Rocking on my grandma’s antique rocking chair in front of the glass window, I remembered the time when I turned 9 years old and lossed my favorite oldest brother Max. He’s the one who has always been there for me ever since our parents died.

My parents died of a car accident a month before my 7th birthday. My oldest brother Max, was 19 years old by then. He had to work day and night to be able for us to survive. I had four siblings. Max is the oldest in the family , Maria is the second oldest, then came Wilson, Isabella, and me. I’m the youngest in the family.

One night when Max got home after work, I noticed something strange about him. He was losing hair and he looked a bit pale. There was something very suspicious about Max. As if he was hiding a deep secret that he can’t share to anyone else. I was going to ask him about it but he also looked really tired, so I just left him alone.

After eight months, it was Max’s 20th birthday. We sang a special birthday song just for him. We hugged and told him that he was the best brother in the whole world. If it weren't for Max the family could’ve been disintegrated.

A new day has arrived. Isabella, Wilson, and I all went to school. After school was over, we all went home. A couple of minutes after we arrived home, the phone rang. Then, Maria picked the phone up.

“Hello, who is this please?” she asked.

“Hello Maria, this is Max, I want you to take care of your younger siblings for me. I’m in the East Creek Hospital, I’m not feeling well, tell your siblings to not worry about me. I love you all,” Max said, then he hung up.

After three days, we visited him in the hospital. “What happened Max?” I asked, feeling very upset.

He was still lying down in bed. His face and lips looked very pale and dry. He also had little thin hair left. He looked worse than the last time I saw him. Max stared down.

“I have lung cancer.” Tears dropped down on my shirt when I heard the word. “Max please don’t leave me,” I said. My heart felt as if it was going to burst!

“I will never leave you Jane, never forget that. Just always know I’ll always stay in your heart. Invisibe but visible in your heart...and mind, ” he said, with a very weak smile.

Many months passed, and it was heartbreaking seeing Max suffer. I gave my brother a last kiss on the cheek and a big special hug.

The next morning I woke up crying in panic but couldn’t remember what I had just dreamed of. Then, I remembered Max. It was six in the morning. I went to Maria’s room as fast as I could and tried waking her up.

“Maria wake up! Wake up! Quick! Get up Maria!” I shouted. Maria woke up but still half asleep. Then, she saw me very upset.

“ Jane are you okay. What’s wrong?” she asked.

“ We need to get to the hospital quick! We need to see Max!” I shouted full of anxiety.

Maria and I woke the others as well. We brought some snacks along and went straight to the hospital. We rushed to his room, finding him with doctors and nurses. The other nurse made us wait outside the room. After a couple of hours, the doctor went outside the room and spoke to us.

After a couple of days, we prepared for Max’s funeral. Finally, when I was alone, I sat next to Max’s grave. That night I saw a shooting star. I deeply closed my eyes with tears dropping through my cheeks and WISHED IT WAS JUST A DREAM.