Brothers

By Bob Haider

Brothers is comprised of the following short stories…

The Answer---A stormy night triggers an epiphany

Out of Sync---A bittersweet memory

The Pickup---An encounter at a grocery store

A Christmas Gift---A trinket prompts a recollection

Brothers---Three brothers embark on an assignment

The Commandments---Moses at Mount Sinai

The Waitress---A man's heart is tugged by a waitress

A Sign of the Times---Problems abound at a recruiting camp

While You Were Away---A citizen is detained

Gran's Secret Garden---A grandmother's special bond

Precious Peanut---A recollection of the passing years

The Deposition---Testimony at a Congressional hearing

Daddy's Little Girl---A young girl's day in church

Heroines and Heroes---A 9-year-old learns the definition of a heroine

The Man in the Mirror---A recurring nightmare

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bob Haider
• Release date: Mar 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224403004

Bob Haider

In addition to Brothers and the short stories, Tree of Life, Bob has authored the Ben & Bob adventure series, as well as full-length novels Pictures on the Wall, his initial novel on political courage, Whispers in the Night about revenge on a criminal empire and The Game Begins about an elusive serial killer. Raised in Downers Grove, Illinois, Bob is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and lives in Glenview, Illinois with his long-time companion, Mary Ellen.

Book preview

The Answer

Bob lay on his back unable to sleep as a howling winter wind rattled the windowpane.  He was immersed in thoughts about an incident from his youth that occurred on a cold dark night very much like this night.  He wondered if his brothers and sister remembered the incident as vividly as he did, but quickly doubted it since memories from youth vary so substantially from sibling to sibling.  The details of that dark, wintry night so many years ago were as clear to him as if they’d occurred yesterday.

At ten years old, he shared a room in the ranch house with two of his brothers—-Bill who was seven, and Jim who was five.  Anxious and unable to sleep Bob couldn’t wait any longer, as he propped himself up on his elbows.  He tried to see if his brothers were also awake, but the nightlight that normally broke the darkness had burned out a couple of nights before and had not yet been replaced.

Bob called out in a whisper, Bill?  You awake?

Yeah, he answered immediately.

Okay, let’s go, said Bob, as he sat up and called to his youngest brother.  Jim?

Receiving no response, the two brothers began to move toward Jim’s bed when the silence was suddenly shattered by a loud crash of metal objects.  Bill had stumbled into several toys in the middle of the room.

Quiet, Bob chastised him.  If you wake up dad, we’ll get in trouble.

Bob froze in his tracks as he listened in dread to hear if their dad had been roused.  His chest pounded and his heartbeat soared but his anxiety ebbed when he didn’t hear anything.

Stand still, he instructed Bill, as he approached Jim’s bed and shook him gently.  Jim stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

We’re going now, Bob whispered.

Jim was soon wide-awake as he shared the full anticipation of his brothers.

Bob slowly and carefully escorted his brothers across the room.  Cautiously, he opened the door and his father’s loud snoring sounded more ominous in the open hallway.

Wait here, said Bob, as he tiptoed across the hall, and opened the door to their older brother’s bedroom.  Bob approached his bed and whispered his brother’s nickname, Coog.

I was out late last night, he mumbled.  I want to sleep some more.  You go ahead without me.

At seven years younger Bob revered his older brother, though at ten Bob didn’t know what those feelings were, and he was disappointed Coog would not be joining them.

The three boys resumed their slow, cautious trek up the hallway as each step brought them closer to their dad’s loud snoring.  They stopped at their sister’s room, and as soon as Bob opened the door, Bonnie peeled off a staccato of questions.  Are you ready?  Where’s Coog?  Didn’t you wake him up?

He wants to sleep, Bob answered.

Okay.  Come on, said Bonnie, who at thirteen now took the lead.  She placed her forefinger to her pursed lips cautioning her brothers with the silent gesture, while she led them up the hallway and they crept slowly past their parents’ room.  When they came to the end of the hallway, she whispered, Wait here, as she turned and entered the living room.

Bill and Jim were so excited they danced up and down in anticipation.

Bob, however, was apprehensive.  He glanced warily down the long, dark hallway behind him as if to reassure himself they were still safe, while Bonnie walked deftly across the darkened living room to the front door where she groped for the wall switch.  When she found it, she called softly but audibly to her brothers, Okay.  Come on in.

She flipped the switch just as her three brothers turned the corner and entered the living room.

Instantly the room was illuminated with lights of red, green, blue and orange—-the colors reflecting against dozens of ornaments and silver tinsel that sparkled in the pre-dawn darkness.

Even at the age of ten, Bob was awed by what he saw.  He thought nothing could more beautiful than a fully decorated Christmas tree lit in the dark.  He thought some of the joy of Christmas morning was lost once the sun arose and the rays of daylight pierced the darkness muting the festive colors of Christmas.  He thought of this in a microsecond as the four of them rushed toward the foot of the tree screeching in joy, grabbing at gifts, and tearing at the wrapping paper.

Suddenly, they heard loud footsteps coming up the hallway.

Bonnie cried out, He’s awake!  We woke him up!

Bob and Bill started to run.  Like ants they scurried frantically around the living room but there was nowhere to hide.  Jim remained at the foot of the tree, as tears formed quickly in his fearful eyes.

Their father shouted as he stormed up the hallway.  It’s five o’clock in the morning!  Are you nuts!  What’s the matter with you! he yelled as he entered the living room.  Get to bed!  Get to bed! he shouted angrily, as the four children scampered to get by him unscathed.

Bob, the unlucky one being the tallest, made a good target and was unable to duck the slap to the back of his head.  The blow nearly knocked him off his feet, as he raced past his father.  They rushed frantically down the hallway and passed their mom who was standing in the doorway of the bedroom with her arms extended in a gesture to hold them, but they were running too fast and were too frightened to stop.

Bonnie raced into her room and slammed the door behind her, while the three boys ran the remaining length of the hallway, jumped into their beds, pulled up the covers and nestled under what they hoped was safety.

Bob began to whimper but it wasn’t because of the slap.  It was a much deeper hurt.

What did I do that was so wrong?  It was a question he asked himself many times for which he never got an answer, and he knew the remainder of this Christmas day would only get worse.  Invariably, his dad would begin drinking again by early afternoon.

The wind howled as Bob was abruptly jolted back to the present—-his recollection broken by the rattling windowpane as he lay in his bed staring at the ceiling.

His eyes misted just as they did as a young boy but this time it was because he knew the answer to the question...the question he’d asked himself so many times during his youth.

He finally knew.

He knew what that young boy didn’t know...the answer that would take so many years for that young boy to find...and Bob wished he could reach back in time to tell him.

Out of Sync

As I pulled out of my driveway and headed for the Interstate, a torrent of thoughts flooded my consciousness as I reflected upon how many years had passed since high school.  God, that was so very long ago but in all the time since, I never forgot the first time I laid eyes on Suzy.

I was seventeen on a blind date and eight of us went bowling.  Suzy was a vivacious, petite blonde with an unforced, gregarious smile.  She absolutely glowed with happiness and I was totally captivated by her at first sight.  She was without exaggeration the most attractive girl I’d ever seen and she possessed an out-going personality wholly unlike my more introverted self.

I was immediately beguiled by her smile; enchanted by her effervescent personality and transfixed by her sparkling hazel eyes and even her tiny, slightly upturned button nose.  But Suzy’s most attractive trait was quite simply...her.  I was completely smitten and had never been so enamored with anyone.

There was a problem though.

Suzy wasn’t my blind date and throughout the evening I found myself glancing in her direction while hoping I wasn’t being too obvious...either to her or to my date.  I got through the evening well enough and later a friend gave me Suzy’s phone number.  I called her for a date and I was elated when she said yes.

We began dating in January of my senior year in high school.  I lived in the western Chicago suburb of Downers Grove while Suzy was a junior and lived in Homewood, a southern suburb located down Interstate 294 where it bends east around Lake Michigan.

From the first moment we went out, we hit it off beautifully.  Soon Suzy asked me to one of her high school’s basketball games followed by a dance.  It was turnabout weekend, where the girl asks the guy.  As usual we had a marvelous time and in the coming weeks, she would occasionally remind me that her high school won that game.

I recall how we playfully clashed on the Academy Award nominated songs that year.  I was rooting for one song, while she favored another.  Her song took home the Oscar.

We lived many miles apart so we’d only see each other on a date once a week, but a day didn’t pass without us speaking on the phone and sharing the events of each