My Older-Younger Brother

On Tuesday evening, I came home to put up Christmas lights with my younger brother (three years younger). Every year, we do it and it very quickly turns into anarchy. I just imagine a car driving by peaceful house after peaceful house and then, as they pass our house, they just hear swear words, dick jokes, blasphemous yelling and maniacal laughter (imagine Rosencrantz & Guildenstern meets Dumb & Dumber).

But, instead, I came home to my brother printing out some documents in nice clothes with his hair combed.

"Where the hell are you going...?" I asked slowly, suspicious and keeping a stifled laughter to myself.

"To a Rich Dad, Poor Dad seminar. I just found out about it. Me and Jay are going. You wanna go?"

I was rather bewildered.

"So no Christmas lights...?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, sorry, man. I can't do Christmas lights tonight. We'll do it this weekend though," he said, bustling around the dining room. "Are you sure you don't wanna go? They're handing out a free small piece of silver."

"No, I'm good..." I said, still somewhat baffled by the scene. "I think I'm just gonna eat a sandwich and watch Die Hard 2."

"Suit yourself," he said. "You're missing out on your financial education!" he added with a laugh and then left.

Later, as I sat in my room, eating my awesome sandwich and watching John McClane try his absolute best to save the airport, I had to wonder what the hell had happened. My brother went to a finance seminar and I watched an action movie. This seems strange, I told myself, he's three years younger than me.

Then, last night, I came home and my brother and I got into a two-hour debate regarding American economics and personal finance. This then evolved into a jog with our dog while discussing financial plans, the proposed value or flaw of investments, the failure of standardized education and The Fountainhead (which turned into the reoccurring argument of Howard Roark vs. Peter Keating in society). We also talked about starting a new secret society like the Free Masons, though it wasn't as funny as it sounds. It was actual schematics and plausibility.

Once we got home, we both said, "Good talk," high-fived, and then I had another daunting moment of confusion. But I was too tired from the run and I just thought, fuck it, my brother is now my stepdad, time to get over it; and then I took a shower.