Les Twins Life

Acceptance

My eyes followed in the direction that his were drawn and it led me into his lap. He started out playing with his thumbs and then began switching his rings around from finger to finger. He was silent as his mind searched for the right words and playing the question over and over again at the same time. I watched him openly to get a grasp on at least a hint of what he was trying to say. I tried with all my might to skim through him but it was too hard. There was a thick silence throughout the studio, everyone tight and eager to hear what my brother had to say and me as well. We all had no idea how he was going to respond to the question.

"Take all the time that you need Larry." Iyanla smiled.

Larry's recovery was long and rough, months of physical, speech, and cognitive therapy. Not to mention dance detox, we were both itching like junkies to dance and we got sick because of it. Although I couldn't stomach to dance without my brother being able to. I felt it would've been selfish as well as feeling wrong. All the doctors, specialists, and all these other people trying to help him with his recovery just made Larry laugh. He told me he didn't need any of it, he just needed to dance and he would be alright. But I wasn't going to take that risk, I felt he did need all of it. And I didn't hesitate in getting him anything no matter what the costs. Money was the absolute least of my worries.

What was it like being comatose if you can recall, Larry?

"I never felt pain like that..." Larry started then pausing to take a deep breath. I stared into the side of his face; anxious and just as nervous as he was.

"Not just a physical pain but mentally too. I can't quite put my finger on it but the pain was new I guess. Think like this...if you ever just lie in bed at night. It's dark and silent, and your mind is just going and going nonstop. That's what it's like only you never open your eyes and you can't move. So I was just stuck, I couldn't run from the problem anymore. From myself, I was forced to lie there and deal with it. To think of all my life nonstop. Everybody from my brother, my daughter, my momma, just everybody. It was the hardest thing to ever do in my life. But I'm woke now guys." He laughed nervously.

I released the air that I held in my chest so tightly as the audience stood and applauded my brother. He looked out at them and he placed his hand over his heart, nodding in appreciation.

He waited to speak until they were all seated to continue.

"Maybe it was the worst time but I realized that I wasn't only hurting myself but my family too and friends. My brother especially because he the one that try to uh take me out of the situation before it got bad. But I was stubborn and head stuck so far up, yeah. So I couldn't see." Everyone laughed.

"Laurent I want to ask you, what was the hardest thing for you during that time?" Iyanla said.

"Definitely to see him like that, I never see Larry like that. So I tried so hard to wake him up like 'come on man you have to stop'. Before the coma I would tell him that he was gonna get himself killed. He say so himself that he stubborn which is so true. You guys it's so true." Everyone laughed.

"But really I don't think Larry was aware of what he got himself into. He was so blind that he didn't realize it. I hated to see him in that bed for so long. It hurt me so bad and I tell him this too. I couldn't handle all of it, it was overwhelming for me."

"Why was it Lau." Larry questioned.

I looked to him and smiled.

"Cause I love you bro, you know that." I responded and everyone awes.

"Well it's clear to everyone that you've both maintained to keep your relationship strong. With the tour and all that was going on how did you guys do it?"

"Every fight, every single little thing-" Larry starts but I interrupt.

"You guys have to understand that we fight about everythingsss. It's just what we do, we fight everyday over stupid things." I added.

"And that's what you do with you love, with your relationship. You fight like you married and love like you married too. I tell people all the time, me and my brother been in a relationship for 26 years. Nothings new." Larry smiles.

"Yeah we fight so we come back togther like this." I showed with my fingers locking together. "Then go back to that." I seperated them and laughed.

"Lau no! Don't do that." Larry laughed.

"Well I can definitely speak for all when I say we admire the brotherly love between you two." Iyanla speaks as the crowd claps. Then she turns towards one of the cameras.

"We'll be right back to show you what comes next in the story of Les Twins. I'm Iyanla, thank you." She smiles and we're signaled for commercial break by the director.

"You okay bro? You need water? You hungry?" I ask Larry.

"Non, non I'm fine Lau." Larry responds.

"Well let's go back stage so you can get from under these hot lights. I know you sweating."

"Ok." He gets up and unclips his mic from his shirt. I follow closely behind him as we make our way back stage. He stumbles slightly but I was fast to catch onto it.

"Larry you sure you okay?"

"Yes Lau stop asking me." He whispers harshly.

I hated to breathe down his neck and watch him like a hawk all hours of the day. So I trusted him and gave him a little space before we went back out to finish the show. But I did keep a look out for him just in case.
Soon we were on stage and waiting for the countdown to begin. Iyanla and I except for Larry, I didn't want to be all over him so I sat for a few more minutes to give him time to come back out. Before I knew it, it had been 10 minutes later and we were about to air in 5 minutes so I went backstage to find Larry.

I checked the bathroom and he wasn't in there and then I went our dressing room. I would've just walked in but I knocked first just cause. I waited a few seconds to hear Larry say something but I heard nothing so I opened the door but slowly. Instead I heard crying, I looked over to see him leaning over the vanity table.

"Larry." I whispered because I didn't want to startle him. I stopped behind him and stood there waiting for him to respond. He sniffles and wipes away his tears before turning around to face me and his face is red from the crying. He opened his mouth but nothing comes out, he just starts crying more; harder this time. I rush to him to close the space between and I grabbed him by his hoodie. I pulled him into me and wrapped my arms around his neck. I let him cry into my neck and he squeezed onto me doing so and this made me tear up.

"Larry, talk to me bro."

He lifts up his head and wipes his face again, I noticed a box of tissues on the coffee table behind us through the mirror and I go to grab it. I hand him the box and he pulls out a couple tissues to bow his nose.

"I'm not strong enough, not to speak about it. It's just too hard." He says

"Larry, no bullshit me bro, how you not strong? You the strongest person I know, all you been through this whole year. The good and the bad, all the things together, you still make it through and yes you lost some but you win all my brother. That matters more than anything else, we won Larry." I grabbed his face and looked him in the eyes and I whispered again, "We...won." I smiled and he laughed. I kissed my brother quickly on the head and pulled his hair before walking out the dressing room.

Fin.