I thought I was sooo cool, or at least wanted to appear that way.
When I was about 12, I was getting interested in the pop music of the
day. My little brother, age nine, was certainly too young to understand.
Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" was big at the time, and I
loved it! When I'd hear it on the radio, I'd be belting it out.
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jetssss! My brother would, without fail, get up in my face
and sing loudly "She's got electric boobs and mohair suits!!"
Then he would just laugh! Rude!
"You get out! It doesn't say boobs! You better shut
up!" I'd yell. I had no sense of humor about it at the time. Oh, but
I do now.
I am finally ready to share a few of my favorite childhood memories
of times with Darrell.
He died two years ago this month. I want and need to focus on the
good times now. I am tired of sadness. I hope my reminiscing will
at least make you smile.
I'm assuming that all of you were kids once. Many of you
also have understanding of typical sibling friendship and conflict.
Better said: best pals or pissy pants, depending on the day or the hour!
The banana story happened in 1971 I think. I was nine and
Darrell was six. We had gone grocery shopping with Mom. The Piggly Wiggly
was in a shopping center. Mom left us in the car (with full bags of
groceries) while she went into a book store for a few minutes. That was long
enough for two bored, naughty children to have a banana food fight! Yes, Mom
came back to find her children, and the inside of her car, smeared with
squished bananas!! Better than new car scent? I don't think so!!
I am smiling as I’m thinking about he and I doing daily chores. We
were in elementary school. One job every afternoon was doing the dishes.
I washed, he dried. It took us a long time, because we had Olympic diving
competitions with the silverware. My spoon could do a much better high dive into the rinse water, than his fork could!
It is true that some of my angriest moments happened when I was
fighting with Darrell. Red in the face, screaming with tears kind of anger. But
no one could make me laugh like he did! Holding your belly, snorting kind
of laughter. I did the same for him.
Oh gee thanks Brother, for my worm phobia. "I need worm
phobia therapy now because of you! You threw worms on me and made me
cry!" It was one of those ongoing memory-jokes between us in recent
years.
When we were adults, some of my most comforting moments were when
we talked heart-to-heart. I would tell him something I was upset about,
and he would take hold of my hands. "Let me pray for you." A gift
from him, even when he was struggling with his own problems. He was the man who
voiced some of the most humble, sincere prayers I have ever known.
As far as I'm concerned, Elton John's lyrics have been changed to
electric boobs, not boots. I'll always love you Bub and miss you and
cherish our bond. Our wonderful partnership in crime and nonsense will
always make me smile, even through tears.
I wrote this for me. I also wrote it for my sister-in-law and four beautiful nieces and their children. Memories of good times bring healing to hurting hearts.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words! I only had the anger part of my brother bond. Still trying to get past the arrows to my hero-worshipping heart when he told me "everything was great until you came along - now they hate each other and I have no bedroom - thanks a lot!" When he made fun of us for tithing and I walked out of his home on Thanksgiving day, I should have remembered he was just button-pushing, like always. When my father was near death and we were cleaning out our childhood home (which took 45 12-hr days and 4 huge dumpsters for a tiny two bedroom bungalow, I apologized to him for being such a bad christian example - I was very angry with my dad for things my mom had led me to believe about him, but mostly because he had never said, "Michelle, I love you." From that day forward (1997), there has never been an conversation between my brother and I that he has not ended with, "love you!" Thank you for reminding me that I still have time to have fun with him...I think I'll call him right now!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, thanks for your heartfelt reply. It means so much to know that my story touched you. I see that you have had much hurt and family conflict. I have also, and I suppose most people have their scars and ongoing issues to deal with. I am sorry to read of your heartache, but so happy about the healing that's happened! I so appreciate you reading my blog.
DeleteNicely expressed and anyone who had and lost a close sibling will definitely relate to this. For me it was my brother Bill who grew up to be my best friend but one I lost way too young. Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your past memories...
ReplyDeleteThank YOU, Anonymous, for taking time to read my story and respond. I am so sorry that you lost your brother and best friend.
DeleteLucky you, even though in adulthood you lost him, you had the crazy complex relationship of siblings growing up together. I am the youngest of seven siblings but family circumstances led to being raised as an only child; while I benefited in the larger scheme, I forfeited the sibling experiences. Thanks for sharing your heartfelt, poignant and witty memories. OB
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing a small part of your story. Everyone has a unique family experience, that's for sure. Almost always include both difficult and good memories. I appreciate your kind comments!
ReplyDeleteMade me cry... but laugh too :) my dad was a great man we had our ups and Downs but he forsure was always there for me when I needed him. Thank you aunt Diana for sharing this! I love and miss you!! :)
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your stories. I really like seeing your pictures too. Darrell was a very sweet guy. I really enjoyed our encounters. He made sure to come in and visit with me after my hip surgery 7 years ago. He was so kind and genuine about his concern for me. My son and him had a special connection too. I could tell that he made Derick feel special. We miss Darell too.
ReplyDelete