A Story - Part IV

My little brother had it tough. His mother left when he was 3 and his baby sister was sent away because his father was unable to care for her. His father then got into a terrible accident where he lost his arm and part of his reasoning skills. My little brother was mistreated by a sitter and had no one to come to his defense. He understandably had trust issues. He wanted to drop out of school as soon as he was legally allowed. He had never played organized sports. He never stood up straight. He had never read a book. He had a mattress and box spring, a dresser, a bed table and a lamp. My husband gave him some weights and a bench, a pair of basketball sneakers and a baseball glove. I gave him a detective book and a punch in the shoulder every time he slouched. We entered him in a basketball tournament - he lost - bad - really bad. But he never quit, never lost courage, never showed he was beat. We told him to try out for the Middle School basketball team . He made the team. He started lifting weights and standing up straight and playing organized sports. He read the detective book, then another, then another. I took him to the police station to meet a real detective. He went on to play basketball and football in high school and never considered dropping out. My little brother was growing up strong and I was proud. I wish Tina could see him now, but she had moved on. One night, 5 years after I met my little brother, my phone rang. My little brother had joined the United States Marine Corps and he was calling to say good-bye and thank you. . .

. . . but the story doesn't end there . . .