Chapter 1: Homecoming!

Elaine, the Jorgenson cousin, was right, we ended up flying home on the same plane. She sat next to me on the C-5A Galaxy from the Middle East to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where we’d transfer to another flight.

I was seated near the front of the chartered plane on the flight to the US, while Elaine had a seat farther back. She told me that she was heading to North Dakota to spend some time with family before reporting to the Pentagon when we finally landed at Andrews.

We said our goodbyes. I asked her to check in on Grandma Jorgenson and to let her father know that I’d be visiting soon. She promised she would, then added with a grin that she was looking forward to seeing me again ... and especially to hunting her ‘prey’, the poor, unsuspecting ‘Twin’, John.

Her parting comment was, “Us Jorgenson women intend to turn the Mercer team into the Jorgenson clan. Just one more after John, and we’ll be complete.”

My only thought was, Run, Todd, run. He’d be the last unattached male left in our group, except for Robert, the perpetual car lover, whose heart would probably always belong to four wheels and motor oil rather than any woman.

The flight arrived at Andrews Air Force Base mid-afternoon. I didn’t want to bother Robert, as I knew that he was busy running his successful auto ride service and didn’t want to interrupt his schedule just to pick me up. I took a taxi from Andrews to our house in Alexandria instead.

I had decided not to call my family to let them know that I was coming home. I figured that me walking through the front door unannounced would be a great surprise, and it was a surprise just not the one that I expected.

It pulled up in front of my house thirty minutes after the taxi had picked me up at Andrews. I sat there for a moment, taking the place in, while the driver unloaded my bags from the trunk. How long had it been since I’d seen my family face-to-face? Nearly six months. I was anxious to get back to a normal life. I couldn’t wait to see everyone; my wife, Karen, my twin daughters, my soulmate, Andi, and yes, even that ridiculous hound, Beast, along with his two troublemaking accomplices.

I hauled my bags up onto the stoop after settling the fare and giving the driver a generous tip, and started fishing around in the right front pocket of my BDU pants for my keys. I was determined to make this a surprise, but the surprise would fall flat if I’d lost those keys. There’s nothing dramatic about having to knock on your own front door to be let in.

I carefully opened the door, hoping to surprise my girls with my homecoming. It was odd that the dogs didn’t come charging to the door, barking their fool heads off like they usually did. I expected them to be over the moon to see me after being gone nearly six months. They had to be out in the backyard. Karen sometimes did that when Beast got too wound up and started making a nuisance of himself.

I stood there, motionless, listening for the chaos that I’d grown used to, toddler chatter, paws scrambling across hardwood floors, barking, squealing, laughter. The house was quiet instead. That unsettling stillness crept in fast, settling in my gut like a weight. Something wasn’t right, and that strangeness aroused my suspicion.

Setting my bags down, I shifted into stealth mode. I unzipped the bag where I had stashed my newly acquired Beretta, checked that it was loaded, and cautiously moved into the front hallway, ears straining for any unusual sound.

Soft jazz floated in from the family room, mingling with the sound of laughter, both male and female.

I crept toward the doorway, every step deliberate and controlled. What I saw in the living room stopped me cold and broke my heart.

My wife was on the couch with a stranger, his arm draped around her as he leaned in, trying to kiss her. I froze, the world crashing down. Across from them, Andi sat in a club chair, also with a man I didn’t know. The sight hit me like a punch to the gut.

What was happening? Twisted. Nightmare. Twilight Zone. Had the two women who I trusted, lost their minds? Or me? I don’t know. I can’t think. Everything’s spinning.

My marriage was dying from where I stood. Gasping. Choking. So much for the tearful pleas. The hollow ‘I love yous’, the ‘we miss yous’ that once filled our calls were all empty now.

Where were my daughters? Where was their protector, Beast, and his two troublemaking sidekicks? The scene in the family room was bad enough, but not knowing where my girls were, what shape they were in, lit a fuse inside me. Rage exploded. Reason shut down. All that was left was instinct. Lash out. Strike back.

I flicked the safety off and slowly raised the Beretta, muscles tight, rage pushing every movement. I was seconds from pulling the trigger when a sound from upstairs snapped me back.

I stood there, stunned, shaken by how close I’d come. A woman’s voice drifted down from upstairs, singing softly in Spanish as she moved about her work. The gentle melody cut through the rage boiling inside me, halting the violence that I’d been ready to unleash. She hadn’t heard me come in, too focused on dusting the banister at the top of the stairs, completely unaware of the storm gathering just below.