Greg and Jerry

Jerry drew in a deep breath and pulled back the curtain so he could get a peek into the hall. He grew pale when he saw that there were at least two dozen kids already seated and more were making their way through the door. He let go of the curtain and turned quickly, releasing the breath, he had been holding out of sheer necessity.

Greg’s lips twitched as he watched his petrified brother. For a moment, he just stood there. He stared at nothing until he broke into a sweat. Then he unwittingly began to wring his hands and pace around the room in faltering steps. He had been mumbling under his breath but stopped suddenly as a voice came through the door. 

“They’ll be ready for you in twenty minutes.” Mr Fields, the director of the centre, said as he popped his head through the door.

Jerry smiled as he turned to meet the owner of the voice all traces of fear gone from his face. “Great!” He said, his voice dripping with faux excitement.

“Not many teens volunteer to be mentors. You two being here…it means a lot.” 

Jerry swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure what Mr Fields expected of him but he was sure he couldn’t deliver. He tried to keep his face neutral but from the sweat in his palms, he knew he was doing poorly. Luckily, Mr Fields didn’t seem to notice. He smiled at them and closed the door, leaving the brothers alone. 

Jerry turned to Greg, dropping his façade and displaying the dread that he was feeling.

“I can’t do this!” He said as he threw his hands in the air and then let them fall limply at his sides in defeat. 

“Sure, you can.” Jerry moved closer to his twin and urged him to sit down but the way he got up just seconds later, you would have thought there were hot coals on it. 

“You don’t understand Greg, I’m not like you. I’m not outgoing or as charming as you are.” A look of disappointment came over his face as he said it. 

Greg trying to lighten the mood asked him with a lopsided grin, “You think I’m charming?” 

“I need you to take this seriously.” Jerry tried to hide his amusement but his brother noticed his lips were twitching and knew that he had succeeded in cheering him up.

“I only set this up because it’s important…” 

“If it means so much to you then why don’t you do it?” Jerry’s face fell as soon as the words left his mouth. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay…” Greg said with a shrug.

“Stop doing that!” Jerry yelled and Greg stared at him in bewilderment. “Why do you do that?” Jerry continued in frustration. 

“Do what?”

“You keep acting like everything is okay. Like…” He stopped mid-sentence and stared at the floor to hide the tears that were beginning to fill his eyes.

“Like what?”

“Like you don’t hate me…” He whispered.

“Look at me,” Greg said and Jerry slowly lifted his gaze towards him. His face streaked with tears and his brown eyes were haunted by pain. Greg breathed in deeply, seeing his brother like this tore him apart but he needed to be strong for him. “I don’t hate you.”

“You should…” He finally said, giving him a defeated look.

“I couldn’t even if I tried. You’re my little brother…”

“We’re twins.”

“I’m the eldest.”

“By three minutes…”

“And I’m wiser for it,” Greg said giving his brother a look of superiority then they both broke out in laughter.

“I’ve been so angry at myself this past year,” Jerry said. “I hate seeing you in that wheelchair. I was such a jerk to you and I feel like I stole your whole life from you.”

“You didn’t steal anything from me…”

“If I could, I’d trade places with you.”

“Don’t say that. Look at where we are. A year ago, even your dead body couldn’t be bribed into doing any form of community service.” They both chuckled. “You’ve grown so much over the last year, we both have. I’m proud of you.”

Jerry sniffled. “You’re gonna make me cry.” He said. 

“Real men cry…” Greg said giving him a warm smile.

“Five minutes.” A voice announced from the door. Jerry nodded with a smile and this time it was genuine.

As Jerry stood on the platform, he was calm and radiant. He was confident but more than that, he had something to say. There were nearly a hundred people in that hall but Jerry didn’t seem unnerved by that, he seemed determined. He took a deep breath and began.

“A year ago if you would have told me that I would be standing here I would have called you crazy. I’ve never been good at public speaking. I thought very little of myself and as a result, I detested my brother.” He stopped for a minute and looked at Greg. Greg nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“I did something. At the time, I thought it was funny. I thought it was fair. I wanted to humiliate my brother. I wanted him to feel my pain.” He had a pained look on his face. 

“I wanted everyone to see him as flawed…human. My friends and I pranked him and they did. He was angry, humiliated, and I…I was satisfied.” 

Jerry paused, surprised by how easily the words came. He had never said so much in front of so many people. He continued. 

“Two hours later I was in the hospital not sure if my brother would live through the night.” He looked at his brother and smiled. 

“Greg is a fighter. He pulled through. Even when the doctors said he would never walk again, he was determined to prove them wrong. His positive outlook on life amazes me 

“A single moment can change your life forever as it did for Greg and the rest of my family. Even though we cannot change the past, we can choose to learn from it. Greg and I both have. We have both seen what our underlying problems were and together we are helping each other grow. By pushing me to stand before you today, he is teaching me to step away from the shadows. He is teaching me to shine. I truly hope that my standing here today inspires you to do the same. Thank you.”

The audience clapped and cheered. He blushed at the response. He was dazed and he closed his eyes to steady himself. 

When he opened them, he searched for Greg. He gasped when he saw that he was standing. Mr Fields supported him but still, he was standing. He was giving him a standing ovation. Jerry had no control of his tears.

Today was supposed to be about them doing good deeds. What he hadn’t expected was the effect it would have on him. He smiled as he walked off the stage. There was still so much to do that day, games, pizza party, meet and greet to name a few but none of that mattered to Jerry. 

He ran to his brother and hugged him, really hugged him. He was contented, happy and full. At that moment, he knew his purpose. He saw the beauty that had sprouted out of tragedy. For the very first time, he saw a future.