My Brother

This morning my brother drove to Davis to have lunch with me. My brother and I have an unique relationship. He is my other half, and I am his. I do not mean that we complete each other, but we have what the other lacks and we completely know each other. We look at each other and read what the other is thinking or feeling by the merest twitch of the face.

Anyway, my brother became my beat friend when I was ten and he was sixteen. He went to France for the summer to work for the first time. When my family and I met up with him in Europe three weeks later, he had become a man. He was so mature and confident. His personality glowed and he was thriving in this new enviornment. Suddenly, we were able to talk and we loved spending time together. We would walk through the streets of Paris until two in the morning; talking about life and hopes and everything else we could think of. He was there for me for everything; playing guitar and talking when our parents thought we had gone to bed, picking me up from school and blasting 80's rock with the car windows down (and I continue the habit), in high school when our parents were fighting and threatening divorce, after Brazil. He was my strength and my favorite person.

Then, I was sixteen and had just gotten back from Brazil two months before. Suddenly, without explanantion, everything crumbled. We became each others worst enemmies. We lost all respect for each other and were in constant competition. We fought so much and said hurtful things just to seem like the "better child" to our parents. It was horrible. I felt that I had been there for him when he had had troubles growing up, but he chose not to be there for me when I was struggling.

Once I moved away to college, things slowly became better. We started our own lives and figuring things out for ourselves. This past school year, he has started calling me and taken a real interest in everything that is going on in my world. Once again I know that I am a priority. We listen to each other, but in a different way. I used to be exactly like him; mimiced his words, his tastes, his ideas. Now we are compleltely different from each other. It is ironic, but so beautiful at the same time. We talk for hours now, and about stuff that we really care about. We support each other while letting the other have his or her space. This person, the man, the brother that he is today has become one of my new favorite people.



My brother is an amazing writer, and here is a poem that he wrote me for Valentine's Day:

February 14, 2007

Teenage Maiden

So strong against the world
So fierce against her fears
Heralded as a champion in her mind
Yet tough enough to privately shed tears.

A candidate for the throne
Of the land of humbleness
Steeped in all that is precious
Surrounded by success she has etched.

A teenage maiden of fair.
A young champion of are.
A go-getting acrobat of flair.
A trembling strength climbing all stairs.

Afraid she is not before your eyes.

Candid she is so as to bring mystery and surprise.

A moment of wealth in the mind
In the heart
In the soul
In the essence
In the glow
She is my best half, she is her own pride

Walk forward on your two feet
In these arms of your brother.

Know there is safety
Recognition
Power
Joyousness
Clarity
Your best friend
One who has seen you grow

Let this respect and sincerity
I can offer you at my most
Be painted on that smile you own.