Like We Never Were Apart

I have a brother from another mother and father. I know this phrase seems strange but it's true he's not just my brother's friend to me he's like another bother. When my brother was in grade school he made friends with a boy named James and I was so not thrilled because one annoying little brother was enough for me, but two little monsters were too much. When James came over to play I was not quick to say yay. Little did that James would one day come and stay. See James' family moved around a lot with his father being a member of the coast guard. He is one of seven children the middle child. My brother is one of three so I'm sure coming to stay at our house was a strategic plan to escape his siblings. I'm not sure how and why it things turned out the way they did, but James would come to stay with us and it wouldn't be just an overnighter. James would wind up practically living with our family for he stayed over so often. I came to think of James as my other little brother.

As years have gone by my brother and James' friendship has had its ups and downs. So my other little hasn't been around as much. Yet my brother and James have managed to stay friends. Both boys have grown and are now college-age. They have now become my big little brothers both are over 6 ft tall my brother is studying at a community college and James is in the U.S. Navy. It feels like it was just yesterday that they were trying to show me how to play HALO with them on the XBOX, a game I never played as well as they did. Today they are much taller than I and I am sure they could still kick my butt playing HALO.

What I have observed over the years is a friendship that cannot be broken. Every time James went away my brother didn't like it though he didn't outwardly show it. But when James would return it would be as if he never left at all. They have this ability to pick up right where they left off it's like they never were apart. There is no way to explain it, it's not as if I could ask them and they could tell me. No, I'm sure they'd laugh and well that would be about it because they're boys they don't talk too much. Yet when they get together you can witness this gift they possess.

I have two amazing friends myself. One named Sarah and the other is Liz aka Bob to me. One happens to be in another state the other is from back home. I have been friends with Liz longer than Sarah but both friendships are strong. I met Liz in high school and Sarah in college. I am a girl so I don't always hide what I feel, unlike my brother I tend to show it all. So when I am apart from friends, when I miss them it's not hard to know it. When it comes to friends they are the best ones a girl could ever have. Though we don't get to see each other all too often we have a friendship that cannot be broken. We have each other's contact info so I know we can always keep in touch, as I often say I'm only a call or text away when you need to talk or just want a good laugh. I hope like my brother and James through the years we can pick up where we left off. To be truthful I don't want to just pick up where we left off I want to never forget where we started and how far we have come.

Getting back to my brother and James. James was home for the holidays from his naval training, my brother on break from school and I myself had time off to go home from my full-time job. So we had a sort of family reunion all meeting for lunch. I sat at the table watching and listening to my brother and James. It was as if it hadn't been months since they'd seen each other, proof they can pick up where they left off. Heck, I even got teased about being shorter than the two of them like we never were apart.