What I know about loyalty

When I was around 8 years old, my family and I moved to a different neighborhood, forcing my brother and me to change to a close school. I was very shy at that time, and I didn’t like to play soccer at recess time or after classes like most of the boys at school. I had I hard time making new friends, I would often stay on my own.

Not for so long, at a sunny morning at recess time, a boy wearing thick glasses and holding a Gameboy in his right hand came to talk to me. He asked if I wanted to join him and his friends playing Pokemon cards near the bleachers at the playground. So I did, and I admit I was having a really great time with them.

Suddenly someone kicked the ball into our game. Cards and soda were flying everywhere. Even though one of the guys in the soccer team said he was sorry, we were so angry that in our minds we were sure they did this on purpose.

So we came up with a brilliant idea of putting firecrackers near the playground during the game next day as a kind of revenge. John, a boy from the Pokemon card group, would bring the firecrackers that his dad kept hidden in the basement.

The next day after class we had everything prepared. Each boy would stay hidden in each corner of the playground near the bleachers and at the same exact time, we would light them together. It was only them that I realized realized my brother Gustavo was playing soccer that day, what he don’t usually do.

My hands were shaking and I was nervous, but I thought I had to go on with the plan if I wanted to keep my new friends. So I was the first that lighted up the firecrackers and throw at the playground.

“Boom!” A tremendous noise echoed in the walls of the indoor playground, everybody stopped playing as if the time had frozen.

One second later everyone at the playground looked towards my direction. Some of them were scared, others angry because someone interrupted the game, but no one laughed. Not even me, I was static and I had a lighter in my hand. It was very clear who had done it. I looked into the other corners. John and the other boys simply ran away and left me alone.

Some of the guys from the soccer team walked angry towards me. One of them, a tall boy that was actually the goalkeeper, he took out his gloves and said he wanted to fight, I didn’t know what to say. I was in disadvantage. I was smaller, younger, and was now by myself. At least I thought so.

He pushed me really hard on the concrete floor near the playground. I didn’t had a reaction right away. I was trying to recover myself when I notice my brother standing in front of me. I knew that face, he wouldn’t look me in the eyes. That’s what he did when he was upset. I thought he would scream with me and tell me to go home.

“Don’t mess with my brother!” That’s what my brother Gustavo said to the tall boy instead.

They had a pretty hard discussion, and I knew it could have gone through a really bad situation, but luckily my brother was pretty good with arguments and dealing with people.

I felt really frustrated about the friends that didn’t show up the moment I needed them the most.  Since that day I realized how I own my brother a lot because of that day, not only for getting me out of trouble, but especially for showing me the true meaning of loyalty.