Left Behind Read Free Page A

own house.’
    “No. Shelby’s just going to visit on weekends. She still has one semester left before she can transfer here to do her internship at the hospital in Rock Hill.”
    ‘ I just want you to let her know that she is welcome here. Tell her I can’t wait until she is finally my sister.’
    “I’ll tell her. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sissy. I love you.”
    ‘Love you, too. Bye.’
    “Bye.” He said before he hung up.
    Jordan had been opening the mail while I’d been talking to James. He turned to me with a letter in his hand.
    “Guess who is coming home.” He said with a smile. “This is from Toby. They are finally bringing the troops home. He said once they get stateside , him and Troy will b e moving to reserve status. Tor y is being honorably discharged. He won’t have to serve anymore after all of his injuries.”
    ‘What injuries?’ I asked. I never opened the mail, so Jordan always read the letters from the trips first. I had never read one saying anything about one of them being hurt.
    “Oh, daggumit! I wasn’t supposed to tell you. They knew you’d be upset.” He said. I could tell he was upset with himself for letting it slip. “Before you get mad at them, remember what you are keeping from them. Every time they have been able to call, I’ve covered for you. None of you can get mad at the others.”
    ‘ I know. You’re right. ’
    I was feeling so many things at the moment. Ecstatic, impatient, sad, scared. Things had changed, but I still loved my boys. They were finally coming home to me, and even I didn’t know how I’d react. I was happy they were coming, but would I be able to be around them? For a year and a half I have panicked if anyone came near me other than my brothers. Would I be able to handle the trips?

Chapter 2
    I was looking at myself in the mirror, trying to see myself as others saw me. My brothers had told me after everything happened, that I was still beautiful, but I had never been beautiful. I had always just been average. I have a good complexion , though I have a scar from my right ear to the right corner of my mouth that mars it . My skin color matches that of my brothers, a caramel color because of our mixed race. Daddy was black and Mommy was white. Our Mommy used to get complimented about her beautiful children wherever we would go. Looking back into the mirror, I looked at my hazel eyes. They seemed dull to me. You used to be able to see the sparkle in my eyes, be able to tell how I was feeling. Maybe that was why they were dull. I just felt numb most of the time. I didn’t take time with my hair anymore . I would just put the moisturizer in it, and then put it in a pony tail. I was 5’6 and not fat, but not thin either. I was thick, with curves. At least that was the way I looked at it.
    I wondered, no t having seen the trips in two years, would they like the way I look now? Nah, I had too many scars. Unless I wore a body suit with a mask, gloves, and shoes. But it was too hot right now to get by with that.
    I got dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a purple tank top and slid on my purple flops. I was going to spend the day at the creek writing since Jordan had fixed my laptop last week.
    I had spent the weekend with James catching up on all the happenings with him, but he was going to start working in his office today. I really wished he would turn one of the other rooms into an office for himself, but he said clients needed to be able to have easy access to him, and we lived kind of far out of town.
    “Hey, Sissy! Will you please come with me today?” James said coming into the bathroom behind me. “I’ll even set you up with an office in the back so you won’t be out in the open when people come in.”
    I shook my head. ‘ I don’t even go to town anymore. I can’t be o ut in the open. You know that.’
    “Cooommm me oonnnnn.” He w h ined while bouncing up and down. “Pleeeeeaaasssee!”
    ‘ You sound like a five y ear old.’ I signed,