A Change of Heart

By Dionne

People would consider that sibling rivalry is inevitable; however, after I underwent a critical moment, I've found there's something else between me and my brother.

Ever since my brother was born, I'd gradually become aware that I was deprived of my toys, my room, and part of my parents' attention. Although he was five years junior to me, I still thought it was unfair to make a concession to him when we had quarrels or fought for something. I thought my parents and all my relatives favored him and always wanted me to concede just because he was younger. What's worse, I remember while I was busy with my homework in junior high school, he was only eight years old and would play around me, making a lot of noise. Sometimes when he really annoyed me, I would yell at him. I just expected him to be more considerate, but the didn't seem to listen to me. Usually people would give compliments to him in my presence, such as "Your brother is so cute. Look at his big head and eyes, he must be very smart." I would respond, "Then, take him home since you like him so much." Sometimes I even asked my mother, "Why do I have a brother?"

Later, in my last year in junior high school, I began to stay in the school dormitory and only went home once in a week, which gave me fewer opportunities to meet my brother or to have conflicts with him. It was the first time we were separated from each other, but the feelings were somehow weird. I should have felt happier for I didn't have to live with him in the same house. However, when I saw some of my classmates write to their brothers or sisters, or when I heard one of them say that she would cook dinner for her brother, I had sort of started to miss my own. I thought it over and over, but I couldn't think of one thing that I had done for him. I felt ashamed.

Still, we seldom talked as I became more involved in my school and he became busier too. Till one day in my last year in senior high school, in the middle of a class, I suddenly felt a drastic pain in my stomach, and then was immediately sent to the hospital. After the operation, my mother soon came to the hospital to keep me company so there was nobody home when my brother went home. But as soon as he got the note my mother left on the desk, he rushed to the hospital on his bicycle with his favorite tape recorder regardless of the pouring rain. When he got there, he was soaking wet and so was the recorder. Standing there dripping, he just said, "Sister, here's a recorder, then you won't be bored here."

It was so touching. I didn't realize there was such deep affection between us until that time.

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