A Brother Like No Other
Crunch, crunch, crunch… crunch, crunch.
Oxbear and I woke at the same time to the obnoxiously loud munching of our two year-old in the hallway. Oxbear hustled out of the room to investigate. There’s no knowing what this kid will put in his mouth without supervision.
“What was it?” I asked when Oxbear returned, figuring Yali had raided the fridge for a carrot or something.
“Sand.”
“Sand?”
“Sand.”
Just going to town on it.
Church was going well enough that morning. Yali folded his hands together for the first prayer, feigning infant holiness with both palms pressed carefully together. Until he decided to use those folded hands as an imaginary bazooka on his brother. They both laughed.
Back at the Big House, Francis was already sound asleep on the couch after bussing his old youth director and family to an airport over in Illinois for their Florida vacation.
After another hearty Carrie-Bri Sunday lunch, Puck went outside hunting treasure. He returned with a rusty hammer slung over his shoulder, no doubt left over by the basement repairmen several weeks ago. He disappeared into the bathroom to clean it, emerging sometime later with his prize before another round of recon outdoors with Yali and a neighbor friend.
By this time, Francis had transferred his nap to the middle of the living room floor, while the game downtown played out as a loss to the Diamondbacks.
On the ride home early that evening, Puck and Yali shared some sour patch kids, giggling about things only brothers know how to giggle about.
After grilled cheese and a walk around the neighborhood together, it was Yali’s bedtime. But he was desperate to keep playing outside with the big brother he idolized.
“I feel bad, Mom,” Puck said, walking through the front door. “I’m going to stay inside and put Yali to bed. Come on, buddy.”
He wrapped the teary little guy in his arms, gave him his old stuffed lion, and brought him back to his crib.
“Okay, buddy, look!” He drew back the curtain a little for some sun to shine through. “That’s your last look of sunlight til morning! It’s time for bed now! Goodnight, Yali! Goodnight!”