I love that I can ask favors from my brother and he’d do it right away. Kids, when they reach puberty, balk at the thought of doing something that might be construed as sweet to their parents or siblings. I was once in that phase of my life and I didn’t like it when my mom would accompany me anywhere. It just felt awkward. My brother’s like that, too. I practically raised him so I am more of a mother than a sister to him. But I think he’s gotten used to my affectionate gestures that it’s nothing to him anymore.

It just makes me happy that we’re somehow close and he talks to me about things. Course there are boy issues that he only gets to discuss with a cousin he considers his older brother.