“Tee-sa I am hungry” screamed my four year old brother Charles as he continued to play with his cars. I put down my math book and asked him if Macaroni and cheese would be fine, he looked up at me, smiled and said “I love you”. Those were how many of my nights turned out, walk Charles home from school, give him a snack, work on my homework, cook dinner, clean and then take him to bed. As I begin to reminisce on my junior high years, all I think about is how my childhood was taken away.

My mother at the time was always at work making sure that my brother and I had the essentials of life, in return I helped her raise my little brother. At first I did not really understand what I was getting myself into, my mind gave me the illusion that I was playing house with my own little baby. I would cuddle with him, read him books and wiped his tears when he was upset. As time went by, I realized that I was getting tired of the same routine. I wanted to go out with my friends after school, go to the movies and enjoy myself just like everyone else.

I began to go through a stage of deep sadness, planning on some way to end my life. I would ask myself “Why is this happening to me, why am I being punished”. I began to care for my brother with resentment and jealousy, he would try to ask me to play with him or take him to the park and all I would say was no. As time progressed my mother saw how quite and saddened I had become; one day she looked me in my eyes smiled and said “I am doing this for you Theresa, I am doing this for you”. I turned around ran to my room, closed the door and began to cry. Suddenly I began to feel someone begin to crawl in my bed; I slowly turned around and saw my little brother with tears in his eyes. As I began to kick him out, he started to yell “I LOVE YOU TEE-SA, DON’T LEAVE ME”.

I stopped in my tracks, and realized I had taught my little brother what love really was. Despite all the adversities I had to face, I learned a lot about my self. I am now at the point of life where I am transitioning into a young adult, and I appreciate all that my brother taught me.