First of Allie’s stories.
“Were you afraid of the dark when you were a kid?”I ask.
“Na………..well, I Guess a little. I Must’ve been around 3. Dunno where my parents were. I woke up from a nightmare or something and the darkness really spooked me. I started sobbing. Doug heard me and he comes in. It’s still dark, but I hear his voice.”
“He sits on the floor next to me and asks if he needed to check under the bed for a boogeyman. That made me laugh, I knew there was no such thing. Somehow in the dark, he fluffs my pillows and wipes my eyes.”
” ‘ I’ll always be here to protect you,’ he says. ‘You know that?’ “
“I nod, but it’s dark, of course.”
” ‘You have to answer, Allie’ he says. ‘It’s dark, you know. I’m not Superman'”
“Well, that made me laugh again. I laid back down and I could feel him stretch out on the floor. And of course, I fell back to sleep and he was gone by morning. That’s what my brother is, always there for me. We have our ups and downs, but that’s family. Do you have a brother?”
“Oh God, no. My father is horrible. No one else should suffer under him.”
“An only child?” I nod.
“Wow. That must be tough” [Shit, if she knew what an understatement.]
We’re holding hands, silent. Too much quiet, not enough kissing. So, I start us going again.
I was just beginning to grasp the complexities of sibling relationships. She had much to show me.