My brother was coming home from overseas.

After being away for two years, he was finally coming home. He had no idea how much we all missed him, but I missed him most. He was my twin brother, and I was used to spending time with him every day. Calling on the phone, or talking over the internet, wasn’t the same. When he showed up, he had a friend with him. He asked mom to put them in the warmest room in the house. Their winters weren’t much cooler than our summers. It was 91 when he got off the plane, and he felt like he was stepping into a freezer. Even with air conditioning, the temperature doesn’t go below 80 in their huts. I was sure sixty-eight was cold. I got a space heater and put it in the den where he and Moe were going to be sleeping. I asked him why he brought his friend home. He said he didn’t have anywhere to go. He was on his own, which is why he joined the Marines. I had a feeling there was more to it than that, but Bill was freezing. I turned on the space heater and turned up the thermostat to help them get warm. Later that evening, I thought I was going to suffocate when I walked into the den. My brother and Moe were drinking a beer and enjoying the warmth. Bill told me Moe was the friend who used to whistle whenever he saw me on screen, and couldn’t wait to come home and meet me. Once they both got more used to the cold and snow, we were all going to go skiing.

cooling workman