BRO

BRO                PAGE 1

Wesley Brown called out to his brother from across the Street,  ‘Yo Baby Bro! Don’t forget my birthday Saturday, and make it a decent present this year!’ he smirked at the girl on his arm.

‘Why did he call you Baby? Six feet is one hell of a tall baby Bobby.’

‘It’s a family thing, I’m the youngest of five, Wes is the oldest, there’s three sisters between us.’

‘What does he call them?’

‘Judy, Sarah, Lucy.’

‘What about the other two?!’

‘Damn your sense of humor Joe, you had me going for a minute. He daren't call them anything else in case they put something nasty in his coffee, again!‘

‘Again?’

‘Yeah, I don’t know what it was but he spat it out pretty quick, a fierce lot my sisters. I don’t tease them just in case, anyway I have a lot to thank them for, if it wasn’t for them I’d be wearing Wesley’s hand-me-downs.’

‘I’d be grateful you weren’t wearing theirs Bobby!’

‘Cheeky! Give me a kiss!’

‘Get off! Come on we’ll miss our slot at the Gym if we don’t get a move on.’

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After an intense sweaty work out, Joe took up the subject of Wesley as they walked back toward home, ‘Bobby, how old are you, sixteen?’

‘Yeah.’

‘And Wesley, how old is he?’

‘Big Bro Wesley? He’s twenty; twenty one on Saturday.’

‘Do you get along?’

‘Sort of, he’s a bit of a bully, I have to be careful what and how I say anything to him.’

‘Hell! You’re big enough, strong enough, and hard enough to hit back at him, why do you let him belittle you?’

‘He’s my brother and he’s the star of the team, idol of the fans, top fancy of the girl fans, and I get a freebie for the home games, what’s not to like?’

‘I suppose everyone has a saving grace. So what are you going to give him for his birthday?

‘I really don’t know. My pocket money doesn’t go very far, Dad won’t hear of me taking a job, he’s not the best off in our Street, but he insists I stick to my studies. I save most of my pocket money to buy presents for everyone. The Girls, Mom and Dad don’t mind their presents being small, Wesley does, he measures everyone by the value of the gifts they give him.’

‘How much are you willing to spend?’

BRO                PAGE 3

‘Twenty five, max, why?’

‘You know I work in the Club shop, we’re having a sale, you could get a good hat for twenty five, they’re worth more, I think I could make us some money at the same time.’

‘How?’

They sat on the grass behind Bobby’s Street sign to hatch a plot.

‘You got that Bobby?’

‘Yeah, after four Wednesday.’

On his way into the Club Shop Bobby passed Joe’s boss, ‘Hey, you’re Wesley Browns brother aren’t you? Boy he’s playing out of his skin this season, wouldn’t surprise me if he isn’t voted player of the year. What brings you here?’

‘I’m looking for a present, it’s Wesley’s birthday on Saturday, I thought, something with the Clubs emblem, if there’s something I can afford.’

‘Have a good look around………….?’ He searched for a name.

‘Bobby.’

‘Bobby, have a good look around, Joe will look after you, give Wesley my regards, and birthday wishes, I’ve got to dash.’

There was only one person in the shop, a lady waiting to pay for her purchase, Joe saw Bobby but he didn’t acknowledge him until the Lady left.

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‘Can I help, are you looking for something special?’

‘Something cheap.’

‘Our hat’s have all been marked down this week, how about these?’ Joe shielded Bobby from the c.c.t.v camera, ‘This ones only twenty five.’

Bobby lifted the hat as if to admire it, ‘I’m not sure.’ he passed it back to Joe. 

Still blocking the camera’s view Joe took the hat from Bobby and placed it over the top of another hat of a much higher value, ‘Perhaps you’d like to browse?’

Bobby said yes and began to wander around.  

Joe returned to the cash desk. Bobby lingered at a bargain rack of sweaters, he made out he was unimpressed before he turned to Joe, ‘I’ll take the hat.’ This time Bobby blocked the camera’s view while Joe collected the hat with the hat upon the hat.

 With the transaction completed Bobby left the shop more quickly than he’d arrived carrying a Club Emblem emblazoned carrier bag . He hastened home and into the bedroom he shared with Big Bro Wesley where he shoved the bag under his bed.

On Friday evening Bobby pulled the bag out from under his bed. He knew one hat would be more expensive than the other but he was surprised that it was a Championship winning commemorative hat much prized by collectors. The price tag was ten times higher than the other and Joe had also included a second emblazoned carrier for good measure.‘ Let’s hear you moan about this Big Bro!’ he thought.

After breakfast on Saturday morning Wesley opened his birthday gifts in the lounge. His sisters gifts were graciously accepted under assumed threat of retaliation if dislike, however small, was inferred.

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Mom and Dad’s gift of Nike footwear blew his mind, ‘Gee! Thanks, these are great, must have cost near four hundred! Thanks!’ Wesley looked to Bobby, ‘Just yours now Baby Bro, but can we save it until tomorrow, the coach leaves for the game in half an hour, I’ll open it tomorrow afternoon when we get back, put all this stuff on my bed Bro, I gotta dash!’

And so he was gone, leaving Bobby deflated and fuming to be sidelined once again.

On Sunday afternoon Bobby had the house to himself. He was in a sour mood when Wesley bowled in, ‘Hi Bro, did you see the score? I played good, man of the match again, that makes five, all I need now is your present to make up a perfect double five score, where is it?’

‘Bedroom,’ Bobby sulked, ‘Come and get it. It’s under my bed.’ ’ Wesley followed him.

In the bedroom Wesley sat on his own bed while Bobby fished for the bag under his, ‘Here it is.’

Wesley made a grab for the bag, ‘What’s this? A Club hat? Is that a decent present? They’re on offer at the Club Shop, It’s not even this years hat, two seasons old, worth ten, maybe less,’ enraged he stood to pitch hat and bag onto Bobby’s bed then he assumed a fighters stance, ‘Bro I should……….. ‘

Bobby stuck out a defensive fist, Wesley met it with his chest and recoiled to lie on his back on the bed looking up at Bobby in dazed disbelief.

‘No more Wesley! Don’t call me Bro, no more, I’m ashamed you ever did. It stops now Wesley! You bullied and belittled me the whole of my life! I won’t take it anymore.’

‘Bullied? No Bobby I never bullied……. ‘

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‘Stop! I’ll refresh your memory BRO!’

 I was four, you were nine, we each had a wooden stool, you broke yours then claimed mine, one day I was sitting on it, you pushed me off backwards I hurt my head badly BRO!’ I cried. You lied to Dad, said it was an accident.’

‘I was only a kid Bobby, I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

‘BRO! You did. Remember BRO! I was six you were eleven you thought it was funny to push me into the water at the deep end of the swimming pool, I nearly drowned, you knew I couldn’t swim, I still can’t, I’m still scared BRO!’

‘BRO! Remember I’m eight you’re thirteen, you thought your cronies would like to see Baby Bro fight his best friend, you goad and goad until we fight, I win, I lost my best friend. I cried. We never spoke again BRO!’

‘BRO I lost count of the number of times you stole my pocket money, tripped me up, kicked my butt, HARD! BRO! I could go on for hours, but what’s the point you will still be the bully I grew up with BRO! YOU ARE ARROGANT! YOU ARE SELFISH! INCONSIDERATE!, UNCARING! UNGRATEFUL! and very, very wasteful of my affection for my big brother. You laughed every time you hurt me, you laughed more when I cried, you thought it was the physical pain, BRO! I cried from frustration because the brother I idolized didn’t care.’

Wesley raised himself to take two open armed paces toward Bobby, ‘Bro, I didn’t know…… ‘ his nose met Bobby’s fist, he fell back onto his bed.

‘BRO! you’re still doing it, this week you belittled me in front of my friend Joe and that girl! And once again my present isn’t good enough for you, never mind what I had to do to buy it. Well it stops now!’

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‘Listen good. You’ve never asked why I go to the Gym so often. It’s because I imagine your face on the heavy bag and I punch it until my arms ache and my frustration wears off until your next insult, or put down. Funny I buried that anger yesterday when I realized today could be my payback day.’

‘What have you done?’

‘I knew whatever I gave you wouldn’t be good enough, I knew you wouldn’t care that I spent all I had on it, so I decided to take my revenge first.’

‘What have you done?!! ‘

‘You were right about the Nike’s, they were worth four hundred, at least that’s what I got for them.’

‘You sold them?’ Wesley regretted jumping up from the bed when his chin met Bobby’s fist.

‘Yes and seeing that you were so ungracious to thank me for your present I’ll take it from you and sell that too, and if you ever try to belittle me, or hurt me in any way ever again I will deprive the punch bag of my company and transfer my attention to you BRO! Remember too, my name is Bobby, not baby, not BRO! Got that BRO!

On Tuesday Bobby met Joe at the Street sign on his way to the Gym. ‘How much did you get for the collectors hat, Bobby?’

‘Three fifty, like you said. Here’s three hundred, two fifty to put your till right and fifty for you, like we planned.’

‘Thanks Bobby, hey I like your hat, must have cost at least twenty five!’

END