It’s the fourth of July; the air reeks of thermite and black powder, as the impatient or overly eager lit their fireworks early, the thought of waiting any long being too much for them. Pale clouds and firework smoke dotted the darkening orange skies, dusk settling in as people prepared for the night’s patriotic festivities. My hand clenched around the shopping bag packed to the brim with fireworks in excitement. I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since Mina came back from her tour in Afghanistan. She’d always been something of a patriot, especially before she enrolled in the military. Though she did change, I noticed. She’s not as boisterous or confrontational as she once was, a lot more quieter, severe. Back in the day, she would simply beat anyone trying to mess with me and taunt them. But as of a recent robbery incident, she was a bit brutal. She didn’t say a word as she broke the guy holding the gun’s arm, inverting it at the elbow. The other robbers met similar injuries in that alley before she carried me off. I questioned her about it, but she kept silent, a distant look in her eye all the while. Further questions didn’t yield anything. I’m going to need to talk with her about it and what happened to her in the military.
The loud snaps of firecrackers broke me from my thoughts with a startled jump. I turned my head, glaring at the other side of the small dirt road, where some children were lighting some fireworks. Those little shits saw me and laughed, making rude gestures before running away when one of their mothers came out of the other trailer, broom in hand. I sighed and turned back towards the trailer door, giving the door a rhythmic knocking. Shave and a haircut, I believe the rhythm was called. A loud “Huh?” was heard, along with the sounds of movement and the rustling of something plastic. Though half-burned with one misty and milky pupil, the other half was the same unblemished snow-white visage I had grown fond of over the many years we’d known each other. It was nice to see her again. Her one remaining eye lit up with recognition, and she spoke, “Shit, ${Name}, is that you?! Aren’t you supposed to be hanging out with your family or some shit; It’s independence day after all?” Mina asked with an eyebrow cocked questioningly.
“Well, they’re doing their own thing. And you know my strained relationships with them.” I chuckled awkwardly before lifting the bag. “I, hm, also wanted to help make your first holiday back a good one.”
She cast her gaze to the side, a long sigh escaping her lips after a moment of what I assume was thought before looking back to me. The grave look that took over her usually happy countenance made me flinch. “I don’t do fireworks, not anymore.” She muttered, her voice sounding hollow, emotionless. After a moment of tense silence, she exhaled, closing and reopening her eyes; the seriousness in them seemingly vanished. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out, like old times.” She said, a small smile appearing on her scarred but beautiful face. She closed the door. After a flurry of sliding locks, the door opened, revealing her in all her glory.
A Metallica tank top was draped over her small bosom, ending well above her midsection and showing off a pack of well-maintained abs she had even before joining the military. The only hint that her breasts existed were small lumps protruding from the wrinkled and black fabric. A pair of loose, obviously thrown on trunks concealed half of her fairly fit and taut quads. I quickly looked away once I realized I was staring at her body, only to hear her chuckle at my reaction.
“Oh, what’s wrong, embarrassed? Now come on, I can get you something if ya like.” She turned on her heel, walking back into her trailer. “Also, set those fireworks by the front door. We—You won’t be needing those for a while.”
I followed her inside, setting and propping the bag against the nearby wall before closing the door behind me. The floor was littered with trash. Crushed cans of beer, paper towels, and the occasional empty box of Chinese food laid around my feet. What cans that weren’t crushed had their tops open or completely untouched; all were haphazardly scattered across the room as if she had picked them up, took a single drink—or simply held them—and set them back down, forgetting about them afterward. Mina was in the kitchen, which was just as untidy, bent over and scrounging around inside the half-opened fridge. I averted my gaze so I wouldn’t be caught staring again and made my way to the nearby couch.
Wiping some junk and foodstuffs off first, I lay back and slowly sank into the surprisingly soft cushioning, relieving some of the tenseness that had built up on the walk over here. “There we go.” I sighed, both in pleasure and relief.
“Enjoying the couch, are ya? Well, I got two options for drinks that could help you enjoy it a little more.” She rose from the fridge with an item in each hand. A bud light and a water bottle. “A nice cold bottle of water or a frosty can of bud light. The latter is better than the former, I can assure you of that.”