Sandy Visits

"Hello, Alexandra," the voice repeated. When I turned, I saw a soldier I'd never met before.

"Hi." I waved, hesitantly. "Do I know you? My mind is drawing a blank--"

"We haven't met formally. I'm one of Bram's brothers."

"Really? Which one?"

"I'm Sandy," he said. He put his hand out and flashed me a warm smile. I shook it as I discreetly checked him out. He was shorter than me by a few inches, making him around five-foot eight. His hair was a lot like Bram's in thickness, but the color was dirty blond like his namesake.

Although I'd seen pictures of Bram's brothers in the past, I hadn't seen a recent one of Sandy. The person standing before me was far more attractive than the photo. Was he truly good-looking, though, or was this from all my pent-up sexual energy?

"H-Hi, Sandy. Bram never told me you were in the military."

"Well, I'm not stationed around here. I'm at Fort Moore."

"Fort Moore … formerly Fort Benning, right?"

"That's right!"

"So, you happened to be in the neighborhood? A little bit of a drive, isn't it?" I asked, followed by a spontaneous giggle.

"I was just passing by," he said and eyed me up and down. "It'll be good to see Bram. I haven't in a while."

"I'll take you to our house," I said. Sandy smiled again and nodded. There was a devilish gleam in his sea-green eyes. I wasn't sure what that meant, and I was afraid to ask.

I led Sandy to our house, but as I reached for the doorknob, Bram yanked the door open. He threw his hands up in annoyance when he saw Sandy.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Bo?" Bram asked suspiciously.

"Good to see you too, big brother," Sandy said with a smirk. Bram stood with his arm raised against the doorframe, his pectoral muscles protruding visibly against the material in his white T-shirt. I had no choice but to ogle his body as I stared at his six-pack.

Without speaking, Bram stepped aside which apparently meant we were now permitted entry. When I passed by him, he gave me a once over. I could tell he was fuming. I wasn't sure if it was from me, Sandy, or from seeing us together. Bram needed control of his environment and spontaneous familial encounters weren't top on his list of activities.

Once inside, I asked Sandy if he wanted some beer or whiskey.

"Sure, I'll have a beer," he said with his charming grin. I popped the top off and handed it to him, the bottle already collecting condensation from the humidity. Bram crossed his arms as he glowered at us. Sensing that the situation could become heated, I left to shower.

When I was finished, I skipped up the stairs and got dressed in gray soft shorts and a red tank top. Behind the closed door of the computer room, I heard the brothers' voices.

"...like I said before," Sandy said.

"But why the hell does Dad want me in this situation, huh? Ask him that. And don't let him lie and say it's only about the Rosa father's debt."

"Um, some of it is. Dad will buy and sell people--"

"But why would he do this to me?" Bram asked. I could hear a tone in his voice that was new to me. He sounded raw.

"Don't play innocent. It's to punish you for raping our stepmother Gigi in Reno."

"Dude, I didn't rape anyone!" Bram exclaimed.

"I know, quiet down," Sandy said. "I didn't mean to make it sound like I believed it. I was just saying what Rusty would."

"Even if I had, how is my contractual marriage a punishment for that?" Bram questioned.

"He said you can't have sex, right?"

"Yeah ... and? He doesn't want grandkids. I'd never want him to be around my kids, anyway. I'm not sure why it matters."

"That's just A reason, not THE reason. He thinks you should have to live out your days being tempted by someone beautiful and never get the chance to be with her. He really believes you attacked Gigi."

"And if I have sex, he'll press charges and testify against me, saying I raped our … mom." Bram concluded. "Which will end my career in the military and put me in fucking jail. Yup, good 'ol Rusty. He waited until I was already established and in love with the Army to spring this on me."

"Yeah, no shit," Sandy said, laughing wryly. "But how would he even know if you and Alexandra had sex? Just think about it, man."

"Bro, he has people fucking spying on me left and right. Every time we talk, he knows exactly what I've been doing right down to what I've been wearing."

"Well, with the military, how many outfits do you have?" Sandy asked. There was silence and then Bram chuckled. I wasn't sure if I'd ever heard him laugh about anything except making fun of me.

"Good one and true, but seriously, he watches me, somehow."

"Rusty's going retro with the private investigators, I bet. They must be good if they can get on base that easily."

"Well, at least I'm safe when I'm in the lab. He couldn't get me there even if he tried."

"Oh, I'm sure he has tried."

"Why the fuck does he waste his time?"

"I think he's using you, Bram."

"For what?"

"His own amusement. He's always liked you the least of all and pushed you harder," Sandy said.

I heard Bram growl in angst then ask, "You're going to tell him everything, right, Bo?"

"Of course. What choice do I have? You know he'll find out I was here and I'm a horrible liar when it comes to him. He always knows."

"Well, please make sure to emphasize to that prick that Alexandra and I haven't been together."

"Except on your honeymoon," Sandy said. "That must be hard knowing what it's like and then having to give it up."

"Hey, back off Sandy," Bram cautioned. He was ever the jealous one.

"Oh, c'mon, bro," Sandy scoffed. "Don't make this about me trying to go after her. The fact is, she's hot. Anyone with eyes could see that. I'm putting myself in your shoes."

"She's my … " Bram began. I couldn't make out the rest due to them whispering. Then, both brothers snickered.

I carefully inched closer hoping to hear a few more words. Suddenly, Bram whipped the door open. I dashed down the stairs, nearly tripping. I fumbled with the closet knob, then opened it, retrieving the vacuum. Sandy came down the stairs followed by Bram.

"See you later, Alexandra," Sandy said with a wave. I watched as Bram opened the door, shooing Sandy out. I could see that Bram was shaken up from the talk.

"I'm going to lift," he said. "Vacuuming would be a good idea, you know." I raised the handle of the Hoover, showing him that I was on it. Without comment, he went into the garage where his weight set was. I made a face at him behind his back and then proceeded to do what he asked.

***

Later that night, once Bram had showered and gotten into bed, I followed him. Usually, I left him alone as he was settling down, but I wanted to know more about Sandy. I already knew asking about our arrangement was pointless. He would never tell me so I started with something benign.

"So, why do you call Sandy 'Bo'?" I asked as amicably as possible. I was scared that it would upset him, but it would be nice to know more about his past.

"Oh," Bram began, setting his phone down on the bed. "It was something I called him when I was a kid." I waited for him to provide more context, but he just picked his phone back up and resumed his reading. I sighed mentally, took out my phone, and found a mindless game to play.

A few minutes later, I must have been smiling to myself because he asked, "What's so funny?" I glanced at my phone then lowered it.

"Oh, I'm just having some fun."

"Let me see," Bram said, snatching my phone. I waited as he began to scroll through it. Pursing my lips, I glanced around the room. Having him search through my phone was so degrading. I felt like a child.

"What do you think you're going to find?" I asked him as he handed it back to me. Without answering, he went back to reading. I opened the game again and continued playing. We remained on our phones for another half-hour or so and then he put his away, shutting off his nightstand light.

Before I plugged my phone in to charge for the night, I closed the apps I had been using. First, I swiped the game away, then a video I'd been watching. When I got to the last one, I knew I hadn't opened it. I maximized the photo.

There was a picture of me and Bram, which was the only one we'd ever taken together. It was the same picture we sent out with the thank-you cards after our wedding reception. We looked good together. I glanced at it, then him.

Bram's back was facing me as I got under the covers. Now that I'd heard about his father, I felt I had had a better understanding of his issues. Rusty sounded like a sociopath. I wondered if Bram had ever felt loved.

In that way, we were similar. The affection I'd received from my mother was enough for two parents but after she died, the dark parts of life began to chip away at me. My dad wasn't much for authentic gestures of love. Everything he did was to serve his hidden agendas.

Once I was alone with Dad we moved around a lot. When I was younger, he made it seem exciting. He said I'd have so many stories to tell my friends and that I'd be a "world class gal" touring most of the U.S. before I was a teenager.

The problem with that logic was when you've moved ten times in a year as an eleven-year-old, you lose contact and have to start over. There weren't any long-term friends that I could talk with about my adventures. When it was time to relocate, the friends I'd made promised to write and email but they never did.

Not that my past compared to the turmoil Bram experienced, but now I could relate. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered if he had left that picture purposely on my phone for me to see. I hoped so.

***

When I woke up the next morning, I planned to get on MChat to see if I could talk with Bram. Not only was I curious about his thoughts, but I was afraid. What did his dad have in store for us? What goal did he have in mind for his oldest son?