Sunday, February 05, 2006

Brotherhood

Families are certainly something, aren't they? Unlike the friends that we choose, they're the people God has somehow seen fit to throw together in a Government approved cohesive unit. :) Love them or hate them, most of our siblings have been around one way or another in our lives. Just this morning, something a friend of mine said about the way he was treated by his siblings left me thinking of my own relationship with my elder brother.

Me and my brother...
Me and my dorky brother...guess which one I am!

Most of the time, I find my brother an agreeable, convivial sort - the kind of guy you wouldn't mind buying a pint for in a joint. Let's face it, I have never been all that close to my older - and only - brother. Perhaps our enforced closeness when we were kids - due to the fact that we actually only had each other and we shared almost every damned thing - led to us growing apart as the terrible teen years approached. Hell, even now I can still feel the hair on the back of my neck prickling as I think of his gnashing teeth in the night - and I bet he'd have similar horror stories about my infrequent bouts of insomnia.

Still, I'd buy that pint for him... I just wouldn't hang around for more than an hour since we'd run out of conversation if his wife wasn't around. Although we do share similar views and opinions on certain issues most of the time, when it comes to our likes and dislikes, we seem to have almost nothing in common. He's into technological gadgets and financial planning while I'm heavily into interior decorating and books ( and you all know what a technohimbo I am, right? ). Despite popular opinion, neither of us were the most popular in school but we were far from social outcasts either. We had our own clique of friends in school that rarely mixed, despite sitting just two tables apart during recess. Although we're only two years apart, when we were kids he used to lord it over me as the elder brother but as we grew older, I managed to convince him to stop - threats, blackmail and some amount of bruising helped remarkably in the proceedings.

This is a guy who's shared a room with me far longer than even my longest relationship and there's no doubt that he has his suspicions about my prolonged bachelorhood. Various photobooks displaying half-naked men on my desk must have rung a few warning bells in his heterosexual brain. There are times that I've thought of coming out to him - and yet there are times when he's signalled to me that he knows and understands. Not only is he an extremely vocal proponent of gay rights during our weekly family discussions ( oddly enough! ), so far he's the only one in the family who hasn't pressured me into engaging the affections of every available single lady in a 10 mile radius.

Even now, we still share our weekly dinners and our lives - but rarely our private thoughts - but I can swear there's no one else I'd rather turn to in a spot of trouble. Although I assume he once thought I was a flighty, feckless sort, I think his opinions have changed vastly since then. The fact that he frequently entrusts his precious infant daughter to my care proves the point, I think.

What does all this seeming meaningless blather mean? All I have to tell my friend is this... even though I'm no longer privy to my brother's inner thoughts ( that's for my sister-in-law to marvel at ), I do know him and I do love him. And he feels the same oddly fraternal feelings for me - and please, I don't think the responsible fella would ever leave me stranded ( with no available means of transport ) at home without the keys to his car. The man's not stupid, he knows I'm a vengeful Scorpio. We don't get mad. We get even.

And let's face it, he's my brother after all.

19 comments:

Jay said...

Ah, lovely words indeed.

I've noticed the same change in perspective in myself. From wanting to seriously beat the crap out of my older sister when we were both teenagers, I now can't think of anyone I respect and admire more.

Not that I'd ever tell her, of course.

hrugaar said...

My older sister and I were total opposites growing up, moved in completely different circles and didn't agree on anything.

Then she got married and moved to the other side of the world. And oddly enough, we're now remarkably similar.

savante said...

Same with me, Jay. I'd die before I'd say such a thing to my brother - and I think he'd prefer not to hear such sappy crap from me.

Yeah, isn't it weird that the older we get we realize that our siblings actually aren't that far from us.

Paul

Squido said...

Awww so sweet!

My sister and i were separated when we about 7 or 8

But we had good times. Thank god we're over the siblings rivalry stage.

It was pretty funny since i once help me sister did her art homework and she did my maths xD

*cough* On the other note, i'll die a horrible death before i say those sappy stuff to her too.

I think sibs have this unspoken rule where you show only physical closness but not say it out. My sis know that i love her and she loves me. We just never said it out. i guess we both know =/

Jason said...

you a scorpio?!

Guess you are right... we are all vengeful.. if we can't get you now, we'll definately get you later and you probably will or won't know it's even from us!

:p
jase

Anonymous said...

A good read Paul! I nearly open the dam to my tears gland but managed to control it :-)

Being the eldest in the family, sometimes i wonder whether my two brothers question my prolonged bachelorhood but then again we are now so far apart (both physically and emotionally). Thankfully they are now married - so they have their own separate lives. The pressure is on now to face the world....for me....:-)

Musang said...

when i was a child, i always thought that my elder brother is nothing but some stupid pest and mommy adopted him from somewhere.

we would try kill each other everytime we came home from school(he and i went to diff boarding school).

and when i came out to him last couple of years, he took it well. i'm grateful that he is. and do you know what he said to me after i told him i'm gay?

"kau jangan sampai dapat AIDS. masa tue nanti aku tak nak kau menyusahkan aku atau mak."

exactly his word...

but i know he love me.

savante said...

Chas, that certainly sounds like quite a story :)

Separated at 7, squido? That sounds like a story too!

Brothers can certainly be the best, ian :) If only they didn't irritate the hell out of us.

musang, I'm stunned by what he said. I hope he was grinning when he said that!

paul

akihisa said...

I think it's totally different when you have a sister. My sister, who is younger by two years and I used to fight like cats and dogs throughout our teenaged years.

We only managed to get on well with each other about two or three years ago. We discovered that we share the same interests and that become the glue that made us closer. It's funny because our friends couldn't believe how we could get on so well ?!!! ;-p

Whatever happened, "blood is always thicker than water", right ?!

AJ said...

I can really relate. I have the same sort of relationship with my brother & sister. But do you think you will ever want to come out to your brother?

Musang said...

he didn't.

it was a text from his cell. but we are okay.

he's not serious.

mARCus said...

My relationship with my brothers grew apart through the years...Guess it's normal when we're living in different countries...

I still love 'em anyhow...

Anonymous said...

i am more close to my sister that lives 3 hours from me rather than my brother who is just 3 km away.

but since i moved out from my brother house, we sort of manage to reconcile our differences,
n it make me happy to know that he do not hate me that much as he used to.

ça va pas la tête said...

*sniff sniff* blood relation is closer than any other relations!

Pat said...

Hi I'm here via US. Found 'Brother hood' rang a few bells. I have had a turbulent relationship with my sister for over seventy years and am in the process of trying to understand it by writng my blog. Early days but perhaps all will be revealed.

Anonymous said...

My brother and I had a routine when we were kids. He'd bug me and I'd bash him. Then he moved away for his studies and I had no one to bash...

Now he brings me nice gifts on occassion and treats me to dinner at Hilton. For my part, I graciously accept.

Brothers show their love in skewed ways, don't you think? :)

Anonymous said...

I wish I had a sibling....I seem to have missed out on good times. Infact I tried to convince my mom to get me one ...all she said that if he/she was anything like me , she would kill herself ;) and I thought I was quite the saint.

~ still dreaming of making them run errands ~

savante said...

ahmad, fighting like cats and dogs :) Trying to imagine that.

Hey, you're okay now, lost.

aj, probably one day but I think I'd have to show some proof.. like a boyfriend of some sort.

Thank God he was joking, musang.

Get in touch with them, marcus! Same for you, pakcik!

ca va, aren't brothers great?

Glad it rang a chord in ya, pi.

You sure you aren't my brother, weeshiong? :)

Your mom sounds cute, raeshevil :)

Paul

CTG said...

Touching post Paul. I have a younger sister. We are close and she was the first one in my family that I came out to. She's cool. Great post, buddy. Take care. CTG