OurStories: A Hundred Days

When I went to college my brother, Nick, was three years old. Yes, we have a fifteen year spread between us - and that is why jb laughs when I say things like "when we were kids" to begin a story about him. I guess we never really were kids together - but we managed to be pretty darn close over the years.

Anyway, when I went away to college (Alllllll the way across town) that was the longest we'd ever been apart. A few weeks into my first semester I came home for dinner and my family received me with hugs and kisses. Nicholas was so excited he was hopping from one foot to the other waiting his turn to greet me.

I went down the line, hugging each member of my family - "Dad, I missed you! Mom, dinner smells great! Stephanie, how are you? Larissa, it's so good to see you!" Until I got to three year old Nicholas. When I got to him I said, "Wait a minute, who are you? Do I know this kid?"

His face dropped and he scrunched his eyebrows together, "I'm Nik-las*. I you brother."

I continued to stare blankly at him. Finally, he threw up his little hands and with an exasperated sigh said, "I've been here a hundred days!"

Of course that made me laugh out loud and I hugged him and assured him that I had just been joking. I could never forget the kid that had been there a hundred days.

*For the first several years of his life Nicholas thought his name was "necklace" - we only figured this out upon realizing that he would touch his neck as he answered whenever someone asked him his name.

[OurStories is a look at our stories past.  Some from just before I began blogging, some from before I was born.  All ones I want to hold onto.]