My brother... well.. what can I say..

I've got the bestest brothers in the world... In particular, Two of them are absolute darlings to say the least..

There is one who I worshiped since I was a kid.. My cousin brother.. A real cool guy. I owe him a lot. From street cricket to sliding down the banisters to threatening the next door kid to my independence.. I owe it to him.

He seemed really cool to me when I was a kid.. The guy who got away with everything, the guy who could be humorous, the guy who could be responsible for looking after me and the tiny army of other cousins and still not come across as authoritative, for being able to put everyone at ease, for being an excellent conversationalist, for having attitude..

But most of all I loved him for one particular reason.. the way he treated me - never once did he treat me like a delicate darling as girls in my family are usually treated. Instead, I was treated his equal, his partner in everything.. It drove the family nuts to see a girl all muddy and caked in dirt playing cricket, or climb over the gate or have competitions on who would stay longest under the shower at night in winter..Of course, it only drove him to include me in everything he did..

He opened a whole new world to me.. I learnt from him that one fierce look was all it took to terrorize the boy next door, ppl could actually sleep on chairs, food tasted better at mid night while watching tv with music on than dinner ever would, bursting crackers were much more fun when whole packets were set fire to..

There were many things that I couldn't do that he could.. but it never mattered to him. I think what I liked best about it all was the fact I was given importance.. And he never let the fact that I was a girl stand in the way of our fun. But he never forgot that I was a girl either.. He still is the protective brother who watches my back as he did then..

And then we grew up.. we got different lives of our own.. I could no longer jump gates and compete with him on who could eat a banana in one mouthful, or hog like a pig... besides I didn't want to and neither did he.. He had cool friends to do cool stuff

Into my late teens, I missed him.. More likely, I missed the time and fun we had together..

Either ways we message and get on each others nerves regularly now..He looks out for me and I look out for him when we are doing stuff that'll get us in trouble.. So in one sense we are still partners..

Sample dialogue between us thru text messaging:

Him: Where the hell are you?
Me: Adyar. Stuck in traffic da
Him: Adyar??? Didn't you go to the library like you said?
Me: I did go !! I'm stuck in the traffic coming back !!
Him: Whatever.. Tell me quick, what lie do I tell pats?

Pats, Gran, Grams, G are all nicknames for our grandma between us

Me: No need to lie. Just tell her I'll be home in 15 mins
Him: Seriously!! Don't tell me you really went to the library!!
And you got abt 5 mins to get home after which your dinner will disappear...
Me: You are a git with a capital G, and an I and a T too
Him: Get home quick honey..

And then sometimes I text him so he came inform grams whenever I happen to start late from college.

Me: Are you at home or in your apartment?
Him: At home. Why?
Me: I'm starting from col only at 5 so tell gran that I'll be home by 7.30 at the latest
Him: I'm doing no courier boy work for you. Tell her yourself.
Me: No balance da git.. Just move your ass to the kitchen and tell her
Him: No can do darling..
Me: Don't make me swear ra
Him: Ok. I'll tell her... After 9
Me: Oh fuck. Get lost ra.
Him: Chill. I'll tell her

And then there was the time when I had to accompany my grandparents to visit a sick relative I didn't know existed in a hospital... Predictably I'm bored to death.. So I send a text to my brother

Me: Dei, I'm bored to death da
Him: You're at the hospital only no? The mortuary must be somewhere nearby..
Me: I swear to God, you're are no help at all
Him: When are you folks returning?
Me: An hour max
Him: I'll give you all the help you ever need
if you can keep those folks there for another hour
Me: Can't darling. Already on our way home.
Him: Do something. Pretend to puke
Me: Can't
Him: Stop the car. Really do puke
Me: You think puking comes on demand
Him: Fine. Do whatever. Just don't get home so soon.
Me: Why not? I should have thought that 2 hrs were more than enuff for boozing
Him: Finished that long ago. Just don't want you home and on my nerves so soon..
Without you I had peace and quiet...OM..
Me: We are speeding home.. Granps wants to know when you started boozing..
Him: WTF. You told him
Me: Yep
Him: Stay out of the house

And then there was that time when I was bored (yet again) at 1 in the morning... So I text him..

Him: What the hell

Me: I'm so bored da

Him: Go find someone else to bother

Me: Everyone's sleeping ra

Him: And you thought i'd entertain you by waking up??? go to sleep

Me: Pls Pls. A pretty pls with a cherry on top??

Him: Chuck the cuteness quotient. what do you wanna talk abt?

Me: Did you booze with your friends today in your apartment?

Him: Can you think of nothing better at 1 in the morning??

Me: Anything

Him: Man..I'm so hungry

Me: Hey I'm sleepy da. Go back to bed

Him: WTF. I wake up to keep you company and you ask me to go back to bedas easy as you pls

Me: Good night .. :)

Him: You are so dead

Needless to say, this is why he is a pain in the ass and an absolute darling