Bonding

Bonding

“You better put that back,” said Jack to his brother.

“Are you threatening me?” Frank answered smugly. He was four years older, and he liked the feeling of power he felt he had over his younger sibling.

“I don’t know,” said Jack, “what does ‘threatening’ mean?”

Frank laughed, “You are so dumb. It means telling someone you’ll do something bad to them if they don’t do what you want them to do.”

“Oh... then no. I just...”

Frank cut him off, “You just follow the rules, I know. Mr. Goodie two shoes.”

Jack knew what that meant, Frank called him that all the time. It wasn’t so much because he never did the wrong things, it was because Frank was often doing the wrong things, on purpose, and sneakily. Usually getting in trouble too. But once the Goodie Two Shoes remark came out, there was no talking to him. He would just say ‘Goodie Two Shoes’ over and over and not listen. Jack had finally gotten old enough to realize this, so he just walked away.

A few minutes later he heard his mother, “Who took a cupcake! I only had just enough and now I’m short one. Frank!!” because, of course, she knew it was probably Frank.

Later, Jack walked by Frank’s room where he was required to stay for the rest of the day. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Frank asked.

“I tried, you called me Mr. Goodie Two Shoes, remember?”

Frank suddenly looked at his younger brother differently, realizing that he wasn’t the bratty little baby anymore. “Wanna play cards? I’m not allowed out of my room for the rest of the day.”

Thinking it probably wouldn’t last, Jack said yes. But this time, it did last. And, that was when the brothers finally bonded for life.