawd, you know yo daddy. Always fussing or complaining about something. Getting more ornery by the day. He done retired, so now all he does is check the mail every 5 minutes until it gets here."
"What the hell is he checking the mail for? He ain't got not one damn bill."
"Naw, he wanna open my mail so he can tell me what I owe people. Then, he'll claim he thought it was his because they didn't put Senior or Junior on it. If you know you don't have business with the cable company, you know it ain't for you!"
"Tell him if he opens it, he gotta pay it."
"I can't wait to get that old to just complain about nothing all day."
When my mother passed, she left the house to me. Since my brother was going through some things with his now ex-wife, we all thought it would be better for everything to go to me, just to make sure that if and when the divorce got finalized, she wouldn't get anything. She was not much of a wife or mother, so she wasn't going to get a dime from our family. She abandoned both girls, the eldest twice, for random men and drugs. My youngest niece isn't even my brother's, but he refused to separate the girls. Blood or not though, that's our baby girl. He got full custody of both of them, and has been living in the house with them ever since.
A few years ago, my dad took it upon himself to move in with them once he retired. He thought that my brother would need the help raising two kids on his own, but my brother and I came to learn quickly that it was Dad that needed the help instead. With his health not being the best, and medication prices being what it was, it definitely benefited him more to live where he wouldn't have to pay any bills.
"He really needs to find a woman. Calm his ass down some," I said, throwing an arm full of clothes in the hamper.
"Peyton, would you really want to put some innocent woman through that?" he laughed.
