They say our first friends are our siblings, and in my case, that's true. I come from a large family with five children, so I had four siblings. I got along well with my older sister, even though we were so different and had a five-year age gap. I was the shy child who liked to stay in my corner, while she enjoyed going to parties, always had boyfriends, and seemed to enjoy life. As I grew older, I began to see her life as so empty that after a while, I started to prefer my life surrounded by books and movies. She was the smartest of all five of us, of that I'm sure, but I think she chose to be an ordinary person and flushed her brain down the drain years ago.
Then came my older brother, who was my best friend for life. We got along super well; we were similar in everything, liked the same things, listened to the same music, discussed the same topics, and read the same books. We were less than two years apart. He was a video game ace, and I was always making him read my comics. When he shot himself in the head, nobody understood. My desire to go to space only increased, and the family was never the same. He seemed like the model son, had a good job, a girlfriend, and a disciplined life... That was the only difference between us two; while he was the model to follow, I was the black sheep. I think the pressure was too much for him, but I guess we'll never really know.
Right after I was born, my younger sister came along, and she was super annoying. Spoiled, quarrelsome, prissy, stuck-up, ignorant, retarded, rude, among many other things. I never got along with her; we fought all the time... Actually, she fought all the time, with my parents, with my siblings, with her friends, with the neighbors, with everyone. It's been about ten years since I last had any contact with her. At some point, we had nothing left to say to each other. She was the most difficult person I've ever lived with, and when I finally left home, it was a relief to leave her behind in my life.
Finally, there was my younger brother, and we always got along great. He tried to copy me in everything, and I tried to make him a cool person. He read my comics, listened to my music, and everything else. The three boys got along well, but the youngest was always excluded from many things. My older brother and I would buy candy and wait for him to fall asleep so we could eat it without him. When he grew up, I helped him when he needed it most, and when I turned my back, he stole my Silvana. Damn bastard! I wish he would die before me; I look at planet Earth and hope there's a storm somewhere that will strike him with lightning, but the chances are very small.
Siblings are indeed our first experiences with friendship. Later came many more friends—school friends, work friends, college friends—but it all starts with family.
I look at the stars and realize that it's not long before I reunite with my brother, wherever he may be. This makes me a little happier. My muscles relax for the first time since the accident.
"I'm coming," I whisper to him. "I hope you can hear me!"

YOU ARE READING
Drifting in the Space of Ramblings
Science FictionAn astronaut lost in space. Dying. Drifting. What will be the last things to pass through his mind before death?