The little brother looked at his older sister with pleading eyes, "Why can't you understand that I have to make this choice? I want to make my own mistakes. Let me grow up... I've been protected all my life.. I need you to let me decide! I'm listening to you but I need you to respect me in this.. I’m serious.. " Conflict arose within her - the instinct to protect her little brother overwhelmed her.. Why couldn't he understand that she loved him and wanted him to be safe? Didn't he know the dangers that lied ahead in choosing that path? Why does he insist on being so foolish? Why WAS HE NOT LISTENING?? She felt like shaking him to make him see reason...
On the other hand, she felt his heartfelt plea resonate within her.. Hadn't she gone through the very thing that he was going through? That in the not so distant past, there was a time in her life when she felt the need to grow up and make her own choices - that being independent and growing up meant making mistakes on her own - warped though that reasoning was on hindsight…
"Ok" the words were wrenched from her – her heart felt pained... A big part of her didn't understand - perhaps didn't want to understand.. It felt like he trusted that man over her – but since it meant so much to him she would agree… Perhaps she could talk to the man instead…
The little brother looked at her “Good… I don’t want to argue with you anymore.. I love you”…
The next day, she went to talk to the man and understood why her little brother decided to make that decision.. When her little brother found out that she talked to the man, he asked her, “You talked to him?? Why did you talk to him??” “I didn’t promise that I wouldn’t talk to him – I promised not to argue with you about it” “I don’t want to talk about it anymore” When she saw the look on his face, her heart felt stabbed with pain, a slice of fear entered her heart – fear he would not forgive her somehow and not trust her anymore…
Throughout the afternoon, she walked around like a wounded person.. She saw a man and his child… His child was learning to walk... She saw the father letting go of his child and that the father let the child fall as he learnt to walk…
As she watched the scene, it suddenly dawned upon her.. She understood that her little brother truly loved her but needed her to let him make his own choices.. To let him fall so that he could learn to walk and let him pick himself up again - unless he asked her for help.. and that she needed to let him fall no matter how much it pained her to see him suffer.. And part of loving him was to let him fall… As she thought it further, she saw how great her brother's heart was - in chosing that path that he took and wanted to bless others - a part of her heart was proud of him and loved him more for who he was...
As she walked home – she hoped that their love for one another will somehow overcome this wedge that was between them…
Ps: In the end the little brother called her and they both mended their relationship with one another...
*grin* I love happy endings..
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