Chapter 4

I hated leaving her, but I loved my mom’s cooking and how bad can their big announcement be?

While driving to their place, I ran my hand through my hair trying to look as normal as possible. It had been close to six months since I had seen any of them.

I stood at the front door for a solid minute before I knocked. Arial opened the door and gave me a huge hug, wrapping her legs around me.

She’s a small 5ft5, and probably didn’t weigh even close to 100 pounds.

“Let your brother go?” my mother Ruth said.

“He’s got hold of me, Mom,” she said, as I took my hands from being on her denim covered butt.

Ruth walked to me and started to cry, “It never took a proclamation to get you here before?”

“I had hoped for a great dinner while I got to see how Hot my sister and mother have gotten. You’ve been working out, haven’t you?”

She was only 40, but looked much younger, as we wrapped our arms around one another and had a reunion kiss. Out of habit, I pulled her up close to me, causing my 27.3 centimeters to jerk in my pants.

She looked amazing, and I saw her face react to the pressure in my jeans. If Arial hadn’t been watching us, I would have likely kissed my mother, very passionately.

“Mother!”

I let her go, smelling the distinct fragrance of noodles being cooked. This might be a bigger deal than I first thought. Making our favorite meal from our youth must mean something.

“Get a room,” my father’s voice said coming from behind me.

“Hey Jeffrey,” I said to give him grief.

“Has something happened to calling me, Dad?” he said, walking past us.

“Nothing specific, you know us kids need to be as outlandish as possible, Mr. King?”

“RK has a girlfriend,” my sister said, using her pet name for me.

“Anybody we know?” my mother asked, still joined front to front with me.

I very inconveniently jerked again, that she must have felt, due to the smile on her face.

‘It’s too soon to talk about,” I said finally separating from Ruth.

“He’s moved in with somebody,” Arial said.

“He’ll tell us when he’s ready,” my mom said pulling me to the dinner table.

Dad was washing his hands in the sink, which I knew bothered Mom, which may be why he does it.

“Have you told him yet, Ruthie?”

“I’ve been waiting for you, dear,” she said.

“Tell me what?” I asked.

“If he has moved in with somebody, we are going to have to find somebody, won’t we?” Dad said.

This sounded quite fascinating. I pulled Arial’s chair out for her, getting a ‘Thanks RK,” for my effort. I dished some Noodles and Chicken on her plate for her until she said, “That’s enough, please?”

Our parents watched this much too closely, as I sat and gave myself a big helping as well.

“He seems to still have good manners,” my father said like he was observing an animal in the zoo.

As we all started to eat, I simply asked, “What’s going on, oh great and powerful Jeff?

Mom said, “Well, our 25^th wedding anniversary is coming up, and your father and I were planning to take a month and go on a 2^nd Honeymoon, Richard.”

Aha!

After chewing the piece of chicken in my mouth, I surmised, “So you need someone to babysit Arial, and the obvious choice is her big brother?”

“Not a babysitter, per se, just someone to keep her out of trouble,” dad said.

“I don’t need a babysitter, I am 18 years old, Daddy!”

“There is a problem, if you have moved out of your apartment. Who are you shacking up with, Son?”

“I have moved in with your sister Lisa, who has been living alone in her four-bedroom home since Thomas left her by herself, Dad!”

Taking that news better than I had expected, he said, “So, you are living with my little sister. How is that working out?”