When I was a little girl in 2010, only 7 years old and in 2nd grade, I found out I had a 10-year-old brother on my dad’s side and he was coming to live with us for a while so my sister and I could get to know him. While it may have come as an emotion of excitement for most kids and an astounding realization that you were going to have a new sibling, to me it wasn’t that thrilling. What can I say, I liked being the oldest in my family. 

     About a week after I found out that I was going to have a new brother, he arrived here in Delaware and as soon as I knew it, he was living with me and my family. At first, I thought “well this can’t be that bad, maybe I will like it” and it turned out to be true… at first. I met my brother and we introduced ourselves along with my little sister and we were very awkward if I do say so myself. Of course, as it would be for any kid, there was the time needed to adjust. 

      Me, my sister, and my brother Luis all hung out daily since it was summer and we had tons of fun. We would go to the park, the beach, and we would watch movies at home while eating our favorite foods. My brother and I weren’t as close as him and my sister Ashley, but we managed to live with each other with the time we had. Like any group of a sibling, we had our fights and fits seeing as we were children. When we were playing games, I wanted a toy he was playing with and so I took it into my own hands to make sure that to would be mine. I started whining that I wanted the toy and my parents came and me being the younger child, I got the toy, but little did I know that would be the last time that I would have fun with my brother. 

      For the remainder of the time, I would always fight with my brother and we would not get along with each other. Anytime my brother would want something, he would tell my dad and he would get it, and let me tell you, I was not to astounded with that. I would get really mad if my brother ever got his way. He was my dad’s main priority since they hadn’t seen each other in so long and that was just not clicking with my likings. 

     I would tease my brother all the time and I would make it clear that I did not like him and he wasn’t too fond of me either. Luis was not a very open child in terms of feelings and he had anger issues that he gets from my dad’s side of the family so our little outbreaks were not good for either of us. At this point me and my brother were not so close as in the beginning. We were drifting apart and we would not get along. I regret not being nicer and more understanding of the situation even at that much of a young age. 

      Around the time school was about to start, my sister and I found out that my brother was going to stay for the school year and my sister was over the moon about because she loved having him here and my brother was excited because it was his first school year with us. I was okay with the idea, but I wasn’t too happy with it because that meant more of him and less of just me and my sister. Throughout the school year, we got a long minimal amount, but we did have some good times as well as the bad. 

      Soon out of nowhere, without any notice, we found out my brother would be leaving again. I did not know if it would be hello again or goodbye forever. He wasn’t too happy about this situation and neither was I. I think around this time not only us two, but my sister and the family could feel the tension between everything. It was honestly a sad situation because even though we did not get along, he was still my brother and I wanted him to stay deep down. Time went by fast and things progressed into my brother packing, getting his plane ticket, and leaving to go back with his mom who we would soon find out was not the best idea to send him back with her. My brother leaving was a sad day. I knew this would change me because it was such a big thing that as a kid, you really can’t ignore it.

      I hope he could’ve stayed with us so I could watch him grow up and learn from him as well. I do want to see him again and although I am not that sure it will be possible or if he will even contact me back, I hope one day I can see him and we could talk once more because having a big brother now I realize, it is one of the best things I could have ever expected.