Auntie LadyLee

So...

I was at work in the lab, having a GOOD time working (yeah right).

When my cell phone rang.

It was my brother Kari, aka "Milk and Cookies", who's stationed up in Virginia.

"Hello?"
"Hey, Lee," he said.
"Wassup, man?"
"Just called to let you know that you're gonna be an Auntie."

*crickets*

"Really?"
"Yeah."
"How far along is she?"
"A few weeks. We just found out."

*crickets*

"Well, congratulations," I said.
"Thank you."
"Everything going alright with ya'll?"
"Yeah, everything's fine."
"Well that's good to hear."
"I got to make a few other calls," he said.
"Okay. Well, congratulations," I said again.

We said our goodbyes and hung up.

So, I am going to be an Auntie. Hmmm...

I must say, I am happy for him, since he and his wife have been wanting a baby. I hope the best for them, and that everything will be alright.

We haven't talked much as of late because of various disagreements a while back, but we do text each other from time to time.

While I was thinking about all this, I thought back to some discussions he, myself, and my sister had while standing around the kitchen island talking about family stuff. They both said how they didn't want children, because they didn't want a whiff of a chance of their child feeling the way we felt when we were growing up. It wasn't really worth it. I, who had the hardest time out of us all growing up, tried to convince them that that wouldn't be the case. I thought that they were good people and would be good parents.

I would have hated for the strain and memories of the past to taint their futures...

And just for that reason, I am glad for Milk and Cookies.

He can look past the past, and make his own future.

And that is a lesson that I am still trying to learn for myself.