Gonzales

10

One Saturday morning, as the sun streamed through the windows, Aurelio sitting on the couch in the living room, building a tower with his blocks.

 His brothers scattered around the house—Romeo, the oldest, was in the kitchen talking while his fiancée and mom making lunch, Matteo was listening to them, Marco on the phone with his friends, and Leo quietly sitting there reading his book with headset on,Luca was practicing basketball outside.

Aurelio , with his big, curious eyes, looked out the window at Luca shooting hoops. He wanted so badly to play with him, but he knew Luca was focused and would probably say he was too small to play. 

He sighed and glanced over at his mom,"Mommy, can I play basketball with Luca?" Aurelio asked, his voice hopeful

His mom smiled but shook her head gently. "Maybe later, sweetheart. Right now,Luca's practicing for his game."

Aurelio's shoulders drooped. Just then, Matteo walked by with a plate of raspberries . He noticed his little brother's disappointment.

"Hey,Ellio, how about you and I have a raspberry -eating contest?" Matteo asked, grinning.

Aurelio's face lit up. "Yes! Let's do it!"

They sat down at the table, and for the next few minutes, they raced to finish their raspberries. Matt let Alex win, of course, but Alex was overjoyed that his older brother had taken the time to play with him.

After the competition , Aurelio ran outside, calling for Luca. "Luca! Can we play now?"

Luca looked up from his basketball, a little surprised but also amused by the enthusiasm in his younger brother's eyes. "You sure you want to play, little guy? I'm practicing hard for my game later."

"I'll be really careful!"Aurelio said earnestly, nodding his head. "I can learn to shoot too."

Luca paused for a second, then shrugged and tossed Aurelio the basketball. "Alright, but you're on my team. We'll see what you've got."

Though Aurelio is smaller and didn't quite understand all the rules yet, he loved trying to shoot hoops. He ran around, laughing, trying his best. Luca cheered him on, and when Aurelio made his first shot, he jumped up and down in triumph.

"You did it, little man!"Luca  said, picking him up and spinning him around.Aurelio giggled, feeling proud.

Later, the two of them were joined by Romeo ,Marco and Matt, who had finished their own things and decided to play a game of family basketball in the backyard. Their mom and dad watched from the porch, cheering everyone on. Despite the age gap, the game was full of laughter and friendly competition, with Aurelio eagerly chasing after the ball, trying to keep up with his much taller brothers.

As the day wore on,Aurelio noticed that his older brothers—who usually seemed so busy with their own worlds—were taking the time to include him in their fun. Matteo joked around, Luca taught him a few tricks on the basketball court, and even Romeo  helped him improve his shooting.

 It was moments like these that made Aurelio feel special and loved. Even though his brothers were older, they always made him feel included, and that meant the world to him.

When the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over their yard, the family gathered around the picnic table for dinner. Everyone was tired from the day's activities, but the house was filled with laughter as they talked about the game and made silly jokes.

"Aurelio , who's your favorite brother?" asked Romeo, the oldest, with a smirk. He was always trying to be the cool, mature one.

Aurelio looked around at all his brothers, his face scrunched up in deep thought. "Hmm..."

Matteo, the second oldest, leaned forward and said, "Come on, Aurelio. You can't resist my funny voice reading you stories. You always ask me to read you one !"

Luca piped up, "No way, Aurelio . I'm the one who teaches you to shoot hoops! Remember when I let you win today?"

Marco,  grinned mischievously. "Pick me,Aurelio . I'm the funniest. You always laugh at my jokes"

Aurelio looked at Leo, who was always quiet with his music,  and reading book. He remembered  playing guitar for him to sleep.

Aurelio looked back and forth between all of them, trying to decide. Each brother was so sure that they were the best.

He took a long pause, pretending to think hard. "Hmm. I really like all of you," Tommy said slowly, dragging out the words.

"C'mon, Aurelio , pick one!"Marco said, pretending to sound serious. "Just one favorite."

Aurelio squinted, then finally gave his answer with a big smile: "I pick... ALL of you!"

The room went silent for a moment.

"Whaaat?"Luca said, raising an eyebrow. "That's cheating!"

Aurelio shrugged, completely unbothered. "I can't choose. You're all my favorites for different reasons! Leo is the smartest, Marco makes the best jokes, Matt read stories good ,Luca teaches me basketball, and Romeo plays with me. How can I pick just one?"

The brothers stared at him for a second, then burst out laughing. Matteo  playfully ruffled Aurelio's s hair. "Well, I guess we can't argue with that logic."

Luca grinned. "I'm okay with being one of the favorites. But I'm still the best at basketball."

Aurelio grinned up at them all. "Yeah, but you're all my favorites!"

And from that moment on, the brothers knew that they couldn't outdo each other when it came to Aurelio's love—he loved them all for their own special reasons, and no one could win that title.

That night, as Aurelio snuggled under his blanket, he thought about how lucky he was to have such awesome brothers, even though they were older than him and often busy with their own lives. He knew that no matter what, he'd always have their love and support.

"Best day ever," Aurelio whispered to himself, drifting off to sleep with a smile on his face, dreaming of more  adventures with his family.