Family, Love, And Friendship

Brother

I head to the guest room; it feels empty without my brother here but he’s making his country proud in the military. So, I’ve been staying with Sion’s family for almost two years now and it’s been fun aside from school and doing schoolwork. It’s just been one long sleepover, once chores and work are done it's time to just relax and have fun. The thought of not having Sion around to keep me company hurts and it's terrifying. Tonight's talk night, meaning I can contact and talk to my brother. This night is only allowed twice a year, at the beginning in March and again in November. The day that you are assigned depends on the branch you’re in, the group you’re with, and your rank. When 7pm hits I get out my tablet and call the number, but instead of being able to talk to him I’m told he’s unavailable to talk because he’s been badly wounded. This along with everything else overwhelms me and I lose control of my emotions. Milo and Ava, Sion’s little siblings hear me crying and come to check on me. I’d already hung up, they both got on the bed, Milo on my right and Ava my left. They were far too young to understand so I said nothing. They made funny faces and tried to get me to smile, but in that moment no matter what they did a smile was impossible, even when I tried to force one. After a while they got bored and gave up. What I didn’t expect is that Milo would get Ezrin and send him to me. Ezrin is 6 years older than Sion and me, and 11 years older than the 5-year-old twins. Ezrin knocked on the door, unlike the twins, who just barged in. “Hey Kei, can I come in?” “yeah” he slowly opened the door “you alright?” I shook my head no he came over “can I sit with you?” “yes” he sat down and gently put his hand on my shoulder. He saw my tablet and seemed to piece together the pieces “is your brother ok?” I shook my head no again “I called but I couldn’t talk to him they said he was badly wounded so he couldn’t talk” the tears glided down my cheeks, he pulled me into a hug and held me the same way my brother Al always did to comfort me, this only made me cry harder, until I finally calmed down. “lay down on your stomach” “ok” he gave me a massage it felt incredible, and by the end I felt so relaxed, I looked at him as he got off the bed, and gave me a gentle smile, for the 1st time tonight I felt myself smile back. To me Sion’s family was my own so Ezrin felt like an older brother, and Sion’s parents felt like my own as well. Many would say how could I feel this way after what happened to my birth parents, but to me that doesn’t matter, because to me, family is family, connected by blood or not. He then left the room and I fell asleep without supper.