1-Aug-2024: It’s a Thursday. Typical for the most part by all accounts. What makes it not entirely typical? Well, at midnight, I wanted to make the call my daddy would have made, to wish my little brother a Happy Birthday!
Bet you are asking, “but, why can’t you call? Is he deceased?”. No, he isn’t deceased, that I know of. Ya see, he issued a very stern order for me to never speak his or his families names ever again, to forget he/they even exist.
It doesn’t change the fact that I still think of him. Not only on his birthday. I wonder, where I went wrong? Why can’t we make daddy proud and be the siblings he wanted us to be in his absence?
If life was ‘typical’, three days before his birthday, I would find a perfect card, or make one. I would make sure it was in the mail to arrive on time. I would set myself an alarm to call him at 12:01. When he answers, I would start singing my own version of “Happy Birthday!” to him. He would thank me for the call. We would talk about what his plans are. I would aggravate him about getting old(er). We would carry on small talk and hang up. I would then roll over to sleep with a smile. Daddy would be so proud of us. When he received my scheduled text, I would get a “thank you, love you” response.
It’s not a lot but it would be how I would make sure my lil brother knew I was thinking about him.
Happy Birthday! I am just respecting your wishes lil brother!
CLIMB ABOARD MY SOAPBOX 