BROTHERS

Page1of 4

Brothers

I came into Room 1024 at Mass General. David looked up and between his teeth muttered, “Rat-Bastard-Squealer Brat.” I was stunned, not only because he could barely speak due to his condition, yet with tubes coming out of all sides of him, he still managed to find the strength to call me a Rat Bastard Squealer Rat.

David is older than I. He never found my existence to be comfortable, or for that matter, acceptable. I on the other hand, idolized him. As a pre-teen I couldn’t do enough for him.

I lied for him. I took the food off my plate for him. All in all, I groveled for him.

As I grew into my teens, the situation got worse. David got his driver’s license and soon after a rat-trap car. I had a bicycle. One especially hot day at our house in Dorchester, I was mowing the lawn. He pulled up in his car. He called out to me, “I’m going to the beach. Do you want to come?” “Sure”, I said, as I ran to his car. “Just checking!”, he said, as he sped off down the road. Of course, I reported his evil deed to our mother.

A few years later I had a night job and arrived home around midnight on a regular basis. Although ,there were many empty rooms in my parents’ house as our older siblings had left years before, neither David ,nor I would give up ownership of the room that we shared. I felt certain that it was important for me to make my late arrivals known to the sleeping David. Usually I fell asleep about 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM every morning and after my arrival so did David. I would ask him if he was awake. After he growled his answer. I would say, “Just checking.”

David had a job that required him to rise at about 6:00 AM. One morning, for “getting even reasons” known to those who have siblings, and to those who don’t,he put the alarm radio to my ear and raced out of my bedroom. I awakened with a start and chased him into the kitchen.

He stood in front of the refrigerator and repeated, “Come on buddy boy! Come on buddy boy!” His hands were behind his back.

Page2of 4

I practically flew at him. He quickly jerked his hands out from behind his back and revealed a full pitcher of orange juice, which he proceeded to throw at me. Now orange juice in the morning can be refreshing. This wasn’t! Have you ever spilled orange juice on the floor? It’s pretty sticky, right? Imagine a whole pitcher of defrosted “Minute Maid” dripping from my hair to my toes. My mother, hearing the yelping, came rushing down the stairs.

She was screaming, “What’s wrong with you two! You’ll kill each other. You’ll be the death of me. Maybe then you’ll be happy!!”He started it” I said to my mother.

I remember our last fight. It was his wedding day.David was to marry Amy Silver that afternoon.I was to be his best man and as his best man, I believed it was my duty to tell him he was making a grievous mistake to marry Amy For some reason this seemed to upset him.It had down poured the previous evening, but this didn’t stop us from punching, wrestling and rolling around on the still very wet and muddy ground in our tuxedoes.

I had my reasons for trying to break up the wedding. I had very good reasons! About 3 months before the wedding day the three of us had driven to N.Y.C. our first stop was to be the Carnegie Deli. David and his fiancé ,Amy would live park, while I was to run in and pick up two extra large hot pastrami sandwiches.

Amy had sworn that she was dieting and didn’t even want a half sandwich, which I offered to share with her. She said she had brought along a salad for her self and that would be more than enough. When I got back to the car I handed Amy David’s sandwich, which she quickly unwrapped and promptly took a humongous bite, before giving it to David. How could you trust such a woman, never mind marry one. ,I had entrusted her with a Carnegie Deli hot pastrami sandwich and look at what she did!

My mother came running out of the house & tripped. “Look what you two good for nothings made me do. See you’ll be the death of me yet, then you’ll be happy!!”

“He hit me first.” I said to my mother.

“And on your brother’s wedding day you are supposed to be his best man. You should be ashamed!..the both of you!” our

Page3of 4

mother shouted.”Look at what you have done to your clothes”. “In front of the house,yet, for everybody to see”!

Let’s skip forward some twenty five years. David, now divorced and now my good friend ,was dating this one and that one. Finally ,I was introduced to the soon to be only one. I met Dawn at my wife’s high school reunion. She was laughing with another woman. I was interested in her, so I introduced myself and asked where her husband was. She told me that she would be signing her divorce papers in a week.

“Are you dating?” I asked.

“No, not planning on doing that for a while.” she said. “Why do you ask? Are you asking me out?”

“I’d like you to meet my brother.” I told her.

She checked me out. She asked, “Is he much like you?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond, I took a shot and lied. “Yes,” I said.

“Okay.” she said.

Now I had some work to do! The problem: she was about 5’10”. He was not. His first question was how tall is she?

“About the same height as us.” I lied again.

They have been “going together” now for about twenty four years, In fact they now live together. He is still very miffed that I lied about her height.

Visiting David in Room 1024 at Mass General Hospital, I asked,” why are you calling me a Rat Bastard Squealer Brat”? ”

“Because you squealed, you were always a lousy squealer.” he said.

I knew what he was talking about. I had spoken to David on Thursday and I didn’t like what I heard. He sounded really sick. I asked if he had a doctor’s appointment and he said, “Next Monday.”

Page4of 4

I said,“ Next Monday is four days away. You should see a doctor immediately.”

“Mind your own damn business.” David replied.

I called his doctor’s office and spoke with the secretary. I told her that my brother was very sick and needed to see the doctor immediately.

“Impossible, he is fully booked and besides your brother has an appointment on Monday.” she said.

“Please speak to the doctor. My brother is very sick and must see the doctor today.” I pleaded. “Please, please ask the doctor if he could just squeeze David in! It’s an emergency!”

She said she would call me back and she did. “The doctor will see David at 4:00PM today.” she said.

Now I had to get David to the doctor without letting David know what I had done. I called Dawn on her cell phone and asked her to tell David that she had received a call from the doctor’s office and that he would be unable to see David on Monday. He needed David to come in at 4:00 PM today instead. David saw the doctor at 4:00 PM and ended up being rushed to the hospital. Now Dawn had squealed! When I went to visit David, Dawn met me in the hospital lobby and confessed that she had told David the whole truth. “Rat Bastard Squealer Brat” David growled almost inaudibly, when I entered Room 1024 at the Mass General Hospital. David’s glazing glare turned towards Dawn , Dawn looked at me and said “Bobby started it” Anyway, that’s my side of the story. You can always ask him for his.

Robert Isenberg October 19,2009 Revised 3/11/2010