My Brother

Last night I was sitting in the park. The temperature was hot but with a cool breeze. I started to remember an old friend. These thoughts continued as I walked home. His name is Richard.

Richard was a great friend. I don't remember how we connected but I'd say it was quick. We were in 5th or 6th Grade when we met. He became like my brother.

Spending time at Richard's house was like an escape for me. He and his mom would pick me up, and we'd go to paradise. His house was peaceful. The couches in the living room were placed nicely against the wall. The chairs in the basement were big and a good distance from the TV and PS3. I loved it. The neighborhood was also as calm as it could be. My living environment was very different from Richard's. So being at his house was serene.

During my walk home I started to feel bad. I haven't seen Richard in 11 years. And I haven't spoken to him since we were maybe 14. He and his mom made a huge impact on my life. His mom was always picking me up to go to their house. And I was always well fed by her. She'd take her son and I to parks and all kinds of different scenes. This was huge for me as I didn't get as much exposure regularly.

Richard was like my brother. We'd play soccer, video games and just talk at his house. He even introduced me to hip hop, my favorite music genre today. I felt bad while thinking about Richard and his mom yesterday. They did so much for me. But I pretty much just disappeared on them.

It's hard to go through all the reasons for my departure from Richard. But mainly I was growing and finding myself. Richard seemed to not fit in with the direction I was exploring. Back then, I had to let him go. But in hindsight, I underappreciated him.

I was in high school the last time I saw Richard's mom. She had driven by the school while I was walking home. From what I remember, she tried to say hi. I was conflicted. I knew I had stopped talking to her son. So, I didn't react much. A little while later my dad came to me and said he heard about the interaction. Richard’s mom thought I had forgotten about her. My dad was shocked at me as he knew how close I was to her son. And I was heartbroken at my dad’s reaction. Eleven years later and I want to make amends.