It was just after noon when Debbie turned the car down Maple Street and saw the white house with the ‘sold’ sign in front of it. The house was two stories and seemed quite spacious. It had maroon shutters on all the windows. The yard surrounding the house was in need of serious upkeep but Debbie hardly noticed. “There it is!” She practically screamed as she pointed to the house. Melissa and Brandy turned their heads and looked out the window but Marshall crawled in Brandy’s lap to get a better view.

“Marshall, please I already have to pee like a MoFo don’t jump on my stomach,” she scolded him. “Don’t say MoFo,” Debbie told Brandy as she pulled into the driveway and parked the car. Marshall was the first to jump out of the car and run up to the house, but he was followed close behind by Debbie.

Brandy and Melissa hesitated at the car a few moments before joining their family on the porch. “Hurry you slow pokes,” Debbie called, “I want us all to go in together.” When the girls got to the porch Debbie inserted the key in the lock and opened the door. As soon as the door was open Debbie and Marshall ran into the house and up the stairs. Melissa slowly jogged behind them followed by Brandy. “Come on children and pick your rooms. You all get separate rooms,” Debbie told the siblings when they had all gotten up the stairs. This thought made everyone smile. All three children had been sharing a room in their tiny trailer for the last 9 years.

The remainder of the day was spent moving furniture, that Debbie had purchased the week before they moved, and boxes into all the rooms from the u-haul trailer. Brandy had chosen the room the farthest from the stairs. It had a large closet and a stoop under the window. From out her window she could see into the neighbors house next door. Marshall had insisted upon having a room next to Brandy’s so he took the next room down the hall. Melissa’s room was right across from Brandy’s and Debbie took the master suite at the other end of the hall. Around 8 pm everything was in from the truck and everyone was tired from the effort.

“Ok, you kids go rest in your rooms for a bit and Ray and I will go get some take out and bring it back for dinner,” Debbie said. Brandy, Melissa, and Marshall were happy to oblige and they each collapsed on their new beds. Brandy had been laying down for 15 minutes and was almost asleep when she heard someone come into her room. She opened her eyes and saw Marshall standing in the doorway. “What’s wrong?” she asked him. He looked down, embarrassed, “It’s creepy in that room by myself.” She smiled at him, “Come here.” He ran and jumped on her bed. Marshall laid down next to her and she put one arm around him.

“How did I know I’d find you in here Marshall?” Melissa asked sarcastically from the doorway. “Bite me Mel,” Marshall told her, “you’re in here too aren’t you.” Brandy giggled, “Touchette Marshall.” Melissa sat down at the end of the bed, “So what do you guys think about this place?” Brandy pulled herself into a sitting position, knowing she wasn’t going to get any sleep for now, “It is way too freakin’ cold for the beginning of August. Other than that, it doesn’t seem that bad. It’s not a trailer in the ‘hood’ of Nashville where I was scared to leave the house at night.” Brandy bit her tongue for a moment, she and her sister never really discussed their mother. Melissa didn’t know what had happened to Brandy long ago and Brandy had never been in a mood to talk about it, most of the time she didn’t think about it at all.

But still she had to ask, “Is it just me or is mom acting ‘stranger’ than usual?” Melissa had longed to have discussions like this with her sister because their mother was a constant source for frustration for both of them, “Mom has been acting like a nutcase ever since she found out about Uncle Jack’s money.” Marshall almost always tried to take up for their mother even though he was always the one she had neglected most of all, “She’s just happy. That’s all, you’ll see.” Brandy always felt so sorry for her brother, mom had never attempted to make any kind of a bond with him and he was always getting picked on and beaten up in school. Deep down she also always felt a certain amount of guilt for Marshall not having a father.

“I think she is overcompensating,” Brandy said as she put her arms around Marshall, “I mean she has barely paid any attention to us for so long, it seems like now she is trying to make up for 15 years in a matter of days.” Melissa was about to agree with her sister when the doorbell rang. “Don’t tell me that mom has already lost the keys. Dear Lord,” Brandy grunted as she got up and headed down stairs followed by her hungry siblings. But when Brandy opened the door it wasn’t her mother who was standing on the other side of it. It was a middle aged man, not too bad looking with a smile and something in his hands covered in aluminum foil. Brandy could see that there were two kids standing behind him. The boy looked about her age and she made the immediate assertion that he was quite attractive if not a little punk looking with purple tinted hair and an anime T-shirt.

“Hello there. You must be the Mathers,” the older man said to her. Had she still been on the southside of Nashville she would have closed the door and called the cops but this wasn’t the city and this guy looked safe enough. “Yeah,” she told him politely, “My name is Brandy Mathers.” She gestured inside, “and this is my sister Melissa and my brother Marshall.” The man nodded at them, “My name is Andy Brown and these are my children Ephram and Delia. We live next door.” She smiled at Ephram and Delia as Delia squirmed to see inside the house. Melissa, who had stepped into the doorway next to Brandy, could see the questioning look on Andy’s face. “Our mom went to get take out for dinner. She will be back soon.”

“Or course,” Andy smiled, “I just came over to introduce myself and my family and drop off a little welcoming present.” He handed Melissa the aluminum covered package. “Thank you,” she told him, “that is very kind.” By this time Marshall had come right behind Brandy and was clinging to her hand. “How old are you girls? If you don’t mind my asking. I know women hate to be asked their age,” Andy said with attempted humor. Melissa laughed accordingly as did Brandy, more directed at the man than the joke, but he didn’t seem to notice. “We’re both 15,” Brandy told him and waited for the inevitable. “Oh so you girls are twins. Ephram you are luck my boy. Two beautiful girls your age living next door,” Andy chuckled.

Ephram turned 6 shades of red and looked down at his feet while Brandy and Melissa held back laughter. Andy noticed the awkward moment and tried to cover it up, “I would love it if you and your parents could join us tomorrow for dinner around 6 at my house.” Brandy’s stomach growled and she wished they could do dinner right then, “It’s just us and our mom actually. But I’m sure she would love to come.” Andy smiled, “Great so I will see you lovely young ladies tomorrow night and maybe your brother will join us.” Marshall shook his head yes as he peered out from behind Brandy’s back. Andy left after that and Brandy closed the door.

After they closed the door Brandy and Melissa stared at each other only a moment before they both burst out laughing. “Now that guy is a true nutcase,” Melissa stated. Brandy’s face turned red with laughter, “He should get along great with mom.” They sat down at the table to wait for their mother to return. “That boy was really cute,” Melissa said saucily. Brandy shrugged, “He was alright. He looked hilarious when he turned red as a freakin beet.”

When Debbie came home, without Ray (who had agreed to stay the night in a hotel), Brandy and Melissa told her about Andy and the dinner invitation for tomorrow night. Debbie seemed to take that as a good sign and after a nearly silent dinner they all went to bed.

That night Brandy fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow but she wasn’t up for too long before she felt someone crawl into bed next to her. “I had a bad dream,” Marshall whispered in her ear, “Can I please sleep with you?” She pulled the covers around him, “Of course darlin’” Within moments Marshall was fast asleep but Brandy was unable to get back to sleep so she got up and sat on the stoop beside her window and looked out.

She saw a figure climbing into a window next door and she was about to call the police when the figure stepped into the light. It was Ephram, climbing back into his room. Brandy stared at him trying to figure out where he could have gone when he suddenly looked in her direction. She quickly moved away from the window and laid by down next to her brother.