Were you as lonely a kid as me?

See, I was raised in NYC by a single, Dominican-Immigrant mother, and eventually a stepfather. He came into my life about when I was three years old, though we didn't get along completely for about 18 years. They'd work all day, whilst other family in the area took care of me, to make sure anything I could need they could deliver- primarily shelter, food, and love. My education, and moral compass were the most important things to them. Others included a love for a nature, for allowing my creativity to be expressed at all times, and for the mysteries of the universe. 

I'd spend most of my free time, outside of a strict Catholic School, playing Sega Genesis and watching movies/TV

And all I could think about was how amazing it would be to have a sibling-partner around: someone to be there, just like in the TV shows...where brothers are always there to save each other from harm, while also learning from each other's prior mistakes. The image of the big brother in "Stand By Me" was the big brother I'd be- protective, fun, and loving.

I dreamed of my mom having another kid, and often insisted I NEEDED a brother, but she flat out refused, and would suggest I had plenty of cousins to play with. I figured I'd still keep asking, because this was important- just like I did when I'd kept asking for a puppy. All I really wanted was a dog and brother. But if I couldn't get the dog (I'd tried for my entire life), I'd at least get the brother. My chances seemed to get slimmer and slimmer, as she didn't seem to regard my desires much...which is fair, when she was working so hard, had only met my stepfather recently, and knew how difficult it was raising just one boisterous kid.

After a couple of years of begging, she one day told me she had the BEST news, with the widest smile on her face

My mother turns a beautiful shade of red on her cheeks, and her eyes fill with a deep love, when she truly feels passionate. She could never hide her feelings- she's always wore them on her face. This same shade filled her face, as she filled me with anticipation-

I asked her, unexcitably, "What is it??", thinking the "news" was something silly. Maybe she was trying to convince me that she'd made some delicious food, or that a distant aunt was coming to visit, whom I hadn't seen in a while.

She replied "Nooooo", teasingly, with a laugh beginning to roll into her belly. Impatiently, I stammered "WHATTTTT, MA??". And then she then told me:

You're having a brother

Was this a dream? If you were me you'd have thought the same thing. 

She had stood steadfast against giving my a sibling for about two years. She had only just met my stepfather two years prior, and that was around when I began asking her for a sibling. I still didn't know where babies came from, even as she made the announcement, so I didn't realize the kind of efforts it'd take for a baby to be delivered: I honestly thought it was the stork, like on the TV shows, who dropped a baby off...assuming the parents wanted one!

 I recall darker memories in life... situations where the lights are dim, and only lit by the TV, as other family members watched Spanish soap operas, late at night. I recall being punished, and having no one to express my pain, verbally, with. I recall the deep loneliness inside, because no one understood what it was like to live with a mother who could love so much, and knew only one way to correct misbehavior with a kid who was constantly getting in trouble: with a double-bent belt.

I stood still, in confusion

She repeated it to me "You're having a brother...isn't that what you wanted??!", as I stared at her despondently. Then as she repeated the news, you couldn't believe how much light filled all of the darkness around me. It's like the my world suddenly changed seasons from Winter to Spring. The possibilities I'd dreamed of suddenly to be come a reality. I'd really almost given up on wanting a brother, since she'd evaded my query so many times, and it'd been so long since the last time I'd last asked for one. It was a real surprise.

When Gabriel was born (@Ricorolla)

I'd bring my mother milk in bed, because she was weak and lacked minerals. I'd look over my infant brother, while she stepped away for a moment. I'd admire with deep love in my eyes, as she carried him around, because he'd only fall asleep in the evenings if romantic Spanish-worded ballades flowed into his ears. I'd let him grab my earlobes, as he eased into sleep, even if it meant I wouldn't sleep for a while longer.

One thing dawns to me now though- maternity leave allowed me to finally spend so much more time with her. We grew close. She is the most wonderful woman I've ever known, and I'm grateful to Gabriel for allowing me to share even more time with her as a kid.

Gabriel turned out to be the brother I'd always wished for...in most ways!

He was a curly haired, buttery soft cheeked, loud, irrational, tantrum-throwing, opinionated, demanding, and intelligent baby/toddler/kid. He always got his way, and it first it irritated me: I was always quite mild-mannered, it seemed to me, and understanding when I couldn't be granted my every whim immediately. Gabriel also rarely got punished as physically as I did, and could cry until he got his way, via some sort of compromise by my parents. 

At first this would tick me off. It did for years.

However, I soon realized what a perfectly contrasting Ying to my Yang he was: Gabriel had the ability to always get what he wanted, and therefore if Gabriel and I wanted the same things, we could BOTH get what we wanted. 

So Gabriel became like my spokesperson, and attorney. He wasn't scared to ask for things, and repeatedly as necessary. This meant more video games rented for us, more of what him and I wanted to eat if the family was travelling, and countless other "benefits". Gabriel wasn't what I'd expected from a brother, but turned out to be MUCH more than I could have hoped for. 

We've gotten older

And now my brother is in the military, and nearly ready to finish up his duty there. He has become a man much different, and in many ways much the same as me. We have similar interests, and Gabriel has continued to develop new superhuman abilities (at least it seems to me) when it comes to having friends, pushing forward in life, and finding a way to succeed no matter the cost.

He's like a sponge, and has the most intelligence of any human I know, probably. He's the most generous, kind, socially conscious, caring, empathetic, sympathizing, right-doing, strong, and brave person that I know. If he hasn't tried something, he is willing to. If he doesn't know something, he's willing to debate you with what he DOES know about the subject, and you both get to learn a great deal. And if he doesn't agree with something, it's usually because it goes against his deep integrity, and love for mankind- as anything wishing to do it harm has trouble sitting in his being. Most people have this in some sense, but his embodiment of these ideals radiates much farther than I can see in  the people I can recount.

In a nutshell, Gabriel is that someone you wish you had in your life.

Brother or not. We live in a time where it's hard to trust people, and when you do, they may never care about keeping your connection through time. Gabriel isn't that guy. He's the one who will always be there for you, if he can. He's the one always looking for ways to help YOU, and to have fun while doing it. In other words, he's pretty much the perfect dude. Brother, friend, and teacher.

I couldn't have asked for a more brilliant a Polaris in my universe. You should meet him, one day, so you can  understand that an entire library of Steemit posts couldn't accurately describe the experience of having encountered the energies of Gabriel. He's not someone forgotten...because he'll remember you.

-Crypt0

(Written in response to his original post: https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@ricorolla/blood-is-thicker-than-water)