One Brother

One brother was really enough, I remember thinking. It was Columbus Day 1971, and I was almost eight. I already had one brother, and surely that was all a girl should have to put up with. My mother was expecting and I was so sure it would be a girl. After all, already having a brother, I was due a sister.

Everyone said I'd be disappointed. Everyone said I'd have a fit if the baby turned out to be a boy. So the news came and sure enough, it was a boy, and I threw a fit. Expectations fulfilled.

My disappointment didn't last long though. Probably not even beyond the fit itself. How could I not want that little bundle in my life? Wasn't he cute?! You can tell from the picture that I just adored him!

He was so cute, and then he got bigger. He was still pretty cute, even as a teenager. I remember being the chauffeur for his first homecoming dance, cheering his track meets in high school, and finally, watching him get married almost 4 years ago. That not-so-tiny baby grew into a man. Someday, maybe he'll have his own little one to hold, and love, and protect.

Happy 35th baby brother.