Photo courtesy of David Stewart
“Aw Dad!”
“Not unless your brother goes too.”
“But he’s too young, he’ll hold us back.”
“You don’t go without him son, and that’s final.”
All my life… the same story. David couldn’t run, was no good at sport. He couldn’t even get a girl, so he was always hanging around me and mine.
And now he sits by my bedside, high-fives me and winks.
“Way to go, Pete. See you when you come round.”
We were forced to share so much when we were kids. But nobody had to ask twice for him to share his bone marrow with me.
Friday Fictioneers is kicking off again. Why not join us, great photo from David Stewart showing the statue at the south gate of Jeonju, South Korea. (I must have googled just about every statue in China, Japan and Thailand and was just about to start on Korea when I decided to wing it for this week. 🙂
castelsarrasin 
Aw, this ended in a sweet way. Siblings are support no matter how annoying they were as kids.
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Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
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Dear Sandra,
Maybe he ain’t heavy, but your story is although not in a maudlin way. Beautifully written as I’ve come to expect from you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I totally concur. Too often we believe that annoying people or situations will never change and then there’s that Friday Fictioneers twist at some point in our lives and everything looks different. You showed that beautifully.
janet
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Thanks for commenting Janet – loved yours this week (but then I do every week.) 😉
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Thank you Rochelle, I’m blushing. 😉
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Sad and beautiful all in one.
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I think so too!
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Thanks Abraham. 🙂
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Thank you!
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awwww this is so sweet… very beautiful story about brotherly love…
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Thanks kz!
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This takes bromance to another level! Beautiful, Sandra.
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‘bromance’ – lovely word. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by
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This was really sweet. It’s nice to know that even kids who fight a lot and don’t get along can grow up to be best friends. I’ve seen that sort of thing a lot in my own life. I kept feeling like it must be about me, but I don’t have a brother. 😉
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Thanks David, and for a superb photo prompt this week.
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Awww.. that’s such a touching story. Sibling rivalry and love all in 100 words.
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Thanks muZer!
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I must reiterate what has been said already “Awww…”
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Lots of Awws this week! Thank you.
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Dear Sandra,
Hats off to you for a superb take on the prompt. You’re getting faster, more prolific and have always been good.
Aloha,
Doug
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Thank you Doug! Looking forward to yours. 🙂
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Only you can write with such intensity in your words, week in and week out. Really you reached for our guts with this one! Very powerful piece – to say the least. Really I am stunned, and will read other stories tomorrow.
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Thank you! I tend to feel uncomfortable going down this route, but this was a difficult prompt for me this week.
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Well…enjoyed it!
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Reblogged this on Tea with a Pirate.
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Thank you! 🙂
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After an afternoon of mediating brotherly disputes, I appreciate your story very much. Nice work, Sandra!
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Thank you! Take a break now… 😉
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A break? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…. says the mother of four. Don’t worry – I’m laughing, not crying. At least not yet. 😉
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I could see my own boys in this. Thank you Sandra.
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Thanks for commenting – I appreciate it.
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Guess we do all things with those we love. We cry together, hate, be angry, argue, have fun, enjoy being and having a confidante…. Your writing expresses all of that in such a profound and sincere way… I loved it… Well done to you..
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Thank you! And for dropping by. 🙂
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Very sweet and nice!
Scott
Mine: http://kindredspirit23.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/3734/
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Just like me Scott! 😉 NOT!
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Well, I don’t know about that.
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Sandra, what a sweet, unexpected story. I love the winking. Hist brother came through for him. Nice.
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Thank you; sometimes brothers do. 🙂
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the brother’s altruism..so well expressed
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Thanks for commenting.
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Beautifully done, Sandra. Wonderful take 🙂
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Thank you!
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I like how implicitly, the elder brother acknowledges that he might have been a little more patient with his younger sibling. I like his voice. Very nicely done, Sandra!
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Thanks Iris, I appreciate your dropping by.
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He ain’t heavy he’s my brother…..Now the song is stuck in my head. Great work as always.
Tom
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Yes, it’s once of those songs… thanks for dropping by.
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Very touching story. You done did good!! 🙂
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I did do try! 🙂 Thanks Kim.
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I have a friend whose entire family stood in line to donate their bone marrow–his sister was the closest match and he’s been doing beautifully for ten years. Modern medicine is wonderful–as is your story of brotherly love, Sandra.
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We just lost a friend through leukaemia – it’s good to know that some treatments are more successful. Thanks for commenting.
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This really shows how love can change and grow through the years, and I think that’s especially true with siblings. It’s funny how we can go from being so annoyed with a little brother or sister to feeling like we would do anything for them.
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I guess it can Sheila. Thanks for commenting.
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Ohhhh! I like that! Great job!
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Thank you!
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Wow… this is a nice story, Sandra. One of those ones where you are thinking “where is this going”… I like where it went.
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p.s. did you find out what the statue is called?
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Thanks Ted. Dave did give some more detail on his site, but not, I think, the name of the statue.
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Very powerful, very poignant. Nicely done!
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Thanks Jan. 🙂
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Beautiful. You took me down a road then steered me to a different path. Some bonds run deep, despite the bumps, and you portrayed it beautifully..
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Thank you! Glad you liked it.
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I felt the strength of their bond. I know what it feels like to fight and love my siblings, sometimes all in the same afternoon.
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So true Erin. Thanks for dropping by.
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Yes, perspectives can change enormously in adulthood, as you showed us in this beautiful story. Something to keep in mind when the kids are fighting (not that they do it much, more a case of sarcasm).
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Yes, words can be just as effective as blows. 😦 Thanks for commenting Anne.
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As I anticipated, another great tiny tale from you, Sandra. I love the shifts in perspective in this story.
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Thanks Joanna. 🙂
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Great story, well told! (But of course, I don’t remember any song that you might be referring to ….)
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Song? Was there a song then? 😉 It wasn’t until I read your comment that I reaised just how long ago it was… Thanks for commenting Perry.
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Wonderful story. I faced a mildly similar situation when my brother had near kidney failure. He hesitated to ask, I knew, so I offered, and you’ve captured and presented all those complex emotions in a short but powerful piece. Thank you.
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/suzuki-method/
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Thanks Maggie. I hope all is well for you both now, and glad that the bond between you and your brother was so powerful.
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What a beautifully told and touching story. I’m sure the little brother didn’t hesitate when the need arose. Like Tom, I’ll be humming that old Hollies tune all day.
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Great tune, Roger. Thanks for commenting.
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The love of a brother or a sister is like no other. Sacrifices for others are just the normal fare as love is shared in the family.
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Thanks for commenting Joe, appreciate your dropping by.
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Touching story Sandra. Well told. I know someone to whom this happened. It was just at the point in time when bone marrow transplanting began. My friend had been written off. His wife gave birth to their second child in the same hospital at the same time he received his brother’s bone marrow.
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I hope all went well annisik51. It’s amazing how routine bone marrow transplant is now, where the right match can be found.
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It did go well. The timing was a miracle.
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What a sweet story – and so true to life. It’s exactly how my kids behave. Thankfully, they haven’t had to deal with anything as serious as bone marrow transplants though. Brilliant writing.
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Thank you for dropping by and commenting. 🙂
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So sweet! You definitely captured that sibling love/hate relationship. We may beat each other up most of the time, but when it comes down to it we’re always there for each other.
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Thanks Hayley! 🙂
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Nice take on this one – plus I really enjoyed the read =)
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Thank you! 🙂
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Very very nice Sandra. Really touch my heart. 🙂
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Thanks Bjorn. (I still haven’t worked out how to do that umlaut in WordPress. I feel guilty not reproducing your name correctly.)
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What a warm use of that photo – very original!
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Thanks Sharon!
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Oh wow. You did it again, sent me off one way and then brought me up short. Great last line.
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Thanks Sarah Ann. 🙂
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Reaching out to save a brother. An inspired take on the prompt. I’m amazed that we both started our stories with “Aw dad” and took them in completely different directions. Creative writing rocks!
Denmother
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“Aw Dad”. How many sentences must begin like that? 🙂 Thanks for dropping by.
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If you get along with your siblings, that bond is unparalleled in this entire universe in my opinion.
Your story made me happy and sad.. A sweet ache of sorts. Very interesting interpretation of the prompt.
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Never was a truer word spoken, Parul, especially with that qualifier. Thanks for commenting.
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Hi Sandra — I enjoyed that positive view. Life is more complex and precious than we imagine.
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Thanks Bill. I still haven’t forgotten your piece. 😉
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🙂
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sweetly done. in this line: “David couldn’t run, was no good at sport.” i think it should be “sportS.” instead of “sport.”
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I’m a Brit, Rich. That’s what we say. In British English (and apparently places with direct British influence on the language) sport is used for general sporting activities. Certainly most British newspapers headine their sporting section with the word Sport in the singular as does the BBC, : seehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/academy/default.stm. I’m relaxed about whether it’s sport or sports in this instance, but rather less so about the general concept of adapting my native language for demographic reasons. 🙂
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Oops! ‘ it’s’ not ‘its’. 😉 Corrected now.
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oops, you’re right, i didn’t know you were across the pond. sorry and thanks.
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i love your story, Sandra…no matter how much battles we give and take with our siblings, went it comes to important stuff…love usually overcomes it all. heart warming. ♥
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Thanks for commenting Sunshine. 🙂
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you’re welcome! 🙂
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What a great title for this heart enveloping story. I didn’t see the end coming, but it played so well on the personalities of siblings like this. I really liked this Sandra.
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You’ve perfectly captured what the sibling relationship is all about. Excellent!
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I love this story, Sandra. It’s so compact yet fully developed. Great take on the prompt!
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Great title, Sandra, and a nice switch around at the end. If I had one suggestion, it would be to make the reveal more subtle – the rest is a great example of “show don’t tell”.
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You done great, Sandra! I stayed away this time, but I know your stories are “appointment stories” (as are Anne’s as well) and need to see what you did … and did it WELL, you did! (?)
Anyway, great story!
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Very touching. Lovely story Sandra.
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