Author’s Note: This story is a complete work of fiction from the get go and is intended solely for the readers to enjoy. My thanks to EasySpeak for the work of editing this story so that it makes sense and makes it easier to read and understand.

Deb and I were raised in a modest middle class home in a small southern town. Deb is a couple of years older than I am and after graduating from high school she left to go to college at a university out of town a couple of hours drive away.

The two of us had always been very close to one another. Before we started school, many nights I would crawl into bed with Deb and we would sleep together. I guess I loved her and I really didn’t recognize it. Maybe I was too young or too dumb to recognize it.

Deb being the older of us, she would wrap her arms around me, kissing my neck and my cheek, much to my chagrin as a little pre-school age boy. She would hold me, her little Brother, which I really liked until we both drifted off to sleep.

Many mornings our Mom would find us asleep in Deb’s bed and she always thought how cute we looked in bed asleep with one another cuddled in each other’s arms. Maybe that’s why I loved her so much.

I loved my big sister very much because she always treated me so very lovingly and she, too, loved me just as much as I loved her. Deb always loved how I as a child looked up to her and how I always wanted to be with her whenever I could.

She had always tried to protect her little brother and I was always looking out for my older sister, too, as best I could even when I was smaller than she. As a result, we grew up being very close to one another which lasted all of our lives through our elementary and high school days and even through and beyond our college days, as well.

As we each grew older, naturally, I surpassed my big sister in both size and physical strength and I subsequently became her protector as our roles reversed. Deb had many friends in high school and she was a very popular girl, too. Anyone in our school who knew us knew not to mistreat Deb as they knew that they would have to answer to me.

As a teenager I began to realize just how pretty, shapely and sexy she was and that included her large breasts. I did not want anyone taking advantage of her and I was not going to allow anyone to take advantage of her if I could help it. That brought us even closer together as we always tried to do as many things together as we could and to protect each other.

When Deb left for college after graduating from high school, I had an empty feeling and missed her quite a lot but, I resigned myself to making the best of the situation. After I graduated from high school I also went to the same university as Deb had and I was really very happy to be near Deb again and to see her again on as frequent a basis as much as I could.

During my first year at the university our dad split with our Mom. He decided to walk out on his wife of nearly 25 years and the rest of his family, that is, Deb and me. Our dad told Mom, “Since both of the kids are out of high school, out of the house and they are in the university there is really no reason for me to remain around here any longer.”

Needless to say our Mom was devastated and Deb and I thought that she never really got over it. We both thought that our Mom showed us both even more love after our Dad left her. Deb and I strongly believed that the sorrow and sadness that our Dad left in our beloved Mom’s heart, she carried with her the rest of her life and she took it to her grave many years later.

During the mid ‘60’s it was pretty unusual for a man to just walk out on his family and not even look back. When our dad left our house and our family we figured that he had left the area and we never heard from him and never heard anything about him again.

That mystified both Deb and me as to why our dad could do such a thing. Mom never offered either one of us a possible explanation of why he did it, either. We often wondered if he had found some other woman to split from Mom and leave the area with the other woman.

We both thought that maybe our Dad did not really love our Mom or us in the first place. Regardless of why he left, it didn’t make a damn, he was gone and that was that and there really wasn’t anything that either one of us could do about it. And Mom certainly couldn’t do anything about it either.

At the end of my second year in college Deb had completed the requirements for her degree and she was about to graduate from the university. Before graduation Deb received a job offer from a company in Kansas City which she had accepted.

I knew that I was going to really miss Deb again in the same way I had missed her after she had graduated from high school and she had gone to attend the university.

I knew that empty, lonely feeling would be returning when she told me that she had accepted the job offer in Kansas City and she would be moving there to take the job soon after her graduation.

With my good grades, my two years of college and being in great physical condition I knew that I would be a good candidate to join the US Military. I had always thought a lot of and had a lot of respect for the U.S. Marines. Then I decided to go talk to the local Marine recruiter about joining the Corp and talk to them about what training I could obtain while I was in the Corp.

I made the decision to join the marines at the end of my second year at the university and I was to be sent to boot camp for training. Upon my arrival at boot camp I was to be inducted into the marines as a recruit. I had reasoned that if I was in the Marines I would be very busy there and I would not have the time to be miserable about missing Deb.

After Deb’s college graduation ceremony I told my Mom and Deb that I had joined the US Marines and would be leaving for boot camp the first of the week following Deb’s graduation. After Deb’s graduation I left for boot camp with a group of other recruits as I had previously been scheduled to do.

I did well in boot camp and met another recruit by the name of Jerry with whom I became good friends. Jerry was a good natured, good looking fellow resembling me in looks and in many other ways and he did well in boot camp, too. Jerry was from a little town about fifty miles from my and Deb’s home town and Jerry and I both knew of each other’s home town and its location in our state.

When we finished boot camp Jerry and I were granted leave and we traveled to our homes but, he stopped off with me in my home town. When we got to my home I introduced Jerry to my Mom and to Deb.

Deb had come home to see Mom and visit with me before I had to return to my unit for our first deployment after our leave. Jerry and Deb got along well and she later told me, “Don, I think that Jerry is a really cute guy and I could really go for him.” She further told me, “Jerry reminds me very much of you, Don, and I guess that is why I like him so much.”

After his short visit, Jerry left and traveled on to his home town where he spent the rest of his leave visiting with his family. Later, when we had returned to our unit Jerry told me, “Don I think that Deb is a really good looking, shapely and a very nice girl. I really like her and I want to see her again on our next leave if I can, Man.”

At the end of our leave Jerry and I returned to our unit and we were deployed with the rest of our unit to Iraq for our first tour of duty. We saw lots of combat action in Iraq against al-Qaeda and a couple of the guys in our unit did not make it back home.

Jerry and I both came back home safely after our first deployment. Then we both were given leave to return home to visit with our families. My Mom had let Deb know that I was on my way home for a visit on my return to the US stateside from Iraq. Deb took some vacation from her work and traveled to our Mom’s home to visit with our Mom and me hoping to see Jerry there again, too.

This time I brought Jerry home with me again and I wanted to visit with my Mom and Deb as Jerry was hoping to see Deb again, too. Jerry and Deb continued to get along very well with one another and it soon became a romantic relationship. A couple of days later Jerry returned to his home town to visit with his family before the end of his leave.

At the end of our leave, Jerry and I were deployed to Iraq again for our second tour of duty. Jerry told me, “I want to marry Deb and I’m going to ask her to marry me on our next leave, Don.”

“I can’t think of a better guy to marry Deb, Jerry, and I know that she really likes you too, Man.” Again during our second tour we lost a couple of the guys in our unit. Jerry and I both were able to come back home safely again after our second tour.

On returning from our second tour of duty Jerry stopped off with me again at my Mom’s home. Mom again had let Deb know that I was coming home since she had told Mom that she wanted to visit with me and Mom and she hoped to see Jerry there again, too. Deb had taken some vacation again to visit with me and Mom and she was happy to see Jerry again, too.

After a couple of days on my return home Deb and Jerry traveled to his hometown to his parents’ home so that he could introduce Deb to his family. Deb and Jerry visited with his parents for a couple of days then he and Deb left for Kansas City where she worked.

When they got back to her home in Kansas City they decided to get married there before Jerry had to return to his unit. At the end of our leave Jerry and I returned to our unit and we were subsequently deployed to Afghanistan this time for our third tour of duty.

In Afghanistan our unit saw some really heavy action against the Taliban and again we lost a few of the guys in our unit. Unfortunately, Jerry was killed by an IED when it exploded as he was about to pass by it and he had just stepped in front of it.

For me, the loss of my buddy, Jerry, really was bad enough but I was even more saddened by the fact that it was Jerry instead of me who was killed by the IED. I knew that I could very well have been the one killed by that IED since I had just passed it moments before Jerry got hit. I felt like Jerry had given his life to save my life even though I knew that just wasn’t the case.

Since Jerry was married to my sister my CO, commanding officer, gave me authorization to accompany Jerry’s body back to his home town for his funeral. When I arrived in Jerry’s home town, Deb and our Mom were there to meet me along with Jerry’s family.

Deb and Mom were very happy to see me even in the midst of Deb’s sorrow at having just lost her husband of less than a year. When I arrived I saw and hugged and kissed Mom and then I hugged and kissed Deb, too.

I told her, “I’m so sorry about Jerry, Deb. Jerry was such a good friend to me and I know that he was even much more than that to you, too, Deb.” I held her very closely to me as I saw the tears form in the corners of her eyes.

After Jerry’s funeral and saying good bye to Jerry’s family Mom, Deb and I returned to Mom’s home in our home town. We visited for a few days until I had to return to my unit in Afghanistan and Deb had to return to Kansas City where she worked.

After I had left to return to my unit, Deb asked our Mom to leave her home and come live with her in Kansas City since they were both living all alone. Our Mom said, “Deb I want to stay in my home of nearly thirty five years but, I’ll think about doing that sometime in the future, Honey.”

“Ok, Mom, but, I want you to keep that in mind for the future. I would rather you live with me than you having to live here all alone by yourself.”

At the end of my deployment in Afghanistan I returned state side and I was stationed state side for a while. A couple of years later I received word from Deb at my marine base that Mom had become seriously ill and she did not have long to live.

Deb told me that she was going to our Mom’s home to be with her and I told her that I would be there as soon as I could make the arrangements for my leave to return home.

I arrived at our Mom’s home within the next few days as it took that long for me to get my leave approved and to travel to our Mom’s home. Deb met me when I got home and she was very happy to have me there with her even under those unhappy circumstances.

Sadly, our Mom passed away two days after I arrived home just in time to see her before she died. Deb and I made the arrangements for our Mom’s funeral and to take care of her estate. Deb told me, “I think that Mom held on those last two days to be able to see you before she passed on, Don. She told me how much she wanted to see you before she died and how grateful that I was there and that you were on your way home to see her.”

“I think you are very right, Deb, and I am really glad that I did get to see her before she did pass on and I could tell her just how much I loved her. I also think that she died with peace in her heart having the both of us there with her before she passed on, Honey.”

Then I had to return to my Marine base and Deb returned to her job location in Kansas City. The two of us kept in contact with one another frequently and as best that we could. However, due to my usual frequent relocations with the Marine Corps it became exceedingly difficult for us to keep in contact with one another.

In the meantime, Deb had found a different and better paying management position with another company in Denver through a head hunter. When she tried to contact me she was unable to get hold of me to advise me of her change of jobs and her change of address and phone number.

Deb tried repeatedly to contact me but she was not successful and I was not able to contact Deb at her old address and phone number not knowing that she had moved from Kansas City to Denver.

It had been several years and many new assignments since I had been able to contact Deb and I was coming up on my eligibility for retirement. I then decided to take my retirement.

After I retired from the Marine Corps, I traveled to our old hometown to see if I could find any information on Deb. I contacted several of her high school girl friends but, I was not able to get any current information on Deb there from them.

While there in our home town I went out to the cemetery and visited our Mom’s grave. I also took a bouquet of flowers with me that I placed on Mom’s grave. I silently said Hi to my beloved Mom, “I love and miss you so very much, Mom, and please help me find Deb, Mom. I love her and miss her very much, too, and I really want to find her.”

I left the cemetery after silently saying, “Good bye, Mom, but, I’ll be back to visit with you again sometime in the near future. And I hope that it will be very soon and I’ll have Deb with me, too, I promise.”

I then traveled to Jerry’s home town to see if his family might have still have been in contact with Deb. I knocked on the door to Jerry’s family’s home. Jerry’s aging Mom, Fran, answered the door and I told her who I was.

Fran said, “Oh yes, Don, I remember you as being Jerry’s good friend from the Marine Corps and the brother of Jerry’s wife, Deb. Don, I’m very happy to see you again since I know you were such a good friend to my son, Jerry.”

I asked her, “Ma’am do you happen to have any current address information or a phone number for Deb?”

Fran said, “No, Don, I don’t have any information on Deb other than her old address in Kansas City.” I then took her to the cemetery where Jerry was buried and we visited Jerry’s grave. I bid my brother in arms a silent final Semper Fi, Marine, not knowing if and when I would ever be able to return to visit his grave again.

I then took Fran back to her home and, thanked her for going with me to visit Jerry’s grave. Before I left I told Fran, “The next time I come to town I’ll stop by to visit you and we’ll go visit Jerry’s grave again and I hope to have Deb with me, too.”

Fran replied, “I would really love to see you again, Don, you look so much like Jerry and you remind me so much of him. And hopefully you will have Deb with you the next time you return, too.” She hugged me like I was her own son as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

Before I left I hugged her warmly and told her, “Thank you so much again, ma’am. “I’ll look forward to coming back and seeing you again soon and visiting Jerry’s grave again with you.”

On leaving Fran’s home I decided to travel to visit Deb’s old company in Kansas City where she had first worked after she got out of college. I traveled to Kansas City and went to the offices where she had worked.

When I entered the visitors lobby still dressed in my marine dress uniform I asked to see the HR manager. I introduced myself with my Marine ID and said, “Deb is my sister and I’m trying to find her contact information.”

The HR people of that company recognized our family name and remembered Deb, too. They told me that they did not have any current address information for her. “But, what information do you have that might be of help to me in finding her?” I asked.

They did tell me the name of the company that she had gone to work for after she left them and that they were located in Denver. They also gave me the main phone number of Deb’s new company. I thanked them and left their offices.

Then I made a phone call to the HR offices of the company in Denver that Deb had gone to work for. When I reached the HR offices of that company they confirmed that my sister was indeed employed there. When they transferred my call to her phone I was only able to leave a message on her company phone voice mail.

I left a message on Deb’s voice mail and told her that I was in Kansas City and I was on my way to Denver. I said that I would call her when I got into town in the next day or two. I said that I had retired from the Corps and would fill her in about everything else when I got there. I traveled to Denver and arrived there the evening of the following day after the close of business hours.

I caught a taxi and asked the taxi driver to take me to a reasonably priced clean hotel/motel downtown near Deb’s offices.

The taxi driver who was a former marine recognized that I was a marine by my uniform and the taxi driver told me that he was a former marine also. He and I exchanged Semper Fi”s. The taxi driver asked me about my deployments and I responded that I had seen two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan. Then the taxi driver drove me to a motel close to Deb’s offices in Denver.

The next morning after breakfast I called Deb’s offices. I was really elated to hear Deb’s voice for the first time in many years and she said that she was extremely excited and nervous and seemed to be overjoyed to hear from me, too. She asked me, “Where are you, Don?”

I told her, “I’m in a motel not far from your offices, Deb.”

Deb responded, “Stay right there where you are, Don. I have taken the day off and I’ll be right there to pick you up.”

Deb told her administrative assistant, “I’ll be gone the rest of the week on vacation and let the rest of the department know that, too, please. Also tell them that if I’m really needed give me a call on my cell.”

Deb was soon on her way to meet me and she arrived at the motel where I was staying fifteen minutes later. She asked the motel clerk to call my room and tell me that she was there in the lobby. When I came into the lobby carrying my duffel bag prepared to check out of my room I set my duffel bag down in front of the motel desk.

Deb ran to my arms kissing my cheek and crying softly with tears of joy. She told me, “I love you so much, Don, and I’m so happy to have you back with me again, Honey.”

I told her, “I love you, too, Deb, I’m so happy to see you after all of this time, too, Honey.”

Deb tearfully asked me, “What are your plans now, Don?”

“First, I need to find a place to live, then I need to find a job and lastly I need to buy myself some new civvies. All I have is my dress uniform and my fatigues and a few old civvies.”

“Well, Little Brother, you don’t need to worry about any of that, you are going to stay with me and I’m going to help you find a job and get you some civvies after we have had a chance to have a good long visit with each other.”

After I checked out of the motel, Deb drove us to her condo and said, “You can put your stuff in my spare bedroom, Don.” When we arrived at her home I brought my duffel bag into her spare bedroom and unpacked it.

Then we sat down on the couch to talk and we began to catch up on our lives. Deb told me, “I have never remarried since Jerry was killed in Afghanistan, Don. I loved Jerry very much even though we were married for just a short while before he was killed in action. I still love him very much even after all of these years, Don.”

“I know, Deb. He was a great guy and he was a really great friend to me, also. It’s not hard to imagine how much Jerry meant to you and how much you meant to him, too.”

“Don, I have never found a man who is as good as you are and Jerry was and who treated me as well as each of you have always treated me.”

Deb continued, “I bought this condo not long after I took this new job here in Denver since my new job in management allowed me to be able to afford it. I have lived alone all this time and have really missed you so terribly much, especially since I had lost contact with you.

I thought that I had lost contact with you forever and I was afraid that you may have been killed on active duty somewhere overseas in an unknown country or on an unknown or secret combat deployment.” as the tears began to form in her eyes and stream down her beautiful, sweet face.

I told her, “I was also very upset that I could not find you when I tried to contact you at your old job and address in Kansas City. I really had no way of tracing you as I had moved around quite a bit as is usual in the military.

I had several deployments overseas but, I had no more deployments to Iraq or to Afghanistan or any other combat zone. I had been stationed at many different bases here state side and overseas over the years and that is probably why we lost contact with one another.”

I related to her all that I had gone through after I left the Corps in my search to find her. “I went to our old hometown and visited our Mom’s grave and then I went to Jerry’s hometown and visited with Jerry’s Mom, Fran.

I took Jerry’s Mom to the cemetery to visit Jerry’s grave, as well. That made me miss you even more, Deb. I got really depressed when Jerry’s Mom did not have any contact information on you either.

Then I went to the company where you first worked in Kansas City and they gave me the name of the company that you are working for now. That was when I called you and left you the message on your voice mail.”

Deb moved over next to me on the couch, threw her arms around me and kissed me tenderly. I could see the tears beginning to gather in her eyes again as I held her, kissed her, comforted her and told her, “It’s alright now, Honey, that we’re back together again and I am never going to lose you again.”

Deb began to relate some of what had happened with her, “Since Jerry was killed, Mom had died and then when I had lost track of you I felt all alone in the world and my work was all I really had to live for. Now that we have found each other again I never want to let that happen again, Don.

I always want to know where you are. Now I want us to make up for all of those lost years and I want us both to start living again like we should have been all of these past number of years, Honey.”

I gathered her up in my arms, held her close to me and kissed her. I said, “I don’t ever want to let you go again and not know where you are, Deb. I have felt very lonely for you and for Mom, as well; in the same manner I think that you have missed Mom and me.” Then we kissed not as a brother and sister but, almost as lovers.

Deb made lunch for us and that afternoon we sat and talked late into the afternoon over several bottles of beer. Deb said, “I want us to celebrate having you back with me again and I’m going to take you out to a great steak house to eat tonight, Little Brother.”

Deb got up off the couch and headed toward her master bedroom and her adjoining bathroom saying, “I want to take a quick shower then get dressed to take you out to eat, Honey.”

She asked me, “Do you want to shower, as well, Don?”

“Yeah I do, Deb.”

After Deb had showered and got dressed I marveled to myself, God, I did not remember just how pretty Deb looked. Then I remarked to her, “I did not remember just how pretty and shapely you were and still are, Honey, and I just can’t believe how you could have remained unmarried all this time since Jerry has been gone. All kinds of guys should have fallen for you as good as you look, Deb.”

Deb just kind of blushed and standing on her tippy toes she kissed me for my compliment saying, “Now I know why I love you so much and have missed you so much all of these years, Little Brother.”

Deb had come out of her bedroom wearing a form fitting black sheath dress that accentuated her gorgeous, perky breasts, her slim waist and her hour glass shape. I looked at her pretty face, her sparkling brown, “cow” eyes and her beautiful, shoulder length, shining brown hair which swished from side to side each time she turned her head.

I don’t know what it was but, the perfume she had on had the most wonderful fragrance I could ever imagine but, what good taste she has in perfume and clothes, too, for that matter.

When she came into the room I said to her again, “Deb, I am wowed at how pretty and shapely you are in that dress. Good God, Honey, you look like a gorgeous model and you just do things to me when I see you all dolled up like that.”

She just blushed a little bit and told me, “Go take your shower and get dressed to go out and eat. I have laid out some clean towels for you for your shower.” After I showered and got dressed in my Marine dress uniform again we left her condo for the steak house. On our way out to eat I told her, “Deb, I’m going to have to get some clothes other than my dress uniform since I’m no longer an active duty Marine.

When we arrived at the steak house Deb was greeted by the hostess by her first name. The hostess told Deb, “Your regular table is available in accordance with your normal reservation, Miss Deb.” Deb graciously accepted and thanked the hostess for holding her table for her on such late notice. Then she introduced me as her brother to the hostess who quickly ushered us to her reserved table.

As we were walking through the restaurant and ushered to our table I noticed that many of the men in the room who saw Deb followed my beautiful sister with their eyes with that look of desire in their eyes.

I thought to myself, I guess that I’m not the only guy who thinks that Deb is a beautiful woman worthy of such admiration and desire. Good God, she is such a gorgeous, shapely and appealing woman that I’m out with tonight.

Deb ordered a bottle of her favorite wine for us while we talked and waited for our meals to be brought to the table and served to us. Then I told Deb, “That is one of the most delicious wines that I have ever tasted, Honey.”

“Yes it is delicious. I have them keep it on hand for me and anyone else who likes it.” Our meals arrived at the table and Deb motioned for me to begin eating my meal as she started eating her meal.

I thanked my beautiful sister for such a lavish meal and I told her, “I have never had such a delicious meal especially not since I have been in the Corps, Deb. I want you to let me pick up the check?”

She would not allow me to pick up the check saying, “I eat here so frequently through my work that they know me very well and they make sure that I always have the best service and the best meals that they can offer. That is why I brought you here tonight, Don.”

After our meal we returned to Deb’s condo and she asked me, “Do you want a glass of after dinner wine, Don?” I quickly accepted. She told me, “Have a seat on the couch while I go get the wine, Little Brother.”

She returned with two glasses of chilled wine, one for each of us, and the remainder of the just opened bottle on a tray. She sat the tray on the table in front of us and she sat down next to me. She toasted us with her glass that we were back together again. I raised my glass to her toast and we both sipped our wine then we sat our glasses back on the tray.

I raised my arm over her head and placed it around her shoulders and gently pulled her to me. Then I kissed her sweetly on the lips and said, “Even though you are my sister I have loved you since we were little kids, Deb. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back with you again, Honey.

It nearly broke my heart that I could not contact you all of those years.” I went on to say, “I never ever want to loose contact with you again and I have wanted you with me since Mom has died and you are my only known living relative. We don’t know where our dad is or even if he is still alive.”

We both wondered what had happened to our Dad after all of these many years and after he walked out on and left our Mom. Deb and I agreed that we would just like to know if he was still alive and well or if he was dead but, we may never know.