Ode to My Brother

Everyone should have a brother like mine.

Kid was always a prince.

When our single mother was raising us on a buck fifty, times were tough. Yet she managed somehow to put braces on her daughters' teeth, outfit us in nice clothes, see to it that we had three balanced meals a day and everything else we needed.

Mom herself wore clothes that were eight or nine seasons behind the current styles, but her kids always looked good. Despite the fact I wouldn't fix my hair.

When Brother was about twelve years old, our dentist said his teeth would need to be straightened as well.

Later that night at dinner, he made an announcement.

"I've been thinking," he said. "We can't afford braces. So, don't worry about a thing. Because from now on, I'm going to smile like this."

He smiled with angel eyes and a closed mouth. So his teeth wouldn't show.

"See?" he said. "No one will be able to tell."

At the time, I thought he was nuts. My exact words were, "You're nuts. We didn't ask to be born with crooked teeth. They need to be fixed so you don't look ridiculous for the rest of your life." I then proceeded to lecture everyone on the financial ramifications of marrying a drunk.

I was sixteen. And a pain in the ass.

Now, I think back to my brother's sweet smile and my eyes fill up with tears. Somehow Mom managed to get him in braces the following month.

Brother would slip notes inside my mother's purse when she worked graveyard shifts at the hospital.

Open At 2AM - they'd say.

"Dear Mom, I hope you aren't bored. You are working very hard and I love you very much. Have a good night and I will hug you when you come home. Love, Your Son."

He slept on the floor when Nana came to visit. For five or six months. Every year. For seventeen years in a row.

You get the idea.

Kid was a prince.

And the years haven't changed a thing.

Last week, on Thanksgiving morning, I had to make an early run for the drugstore. Woke up my brother to move his car and left while it was still dark and most of the family was still asleep. When I returned, Brother was waiting up for me.

Only when I was safely home would he go back to bed.

Later that night, I went out for a power walk by myself.

Because two helpings of stuffing, potatoes, and squash aren't going to leave my ass and thighs on their own.

The walk lasted longer than expected and the sun disappeared quickly. Street lights came on and dogs started to bark... Lutz and all... but I wasn't worried. Before my cell even started to ring, I knew my brother would be looking out for me.

"Where the hell are you?" he asked.

He stayed on the line until I walked up my driveway. Found him waiting for me with a worried look and shaking his head.

"Modern woman, my ass," he said.

Everyone should have a brother like mine.

Just wish he lived closer than Miami.