Surprise!

There's a sound in my house that I haven't heard in quite a while. It's a strange, bombastic, deep throated sound. It makes me happy in a way I've never felt before. Joining it are other melodious noises but this one sticks out more for its loudness and all encompassing hilarity. It's the sound of my brother laughing.

Last night my mom, Julia, Wendy, Joong Woo and I went to dinner with Ariel, Graham and Graham's family. We met at an Outback in Centreville. Sitting, waiting at the table, wondering who is joining us at a table for 15 we speculate on the announcement Ariel says she has for us. Is it an engagement announcement? Are she and Graham getting married? Julia threatens to walk out if that happens. Is she pregnant again? We can't believe either of these could be possible and we will be very sad if they are, because she and Graham aren't done with school yet. Ariel and Graham's brothers and mother walk in and Ariel looks beautiful in her dress, and the baby is adorable. Julia's afraid that because she looks so pretty she is getting engaged and she's preparing to be angry.
After they're seated Graham and Graham's second oldest brother walk in and behind them comes someone that looks kinda familiar, looks like a cousin or something, looks like he belongs with this group of people.
I hear my mom screaming and she runs around the table.
Julia and I are dumbstruck, Wendy starts yelling too.
I can't figure out what is going on.
Why is this person here?
Why shouldn't he be here.
It's my brother.
My brother who was in Iraq, and is supposed to be on R&R in Germany.
What is he doing here?
He was in Iraq and now he's here.
How?
Those are the confused thoughts running through my head.
Then it occurs to me that he is actually here now.
I get up and try to fit my arms around him and my mom and Wendy.
We're crying and laughing and stunned at his presence.
It's like when we saw him after boot camp all over again.
My mom is crying and Julia is crying and he's here.

He told everyone he was going to Germany for two weeks and we all accepted it without another thought, but he emailed Ariel and Graham to tell them it was all a lie and he was actually coming home and they planned the whole surprise. He arrived yesterday and will be here until August 19th. That's so long, he's here for so long, it will be the longest we've seen him for about two years, and the first time we've seen him since January.

I feel so shocked and as though it's not real, even though I hear him in the other room talking to Wendy. I almost don't want to spend too much time actually with him because I don't want to wake up, or miss him too much when he is gone. My heart hurts.