The Pain and Joy known as Little Brothers

It must have been a few months after I'd been in the Institute. I was walking back to my hostel, when I noticed a really small kid trying to kick out the stand of a cycle that was much too big for him to ride. A few tries later, the stand came out, and despite the size of the cycle, he began moving it away. A few feet down, and he looked back to give a rather naughty grin to someone. That someone was an older kid, obviously used to this, who gave a anguished oh-no-not-again look, gulped down the juice he was drinking, and ran after the small kid. He caught up with him, and one hard smack later, the small kid was chastised, and they both continued walking home.

I am willing to bet they were brothers.

Little brothers are a big pain to elder brothers. They end up following big brother everywhere, and of course, they want to do everything that big brother does. It then comes as no surprise that big brothers are not gentle to them. They beat them, tease them (both rather mercilessly, I might add), and try everything to get rid of their clinging brothers, but the little kid always seems to stick with them. No matter what.

My little brother is not so little anymore. Indeed, he's taller than me! And he no longer sticks to me like glue. We went to the same school (which must have been a pain for him, given he had to endure the shadow of his elder brother), and he wisely made the decision to walk a different path after he'd passed out. And he's come into his own wonderfully. However, he still remains my little brother. Even as he grows one year older today, he's still that small plump kid leaning comfortably into his rather thin brother.

Happy birthday NP, and wish you the very best!