Growing up with two older brothers, one younger brother and two younger sisters, you would think I would have experienced relationships with them. This isn't true with my family. See Shawn, my oldest brother at eighteen years of age, is five years older than me and had an interest in science (boring). Chad, next in line at seventeen, was always too busy with being Mr. Popular. People say we look exactly alike and I looked up to many aspects of him. Myself, I was thirteen and too old in my eyes for my younger siblings. It was a big family under one roof with no sense of relationship.
I spent most of my time playing sports, any I had time for, and expressing my artistic side through painting, drawing, and photography. My artistic ability was another thing that separated me from the rest of the family. Luckily, I loved playing sports and could play them all.
Basketball was one sport that Chad played as well. I had always tried to get him to shoot some hoops with me, but he never could fit me in around everything he was doing. I grew to be good at basketball and maybe even better than him. Basketball to Chad became second to the police cadets, a group that would pull him further away from the family. I remember thinking I would never get to play a game with him.
It was a great day. The sun was out with bright blue skies covering me. Things shouldn't get better. It was a shock to me when Chad came out to shoot a couple rounds with me. Chad and I played all morning, competing back and forth each trying to prove to the other who was better. A couple rounds turned into five hours of play. .
We showed each other tricks and moves we had learned and gave each advice on becoming a better team captain. We had missed playing on the Middle School Cruisers team together by one year, one year! I had filled his spot as captain the year he moved to high school. I realized that even though we rarely spent time together I had learned so much from watching him play his life.