MY BROTHER AND ME
My name is Harry. I
have an older brother who’s very special to me. How special? Very special. He’s
a person who really cares about me apart from my parents. If my parents were
gone, he’s the only one I’ve got. And I know I can rely on him.
Every
teacher in my school thinks I’m special. My classmates thought so too; but not
the kids from other classes. Whenever I’m in school, they were always calling
me names. “Freak!” was one of them and that hurt me the most. Did my brother
help me? Of course he did! He just went to them and said, “You guys are the
freaks! He’s better than you lot!” He’s the best. And I’m not special. I’m just
like the others, like everyone else. I’m just short, too short for my age. But
my brother looks at me and said, “They don’t understand yet,” and I love him
for that because he understands me the most.
At home, my parents treated
me like I was a baby; like I needed their help all the time. I don’t need their
help at all. I know I can manage myself really well. Sometimes, I pity my
brother. He never gets this kind of attention. I feel bad about it. But he just
said, “It’s okay. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.” I told him I don’t want this
kind of attention and he told me that soon it will end. “Just you wait,” he said.
He’s never mad at me. He’s always so kind.
The worst part is when
we go out for dinner or shopping. We act normal, like nothing’s happening.
Except that I know it’s not normal. Not in the eyes of others. I can see other
children pointing at me and whispering to each other as we walk past. If they
are with their parents, the parents would slap their hands down and pull them
away from my sight. What did my brother do? He walks either in front of me or
behind me. When I asked why, he said that he doesn’t want people to upset me.
“They don’t understand. They don’t know how it really is,” he said. At first I
didn’t understand what he meant, but after a while, I found that what those
children did disturbs me. Just like in school on my first day. But I learned
fast; faster than my classmates! At first I had a teacher-aide in class that
catered to my needs. His name was Mr. Johnson. I found him helpful at the
beginning of my schooling years. But when I reached Year 4, I could do my work
and activities on my own. Mr Johnson stayed for a while, helping me whenever I
asked him to. After a while, my parents saw that I didn’t need him anymore and
so did my teacher. I felt a bit sad when Mr. Johnson left, but I know that it
means I get to do more stuff than I used to and that gets me excited!
At the end of my
primary school, I felt more confident because I knew I was capable of the
school works. I even gained a lot of new friends from other classes. My brother
was right: they didn’t understand back then. But high school brings more
challenges because we had to move. And everything seemed to repeat itself. The
bullying, the isolation, and they all made me feel left out; made me feel
different. My brother went to school with me and he was protective of me. One
time, he punched his classmate Jory for calling me “freak” and pushing me to
the ground. They both were sent to the principal’s office. Mom and dad came as
well. I told Mr. Carson my brother’s not to be blamed; Jory is the one who
started it. Mom and dad told me to stay out of it. I found it unfair because I
didn’t get a chance to say anything and tell the truth. My brother was grounded
for his actions. I felt sorry for him. I told him I’m sorry that because of me,
he was grounded. But he just smiled and said, “Don’t feel bad. I’m only
protecting you.”
My brother took me to
the premiere of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” one day. There was a
dwarf character in the movie. I asked my brother if he’s
really that small and he said yes. I told him it would be great to meet the
actor. So, he went to the security person and asked if we could meet the actor.
By some bizarre luck, we got the chance to meet him! His name is Peter
Dinklage. I asked him how is it that he gets to be an actor and whether people
judged him for his shortness. He looked at me and said, “It doesn’t matter if
you’re big or small. If you believe you can do it, you can and you will do it.
Just work hard on what you really want to achieve and it will come true. That’s
what I did. I paid attention in school, studied hard and went to drama school
because I wanted to be an actor. And look, I am one now.” After that, he just
smiled and hugged me.
I know I can achieve
big things like Mr. Dinklage. I definitely know that no matter who we are, we
can be successful if we work hard for it. We can’t expect the world to adapt to
us, we need to adapt to it.
