Just the Two of Us
A few years ago, my older brother Brian and I had a rare opportunity to travel together. We'd attended my daughter's high school graduation in Mississippi, and were blessed and lucky to drive back to Chicago in my truck. Together. Just the two of us.
Funny things happened though. My window on my then truck, stopped working. As did my A/C. Did I mention we were in Mississippi? Lol. We decided not to take I-55 to Memphis, opting instead to take US-61. Man, it turned out to be epic.
Sunflower, the Emmit Till Memorial Highway, waving at folks in other cars, and conversations which still resonate years later. It didn't dawn on me how much things would change from that point.
We talked of family, kids, plans, and dreams. Dreams of writing books, genealogy, research, and getting by. I didn't know and couldn't have imagined the progress we would make. That was in 2010.
Yesterday, we found ourselves on another road trip, just the two of us. I'd had an idea to go see the Cubbies play in Milwaukee, and I took my brother with me. Due to me not getting home from a pool party til almost five A.M., I wasn't at my best on the way up.
We missed the first inning, but we enjoyed the rest of the game. We chanted "Let's Go Cubbies,' high-fived each other when runs were scored, talked to everyone around us, and when everyone rose to sing 'God Bless America,' neither of us stood. It hadn't been rehearsed or discussed, we just sat there, unwilling to acquiesce to our surroundings. No one said anything, which I appreciated.
Cubs won, and instead of rushing to the parking lot, we leisurely toured the stadium and its environs. The monuments, plaques, and seeing the Cubs board their buses was cool, and we talked of the stadiums we'd visit in the next few years.
The ride home took us three hours, due to crashes, traffic snafus, and idiots. Just like our Mississippi trip, the conversations were memorable.
See, I can talk to my wife, my friends, but Brian has known me every day of my life, and I can bare my soul to him, and vice-versa. It's both comfortable and unsettling that you know someone so well you can finish their thoughts.
We discussed the future, the past, and the present, awestruck by the changes in our lives since that Mississippi trip. Back then he was just starting his genealogical quest, and I hadn't written anything publicly yet.
Funny isn't it, on how much things change, and how the core remains the same. Brian has helped over 50,000 people find their ancestors, relatives, and given them a sense of belonging. He has tracked different segments of our ancestry to the eighteenth century, but he's not satisfied yet. Me? I've written six books, with more to come, and I'm still not satisfied. Lol.
After I dropped my brother off, I drove home thinking that even with all of our other connections in life, the other relationships, I'm still at my most comfortable when it's just the two of us. Weird? Maybe, but I love the connection, our similarities and our differences. Me and my brother, alike, yet different. Good job Ma...
msh
