Close Hearts
Author: Luke, Age 12
The Philippines
I saw the bright morning sun struggling to peek through my room’s black-out curtains. Today should be like any ordinary school day, but a tumultuous storm has formed deep inside me. It greatly muddled my emotions. I tried to hold back the tears that would spill unwillfully at any moment. Finally, I mustered and heard my croaky voice say, "Rhett, wake up! Noelle and I are leaving for school." It was time to say our dreaded goodbyes. Rhett was leaving for college. He was leaving for Toronto.
For as long as I can remember, we have always been a trio: Rhett, Noelle, and I. Rhett and Noelle are only thirteen months apart and I, on the other hand, am seven years younger than Rhett. Despite our age differences, we share the same passion for playful adventures, silly gossips, never-ending banter, and heartfelt conversations. The three of us have shared a big room faintly painted with nature’s green. Our room is filled with a treasure trove of books, hard-earned trophies, colorful artworks, and more importantly our collection of toys.
Being a boy, I am more inclined to my brother’s interests. We both love Transformers! More than being a toy robot, it allows us to channel our creative thinking to a different level. It was also Rhett who introduced me to my passion for solving Rubik’s cubes. “Try solving this 2x2!” Rhett said as he handed it to me, “Start with the easiest one and move up to the more complex cubes.” As challenging as it was, I diligently studied the algorithms and patterns of each cube until the feeling of their smooth plastic surfaces lingered on my fingertips. Rhett constantly guided me throughout this time. The patience needed to master these skills is a trait I see in Rhett and wish to develop in myself. Other than influencing my hobbies, he has also been a constant inspiration for me as a person.
I can’t deny, however, that despite our similarities and my admiration for him, we clashed frequently. Most of the time, these were trivial matters that escalated into fistfights. “Luke, not again!” he would scold me as he pushed my foot away from him, and I would tell my parents that “Rhett started it!” while attempting to pry the steel grip of his fingers off my arm. He would get upset with me for breaking his toys or wasting his time with my witless narratives, and I would irritate him further by making absurd voices or calling him silly names. At some point, our parents always made sure to either keep us away from each other or to leave us with my sister when they weren’t at home to avoid our fights. It wasn’t just this that made us more distant. When Rhett started high school, we started spending less and less time together because of his schoolwork.
As we carried on doing our own things, I failed to understand just how fast time flies. It feels like it was just yesterday that Rhett and I packed our bags for our first golf tournament and suddenly, I see him in our room packing bigger bags and getting ready for a greater journey to Canada. The realization of his departure truly felt like lightning striking my heart. Rhett is like a core memory from the movie Inside Out; he makes up a big part of my life. I knew I would miss him terribly. We would never come home from school and listen to music again. The dinner table feels incomplete because Rhett always sat next to me, but now my body tingles at the emptiness beside me. There isn’t an arm or leg rubbing against my own, or a strong voice recounting events from the day. It still feels wrong for me to play video games alone because we would always play our favorite video games together. The bedroom we shared felt so big and hollow without seeing my brother lying down on the bed beside me.
Now that he is gone, we both realize how precious our memories together are, like the time we invented our special handshake (which takes two minutes to do). When we do get to talk on the weekends, we spend hours talking on the phone. Despite all our fights, I now know what my brother means to me and how important he is. Beneath his teasing nature lies a kind heart. I remember that when I was six, I cried to him talking about how I didn’t have a best friend. Rhett gave me a toy and said, “I will always be your best friend!” It has been five years since then, and I can proudly say that my brother kept his promise. Even though we live on opposite sides of the world, no distance will ever affect the closeness of our hearts.
