My Big Brother

Today is my big brother's 28th birthday. I say 'big', but he's not really much older than me. Simon was born in April 1986, and 13 months later in May 1987, I arrived. Usually the older sibling would be jealous of the new baby, but not in our house. I was insanely jealous of him as we grew up and would push him off Mum's knee telling him, 

"She's my mummy, not yours."

But when I woke him up regularly in the middle of the night, he would go and get mummy for me, he'd never complain.

I spent our early years telling him how stupid he was, but when I started school and was lonely he let me stand with him and his friends at playtime and moved dinner tables so he could sit with me because I had no one else.

If there was only one biscuit left in the tin, the response would always be the same,

"Don't worry, let Rebecca have it." He always kept the peace.

Don't get me wrong, we fought like cat and dog, but he has always been my biggest ally. Wherever he went, I went too. Off to football practice, playing kerby in the street, to watch the basketball, up to the park. He never complained.

He was fiercely protective, horrifying when I was 13, but actually rather sweet when I look back now. If I passed him in the corridor at school and I happened to be with a boy, he'd glare at them and give me a look that said,

"We'll talk about this later."

I feel lucky to have such a close bond with a sibling and miss him so much now that we don't spend every hour of the day together. 

He still smells of boy, I still disagree with his views on politics and religion, he's still the messiest person on earth but he was my first ever friend, my biggest ally and my big brother and I love him so much. 

Happy birthday Simpy xxx