I hadn't wanted to fall asleep that night until I knew. But of
course I was already waist deep in a sea of unconsciousness when the jarring sound
of my buzzing cellphone suddenly yanked me out of my slumber. It took me a
moment to come to and for my eyes to adjust to the harsh light of my phone's
screen as I slowly swiped my brother’s text and read its contents.
His message immediately thrilled me to the core, while at the same
time, saddened me just a little as it once again reminded me of just how fast the years
had gone by. What had happened to all those carefree childhood days we had
spent together? Those afternoons climbing trees and building forts. Those trips to the Cape catching hermit crabs and minnows. And those lazy Saturday nights eating
popcorn and watching “Are you afraid of the dark?” How could that all be gone now? How
could that other life we had shared be only a distant memory, blurring further
and further with each passing year?
But that aching nostalgia would only be short-lived, because as I saw his smiling face gazing down at hers, the sadness of a childhood
gone by seemed all that much easier to bear. My brother had become a father to
a gorgeous baby girl. And that ever-present pride that filled his face made one
thing immediately clear; he had already begun teaching her all the wonders of life, those same glorious wonders that he and I had discovered as kids. And as
I clicked my screen closed and looked out the window at the bright moon and
glistening stars, all I could think about was "What's more beautiful than that?"
