Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a brother, or two for that matter.  I grew up being the middle child between two males. Brothers can be a different breed. As a child, I had several friends that had only sisters.  When they would spend the night at my house, they didn’t always understand my brothers’ boyish ways. My older brother would “pick” on us while my younger brother vied for my attention since my friend had taken his playmate away for the day.  

Karla lived with her mom and three sisters. When I was young and stayed at her house, I was shocked at how they were able to walk around in their skimpies. Curling irons, hot rollers, perfume, makeup, and all kinds of girly things were everywhere. No one was burping their ABCs or making any other unmentionable noises.  

My Younger Brother

My little brother was my playmate. I had a ball dressing him up and making him play with Barbies. He interacted with Barbie with his Evel Knievel figure. He played baby dolls with me too. We often played Charlie’s Angels. I was Kelly because I thought Jaclyn Smith was the most gorgeous woman alive, and he had to be Sabrina because she had the shortest hair. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t overbearing; we played guy stuff too. I had my own collection of Match Box cars, and I could be seen doing an army crawl often. The day he tried to shoot me with a BB gun as I was riding my bike was extremely scary!

When I went off to college, he mailed me cards. He would go to Hallmark, purchase a card, and alter it with something funny. For instance, I have always loved cats. One day I got a card he sent me with a beautiful white cat on the front. He had stuck a stick pin through its head and drew blood all over it before he lovingly mailed it to me. I still have every card he ever sent.  My mother once said, “Those two would kill for each other.” She was probably right.

My Older Brother

Growing up my brother, who is three years older than me, picked on me relentlessly. So, I listened to my nicknames like Thunder Thighs, Dumb Lefty, and many more for years. If I had a nickel for every burp I listened to, I’d be rich. And of course there was always the poking or hitting when Mama wasn’t looking.  He always made fun of the way I laughed, and to this day I don’t laugh out loud often.  

When I started wearing makeup, he would say, “You look like a clown!” or “Did you put that on with your eyes closed?”  Being the quiet person I was, I never had a good comeback or the guts to physically get him back. So, I lived with an older brother that could have won a trophy for Most Annoying Brother in the World. But he always took care of me and still does.

Well, a few days ago, I got my older brother back for all the years of brotherly abuse, and I didn’t even have to do a thing. Saturday, I went into a gun store with him. As the man began helping us, he looked at my brother and said, “Are you getting this for your daughter?” motioning toward me. The look on my brother’s face was priceless.  And believe me, this time, I did laugh out loud!  

As the three of us have grown older, the laughs continue. Not to sound sappy, but we have been through some rough times, but in the end, (in the words of Captain and Tennille) “Love will keep us together”. 

If you have a brother, tell them Happy Valentine’s Day for they were among the first males you will ever love!