Something For My Brother
Posted 01-17-2012 at 04:38 PM by KatieGal
I’m from Phoenix, Arizona. My work has forced me to relocate in Yuma. There’s a lot I miss about living in Phoenix. I miss the life I lived there, friends, parents, even my favorite restaurants. But I miss nothing more than I miss my only sibling, my older brother Gary.
I flew through school without a hitch. If I ever received less than an 85% on any exam, I don’t remember it. My brother was just the opposite. Gary would study hours for a history exam and get a 60% for his trouble. There were many evenings when I’d watch television while my brother studied in his room. I went on to college. Following high school my brother went into the workforce, and a minimum wage job as a laborer in a warehouse. Some people thought he wasn’t very bright. I knew better.
A month ago I went out on a date with a nice guy. The following day I was on the phone describing the man to a girlfriend. I remember saying, “He’s the most intelligent man I’ve ever personally known… except for my brother.” I didn’t even know I was going to say it. It just came out.
About a year ago when our beloved grandfather was dying of cancer I was an emotional mess. My brother put his arm over my shoulders and quietly said, “Katie, he lived a long, happy life. If only we all could be so fortunate.” It was both what he said and the soothing way he said it that made me immediately feel better and lift my grieving.
Sometimes an occasion calls for humor. One Thanksgiving I contributed a casserole to the family dinner. It was my own concoction and I made sure everyone had a helping on their plate. Halfway through the meal I gazed around the table to see if my casserole was meeting with everyone’s approval. Only Gary’s helping remained untouched and intact.
“Gary, why don’t you try my casserole?”
He shrugged and said, “I was going to let everyone else try it first, then wait to see if anyone dropped dead.”
Through this past decade my brother has shown the patience and courage to teach a teenage girl to drive a car, possessed the delicacy to guide me through a failed relationship, and shown the kindness to assure me that I’m a beautiful woman, despite all my flaws. Out of all the things I miss about my life in Phoenix, I miss my brother, and his own, wonderful form of genius, more than anything.
I flew through school without a hitch. If I ever received less than an 85% on any exam, I don’t remember it. My brother was just the opposite. Gary would study hours for a history exam and get a 60% for his trouble. There were many evenings when I’d watch television while my brother studied in his room. I went on to college. Following high school my brother went into the workforce, and a minimum wage job as a laborer in a warehouse. Some people thought he wasn’t very bright. I knew better.
A month ago I went out on a date with a nice guy. The following day I was on the phone describing the man to a girlfriend. I remember saying, “He’s the most intelligent man I’ve ever personally known… except for my brother.” I didn’t even know I was going to say it. It just came out.
About a year ago when our beloved grandfather was dying of cancer I was an emotional mess. My brother put his arm over my shoulders and quietly said, “Katie, he lived a long, happy life. If only we all could be so fortunate.” It was both what he said and the soothing way he said it that made me immediately feel better and lift my grieving.
Sometimes an occasion calls for humor. One Thanksgiving I contributed a casserole to the family dinner. It was my own concoction and I made sure everyone had a helping on their plate. Halfway through the meal I gazed around the table to see if my casserole was meeting with everyone’s approval. Only Gary’s helping remained untouched and intact.
“Gary, why don’t you try my casserole?”
He shrugged and said, “I was going to let everyone else try it first, then wait to see if anyone dropped dead.”
Through this past decade my brother has shown the patience and courage to teach a teenage girl to drive a car, possessed the delicacy to guide me through a failed relationship, and shown the kindness to assure me that I’m a beautiful woman, despite all my flaws. Out of all the things I miss about my life in Phoenix, I miss my brother, and his own, wonderful form of genius, more than anything.
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