A bonding with my brother. . .

I was excited to meet him. Afterall that was 12 years ago when i last saw him. I was so busy forming a life alone. I was focused on my own journey. I had my ups and down then a lot of realizations coming along that line. I texted my brother that i am waiting inside a bookstore of a local biggest Mall in Manila, Philippines. As i scan the books lazily i had look back how it was. He was 10 years junior than me. I remember him to be a very cute baby of which most of classmates envy me to have a brother in a Filipino taste considered adorable. I used to came along with him in school bec. at 7 years old he can not cross the street by himself alone. One time when i was 17 yrs old, i was busy with my other friends having a good time, not minding my responsibility of picking him up from school after his class. I even went home lazily totally forgotten about him. It was the biggest shock i had faced when i saw him already at home crying so helplessly because he waited for me for hours and i was not around for him. All his classmates were fetched by their mothers so he was forced to walk home alone. I had a series of guilt for him regarding my frequent "act of negligence".

How is he? That was my silent querry...I felt so afraid as i was excited too... then a text from my mobile phone reads: "I am outside now of the bookstore". I hurriedly went out just to see him smiling with his wife. He right away embraced me warmly and kissed my forehead. I was looking at him now 37 years old, a family man, grown up and collected. We tour first the Mall and took pictures with ourselves before we dine together. As we enjoyed our meal along with his wife we had a lazy talk about our other members of the family. When the night was a little late we bade goodbye with each other, he kissed me again in the forehead embraced me warmly. I looked both couples as they rode the public van on their way home then i had to ride a public train on my home too. I had not sleeped well that night as i missed him. But we had lived with different roads now. I am still single along with my work which i choose to prioritize and my favorite brother now with his family where he found his comfort zone.