Everyone should have a brother

At last there is something not to be so grumpy about. Huzzah! Today I write in praise of older sibling who has by his diligence and patience done me a Brobdingnagian favour.

A little bit of a familial history lesson is in order here. Older sibling and I have often had our fallings out; yet when he has been in trouble, it's always been dimbo here who has ridden in with all guns blazing to pull him out of whatever trouble he had gotten himself into. A signal example was when he was thirteen and being manhandled by two older boys who were trying to steal his bicycle. Despite being half the size of the two rather rum coves shoving older brother about, yours truly stepped up to the plate and let older brother pedal to safety. I think the two fifteen year olds concerned were more amused than alarmed when challenged mano e mano by an irate eight year old. However, older sibling duly fetched grown ups, and junior here got off with no more than a couple of bruises and a split lip, although I did salve my pride by landing one on the bigger boys chin. Again, I think it was the shock of where the physical challenge was coming from that saved me from a quite serious kicking.

This was not the only time I deliberately got in the way of those who meant my brother harm, and as time went on, and I grew taller and broader than older sibling, word got around that one should leave the elder Sticker boy well alone, as young Bill was known to be a bit of a handful, and more than ready to stand up for the family honour, such as it was. We grew up; older sibling went to University, junior here to Technical College, and was only called upon to handle the tricky jobs. To be honest there was no little resentment from my side of the story, as I forever seemed to be on the wrong side of a give and take relationship.

Notwithstanding all the aforementioned, when push has come to shove, the Sticker boys have demonstrated a rather splendid tendency to pull figurative rabbits out of impossibly small hats. Thus today, elder sibling has paid back all the favours done for him over the past forty plus years and I bow towards the country of my birth and humbly beseech the gods of good fortune to smile upon him.

This is why. A few days ago I asked elder brother to see if he could find any of my old school certificates lurking around at the ancient family home, not thinking that any of them existed any more. Several days passed with no word, and I naturally assumed that the certificates had been lost forever, and that I would have to spend a deal of money and time reclaiming them. Ten minutes before I started writing this piece, I received very happy news. Elder sibling had found the lot, every single educational certificate ever gained by me over my highly chequered career. A total of twelve separate certificates in all, covering High School, Technical College, and a couple of others I had clean forgotten about. He had spent two days hunting through old paperwork on my behalf, and I am truly delighted with him. I never thought he'd do it on my account; but God love him, he came through and has put the lot in the post to me here in Canada. Tonight I raise a glass in his honour.

Everyone should have a Brother.

Correction: That should read fifteen educational certificates covering twenty six separate subjects.