What Jealousy may bring,
My motivation was the age old one, Jealousy. That fateful morning I had been grounded by my mom, she just forgot to tell my older siblings. It was the perfect snow day. No school, no parents, no supervision just us.
My brother grabbed some money and told me to stay home, I told him mom had told me that he had to watch me all day.
This was a time before cell phones and a time before we even had a phone in the house. So, I got to go with my big brother. We went to the local tire shop and bought a huge inner-tube and some bacon fat. The guy who owned the shop aired the inner-tube up for us, we then ran to our favorite sledding spot. All of our friends were there already, we had so much fun. My brother smiled really big at me and slathered bacon fat all on the bottom off our huge inner-tube. I sat on it, he pushed me and, I must stop here for just a moment.
I went so fast, when this guy stepped in front of me and stopped me while another person came and kicked me in the head. When I opened my eyes, I could hear my brother yelling and shaking me. He sounded relieved when I opened my eyes. I did not feel too good and started to throw up right away. I could hear others around me when I started to cry. I could not see, I was blind.
My brother gently grabbed me and placed me on some ones sled he cried the entire way home. I must have passed out because I do not remember my mom coming home, nor can I remember having any sense of time.
I heard the ambulance arrive with its siren, heard someone enter my bedroom and start talking to me. He asked me so many questions that I could not answer. He then picked me up and carried me out to, what I can only imagine was the ambulance.
I remember the hospital and the doctor. He told my parents that my brain was swelling and pushing on my optic nerve. He told my parents that I may be blind for the rest of my life.
I was in the hospital for 4 month. I stayed blind for about 72 hours. This memory is one of my scariest ones. My poor brother came and saw me every day, sitting by my bed and reading to me. He told me that he beat up the guy who hurt me.
I have not seen my brother in more than 15 years. I live in America and he lives
in Germany. I am sure that we would laugh about our childhood shenanigans.
This one may have seemed serious at the time; now it is just a memory that
bonds my brother and I together.
