...we live outside the touch of time

My little brother and I are born almost exactly 6 years apart. He's a horse, I'm a rat. In chinese astrology, signs that are 6 years apart are least compatible or downright conflicting. For the first 14 years of his life, he and I proved that chinese astrology isn't infallible. Although I didn't want a baby brother (I even threw a tantrum by locking myself inside the toilet, blaming my mother for carrying a baby boy instead of a girl), when he appeared in our world, I found him to be the cutest thing I've ever laid eyes on.

We were each other's best friends. He was Dewey (named after the youngest son in Malcom in the Middle, before the baby was born in the later seasons), I was Bob. When I obtained my driving license, I allowed him control in the driver seat and he almost banged the wall at a temple within the first 10 seconds. We even cruised around in the college I was studying at to stalk a fellow crush on mine at that time. I trusted his judgement and he would give me his opinions full of his trademark humor and creativity. We played badminton, supported Man United and watched WWE. He was our home's very own live entertainment.

I often wonder, what happened to us? What happened to Dewey and Bob, the dynamic duo? How could we have drifted so far apart that even a shared childhood memory could not bond us back together? We survived turbulence and catastrophies at home, school and in our daily lives, why is it that we are unable to survive this? Does growing up mean growing apart? Are we destined to be strangers from hereon to the eternal abyss even though I knew him from the day that he was born?

However, we did regain what we lost through our own efforts. He's oceans away from me now, living the kind of life that we never imagined was possible for him if not for his own hard work and determination. We speak quite regularly and he can still make me laugh, loud and hard at his ludicrious jokes and preposterous random remarks. He even goes by the name that I gave him 15 years ago and he is as ever, a die hard Man United fan. Many, many things have changed but whenever I talk to him, I feel as though I am speaking to the 10 year old exuberant boy who was afraid of dogs, shadows and piercing darkness. We know each other as we always were. And I tell myself, this is the one relationship I will never ever give up on, although the stars in the sky may say otherwise.

It's my mother's birthday today and I just wanted to thank her for the greatest gift she's ever given to me; Dewey - sports extraordinaire, brilliant scholar, loyal Man United supporter (for better and for worse!), dutiful son and my little brother, always.