The day seem to be going by slowly, as Alma and Donovan stood, waiting for a taxi to come by and get them. They had been waiting for about an twenty minutes already. Though it was better to be standing, rather than sitting for about four hours, they where ok with waiting, although Alma was a little annoyed that they had to wait this long for a stupid taxi, but she kept herself calm. Donovan on the other hand didn't think to much on where their taxi was, rather his mind was lost in other thoughts. Alma noticed this and decided it ask what was going on in her brothers mind.
"What are you thinking about?" Alma asked, hoping Donovan could keep her boredom at bay. "Anything interesting?"
"Have I ever been know to think of anything interesting?" Donovan asked, letting Alma think of her own answer.
"Not usually, still I wanted to ask. I mean you have your moments." Alma said, watching her brother continuing to stare to nowhere.
"Well than I can assure you that nothing special is going on in my head." Donovan said, still staring off into nowhere.
"I was just hoping we start some kind of conversation." Alma said, letting out a sigh. She was hoping this somewhat little question would have started some kind of conversation or at least lasted longer.
"Sorry Alma, it's just I can't shake this feeling I've been having since we got of the news that we where coming home." Donovan said, finally making eye contact with his sister, who showed him the same concerned look.
"Yeah I know what you mean. feels like something's just off." Alma said, sharing her brother's strange mood. "You think something's wrong?"
"I'd like to say no but than I'd be lying to you and myself." Donovan said, turning his attention back to the road. "Let's just try to keep a positive attitude."
"Ok I can do that." Alma said, also focusing her attention back on the road.
After another fifteen minutes of waiting their taxi finally arrived. Alma sighed in relief as she picked up her bag and head towards the cab, Donovan himself even led out a grunt of built up frustration as he picked up his bag and headed go into the cab. They both got comfortable, Alma than told the cab driver where to go.
"You know the one thing I've always hated about this city?" Donovan said, getting alma's attention.
"Besides the overcrowded space of downtown?" Alma responded with, making both Donovan and herself chuckle.
"Besides that. It's the traffic of this city." Donovan said, looking back out the car window. "It's always been ridicules."
"Yeah." Alma agreed, looking out the car window to and staring at the traffic. "Five years out of this place and this shit is still the same."
"I guess something's really never change." Donovan said, taking his attention away from the window to Alma, who is still looking out her window. "You think things are still the same at home?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Alma said, still looking out the window. "But honestly I'm scared to find out."
"How come?" Donovan asked, Alma's answer taking him by surprised.
"I'm afraid that home won't be the same as when left it five years ago." Alma said, still keeping her focus outside the window.
"Oh so your afraid of change." Donovan said, waiting for his sister's response.
"I ain't afraid of it. I fucking hate it." Alma said, not breaking her eyes away from the window.
"You realize change is a part of life and we've been changing since we where kids." Donovan said, trying to show a point.
"I know but I just hate that some things can't stay the same. It's like everything must change and nothing, not even the smallest thing, can just stay the same no matter how much you want it to." Alma said, a sad look growing on her face. Donovan let out a small sigh and rubs Alma's head, she let out a small chuckle.
"I can understand where you're coming from, but in the worlds defense it's been five years since we where here. A lots going to change whether we're here to change with it or not." Donovan said, hoping his explanation would help his sister feel a little better. "It's just the way God made the world."
"I know it sounds like I'm complaining instead of being grateful for being back home, but like you said it's been five years and we weren't here to change with it. Another reason I hate change, if you don't change with it, you get left behind."
"We haven't been left behind Alma." Donovan said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Right because military training is definitely what you need to live a normal life." Alma said, sarcastically.
"Come on don't think like that." Donovan said, hoping to cheer his sister up.
"Why not? It's true. What the hell are we going to do with our lives now?" Alma asked, feeling that no answer would satisfied her feelings.
"Look I'm going to be honest I'd be bullshitting if I said I know what we're going to do, because I don't." Donovan said, surprising Alma. "But we don't need to worry about that yet because we are here to be home and see our family. And right now that's the only thing I have on my mind right now and you should to."
Alma had a guilty look on her face but she turned away fast enough, so that Donovan wouldn't see it. She didn't want him to think he had hurt her feelings, in fact he made her realize that all she really had done seen they got off the plane was complain and worry about things that for the time being where irrelevant. They where both finally home, with their minds intact, and their bodies in one piece. Why was she feeling all negative? Like something about this was to good to be true. Almost feeling like a child who finally figured out that fairy tales where nothing more than lies. Something about this just felt off but it shouldn't, this was reality after all right? Her train of thought was interrupted when Donovan began snapping his fingers in Alma's face.
"Hey. Earth to Alma, you still here?" Donovan said, snapping his fingers three more times until Alma pushed his hand away.
"You know I hate that." Alma said, she never liked it when someone snapped fingers at her, not even her family, but for this time she let it go.
"I know but it really is the best way of getting your attention." Donovan said, defending his action.
"Whatever... Hey can I ask you something?" Alma said.
"Of course." Donovan said, curious as to what Alma was about to ask.
"When you said you had the same feeling as me, that this feels off. What do you feel about this whole thing?" Alma asked, wanting to know what her brother's thoughts where on this.
"Umm... Well I've been feeling that there's some kind of catch to this whole thing." Donovan said, Alma was a little confused by his answer.
"A catch?" Alma said, not sure what Donovan meant about that. "What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is that while I'm appreciate that we're finally home. I've been feeling that once all the goodness of this situation is over, one way or another we are going to end up in some kind of mess." Donovan explained, he looked and saw that Alma was now more confused than it was to begin with. He let out a small chuckle. "Sorry I never was to good at explaining my feelings."
"No, I get what you're trying to say. It's just that I don't understand how we both can feel so unsure about all this and we haven't even made it home yet." Alma said, now surprised at how paranoid they had sounded. It practically scared her. "What the fuck is wrong with us."
"Hang on. Let's not start thinking that we're losing our minds ok?" Donovan said, not wanting Alma to feel like she was going crazy, even though he was feeling a little unsure about his own sanity. "Ok let's remember we just got back after a twenty one hour flight, we're tired, stressed, and just overthinking things."
"Yeah that's a possibility to I guess." Alma said, feeling a mixture of comfort and worry. "How do you think Danny's been?"
"I like to believe he's doing well." Donovan said, not a hundred percent on his answer.
"You really believe that?" Alma said, seeing some doubt in her brother's answer.
"Yeah. I mean it's better to have hope that he's ok, than believing he's been having a horrible life while we've been gone." Donovan said, having a little more confidence in his answer.
"You remember his letters right?" Alma asked, knowing the answer to that already. "How he said how much of a shitty time he was having in college, how he wished we where home to protect him, and his last letter saying he wished he would just disappear from existence. You remember those, right?"
"Of course I do." Donovan said, hearing the anger growing in Alma's voice.
"Hey, we've reached your destination." The cab driver said, to Alma and Donavan.
The two got grabbed their bags and got out of the cab. Alma paid the cab driver, since Donovan didn't have enough money. They headed towards the door. Each step felt as if time was slowing down, neither one of them could figure out if it was the nervousness or fear. Regardless they finally made it to the door.
"Well here we are." Donovan said, looking at Alma.
"Yeah... Welcome home." Alma said, as she twisted the door knob
