A story about my dearly beloved brother who has gone on to be with the LORD

My baby brother was born on March 15^th 1995. Oh I remember it so clearly I was only seven years back then and my little sister was four years old, we were playing outside. While my aunty was washing clothes, we heard the gate open and my mother was holding in her hand a little baby boy. My sister and I ran inside with excitement to see him, he was wearing a yellow all in one baby jumper. I was very excited because my mother had four girls and this was my first and only brother to be. My mother named him Osei but everyone called him boy boy.

I love my brother so very much, words cannot describe that at times I felt I was his mother. He became very attached to me. I use to get up in the wee hours of the morning to make him tea or change his pampers this went on for a few years. My other sisters helped along at times. He always use to say I was his favorite sister I had him spoiled and very seldom I would hit him when he behaved naughty. Most times wherever you saw me I would be with my brother I carried him all wherever I could have.

One of my brother’s habits from a baby was rolling a piece of sponge while he drank his tea. Oh boy he had my mother’s mattress in a mess every time we’d have to pinch off a piece for him or else he’d start crying.He started going Pre- School and everyone loved him because he was so fresh up and mannish for his age. I remember dropping him off to school and picking him up at evening times. His face was filled with excitement when he saw me. He was very intelligent He use to go in the shop all by himself at age three and bring back exactly what he was sent for

There was a man who sold some tasty ice cream on the hill where we lived. His name was Regi but you know kids we called him broke-O-foot Regi, because one of his limbs was bad and he walked hip shorted. Many times we would send my little brother to go and buy ice cream and he would take very long to come back. Sometimes my mother would send me to get him and he’d be somewhere on the road eating away the ice cream, sometimes a whole big cup all by himself. I'd just run inside and tell my mother “boy boy” ate all the ice cream and we’d just laugh at it.

My brother was a toddler at that time but had many old friends that liked him very much. There was an old man who’s nick name was “Shoe Maker”. I never saw him fixing or making any shoes, he use to make pretty mas costumes for Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. Anyway my brother loved to go by that old man and chat and watch the costumes. There was another old lady who lived down the hill, by the name of Miss Holder she liked my brother and gave him sweets and snacks whenever she saw him.

Another old lady name Ms. Monica was his very favorite he’d always wanted to go and look for her. Seeing the type of people he liked, made me ask him on more than one occasion if he was on earth before? He answered yes to me I got really scared he acted as though he was a man in his fifties.My brother Osei being the youngest of my mother’s children use to play father for us girls. At times my mother will tell us to turn the television off and we won’t instead we’d low it or mute it. Osei will come from wherever he was and turn it off and would tell my mother we did not want to turn the T.V. off My baby brother use to correct me if I said or do something wrong

He had this thing with cereal every minute he wanted me mix corn flakes and milk I’d get vex sometimes. So one day he said he’d make it for himself just image the mess a four year old would make. I still had to do it for him.At times he would put a chair by the sink and try to wash wares, which was half way washed but he still tried.

My aunt whom I mentioned at the beginning no longer lived near to us but she had moved to the country side. My brother and I use to go for holidays and he’d always want to play cookie monster with my aunt whenever he had biscuits. My aunt’s two children who lived with her had him spoiled also. He use to go to church with us and seemed to me like he understood the preacher quiet well because he loved to go to church I remember very clearly, it’s playing in my head now his favorite song were;

Excellent Jesus excellent

Excellent in all the earth

If the people don’t want to

Praise you, you are still

Excellent in all the earth

He also sang this a lot

Sticks and stones

Umm doh brake

My bones, jah jah will

Never leave I alone

My brother's father use to come and visit him sometimes he would tell his dad that the money you just gave me can’t buy anything, so fresh up. One good thing he use to save up his monies if a dollar should go missing he’d know and demand that he got it back. I remember once my mother had an altercation with a guy and my little brother picked up a cutlass for the man. LOL

HIS DEATH

It was in the year 2000 April 28^th that he passed away. My brother was a sickly child but I did not mention it before, because he was very strong and could have taken a lot of pain. Shortly after his fifth birthday he took in sick and spent approximately one month in hospital before dying.I was in standard five I had just sat Common Entrance to go onto Secondary School. My mother use to sleep over most times in the hospital and sometimes when she just had to go home my sisters and I would take turns in going to see him.

I can see myself now in my white school shirt and navy blue pleated skirt with my red ribbon in my hair. Taking a bus route maxi and dropping off at Mount Hope Hospital. This hospital is known for a bad name, but luckily the LORD placed my brother amongst the nicest bunch of nurses and doctors. I would cry every time I went to see him. I still wonder how that poor little soul took so much pain. There were drips hooked up in different parts of his body. He used to be happy to see us and at times I’d meet him in the T.V. room watching Sesame Street. I use to pray that he’d get better and come home again. Many times he would ask when he’d go home. Oh how it broke our hearts to see him in such agony and pain at five years of age. He was my mother’s only boy so I knew she loved him most and it hurt her a lot.

There came a time when the doctors could not find any more veins in his body besides the one in his head. Oh goodness! Think about putting a needle in your head where there is little flesh. Well it was painful but anything with a ray of hope made us happy. I’d seen my brothers cherry face turn into a sad little one over the weeks. I knew by then he started to travel (spirit leaving the body).

My grandmother, grand dad and I was heading to Freeport by my aunty as soon as we reached she came out to tell us, my mother just called and said my brother died. My grandmother and I started to cry i was hysterical I cried all the way from Freeport to Port of Spain none stop. They tried to get me to stop but I just couldn’t. I had just lost my little brother I never knew that he would have been taken away so soon.

I use to say if God had asked me if I prefer a sister die or my brother I would have said a sister. Don’t misunderstand me I would have missed them too. But that special love I had and still have for my brother no one will ever know but God and I

The LORD gaveth and he taketh. I was sad yet glad because I grew up in church and know there is a place beyond this world call HEAVEN. I had no second questions of where my brother went to. Was just the mortal part of me missing our earthly fellowship.That is why I must live my life to please God because I must see my brother again in Heaven. I know he’s waiting there for me with arms open wide, i can see him smiling at me now.

Ten years have passed and I never forgot him one year. I still cry for him, sometimes just so I would remember him and start crying. Like right now as I type and my memories go back I am crying I imagine him now if he was still alive he would have been seventeen years handsome and tall.

In heaven or on earth you'll forever be my darling brother

In loving memories from your dearest sister