Friends

Friends

Sitting on the bench in the park, where I usually waited for Brian, when I heard his voice, “Don’t turn around. Don’t tell anyone you saw me.”

I was not in the mood. “I haven’t seen you.” I said, dryly.

“No, I’m not kidding. Nobody can know that I’m here.”

“I know you’re here,” I said.

“I mean besides you!”

Obviously, he was expecting me to take the bait and was not going to stop until I did, so I put him out of his misery, “Why?”

I could almost hear him smile, “They think I have it!”

I closed my eyes. I just wanted to get home, and I wasn’t allowed to walk home without Brian in tow, or I’d be hearing it from my mother all afternoon. I just wanted to get home and hand him over to Mom and be left alone! I took a deep breath. “Who thinks you have what?” I asked.

“Those guys over there think I took their backpack.”

“Did you?!” I practically screeched!

“No! But I know who did, that guy over by the fountain.”

“Why don’t you tell them?”

“He saw me, I’m afraid. Will you tell them?”

Suddenly I understood. He was afraid of the thief. This wasn’t a game. He needed me to protect him. For the first time, I actually felt protective of my little brother. “Stay hidden.” I said, and I got up and walked over to the guys.

They were great. They didn’t involve me at all, or Brian, and they got their backpack back. The guy said he thought it had been left behind, and they chose to believe him. Brian and I continued walking home together, talking about it all the way.

That was the very day my brother and I finally became friends.